Chatting with Director Robert, Gary and the others first arrived at the rocky mountain area.
Most of the Gligar lived inside the caves.
"Gli!" Cries rang out amid the rush of wind. An enormous fan was generating a powerful updraft.
Six or seven Gligar swooped back and forth in the wind, their wing membranes or tails flashing with white light.
Metallic clangs erupted as they clashed in a chaotic flurry.
Two Pokémon breeders wearing specialized arm guards occasionally separated pairs of Gligar that had latched onto each other in a brawl.
"These are the most talented members of our Gligar colony. They practice like this in strong winds every day," Robert explained.
"I see. Fighting each other in such powerful, unpredictable winds over a long period would give these Gligar far better flying skills and endurance than those raised in the wild," Cynthia said with a nod.
That was not all. Two youngsters a size larger than the rest suddenly darted out of the group and charged straight at each other.
One crossed its foreclaws, sending a sky-blue, cross-shaped slash bursting outward.
The other wrapped itself in spiraling purple-and-gold currents and hurtled fearlessly toward its opponent.
"Cross Chop and Super Tackle, huh?" Gary raised an eyebrow. Learning such powerful moves in a Pokémon Day Care meant they were either very high-level or extraordinarily talented!
"Well, Professor Gary? Pick one." Robert waved generously.
Gary nodded and lightly tapped his temple with his right hand.
Appraisal!
Purple filled his vision, and Gary nodded to himself. Director Robert really knew how to treat a guest. Every Gligar here had Elite Four-level potential.
Honestly, though, that only made Gary more conflicted. Their potential was so similar that nothing really set them apart.
"What's wrong? None of them catch your eye?" Director Robert asked, puzzled by Gary's hesitation.
"Not exactly. I can tell they all have excellent potential, but I'm still a little torn," Gary said, rubbing his chin.
Cynthia's eyes lit up. "Yes, that feeling! Being torn. I know exactly what you mean!"
Gary rolled his eyes. His problem was not the same as her inability to make decisions...
"Owww!" Director Robert suddenly clutched his backside and jumped.
Gary and the others turned to see a well-proportioned Gligar standing sneakily behind Robert, a dangerous purplish-red glow shimmering over its purple tail.
"Poison Tail?!" Startled, Gary instinctively used Appraisal on it.
Whoa! A golden legendary!
He had never expected a Gligar with Champion-level potential to be hiding among all these Elite Four-level ones!
"You little rascal! Get back to training." Clutching his backside, Director Robert felt that his dignity as the director... had been violated...
"Gli-hehehe!" Gligar gave a scornful laugh, stuck out its tongue, and winked cutely.
Caitlin's eyes sparkled. "Wow! So cute!"
"Honestly, Rascal, you're teasing the director again." The male breeder nearby looked worried too. Oh, man. Looks like I can kiss this month's bonus goodbye...
"Number One, Number Two! Come practice with Rascal!" The trainer clapped his hands.
The two largest Gligar from earlier immediately turned in midair and dove toward Rascal.
"Gli-hehe!" With its tongue out, the mischievous Gligar swayed rhythmically from side to side, its wings folded and its tail resting lightly against the ground.
The instant the two large Gligar reached it, Rascal pushed off hard with its tail and shot into the wind with a swish.
Smack! The two large Gligar crashed straight into each other and spun around twice, dazed.
Up in the air, Rascal waved its tail, wagged its head, and stuck out its tongue, looking unbearably smug.
"This just keeps getting more interesting." Smiling, Gary stepped right up to the front to enjoy the show.
Having missed their attack, the two large Gligar grew furious. They flew back up and began charging their strongest moves at the same time.
"Gli!" White sparks flashed past. Rascal suddenly raised both foreclaws, and red and blue light flared to life, circling its body.
Boom! Facing attacks from both sides, Rascal cockily stretched out its pincers and met both larger Gligar's finishing moves head-on.
As the dust cleared, even Cynthia, standing behind Gary, could not help taking a closer look.
Rascal had pulled it off. All on its own, it had stopped the powerful moves unleashed by the two strongest Gligar in the group!
"This little one just loves messing around. It's actually pretty strong, isn't it?" Robert shook his head helplessly.
Smack! Gary slapped the railing. "This is the one I want!"
"Gli?" Rascal glided over to Gary. Without hesitation, Gary held out his hand. "What do you say? Want to come play tricks on other people with me?"
"Gli!" Gligar's eyes shone, and it stuck its tongue out like a Growlithe. Without hesitation, it extended a foreclaw shimmering with purple light.
"Be careful!" Robert cried. He had not yet figured out which move that was, but it was definitely Poison-type.
To his surprise, Gary merely smiled and reached out to take it.
With a light tap, Gligar itself stepped back in surprise. The Poison-type energy around its foreclaw instantly dispersed before Gary clasped it firmly.
Cynthia smiled faintly. Trust was the first step toward connecting with a Pokémon's heart.
Seeing Gary take its claw without the slightest hesitation, Gligar's large eyes grew moist.
"Gli!" Smack! A giant face-hugger latched onto Gary's head...
"Hahaha... All right, all right. Good little guy, I get it. You're with me from now on." Rather than panicking, Gary gently patted Gligar's back.
Only then did Gligar calm down and stand shyly on the railing, waiting for Gary's Poké Ball.
Gary took out a Poké Ball and lightly tapped it against Gligar's forehead. Eagerly, Gligar went inside and became his Pokémon.
"No wonder you're Principal Monet's prized student. I'm convinced." After witnessing Gary's actions, even a professional breeder could not confidently claim they would have done better.
"Kids who like causing mischief often lack a sense of security and acceptance. That's why you have to be even more steadfast when dealing with them," Gary explained with a shrug.
"But what if Gligar hadn't managed to withdraw its energy in time?" Caitlin asked curiously.
Gary hesitated. "Well... the infirmary is right next door..."
"All right, whatever the case, that's the first one settled." Robert sighed in relief. Sending that little troublemaker away was probably a good thing.
Gary was practically bubbling with delight. A Gligar with Champion-level potential, and three inherited moves: Power Trick, Poison Tail, and Cross Poison.
This little one's future was limitless!
"All right, let's head to the glacier area next," Robert said, striking while the iron was hot.
Gary nodded, took off his jacket, and tossed it to Caitlin.
She held it, looking utterly bewildered.
"Put it on. The glacier area is pretty cold," Gary instructed casually.
Caitlin was wearing a pink, short-sleeved puffed princess dress today. Everyone else, including Gary, wore long sleeves.
"Oh! Okay!" Caitlin lowered her head and obediently put on Gary's jacket.
For some reason, Cynthia's teeth ached. Too much sweetness...
They passed through the sandy area and took a look at Rainbow University's few baby land sharks along the way. Gary glanced curiously at Cynthia.
As everyone knew, there were two kinds of Garchomp: ordinary Garchomp and Cynthia's Garchomp.
Ordinary Garchomp got utterly thrashed by Alain's Mega Charizard. Cynthia's Garchomp chased its opponents down and slaughtered them, regardless of who they were or what type they had...
There was only one land shark that used an opponent's Frenzy Plant to scratch an itch and Flash Cannon to trim its nails: Cynthia's Garchomp.
In short: as long as you had a health bar, it would kill you-even if you were a god!
They're both Garchomp, so why is the gap so huge? Gary wondered. Could it be because their bond is just that strong?
After turning it over in his mind, that was the only explanation that made sense. Their powerful bond had allowed Garchomp to overcome type disadvantages and become Champion Cynthia's undisputed ace.
A chill washed over them as they entered the glacier area.
Looking up, they saw a vast expanse of frozen ground and artificially created snowfields. This Ice-type Pokémon habitat was quite the feat of technology and engineering.
Several Sneasel sharpened their claws on the snow, each guarding its own territory.
Unlike Gligar, which lived in groups, Sneasel were highly territorial.
Among the many Sneasel, Gary immediately set his sights on one that was dozing.
The reason was simple: unlike the other Sneasel, this one had an especially innocent look in its eyes.
"Are you trying to say it looks a little stupid?" Caitlin whispered.
Gary shook his head, caught between laughter and exasperation. "With a Pokémon like Sneasel, do you really think it could claim such a huge stretch of snow all to itself if it were stupid?"
Gary pointed out the area around it. The other Sneasel clearly made a point of avoiding that patch, which meant it belonged to the dozing Sneasel.
"Don't believe me? Watch." Gary picked up a Poké Ball and threw it straight at the sleeping Sneasel.
Snap! Before the Poké Ball even reached Sneasel's head, a blur swept through the air and sliced it clean in two.
"Sneasel? (Huh? Who's attacking me?)"
The supposedly dozing Sneasel suddenly flipped over, guarding its chest with its sharp claws.
"Pretty quick hands you've got there, little guy," Gary greeted it with a smile.
"Snea..." The innocent look returned to Sneasel's eyes as it gazed up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle.
"All right, quit pretending. I've got my eye on you. Want to come with me?" Gary got straight to the point.
"Sneasel..." Sneasel looked at Gary seriously. He saw through my disguise. Definitely a formidable one.
Coming up to Gary, Sneasel looked him over. What a strange human. There seems to be some really comfortable energy inside his body, but he keeps it hidden. A sneaky bastard like this... ahem, such a wise human is certainly worthy of being my trainer.
"Sneasel..." Seeing Sneasel close its eyes, Gary wasted no time and caught it with a Poké Ball.
He was not taking any chances. If he moved too slowly and someone thought he was trying to force a kiss on this Sneasel, would they not take him for a pervert?
Beside him, Robert was utterly impressed. Professor Oak truly had a keen eye. Without any introduction from Robert, he had picked out this very Sneasel.
Robert might not know the full backgrounds of all the other Pokémon.
But this Sneasel's mother was Principal Monet's Weavile.
Back then, Principal Monet had used that very Weavile to beat Professor Oak's Dragonite into the ground for a time.
If old Monet had not suddenly realized that academic research was his true love, Professor Oak might have ended up as the Indigo League runner-up that year.
Having obtained the Pokémon he wanted, Gary did not linger. He thanked Robert and reminded him to bring Onix and Poliwhirl to the exchange event on time, then took Cynthia and Caitlin out for a meal.
Who knew how long the seminar would last? To be safe, eating first was more important...
"My treat today. Caitlin, is there anything you or Cynthia especially want to eat?" Gary asked as they walked.
"I want stinky tofu! Extra numbing, extra spicy!" Caitlin waved her little hands.
Gary looked utterly baffled. I must have overdone the medicine. Caitlin, have your tastes really gotten this intense already?
"Stinky tofu... That doesn't sound like it would smell very nice..." Cynthia hesitated too.
"It's fine! It tastes delicious, especially with big cloves of garlic. It's so satisfying!" Taking Cynthia by the hand, Caitlin headed straight for the snack stalls by the university gates, leaving no room for argument.
Gary shook his head helplessly. I'd better buy two bottles of mouthwash. He did not mind it himself, but imagining these two gorgeous blonde, blue-eyed women opening their mouths and breathing out the smell of stinky tofu and garlic...
The picture was simply too beautiful. He dared not look...
Before you continue