The Indigo League tournament roared on with full force. Battles filled the stadium day after day, drawing huge crowds from all over Indigo.
Gladion watched from the VIP section as his sponsored trainer, Daisy Oak, dominated her opponents one by one.
She moved through the bracket with steady confidence, defeating trainers who had come from far and wide.
In her first match, she sent out her ace Venusaur against a type weakness Charizard, using a clever combination of Sleep Powder and Solar Beam to secure victory without much trouble.
During the tournament, many spectators and other trainers had spotted the Vortex Industries mark on her gear. It appeared as a sleek silver logo on her backpack, Poke Balls, and even her trainer's vest. This mark clearly showed that Daisy was sponsored by Gladion and his company.
It gave her a sense of pride, and it drew attention from announcers who mentioned it during her matches. Some rivals tried to trash-talk her about it, calling her "the rich kid's pet project," but Daisy just smiled and let her Pokemon do the talking.
It was not like she received no advantages from the sponsorship. Gladion made sure to support her fully. After every gym battle of hers , he reviewed the recordings of them.
He gave her detailed advice on what went well and what needed improvement. During her journey leading up to the league, he had advised her on different moves that her Pokemon should learn.
These tips came from his vast experience as a gym leader and champion battler, and Daisy soaked them up like a sponge.
Gladion felt genuinely happy with her performance up until now. He knew she would at least make it to the top 8, given her skill and preparation.
She might even push all the way to the finals if things broke right.
He stayed to watch the tournament for a few days, cheering quietly from his seat as Daisy advanced. But the competition stretched on for weeks, with hundreds of trainers in the early rounds.
Gladion could not stay and watch the entire event. His had many more duties. With a final nod to the screen showing Daisy's latest win, he teleported away in a flash of light.
With the reveal of the fossil Pokemon revival technology, Gladion suddenly had a lot of work to do.
Reporters hounded his office for interviews. Other gym leaders and ace trainers sent messages asking for details. Even the league officials wanted to know if these ancient Pokemon could compete in official battles. He handled the basics from afar but needed to get back to base to manage it all properly.
Gladion arrived at his gym in Moonwood Town under a clear afternoon sky. He headed straight toward his father's lab, which sat on the expansive ranch behind the gym.
His father, Ben Vortex, looked busy with various documents spread across his desk. Papers detailed fossil scans, revival logs, and genetic data. Ben adjusted his glasses as he scribbled notes, surrounded by screens showing 3D models of ancient Pokemon skeletons.
As soon as Ben saw his son enter the room, he put down his pen and smiled wryly. "You could have warned me that you would be revealing our research into reviving fossil Pokemon. I am already getting calls from various researchers, and Professor Oak even visited directly to know more about it."
Gladion rubbed the back of his head embarrassedly. He felt a bit sheepish for springing the news without a heads-up.
"Well, it was in the heat of the moment. I had just won the match against Bruno, and I thought that I should reward the winner with something good. It was the only thing that came into my mind at the time."
Ben's wry smile turned into a warm, understanding one. He leaned back in his chair and nodded. "I understand. The timing worked out well, actually. It created huge buzz, and now everyone wants in on the project."
Gladion pulled up a chair and sat down, eager for an update. "So, what are the results up until now?"
Ben's face lit up with enthusiasm. He gestured to a nearby screen showing success charts. "From the huge amounts of fossils that you brought us from Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn, we have managed to revive Pokemon with a 95 percent accuracy rate until now. It's a time-consuming process to even revive one, but we are working to improve its efficiency. The machines extract the DNA, stabilize it with modern Pokemon genes, and rebuild the body layer by layer."
His eyes shone brightly as he continued, leaning forward with excitement. "Gladion, with this, we have revived extinct Pokemon and brought new Pokemon back into the living world. Do you know how big this is? These creatures have not walked the earth for millions of years. Trainers will line up for a chance to own one."
He went on, pulling up images of the revived Pokemon on the screen. "I am already working with Professor Oak to get Pokedex entries on these Pokemon. Kabuto and Kabutops from the Dome Fossil, Omanyte and Omastar from the Helix Fossil, Aerodactyl from the Old Amber. Then from Hoenn, Anorith and Armaldo from the Claw Fossil, and Lileep and Cradily from the Root Fossil."
Gladion smiled at his father's excitement. He could see the passion in Ben's voice and gestures.
After his father calmed down a bit, sipping some water from a bottle on his desk, Gladion asked the next important question. "What about having them breed? Can we make more without reviving each one individually?"
Ben shook his head slightly, his expression turning thoughtful. "While we have perfected the revival machine, we still need to work on how to have them breed. They seem to have lost the ability to breed after being revived. Their genetics are stable, but the reproductive systems don't activate properly. It's like the long dormancy in fossil form disrupted that part of their biology."
Gladion nodded in understanding. He had expected some hurdles. "Have the team continue to work on it. Just to be on the safe side, we would only sell and give away male ancient Pokemon so that no one else can try and breed them before us."
Ben nodded in agreement, jotting a quick note on his pad. "Smart plan. That keeps the monopoly in our hands until we crack breeding."
Gladion stood up, feeling satisfied with the progress. He left the lab with a wave, stepping back into the ranch's fresh air. 'I can't wait for the other regions to open up. I have found the three fossil Pokemon of Kanto and Johto - Kabuto line, Omanyte line, and Aerodactyl and have successfully revived them. And similarly revived the two fossil Pokemon lines of Hoenn - Anorith-Armaldo and Lileep-Cradily. There are so many more out there in other regions like Sinnoh and Unova.'
A grin spread across his face at the thought of the profits from rare Pokemon auctions, exclusive deals with elite trainers, and partnerships with leagues everywhere.
'Lance is already in talk with Sinnoh officials.
If things went right, the next League season would see Sinnoh and Indigo open their borders to each other fully.' Gladion become more excited at that thought.
Then his expression sobered a little. 'Let's hope that these regions don't already have technology that is able to revive ancient Pokemon.' He did not want competitors jumping in before Vortex Industries dominated the market.
-----Author Notes------
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