"Don't worry, sir. Your egg fried rice is delicious. As repayment, I'll help you settle the dispute between Yas Gym and Kaz Gym." Red promised, reassuring the middle-aged man.
"Sigh… I hope so…"
Although he was grateful for Red's enthusiasm in helping, the middle-aged man didn't have much confidence in him. After all, judging by appearances, Red looked like nothing more than a somewhat mature ten-year-old boy. How strong could he really be?
"In truth, becoming an officially recognized League Gym isn't difficult. The problem is that these two gyms are too foolish. They actually think they can use brute force to prove themselves. It's simply laughable."
Red couldn't help but mock the ignorant behavior of Yas Gym and Kaz Gym.
Why did the Pokémon League establish League Gyms? On one hand, it was to test the strength of trainers who came to challenge them. On the other, it was to protect the peace of the local area.
But the actions of Yas Gym and Kaz Gym completely went against this original purpose. Even if one of them luckily defeated the other, it would still be impossible to gain recognition from the Pokémon League.
Hiding in a corner, a mysterious person wearing a mask pretended to sip coffee while nodding in agreement with Red's words. However, the act of pretending to drink coffee looked slightly comical.
The mysterious person in the corner was actually the inspector sent by the Pokémon League—namely, a Nurse Joy from the Pokémon Center.
For the moment, Red didn't want to expose Nurse Joy's identity, so he allowed her to continue disguising herself as a passing tourist.
"Hey, hurry up and prepare thirty boxed meals for us. Same rules as always—we'll put it on credit here. Once our Kaz Gym becomes the League Gym of Dark City, we'll definitely settle the debt!"
Three Kaz Gym members wearing deep-blue uniforms with the letter K in the center barged into Red's view. They arrogantly demanded food on credit from the owner, showing none of the dignity expected of Pokémon trainers. They looked more like bandits extorting food from ordinary civilians.
"You scum are really unpleasant to look at. Pay back the money you owe the old man first before swaggering in to order food!" Red said coldly as he casually tossed the Poké Ball in his hand.
A flash of white light faded, and the black-and-red Scizor appeared before the three men. Seeing the killing intent in Scizor's eyes, the three trembled uncontrollably.
"Don't think that just because you have a shiny Scizor you can provoke our Kaz Gym!"
Although intimidated by Scizor's presence, the three subconsciously believed that three against one would be enough to defeat it. Regaining their confidence, they threw out their Poké Balls and sent their Pokémon into battle.
Raticate, Kingler, and Rhydon appeared in front of Scizor, glaring fiercely at it.
However, the amusing part was that none of the three Pokémon were as tall as Scizor. Even the tallest, Rhydon, only reached 1.9 meters—unable to match Scizor's 2.1-meter height after evolution.
"Don't disturb the old man's business. Use Metal Claw and drive them out!"
Silver light glowed from Scizor's pincers. Crossing its claws, it swung forward and knocked all three Kaz Gym members and their Pokémon backward in a single strike, sending them tumbling out of the restaurant and onto the street.
"Damn it! Don't get so arrogant!" the Kaz Gym members shouted angrily.
"Rhydon, use Drill Run!"
"Raticate, use Super Fang!"
"Kingler, use Water Gun!"
The three Pokémon unleashed their moves simultaneously and charged toward Scizor.
Seeing this, Sylveon anxiously tried to rush forward to help Scizor, but the calm Red stopped it.
"Do you really think Scizor needs your help?" Red said helplessly, telling Sylveon not to worry.
Without needing Red's command, the independently fighting Scizor used Double Team, splitting into countless copies and confusing the vision of the three Pokémon. The three Kaz Gym members behind them looked around in confusion, trying to determine which one was the real Scizor.
Just as the three Pokémon were still searching for Scizor, a black lightning bolt suddenly struck Rhydon. Immediately afterward, Rhydon's massive body collapsed to the ground, letting out a painful cry.
The black lightning revealed its true form—it was Scizor using Bullet Punch. With the Technician ability, Scizor increased the power of Bullet Punch by 50%, and Steel-type moves happened to deal double damage to Rhydon.
Seeing that Rhydon still had the strength to stand, Scizor followed up with Metal Claw, striking it down in one blow. Rhydon instantly lost the ability to battle and could no longer get up.
"Gulp!" ×5
Seeing the massive Rhydon easily defeated by Scizor, the two remaining Pokémon froze in fear. The three Kaz Gym members behind them trembled as well, finally realizing they had provoked someone they absolutely shouldn't have.
Scizor turned into a black lightning bolt again and knocked the stunned Raticate to the ground with a single punch, giving it no chance to react.
Seeing this, Kingler immediately launched an attack on Scizor after receiving its trainer's command, trying to buy time for the fallen Raticate to recover.
Scizor and Kingler both used Metal Claw, but Scizor quickly suppressed Kingler and followed up with Iron Head, striking Kingler's head.
The blow left Kingler dizzy. In its dazed state, it saw Scizor crossing its arms. Its pincers glowed with emerald light as it used X-Scissor, knocking Kingler to the ground.
The exhausted Raticate was finished off by another Bullet Punch from Scizor, its eyes spinning as it collapsed.
"Please spare our lives!"
Seeing their Pokémon defeated one after another, the Kaz Gym members immediately dropped to their knees and begged for mercy, showing not the slightest sense of shame.
"Give them a simple lesson," Red said calmly. Apologizing and begging wouldn't be enough to let them off.
"No!" ×3
Under the terrified gazes of the three men, Scizor flexed its pincers and instantly shredded the clothes on their bodies, leaving only their underwear intact.
Although the breeze was gentle, it felt chilling on their bodies. It wasn't just because they had no clothes—more because they could feel the stares of the surrounding residents, waves of mocking gazes.
"Oh? I didn't expect the people from Kaz Gym to end up so miserable."
A teasing voice came from the distance. Three members of Yas Gym appeared, wearing orange-yellow shirts and dark-green work uniforms with the letter Y in the center. They mocked the weak strength of the Kaz Gym members.
"Let our Yas Gym show you how to become a real League Gym!"
Three Poké Balls were thrown. Mankey, Hitmonchan, and Machoke appeared before Scizor, aggressively surrounding it as if it were an easy prey.
"Use Swords Dance," Red said calmly.
The three Fighting-type Pokémon rushed forward, trying to trap Scizor, but Scizor repelled them with a spinning Swords Dance. Immediately afterward, silver light flashed from its pincers as it attacked with Metal Claw.
After defeating Mankey, Scizor's attack power increased again thanks to the 10% chance effect of Metal Claw.
"Sharpen yourself—use X-Scissor!"
Scizor took a deep breath and focused its mind. Its eyes locked onto the weak points of Hitmonchan and Machoke. Its massive pincers crossed together, glowing emerald, as it unleashed X-Scissor.
"Boom—!"
A loud explosion echoed throughout Dark City. Hitmonchan and Machoke were struck by Scizor's X-Scissor and sent flying backward, crashing into their trainers and knocking them unconscious on the spot in an absurdly comical scene.