[Type "1" to receive a Pokémon Selection Chest]
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Pokémon World, Kanto Region, Songzao City.
"That unreliable old man…"
Red let out a sigh as he looked at the lone letter on the table and the now-empty room.
[The world is so big, I want to go see it. Son, I'll leave our Gym in your hands.]
That single sentence was all the letter contained.
Red was already used to this kind of behavior from his Gym Leader father.
After all, the first time this happened was when Red was only twelve years old.
He casually picked up the letter, intending to toss it into the trash.
But as he held the envelope, he noticed there was something else inside—it felt thick and stuffed.
Opening it, a document titled "Gym Leader Transfer Authorization" fell onto the table.
The document was lengthy, but its meaning could be summed up simply:
Starting today, Red would officially inherit the Songzao Gym of Songzao City and become its Gym Leader.
In the Pokémon world, each region actually has more than just eight Gyms. For example, in Dark City there were two unapproved Gyms, and in the anime, Gary once bragged about having ten badges.
Unlike most Gyms that specialize in a specific type, the Songzao Gym didn't focus on a single type—it specialized in weather.
Whether it was harsh sunlight, sandstorms, rain, or blizzards, all fell within the Songzao Gym's domain.
On top of that, Red's good-for-nothing father was actually very powerful. Red even suspected his father's strength was close to that of an Elite Four member.
Because of this, the Songzao Gym's overall strength ranked among the top five even in the talent-filled Kanto Region.
It was worlds apart from "decorative" Gyms like the Cerulean Gym.
However, despite its strength, the Gym's reputation was…
Within Kanto, the Songzao Gym's reputation wasn't much better than Cerulean's.
And the reason for that was entirely Red's utterly unreliable father.
Though incredibly strong, his father had zero interest in battling—or managing the Gym. In fact, he found it annoying.
When challengers came, he would sometimes send out a freshly caught Rattata from the backyard, only for it to be completely defeated.
There was even one time when he got drunk at a bar and handed out Gym Badges to everyone present.
Thanks to his father's "efforts," the Songzao Gym's reputation plummeted.
[The Second Easiest Gym in Kanto!]
[Handing Out Badges While Drunk? What Lies Ahead for Songzao Gym?]
Reports like these were endless.
But Red didn't really care.
Because over the past two years, the Gym's reputation had actually improved—and that was still thanks to his unreliable father.
Whenever his father would occasionally "disappear," Red had no choice but to step up and take on challengers himself.
Although Red had just turned eighteen today and didn't yet have his own Pokémon—
(If the protagonist is under 18, certain "interesting" content can't be written.)
(Also, starting a journey at age ten is a bit exaggerated, so the age to receive a starter Pokémon has been unified to 18. Before that, owning Pokémon is prohibited.)
—he could easily defeat most challengers by commanding his father's Pokémon.
During that period, Red's command abilities improved by leaps and bounds. Combined with his father's powerful Pokémon, he even became something of a nightmare for Kanto's trainers.
Unfortunately, that period didn't last long. Once his father returned, the Gym went back to its usual routine of "sustainably distributing" badges.
"Good morning~!"
Just as Red was lost in thought, a bright, lively voice rang out from outside.
A girl wearing a blue-and-white jacket walked into the Songzao Gym.
"Morning, Xiaowen."
Red smiled when he saw her.
The girl's name was Xiaowen. She was an intern assigned to the Songzao Gym by the League, responsible for reception, cleaning, and taking care of the Pokémon.
Although she was just an intern, Red always felt her background wasn't simple.
After all, what kind of intern has Togepi and Riolu?!
Even among the League's direct-line trainers, such a rare combination was uncommon.
Still, Xiaowen did her job well, and over time Red stopped overthinking it. The Gym was big enough—it didn't matter having one more person.
After finishing her cleaning, Xiaowen looked at the empty Gym and seemed to guess something. With a hint of excitement in her voice, she said:
"The Gym Leader didn't go traveling again, did he?"
"More or less."
"Sigh~ With how strong he is, if he actually took the Gym seriously, our reputation wouldn't be like this…"
Watching Xiaowen chatter away, Red tossed the document in his hand to her.
"Help me put this away."
Xiaowen took the document and glanced at it casually.
That single glance made her eyes widen in shock. She looked it over several times before exclaiming excitedly:
"Gym Leader Transfer Authorization?!"
"Even though the old Gym Leader is unreliable, he finally did something right!" Her face flushed slightly, whether from excitement or emotion.
"Congratulations! I guess I'll have to call you Gym Leader Red from now on."
After putting the document away and chatting briefly with Red, Xiaowen headed to the Pokémon storage room to continue her work.
Red, meanwhile, felt a wave of emotion in his heart.
"From today on, I'm the Gym Leader of Songzao City."
The moment he said those words, a mechanical voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
[Ding~ Congratulations to the host for successfully inheriting the Gym. The Strongest Gym Leader System has been activated.]
Red froze for a moment upon hearing the system's voice.
"So after transmigrating into the Pokémon world for eighteen years, my golden finger has finally awakened?"
Yes—Red was a transmigrator.
He couldn't clearly remember the details of his transmigration. All he recalled was the blaring sound of a horn and the front of a Red truck.
And then—he arrived in the Pokémon world.
[Ding~ Newbie mission issued: Defeat the first challenger who comes to the Gym.]
[Mission Reward: Random Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon Egg ×1 (Epic)]
[As a qualified Gym Leader, one must have the strength to defeat challengers. Handing out badges casually is not something a proper Gym Leader should do.]
"A random Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon Egg?"
Red took a deep breath and thought to himself:
'Sorry, today's challenger—but for the sake of my Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon Egg, there's no way you're getting past me today!'
Just as Red resolved to make Kanto's trainers once again experience the fear of being dominated by Gyms—
Suddenly, Xiaowen's panicked voice rang out from the Pokémon storage room:
"This is bad, Gym Leader! All the Pokémon in our Gym are gone!"