Pokemon: The Master Of Monsters

Ishibashi explained the events of the auction to Officer Lian, who personally came over to thank Kai and Sabrina.

"You must be Kai, correct? I've heard about your bravery in Tokiwa City. Thank you so much for your help today. Without you, there might have been casualties," Lian said sincerely.

"Officer Lian, you're too kind. This is just what any responsible citizen would do," Kai replied politely.

After expressing her gratitude, Lian didn't stay long. She ensured her officers took the Team Rocket members into custody, leaving behind some guards in case of further trouble.

Kai turned to Ishibashi. "Everything seems to be fine now, so we'll be on our way. We didn't find any Pokémon we liked at the auction, so it's time to move on."

"Please, wait!" Ishibashi called out, stopping Kai and Sabrina as they prepared to leave. "You both have done so much for us. I can't let you go without expressing my gratitude properly."

Kai and Sabrina exchanged a glance, slightly taken aback. It seemed Ishibashi intended to reward them, but they both knew they had to respond modestly.

"That's very kind of you, but we only acted to protect ourselves. If we hadn't, Team Rocket would've harmed us too," Kai said.

"No, no. I insist on thanking you," Ishibashi replied firmly. "I assume you came to the auction for a Pokémon. Please, tell me what kind of Pokémon you'd like, and I'll provide one as a token of my appreciation."

Surprised by the generous offer, Kai and Sabrina hesitated for a moment. Then Kai spoke.

"In that case, I'd like a Pidgey or Pidgeotto with gym-level potential," he said.

Sabrina added, "I'd like a Slowpoke with gym-level potential or above."

"Pidgey and Slowpoke?" Ishibashi blinked, as though he hadn't heard correctly. He had been prepared to spend a significant amount of money on rare Pokémon, yet their requests were surprisingly simple.

"Is something wrong?" Kai asked. While Pidgey wasn't available at this auction, Ishibashi's resources seemed sufficient to find such a common Pokémon.

"No, there's no problem," Ishibashi said, recovering. "It's just that the Pokémon you're requesting are so ordinary. You can ask for something rarer."

"In that case," Sabrina said, "I'd like a Beldum."

Ishibashi paled. "Miss Sabrina, please don't joke. Beldum is classified as a restricted Pokémon and cannot be sold. Our auction house operates within the law."

Sabrina shrugged. "Then Slowpoke it is."

"Very well. I'll make sure it's a Slowpoke with high potential," Ishibashi promised.

"When will you be able to deliver the Pokémon?" Kai asked.

"I'll contact our associated auction houses. Leave your contact information, and I'll notify you once I've found them," Ishibashi said.

After exchanging numbers, Kai and Sabrina left the auction house.

---

The Journey to Celadon City

Initially, Kai and Sabrina had planned to spend the weekend in Vermilion City, but with no Pokémon catching their interest, Kai decided to head toward Celadon City instead.

Early the next morning, the two set off on their mountain bikes, taking Route 6 back toward Saffron City. About halfway along the route, they turned onto a path leading to Celadon City, which passed through a small town called Hengbin.

"Hengbin Town has a gym, doesn't it?" Kai asked.

Sabrina nodded. "Yes, but it's one of the lesser-known gyms. Still, it's officially recognized by the Pokémon League."

The Kanto Region had more than eight gyms officially recognized by the Pokémon League, though Trainers only needed eight badges to qualify for the regional tournament. As a result, many gyms went unnoticed.

Kai remembered how in the original storyline, Ash had collected only seven badges while Gary had managed to earn ten. Out of Gary's ten badges, only three overlapped with Ash's, meaning there were plenty of gyms that never appeared in the animated series.

"I might as well challenge some extra gyms for the experience," Kai said.

The rules of the Pokémon League stated that a region could have up to 18 officially recognized gyms, but Kanto hadn't yet reached that limit. For example, in the Dark City, two private gyms were still competing for official recognition.

Kai and Sabrina arrived in Hengbin Town by dusk. Rather than rushing to challenge the local gym, Kai decided to gather information first.

---

Learning About the Hengbin Gym

The next morning, Kai and Sabrina headed to the public training grounds, where they met a few local Trainers.

They quickly learned that the Hengbin Gym was led by a Trainer named Yuku, who specialized in Normal-type Pokémon. Yuku had a reputation for being exceptionally strong; none of the local Trainers had managed to defeat him.

"Normal-type, huh? That's pretty rare," Kai mused.

Normal-type gyms were uncommon because the type had no inherent advantages over others. However, their versatility made them deceptively strong, and gym leaders who specialized in Normal-types were usually formidable.

Kai realized that he didn't have any Fighting-type Pokémon to counter Normal-types. That would put him at a disadvantage in the upcoming battle.

---

Preparing for the Challenge

After gathering information, Kai decided to visit the Hengbin Gym to scout the area and potentially trigger a task from his system.

As he approached the gym, a familiar notification sounded in his mind.

[Ding! Task Triggered: Earn the Hengbin Gym Badge. Rewards: 10 Intermediate Rare Candies, Permanent Skill Learning Device (Mega Kick), and Top-Quality Silk Scarf (Normal-type move power +50%).]

Kai's eyes widened. "Ten intermediate candies, a move with 120 power, and a Silk Scarf? That's an incredible reward!"

Having completed several gym challenges, Kai had learned that the system's rewards were directly tied to the strength of the gym leader. Based on the rewards, Yuku's strength was likely comparable to or even greater than Lian's.

"I need to make sure I'm ready for this," Kai muttered.

Wartortle, his main Pokémon, was already at level 31—just five levels away from evolving. To increase his chances of victory, Kai decided to use five of the intermediate candies he had saved to raise Wartortle's level.

After finalizing his strategy, Kai left the gym, determined to claim his next badge.

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