Secret Base

The hot spring had felt wonderful.

But Baimu had not forgotten why he had come to Lavaridge Town—

To challenge the Pokémon Gym.

He had been traveling for so long and had only earned three badges. That was a little hard to justify. His progress might even have been slower than Ash's.

But it couldn't be helped. He had stayed in different cities for quite a while to train Mawile and the others, anywhere from a week to more than half a month at a time.

His stay in Verdanturf Town had been especially long.

Not only had he made it through the Double-Blue Simulation, he had also completed three ordinary simulations. At this rate, another Blue Simulation would arrive soon.

After thinking it over, he decided to challenge the Pokémon Gym without waiting for the next Blue Simulation. Zweilous had reached level fifty-seven not long ago; with the five levels from the earlier reward, that made level sixty-two.

Professor Rowan had said that levels could make evolution happen naturally, but they were not the deciding factor. A difference of two levels probably would not matter much.

What mattered was Zweilous's desire and determination to evolve.

Baimu intended to give Zweilous its chance to shine in this Gym challenge... along with Blissey. If possible, he would let Porygon battle too.

It might be a tough fight, but he believed they would bring him victory in the end.

With his things packed, Baimu prepared to head out and register for a challenge. He looked over at Raikou, still sitting motionless in the hot spring with its eyes half-closed. It had barely moved since getting in—

Well, that wasn't quite true. It came out for meals, and it was never more eager than at mealtime.

Grooming and petting came next.

Otherwise, Raikou