The streak of good luck from last time did not continue.
[You lost to the Golden Gym Leader]
The Gambler walked out of the Golden Gym undeterred, heading straight out of the city.
[You are acutely aware that more important than defeating the Gym Leader by luck is whether he acknowledges this battle style]
"Ah~"
Baimu was suddenly enlightened, having done some homework after becoming the temporary Gym Leader himself.
You could say the Gym Leader still has quite a lot of power; as long as there is a legitimate reason, even if the challenger ultimately wins the match, the Gym Badge can be refused.
And in the Gambler's era, the Gym Leader's power was likely even greater.
Once the gambling strategy angers the opponent, no amount of effort will help.
Essentially.
Relying solely on a Pokémon capable of One-hit Kill techniques to defeat the Gym Leader's three Pokémon is exceedingly fantastical.
Even if luck ultimately ensures victory, the Gym Leader may not be able to accept it.
[You deeply understand that to win with an open hand, you must hold enough chips]
What Gambler's thoughts and beliefs.
Baimu secretly mocked, but also agreed with the Gambler's basic logic, realizing why the old man hurriedly headed out—
To capture new Pokémon.
The Gambler and Poliwhirl constantly searched the wildlands, bypassing numerous wild Pokémon with clear objectives.
[You helplessly discover that Machop, normally found even in urban areas, seems to have become a rare entity in the wild; is the god of gambling punishing you?]
From the narration, we know.
Although the Gambler is determined to embark on a journey, his age is indeed a bit advanced, and without reliable transportation, even in his era when Kanto was the mainstream region, infrastructure levels were rather poor.
Thus, capturing a second Pokémon was a great effort for the Gambler.
Fortunately, the "Time for a Change" talent has always been triggered well.
Unable to find Machop in the wild, the Gambler chose to purchase a Machoke from the Rocket Team at a low price, which was discarded by their construction company for being too old.
Baimu: "..."
Who owes whom money? Why are the Rocket Team so willing to cooperate with the Gambler?!
He really didn't understand.
What saddened him further was Machoke's plight; the beastly Rocket Team exploited its labor until the end, then sold it to squeeze every last bit of value.
This simulated storyline is really heavy...
[You acquired a semi-retired Machoke, adding an aging old buddy]
[You familiarized yourself briefly with Machoke and rushed off to Golden Gym to initiate the second challenge]
Undoubtedly.
The Gambler's goal in capturing Machoke was to integrate it into the One-hit Kill stream strategy; plus, Machoke is a Pokémon more suitable for One-hit Kill techniques than Poliwhirl.
Because of its trait [No Defense].
Its effect in the game is to ignore the accuracy of techniques, guaranteeing hits on the opponent, while also making it easier to be hit.
Combining with Machoke's ability to learn [Earth Split], it's a small child in-game: at most, it doesn't work on Flying Attribute Pokémon.
Of course.
These are limited to the game.
In the animation world, there are no guaranteed-hit techniques, and the so-called [No Defense] trait is essentially suicide attack, abandoning dodges to desperately hit the opponent once.
However, although the aging Machoke obtained by the Gambler is at a decent level, it doesn't currently know Earth Split, so why is he so eager to challenge the Gym?
The answer was obvious.
[You theatrically sent out Machoke, causing its defeat through casual command, and then naturally sent out Poliwhirl, beginning the familiar gamble of Earth Split]
[Your Poliwhirl defeated Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee, Machop]
[You defeated the Golden Gym Leader and received the Golden Badge]
That's right.
Machoke exists to be sacrificed.
Make Poliwhirl's victory through One-hit Kill appear less abrupt, using one card to cover another to achieve true intent.
[Heart Like Iron Stone], huh.
"Hmm..."
As Baimu quietly observed the screen where the Gambler celebrated with Machoke and Poliwhirl in the izakaya, seeing the smile on Machoke's forehead, he didn't know what to say.
Grateful the Gambler isn't stingy in treating Pokémon, yet feeling complicated about Machoke's experiences.
Regardless.
The Gambler, having acquired two partners, re-embarked on his journey to challenge Gyms through gambling luck.
[You decided to head next to Kuye City, reaching the underground pathway]
Baimu was surprised that Kanto Region's underground pathway had already been established back in that era.
But what made him speechless was that coming to the underground pathway wasn't for the Gambler to expedite travels, but for the Pachinko Machine hidden there.
A true gambler.
Unbelievable persistence.
Baimu watched as the Gambler played at the Pachinko Machine with a fervor, finally understanding where the [Hot-blooded Youth] talent applied.
It applied to gambling! Trying to go big with a youthful mindset, huh?
[You lost over half of your money; in your frenzy, Poliwhirl and Machoke dragged you away]
On-screen.
Wild-eyed, the Gambler was forcibly dragged away by the two Pokémon, having no choice but to continue stepping towards Kuye City.
Soon they arrived in Kuye City.
[You arrived in Kuye City, a top international port in Kanto, and were shocked by the bustling scene, exclaiming how different it was from thirty years ago]