"Vibrava is unable to battle! The winner is Gym Leader Red!"
As the referee (Gary) announced the result, the Bug Catcher Xiao Chong ran out of the Gym in tears.
"Waaah—!"
"The internet is all lies! Didn't they say the Songzao Gym was weak? That getting a Badge here was as easy as drinking water?!"
"Then why did the Gym Leader send out a Tyranitar?!"
"Waaah—Mom, the outside world is so scary…"
Watching the Bug Catcher break down after being completely swept, Gary somehow saw a reflection of himself in him.
Still, he felt there was one key difference.
Even if he lost and felt unwilling, he would train harder—and win back his pride!
"So this is what Master meant by finding my original resolve…"
[System Prompt: Gary "Find Original Resolve" Progress +5% (Current: 25%)]
Red glanced at Gary with mild confusion.
Are trainers these days into self-inflicted mental pressure?
But seeing that he was only 15% away from the next reward, Red decided to let him be.
Turning to Xiao Wen, he said:
"Call in the next challenger."
Xiao Wen, who had watched the entire battle, couldn't help but complain:
"Gym Leader, I know stomping newbies feels great, but at least consider your reputation. Aren't you worried they'll report you?"
"Report me?"
Red waved it off casually.
"Doesn't matter. Compared to a few complaints each month, I'd rather fix the Songzao Gym's reputation."
"If it's my Gym, then it should be the strongest Gym in the Kanto League!"
Hearing this, Xiao Wen simply waved her hand indifferently, her expression saying do whatever you want.
She turned back to the computer, seemingly recalling something.
"If back then I had been as decisive as the Gym Leader… if I hadn't run away… would the outcome in Orudran City have been different…"
After a brief pause, she slapped her cheeks lightly.
"Enough thinking about that. Work comes first!"
Under Xiao Wen's arrangement, the next challenger quickly stepped forward.
"Hello, respected Gym Leader. This is my first Gym challenge… please go easy on me."
Looking at the timid little girl before him, Red smiled and nodded, taking out Poliwrath's Poké Ball.
"Don't worry. I'll go easy on you."
Ten minutes later, the Songzao Gym gained yet another heartbroken challenger.
Soon, the entire morning passed in a blur.
Relying on overwhelming strength, Red crushed over a dozen trainers, delivering them some of the harshest defeats of their lives.
Naturally, negative reviews began flooding in.
[Songzao Gym is NOT humanly possible! My Vibrava got completely destroyed!]
[Waaah~ My Mudkip got crushed! The Gym Leader is too strong!]
[If anyone says this is the second-worst Gym in Kanto again, I'll fight them! My poor Charmander got wrecked!]
…
Though these reviews were still insignificant compared to the massive number of old posts like "The Second Easiest Gym in History" or "The Shame of Kanto Gyms," it was still Red's first step toward rebuilding the Gym's reputation.
Reputation had to be built step by step.
Red was confident—
With his ability, plus just a tiny bit of help from the system, he could turn the Songzao Gym into the strongest Gym in Kanto—no, in the world!
However, while Red was dominating challengers in the Gym, someone else was building up a massive grudge against him.
The Joy of Songzao City.
As a relatively obscure city, her daily workload was usually quite relaxed.
But today—
By the time the thirteenth trainer ran into the Pokémon Center crying, she felt her scalp go numb.
"Gym Leader Red, what are you even DOING?!"
Just as she was treating Pokémon non-stop, a figure dressed entirely in black walked into the Pokémon Center.
A long black coat, black mask—her entire body concealed.
She walked straight into the treatment room.
At that moment, the Songzao Joy had just finished treating the latest batch of Pokémon.
Thankfully, Red had excellent control during battles—none of the Pokémon were seriously injured.
Otherwise, she definitely wouldn't have been able to handle it alone.
Looking at the mysterious figure, she frowned.
"Who are you?"
The black-clad woman said nothing.
She slowly took out a badge—one bearing a golden Chansey emblem within a Red cross.
Seeing it, the local Joy's eyes widened in shock.
"That outfit… and that emblem… could you be—Senior Joy Xue?!"
After confirming no one else was around, the woman removed her mask and hood, revealing a face almost identical to the local Joy.
"You don't need to call me senior. I'm probably younger than you."
Joy Xue smiled faintly.
Though all Joys shared the same appearance, Joy Xue carried a distinctly sharper aura.
"No, no—you are my senior! You're the Joy who subdued a Mythical Pokémon! You're the idol of our entire Joy clan!"
"Please—could I have your autograph?!"
After granting her request, Joy Xue got to the point.
"I'm here on official business. I need information about the Songzao Gym Leader, Red."
"As the Joy of this city, you should understand the Gym's current situation."
"I need to reassess whether the Songzao Gym still deserves to exist."
But unexpectedly, the local Joy shook her head.
"No. I think you're mistaken."
"Yes, the previous Gym Leader was extremely unreliable."
"But the current Gym Leader, Red, is responsible and highly capable. I can guarantee that with the honor of the Joy family."
Joy Xue raised her brows slightly.
Clearly, this completely contradicted the League's reports.
Originally, her plan had been simple—
Show up, defeat Red, and downgrade the Gym.
After all, ever since she partnered with Latias, she had never lost a single battle.
But now…
She hesitated.
After a moment of thought, she set aside the League's data.
As a newly appointed inspector, she decided to see things for herself.
After all, if it was purely about strength—
How many Gym Leaders could actually defeat her Latias?
Looking at the Joy before her, a sudden idea formed in her mind.
"How about… we temporarily switch identities?"