Gym League and Ability Awakening Test

Several children were around ten, twelve, or thirteen years old.

Aside from one child wearing a black T-shirt, they were basically all dressed like Bug Catching Boys, in white tank tops and shorts, carrying bug nets and insect cages.

Two of them even had red-and-white Pokeballs hanging from their waists, while a brownish-yellow Bug-type Pokemon with a silver horn on its head followed beside them.

It was a Weedle, the initial form of the popular Pokemon Beedrill.

In his memories, Mark had barely interacted with the children in the village.

That was still the case now.

The Bug Catching Boys from the village had run over because they saw him from afar, perhaps thinking he was one of their companions.

But after realizing he was the fool who wandered around near the village all day, they stopped paying attention to him. Chattering away about something, they continued toward the village and soon disappeared into the distance.

Mark and Caterpie stood still for a moment before following in the direction the Bug Catching Boys had gone.

From their conversation, Mark heard several terms that were utterly unfamiliar to him.

As he walked, Mark looked at Caterpie and asked, "What is the Gym League in Fallen Leaf Province? Isn't this Kanto?"

"Shi?"

Caterpie tilted its head at Mark, wearing the same puzzled expression.

Mark muttered to himself, "Whether it's Caterpie, Rattata, the early-route bird Pidgey, or Weedle, they're all common Pokemon in the Kanto region.

Since it's called Fallen Leaf Province, it must be huge. If this were the same world, it would be impossible for people not to know about Kanto.

Does that mean this is an alternate Pokemon world?

Actually, it doesn't make much difference whether it's an alternate Pokemon world or not. After all, I don't remember much about the Pokemon stories I watched as a child.

The important thing is, what exactly is this Gym League?

Could it be that Gyms from different places form a league, like basketball or football clubs?"

Mark looked at Caterpie again.

"Shi."

In response to Mark's question, Caterpie spread its four forelegs and shook its head, gesturing that it did not know either.

Caterpie truly did not know. Aside from Mark, it rarely interacted with other humans, and Mark had been a fool these past few years, so it knew very little about the human world.

Man and bug followed far behind the Bug Catching Boys as they headed toward the village.

Before long, Mark and Caterpie heard even noisier sounds. As they drew closer to the village, they saw a dense crowd of people.

"Shishi, shishi!"

Caterpie seemed to remember something and began gesturing with its Feet at Mark.

Mark asked in confusion, "A square thing with images inside it... are you talking about a television?"

"Shishi!"

Caterpie nodded repeatedly.

It had heard people mention the word television before. When it wandered around the village with Mark, it had also seen one from afar several times.

But televisions were simply too popular. People crowded around them in layers, so it had never gotten a clear look at what one actually was.

Following Caterpie's description, Mark also dug up some vague memories from his mind.

If he had to describe it, it was somewhat like the world before his transmigration during the seventies and eighties of the last century. Back then, televisions were scarce. If one household owned a television, all the neighbors would gather together to watch it.

The village's television was around twenty-five inches, with a color screen. A tall pole stood beside it, topped with a TV antenna.

The television had been placed on a raised platform so more people could see it.

Mark led Caterpie forward through the crowd.

Perhaps because he had once been a fool, the villagers did not say much when they saw it was him squeezing in. Some even took the initiative to make room for him.

Before long, he reached a decent spot. Though the angle was somewhat slanted, he could clearly see the television screen and hear the commentary coming from it.

On the television, Charizard was currently fighting Golem.

From the commentator's words, the Rock Gym of Three Mountains Town was battling the Fire Gym of Barre Town.

Charizard on the screen continuously spewed flames and looked extremely formidable, but according to the commentary, Golem seemed to have the upper hand.

The villagers gathered around the television cheered for Golem. At times, they shouted excitedly; at others, they shook their heads in regret when an opportunity was missed.

By listening to the villagers' discussions and cheers, Mark quickly learned some of the situation.

The villagers were cheering for Golem not because they liked Golem or the Trainer using it, but because Clear Stream Village, where he currently was, was an affiliated village within Three Mountains Town's territory.

They were supporting their hometown Gym.

As he continued listening to the villagers talk, Mark gradually understood what the Gym League was.

Just as he had guessed, the Gym League was similar to football or basketball leagues.

Usually, each Gym sent seven competitors to play up to five matches.

The order of the matches was singles, doubles, singles, doubles, then singles.

The first to win three matches won overall. Each match was a six-on-six battle, with both sides sending out six Pokemon. Although there was no explicit rule, Gym Leaders generally appeared in the final deciding singles match, which was also known as the Gym Leader showdown.

The battle currently playing on the television was the third match between the two Gyms.

The overall score was currently two to zero, with Three Mountains Town Gym in the lead. Unless something unexpected happened, this match should end in a crushing victory for Three Mountains Town Gym.

Not far from Mark, the Bug Catching Boys from earlier had also squeezed their way near the television. They were even arguing, seemingly blaming one companion for delaying them. They had only just returned, yet the match was already about to end, causing them to miss the exciting scenes from the first two matches.

Mark suddenly noticed something and looked at Caterpie on his shoulder. Caterpie was staring at the television screen with bright, focused eyes.

Seeing what Caterpie wanted, Mark lightly scraped its antenna with a finger. "You want to take part in the matches on television too?"

"Shishi!"

Caterpie froze slightly, then nodded hard.

"You'll have the chance," Mark said.

Now that he had come to the Pokemon world, even without the Trainer System, he would find a way to become a Trainer. And becoming a Trainer inevitably meant battles and competitions.

Mark did not have much time to think before the battle scene on the television rapidly changed.

Charizard found an opening and landed a sneak attack. It carried Golem into the sky, then smashed it heavily into the ground with an incredible Seismic Toss. Dust flew everywhere, and a massive crater was blasted into the ground. The Clear Stream villagers cheering beneath the television fell utterly silent.

But just as everyone sighed in disappointment, Golem, which appeared to be at death's door and unable to move, suddenly sprang up. It charged unbelievably toward Charizard and unleashed a mighty Explosion, trading one for one at the limit and dragging Charizard down with it.

The villagers erupted in uncontrollable cheers, completely drowning out the sound of the television.

In the final matchup, Solrock faced Torkoal, and Three Mountains Town Gym won amid the crowd's cheers, ultimately defeating Barre Town Gym three to zero.

Though Rock-types did have an advantage over Fire-types, managing to sweep their opponents also demonstrated the strength of Three Mountains Town Gym in some respects.

Once the broadcast ended, the villagers gathered around the television gradually dispersed.

In these impoverished mountain regions lacking entertainment, competitive events like this could greatly stir people's spirits. Adults and children alike discussed the match they had just watched and looked forward to the next broadcast.

Yet not long after the crowd had dispersed, a stern-looking old man picked up a loudspeaker and called everyone back.

Mark had some impression of the old man from his memories. He often waved at him and Caterpie, then gave them something to eat, though they did not encounter each other often in the village.

The old man announced that he had just received notice: the Alliance Commissioner from Fallen Leaf Province had changed his itinerary at the last minute and would be arriving soon. He told every household participating in the Ability Awakening Test to prepare, because anyone who missed it would not get a second chance.

A stir passed through the crowd.

Mark did not hear any information about the Ability Awakening Test from the restless crowd, and Caterpie knew nothing when he asked. However, he did learn the old man's identity from the villagers' conversation.

The old man was the Village Chief of Clear Stream Village. His surname was Qian, though the villagers did not mention his given name, and Mark did not know it either.

Village Chief Qian hurriedly directed several villagers to tidy up the platform where the television had been placed. He said an aptitude test would be held there shortly and told the villagers taking part to bring their children over as quickly as possible before rushing away in a flurry.

About ten minutes later, another commotion broke out among the villagers.

The stern Village Elder seemed like an entirely different person. With a broad smile plastered across his face, he led a middle-aged Alliance official dressed in a white uniform onto the platform, while instructing the villagers to bring up the children participating in the Ability Awakening Test...