Cerulean City was now up and running, with the streets busier than usual. Water-themed murals glistened with moisture, and the faint scent of the sea lingered in the air.
It was like the city wasn't affected by this at all which made sense, the Pokemon never made it inside.
There was a short celebration for all the trainers but I quietly slipped away.
I arrived at the Gym just past noon. It was quieter than I expected. No challengers, no crowds, no noise with only the sound of water gently churning beyond the entrance hallway.
It felt… calm.
With my scheduled battle being made beforehand, I just had to enter now.
The Cerulean Gym wasn't built for intimidation. It was built like a performance hall,, but not to the same same degree that that the cerulean sisters would later later make it. An indoor water stage with blue lighting and a vast pool stretching across most of the arena. Small platforms dotted the field for both trainers and Pokémon. I stepped forward, and soon enough, the Gym Leader emerged from a side corridor.
He looked nothing like what I expected.
Thin. Pale. Eyes tired in a way that wasn't from lack of sleep. His shoulders slumped slightly, though he walked with practised poise. Misty's father... the leader of Cerulean Gym, and father to the four sisters wore a tired smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
Gareth stood tall, but time had clearly worn him down. His frame was lean and almost gaunt with pale skin. Shoulder-length hair, once a rich auburn, was now streaked heavily with silver and tied back loosely. A short, tidy beard softened the sharpness of his cheeks, hiding the worst of the weight he'd lost.
"You're Silver, aren't you?" His voice was quiet but not weak.
I nodded. "Yes. I'm here to challenge the Gym."
He gave a soft chuckle and gestured toward a bench off to the side. "Before that… you helped outside during the incident, didn't you?"
I didn't answer immediately. I didn't see the point in confirming what everyone already knew.
"Then why weren't you?" I asked plainly unimpressed. But my voice warmed up a little at the end realising his situation.
Gareth was never mentioned in the anime.
That means there's only one situation possible here...
He blinked, surprised. But I pressed further. "You were here. The city was under attack. And you stayed inside?"
A moment passed. The Gym was silent aside from the distant hum of filter pumps. Then he leaned in a bit and lowered his voice.
"Because we weren't in danger," he said. "Not really."
I narrowed my eyes.
He smiled faintly. "There's no one else listening, so I'll tell you something I don't tell the public. You're a future Gym Leader candidate, after all. We have to train the next generation."
"…You're saying the horde was allowed to pass?"
My voice says lowering with my eyebrows raised. Were they playing with people's lives?
"To a degree. Cerulean's Forest Rangers intercepted most of the dangerous threats before they came. The threat was identified weeks ago. After removing the dangerous ones, what was left were weak, disorganized Pokemon."
His tone became more casual. "Instead of crushing it completely, we let the rest in. It gave new trainers a real crisis to cut their teeth on. Protecting citizens, building coordination, and even scouting talent. It's controlled.
Trust me, if there was a real threat, I wouldn't be here..." He says solemnly getting a nod from me.
That… explained a lot.
It creates bonds between the newer trainers with the citizens with the celebrations after it. The people become more grateful and it increases their reputation while training younger trainers for the future.
For a moment I'd been wondering how Cerulean, a city with a major Gym, was nearly overwhelmed. But of course, there would be defenders. This was one of the Eight official cities with League funding, registered trainers, Rangers, and emergency response teams. Cerulean had resources. Intelligence.
I thought to myself why doesn't that happen in Viridian?
Then I paused.
Well… we do have Team Rocket. Any wild Pokémon worth training probably disappeared before anyone even saw it.
I smirked slightly at the amusing thought.
"Alright," the Gym Leader said, standing now on the far platform across the pool. "I'm not going to go easy on you, Silver. But I'm not interested in a brute-force match either."
He pulled a Poké Ball from his belt. "I'll match your strength, not your badge count."
"I expected nothing less," I said, stepping into position.
He raised one hand. "This will be a two-on-two battle. Regulation style. Are you ready?"
I gave a small nod and selected my lead.
"Score!"
The second Gliscor took to the air, its wings spread wide, and the arena changed. A sudden burst of purple surrounded him which invigorated the fang scorp Pokemon even more.
This wasn't just a Gym anymore. It became a proving ground. Wind met water. My mind immediately ran through scenarios. Misty's father may have been physically weak, but he was sharp. I could see it in how he eyed Gliscor calm, calculating.
He threw his first Poké Ball. A flash of light and Starmie emerged, spinning midair, then splashing into the water below. Its core pulsed with a faint pink glow. Strong. Fast. Psychic.
"Begin!"
Gliscor soared up high, I didn't want to be too aggressive. "[Harden]!" I barked.
Gliscor's body shimmered with a metallic hue, momentum building.
"Starmie, [Scald]!"
Hearing this I soon after shouted. "[Acrobatics]!"
The star spun and fired a boiling jet of water upward. Gliscor twisted hard with his body easier to control with wind energy, narrowly dodging and starting to close the distance. Flying around the attack as a sort of hidden veil.
Unfortunately, he wasn't idle.
"[Rapid Spin]!"
Gliscor dove, and struck the spinning Starmie with the both of them creating a loud sonic boom. A dust cloud formed as soon after Gliscor was seen flying upwards.
I watched the Gym Leader carefully. His expression didn't change, but his voice was firm. "Let's use [Recover]."
Of course. I should've expected it.
"[Thunder Fang] now!"
Gliscor still above Starmie had a glint in its eyes, mouth now radiating lightning. The dust cloud starting to part the Starmie was forming but a [Scald] appeared which shocked the both of us.
*WHOOSH!*
The attack hit Gliscor's wing making it flinch, but it soon after kept its stride downwards with an attack.
*ZZZT!*
Gliscor seeing its opponent wasn't knocked out, proceeded to use [Poison Jab] with its tail in anger.
The Gym Leader recalled his now fainted Pokemon, nodding his head impressed. "Your Pokemon's tenacity is impressive, is this why people call you a tyrant?" The man asks a bit amused.
Realising that most of my battles would be a little brutal just from that display by itself.
Sighing I reply a little stiffly. "Yes, sir. They really like to give nicknames."
Which made him chuckle.
He then tossed his final ball. Cloyster.
'It either has [Shell Armour] or [Skill Link]. Both are troublesome with the latter being devastating against Gliscor.' I thought a bit grim.
With it being a common water type in Kanto, it was one of the most common Pokemon I've been forced to battle as a ground gym trainer. It was frustrating but some things are just very unfortunate.
"Fly up and use [Harden]" I command wanting to see its ability.
Gareth humoring me didn't fall for the bait. "[Iron Defense]"
Both Pokemon now with +2 Defenses which made the battle a little more tricky. But this didn't deter me at all as Gliscor was slowly regenerating any damage from the last fight. Gareth squinted his eyes.
"Let's use [Shell Smash] Cloyster!" I heard the old man order which made me widen my eyes.
'Oh hell no.'
Realising stalling wouldn't work, I had to act. "[Quick Attack] and disrupt it!" The Fang Scorp Pokemon burst forward in a bright light as it was heading towards the Cloyster. But something was wrong, it didn't even use [Shell Smash].
This was a trap and I fell for it.
'Was the keywords "Let's use" a fake out.' My thoughts wandered for a second before quickly shouting. "Commit to it and use [Thunder Fang]!"
"Now [Icicle Spear]!" Gareth shouts with a glint in his eyes. A spark of fighting returned to the old man as his previous uninterested attitude was now gone. Gliscor getting close was able to land a hit on Cloyster dealing damage.
But soon after he was sent flying by one [Icicle Spear]. The Pokemon getting up saw another heading for him and tried to dodge sideways.
It was for naught.
The attack after missing, acted like a homing missile as two more spears started to head for him. "SCOR!" Gliscor shouts in excitement realising the ensuing situation. With a quick stretch, he flicks his tail and uses both of his hands to destroy the now four spears.
"Gliscor one more above, then [Thunder Fang]!"
Before the Pokemon could recover, a final spear hit him from above. He wasn't able to react in time, and to seal the deal a final [Scald] was already heading his way. Sending the poor Pokemon flying towards the walls of the gym.
*Crash!*
'At least I know critical hits work.' I thought with a wild grin now plastered on my face. Gareth who saw this started to look a bit more serious.
Returning Gliscor to his Pokeball and reminding myself to give him extra food later. It was time for my ace to appear.
The one and only.
"Beedrill," I said simply. "Let's end this."
In a blur of red light, my ace emerged, wings buzzing with a pitch only trained ears could appreciate. Gareth watched carefully, visibly scrunching his brows.
"Cloyster, [Life Dew]!"
Cloyster began glowing, prepping to heal itself after that brutal first attack from his previous opponent. That was his mistake.
"[Brick Break], straight at the core!"
Beedrill became a blur. No preamble. No warning. Just sheer acceleration, almost too fast for the eye to follow.
Cloyster barely got the stat drop-off before—
*CRACK!*
The first hit slammed into the shell's exposed seam with a sickening thud. The Cloyster buckled, its eyes widening but it didn't faint. Yet.
Gareth flinched. "Withdraw—!"
Too slow.
Without a breath wasted, Beedrill's stinger shot forward again, striking the exact same spot and this time even deeper. A flash of light burst from Cloyster's core as the shell gave way and the Pokémon finally collapsed, unconscious before it even hit the water.
The whole gym was silent for a beat.
Beedrill hovered there, calmly waiting for another order that would never come. The fight was over.
Gareth exhaled softly, almost a laugh. "Well… damn."
I nodded once. "Beedrill, return."
With a flash, my ace disappeared. The match was done.
...
The moment the final Poké Ball was recalled, the Gym felt different. The swirling sandstorm slowly settled, and the lights brightened, revealing the wet platforms and the calm water again. Cloyster was down, and I stood victorious, but instead of celebrating, I noticed something else.
The Gym Leader, Misty's father barely managed a small smile. He stepped down from the platform and took a seat on the bench nearby, his thin frame seeming even more fragile now.
"I'm not feeling well," he said quietly, almost as if speaking to himself.
I looked at him closely. The usual confident aura was replaced by exhaustion and something deeper worry, maybe even resignation.
He sighed. "I've spent most of my life here, training, leading. But lately… it's been harder. The pressure to protect Cerulean, the responsibilities, and… my health."
I nodded, feeling the weight behind those words even if he hadn't said more.
He looked up, meeting my eyes with something that felt genuine and urgent. "Silver, I'm asking you to do something for me, for my daughters. Misty, Daisy, Lily, and Violet. They're talented, but the weight of this legacy is heavy for them. Misty especially."
The man looked lost, but I had time on my hands to listen to a rambling old man.
"The triplets are competent in every way, finance, business and leading. But they lack the one thing that is needed, being able to battle. Or in better terms even wanting to battle at all with completely zero interest... I hope my youngest at least tries to be a trainer..."
I wasn't sure what to say. I'd seen Misty before a fierce, determined trainer who seemed to carry her own battles in silence.
"I want you to watch over them. Not as a babysitter, but as an ally. If they ever need help, training, or someone to call, you'll be there. Your starter is a water type no? Help is here, is my offer."
His hand trembled slightly as he offered it to me, the Cerulean City Gym badge.
I took it firmly, the gesture sealing something between us.
"Thank you," I said earnestly, soon after giving each other a short but meaningly hug. A struggling father is someone I can respect.
Giving him my number, it will shortly be given to the triplets later on.
I turned the badge over slowly. It was heavier than I expected.
Now leaving, the feeling something rare, a genuine sense of respect and connection towards a fading man.
...
Outside the Gym, the late afternoon sun cast long shadows over Cerulean's streets. I held the badge tightly for a moment, then slipped it into my pocket.
Walking away, I thought about what the Gym Leader had said about the strategy behind letting the horde pass in a controlled way, the way the League balanced safety and growth.
At first, I'd been sceptical. Why risk citizens like that? Why put new trainers in harm's way?
But now, I understood.
The League wasn't naive.
They knew the future depended on the next generation of trainers who could think on their feet, protect the innocent, and carry the burden forward. The wild horde was a test not just for me, but for every trainer who stepped up.
I imagined Misty and her sisters. This city is their future responsibility.
The League had the right idea: strength wasn't just raw power or brute force. It was experience, endurance, and heart.
It made sense why there were so many innocent kids who always helped when they could in the anime. This place was a genuine community where the civilians supported trainers and in turn, trainers earnestly protected them back.
I tapped my communicator and sent a quick message.
"Cerulean Badge acquired. Prepare Unova."
The reply was almost immediate.
"Acknowledged."
My path was set.
The city bustled again behind me, and life went on.