Gym Tour

(Author's note: The System Tasks felt too insignificant, so I added one at the end of Chapter 27. This can conveniently strengthen both Pokémon a bit.)

[Ding! Congratulations, Host, on completing the task: Obtain first place in Yangcheng High School's senior-year competition!]

[5,000 System Currency has been issued! Litten Candy has been stored in the System Backpack!]

[Carbink Candy and Litten Candy have been listed in the System Store for 500 System Currency each!]

Name: [Su Hao]

Gender: [Male]

Age: [17]

Types: [Normal, Fighting-type]

Special Ability: [Wave Power (Intermediate)]

Moves: [Aura Resonance, Aura Bullet]

Pokémon: [Carbink, Incineroar]

System Currency: 30000 (30,000)

Items: [Rare Rock, Fairy Energy Powder Diamond x4, Litten Candy x20 (Miscellaneous items stored by the Host)]

After defeating Kong Lingwei and taking first place in the senior-year competition, the System's task-completion announcement quickly rang out in Su Hao's mind.

When he opened the System Panel, the System Currency and Litten Candy had already appeared there.

Although he really wanted to take them out and let Incineroar try them now, Su Hao was currently accompanying his father as he dealt with the principal's pleasantries.

"Oh my, oh my! As expected of Gym Leader Su—your son is truly outstanding! He may even stand shoulder to shoulder with those geniuses from Imperial City and Magic City!"

Su Hao's father chuckled. "He's all right. This is the result of his own hard work. I usually haven't managed him much."

Su Hao stood beside them, watching the two exchange commercial flattery, not daring to say a word.

Before long, after Su Hao's father saw the principal off, father and son remained in his office to talk.

"Over the past month or so, traces of the evil organization known as New Star have frequently appeared throughout the Divine Land Alliance."

"The New Star Organization commits every evil imaginable. Its crimes include, but are not limited to, forcibly seizing rare Pokémon, international smuggling, assassinating Pokémon League geniuses across various regions, terrorist attacks on Secret Realms, and more."

"Over the past month, traces of the New Star Organization have appeared all over the world, including within Secret Realms under the Divine Land Alliance's jurisdiction."

"I was busy arresting New Star members some time ago, so I wasn't able to help much with your growth." Su Hao's father sounded somewhat apologetic.

"But even without me around, you've grown exceptionally well. In my eyes, you're far stronger than those geniuses cultivated with the full resources of their clans."

"After watching today's match, I'm very pleased to see how well you've trained Carbink and Incineroar."

"Your mother and I have discussed your future path as well. But by now, you probably don't want to specialize in just one type anymore, do you?"

Faced with his father's question, Su Hao naturally nodded. Compared with specializing in a single type, he wanted to catch Pokémon of different species and types.

"As expected. Then my own path can only serve as a reference for you." Su Hao's father handed him a notebook containing all his experiences and insights.

After Su Hao solemnly accepted the notebook, his father continued, "I already learned about your grades from the principal. And in this battle, you were far from going all out. Keeping you in high school now would probably be a constraint, so I have a proposal."

"There are eighteen Gyms in the Divine Land Alliance. As the Gym Leader of one of them, I also have the right to make recommendations." Su Hao's father changed the subject, preparing to explain something to him.

"The Badges issued by Gyms are divided into three tiers. The first is the Advanced Badge. When facing challengers seeking an Advanced Badge, a Gym Leader will use Gym Level Pokémon as their main force. Once you collect eight Gym Badges from different Gyms and have enough points, you can advance from Ultra Ball Tier to Master Ball Tier."

"The second tier is the Intermediate Badge. Gym Leaders will use Pokémon ranging from Elite Level to Professional Level. Most universities make collecting at least one Intermediate Badge a graduation requirement."

"The third tier is the Beginner Badge. Gym Leaders will use multiple Elite Level Pokémon, and Professional Level Pokémon may even appear. Those able to participate at this tier are the cream of the younger generation, because only those recommended by qualified individuals can schedule a Beginner Badge challenge. And the things this Badge can accomplish are quite simple."

"That is, students who collect four Beginner Badges can choose any university within the Divine Land Alliance and enroll early."

"If you move quickly, you can finish collecting the Badges and return in time to compete in the National Youth Tournament."

"What do you think of this proposal?" Su Hao's father turned an inquiring gaze toward the listening Su Hao.

Su Hao fell into thought.

Indeed, he could only battle opponents weaker than himself at high school right now. If this continued, he would merely be delaying his own growth.

Very quickly, Su Hao made his decision and said to his father, "Rather than wasting away where I am, I want to battle the strong!"

[Ding! Task issued!]

[Task: Collect Beginner Badges from any four of the eighteen type Gyms!]

[Reward: "Wave Power (Advanced)! System Currency x50000 (50k)!"]

Su Hao had once asked the System what conditions determined when tasks were issued.

The System's answer at the time had been: [Only when the Host has a desire to accomplish something and the System detects it will a task be issued.]

[All tasks issued by the System follow the Host's own wishes!]

His own wishes could trigger System Tasks now. Su Hao did not hesitate and accepted the task immediately.

"Good! Since you've made up your mind, you can set out once I finish handling the paperwork here." Su Hao's father said with a smile.

"But you need to remember that if you encounter any difficulties outside, you must tell your father and mother. Your parents will always have your back." Su Hao's father's expression turned serious as he spoke earnestly.

"I will." Su Hao nodded.

Leaving his father's office, Su Hao headed straight to his private training room.

"Come out, Carbink, Incineroar." Upon arriving at the training room, Su Hao impatiently released both Pokémon.

Su Hao led the two Pokémon over to the Energy Intensity Tester in the training room.

The Energy Intensity Tester could accurately measure the intensity of a Pokémon's attack energy.

For example, a normally trained Pokémon at Late Normal Level would generally produce a reading of around 300 calories when using a move to attack the tester. Generally speaking, producing 100 calories with a move proved that the Pokémon possessed early Normal Level strength.

The minimum standard for Elite Level Pokémon was 1,000 calories, while the standard for Professional Level was 20,000 calories.

Su Hao wanted to use the tester to compare the values before and after eating the Candy.

However, energy values could not be used to determine a Pokémon's actual strength.

For example, if a Pokémon had strong defenses and excellent recovery methods, it could contend with Pokémon stronger than itself for a long time.

Some Pokémon also excelled at various Status Moves. With different moves complementing one another, they could gain the ability to defeat stronger opponents despite being weaker.

At the end of the day, an energy value could only represent how much power that Pokémon could output.

Under a Trainer's command, tactical arrangements, and team coordination, even a team weaker overall than its opponent could still create miracles.