"But is there still time to enter the Pokémon League Conference now?"
Brock's words brought a subtle change to the atmosphere on the farm.
Brock counted out the time on his fingers.
"There are only three days left until registration for the Pokémon League Conference closes."
"Collecting all eight badges in three days is practically an impossible mission."
"As far as I know, no League Trainer has ever accomplished a feat like that!"
At Brock's words, Ash's and Gary's eyes instantly lit up!
The two exchanged a glance and saw the same expression on each other's faces: relief.
Although they were reluctant to admit it, they had to say that if Lu Chen couldn't enter the Pokémon League Conference...
Then their chances of winning the championship this time would improve by at least a little.
Trainers were supposed to be fearless in the face of powerful opponents, but Lu Chen clearly didn't fall into that category. He belonged squarely in the monster category.
Yet just as Ash and Gary secretly breathed sighs of relief...
Lu Chen, standing nearby, actually smiled when he heard he still had a full three days.
"Three days?" Lu Chen said with a smile.
"Isn't that more than enough?"
At Lu Chen's words, the smiles on Ash's and Gary's faces froze simultaneously.
He could collect eight badges in three days?
Then what did that make the eight badges they had spent over half a year painstakingly collecting?
Proof that they could endure hardship?
Professor Oak and Delia, however, had long since grown accustomed to remarks like this from Lu Chen.
After all, based on what Professor Oak and the others knew of Lu Chen, collecting eight Gym Badges in three days really didn't seem all that difficult!
"I'll leave looking after the place to you, Lapras and Gengar. Make sure you take good care of it over the next few days."
"Wooo~"
"Heh heh heh!"
Gengar and Lapras both nodded repeatedly. Then Lu Chen swung himself onto Aerodactyl's back, bringing Gouging Fire and Gabite along as well.
At Aerodactyl's speed, it took barely half an hour.
Pewter Gym, in Pewter City, the city closest to Pallet Town.
Pewter Gym was a gray stone building with rough outer walls, like a split slab of mountain rock.
The interior was dimly lit, with a high ceiling and enormous boulders arranged all around. The battlefield itself occupied the center of the entire Gym.
When Lu Chen walked in, a dark-skinned young man with narrowed eyes stood on the opposite side of the battlefield.
Brock's younger brother, Forrest, the acting Gym Leader.
"My name is Lu Chen. I'm from Pallet Town, and I'm here to challenge Pewter Gym!"
"A challenger? The rules are three-on-three." Forrest took a Poké Ball from his belt.
"Go, Onix!"
Forrest did find it a little strange. With only three days left before registration closed, why would anyone still be challenging a beginner-level Gym like Pewter Gym?
Surely this challenger named Lu Chen wasn't planning to speedrun the Gyms in three days?
How could that possibly happen?
Although he couldn't figure out the reason, his duties as a Gym Leader still prompted him to prepare for battle.
A flash of red light revealed an enormous serpentine Pokémon composed of multiple gray rocks on the battlefield.
It raised its head, looking down at its opponent from above.
As a Gym Leader's Pokémon, this Onix had been raised quite well. Its strength was at the intermediate level, just right for rookie Trainers challenging a Gym for the first time.
Looking at the Onix before him, Lu Chen, who was challenging a Gym for the first time himself, smiled faintly. Then he took a Poké Ball from his belt and casually tossed it.
"Go! Gabite."
Gabite landed, braced its finlike forelimbs against the ground, and looked up at the Onix several times its height, flicking its tail lightly.
"???"
Forrest visibly froze at the sight of Gabite!
Wait, that's not right!
Doesn't his profile in the Pokémon League system say this is his first Gym challenge?
You're supposed to send out a Starter Pokémon or some cute little Pokémon like Pidgey or Caterpie.
Then we have a fierce battle, and finally I demonstrate my strength and presence as a Gym Leader.
I give you a little lecture, then go easy on you and let you beat me. That's the normal procedure, right?
What do you mean by bringing out a peak Gym Leader-level Gabite?
Is that a Pokémon a rookie should have?
Forrest realized there seemed to be a bug somewhere in this Gym battle.
It took nearly thirty full seconds for Forrest to recover. Looking at the peak Gym Leader-level Gabite before him, just one step away from the Elite Four level, he gritted his teeth and said,
"The challenger may attack first!"
At Forrest's words, Lu Chen smiled for the first time in a while and said,
"Then I won't hold back! Gabite! Dragon Claw!"
Gabite pushed off with all four limbs, shooting toward Onix like an arrow.
Halfway through its charge, Gabite raised its right forelimb. Dark purple Dragon-type energy gathered at its claw tips, forming a sharp blade of light.
Using the momentum of its charge, it leaped into the air, its Dragon Claw striking Onix precisely in the neck.
One hit.
Onix's rocky body shuddered violently from head to tail, and it let out a low, muffled cry.
Its enormous body crashed to the ground. Onix's eyes swirled as it lost consciousness completely.
Forrest gaped at the Onix that had been knocked out in one hit, then gave a wry smile.
"Onix is unable to battle! Gym Leader, please send out your second Pokémon!"
Hearing the referee's announcement, Forrest patted his cheeks and took a deep breath before saying,
"Challenger, you really are strong! But Pewter Gym won't be beaten that easily!"
"Now I'm going to give it everything I've got!"
"Go! Golem!"
One minute later.
"All three of Gym Leader Forrest's Pokémon are unable to battle! Challenger Lu Chen wins!"
Forrest stared at the fallen Steelix, lost in thought.
Who am I? Where am I? Why did I take my brother's place as Gym Leader?
Although his defeat had been just a little crushing, Forrest still displayed the graciousness of a Gym Leader.
"Here. This is proof that you defeated Pewter Gym, the Boulder Badge."
"And this should be your first successful Gym challenge, right? This is a case for collecting badges. I'll give you that too."
Perhaps it was just Lu Chen's imagination, but Forrest seemed to put considerably more emphasis on the words "first Gym challenge"!
Looking at the dark gray badge in his hand, Lu Chen couldn't help smiling as he said,
"I got my first badge!"
And just like that, less than three minutes after Lu Chen walked into Pewter Gym, his first badge was in his hands.
After leaving Pewter Gym, Lu Chen opened the badge case, tucked the Boulder Badge inside, and looked at the remaining empty spaces.
Lu Chen smiled faintly and said,
"Let's go, Aerodactyl. It's time to head to the second city and get our second badge!"
"Roar~"
Aerodactyl didn't understand why its Trainer looked so happy after receiving that thing called a badge.
To Aerodactyl, it all seemed far too boring.
But... seeing the rare smile on Lu Chen's face, Aerodactyl immediately began beating its wings much harder.
Watching Lu Chen leave, Forrest walked out of the Gym and said with a mixture of resignation and anticipation,
"This guy named Lu Chen isn't seriously planning to speedrun all eight Gyms in three days, is he?"
"That would be some bad news, wouldn't it?" Yet as he said this, Forrest smiled!
I can't be the only one to experience the pain of getting steamrolled like this!
One hour later, Cerulean Gym.