Cerulean Gym was a rounded, aqua-blue building, like a giant Staryu sprawled beside the sea.
The pool inside took up more than half the floor, with several floating platforms on the water serving as footholds.
Misty's three older siblings stood opposite him.
"A challenger? He's so handsome!" Daisy cupped her face in both hands.
"But we won't go easy on you." Violet flicked her hair.
"Go, Staryu! Starmie!" Penny sent out two Pokémon straight away.
The two starfish-shaped Pokémon floated on the water, their central cores flashing red.
"Gabite, Dragon Pulse."
The Cerulean Sisters fell silent as they looked at the two Pokémon that had been one-shot.
Where had this monster come from?!
"Cascade Badge! Got it!"
At noon that day, at Vermilion Gym.
Vermilion Gym was near the harbor. All kinds of electrical equipment filled the interior, and the smell of ozone hung in the air.
Lt. Surge stood at the edge of the battlefield in an army-green tank top, his arms bulging with muscle.
"Kid, you're here to challenge me?" Lt. Surge grinned.
"My Pokémon all rely on speed. That Gabite of yours doesn't look fast."
"Let me teach you the secrets of true speed!"
Thunder Badge acquired!
Next was Celadon Gym.
Erika sat in a chair in a plain kimono. The moment she saw Lu Chen enter, her face went several shades paler.
She still remembered this person.
That smell of blood so intense it made her tremble.
"You... you're here to challenge me?" Erika's voice shook a little.
Lu Chen nodded.
Erika hesitated for a second, then told the Gym staff member beside her, "I concede."
The staff member froze.
"Gym Leader?"
"I concede!" Erika repeated, louder than before.
"Give him the Badge."
Rainbow Badge, acquired!
Next came Cinnabar Gym, where Blaine was, and Saffron Gym, where Sabrina was!
They were utterly trounced in an instant!
On the evening of the first day, at Viridian Gym.
By then, Lu Chen had already collected seven Gym Badges.
Viridian Gym was temporarily closed, with a "Closed for business" sign hanging at the entrance.
But the acting Gym Leader temporarily assigned by the Pokémon League was already waiting inside.
The acting Gym Leader was a young man wearing glasses, his expression tense.
When he saw Lu Chen walk in, he glanced at the Gabite following behind him and decisively raised both hands.
"I concede."
Lu Chen raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"
"Yes! Absolutely sure!" The acting Gym Leader nodded furiously.
"I'm just a temp. I don't want to end up in the hospital."
Clearly, this temporary Gym Leader already knew of Lu Chen's exploits and decisively chose to surrender.
Rather than invite humiliation.
The eighth Badge, the Viridian Badge, was his!
By the time Lu Chen returned to the farm, it was still only the night of the first day.
Lu Chen sat on the farm's lounge chair with an open Badge case in front of him.
Eight Badges lay neatly arranged, gleaming with a metallic sheen in the moonlight.
Lu Chen gently closed the case, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
He had fulfilled a childhood dream, in a way.
But what Lu Chen didn't know was that his feat of challenging eight Gym Leaders in one go yesterday had already blown up online.
"One day! He speedran all eight Gyms in one day! Is that even fucking human?"
"And he used a Gabite! His pseudo-legendary hasn't even finished evolving!"
"A pseudo-legendary that hasn't finished evolving cleared all eight Gyms in one day?"
"That's even more insane than that Aura Guardian!"
"He's cheating, right? He's definitely cheating, right?"
"I don't believe it! This has to be fake news! Eight Badges in one day? Even a Champion couldn't do that!"
"Check the Pokémon League's official records yourself. All the Badge certifications are there. You can't fake those."
Doubts, exclamations, and cries of disbelief flooded in.
At the same time, quite a few people had already begun looking forward to this year's Kanto League Conference.
"This year's Pokémon League Conference looks especially worth watching."
"First Professor Oak's grandson Gary entered, and then there's that Aura Guardian Aaron who appeared out of nowhere."
"Now another absolute beast who speedran eight Badges in a day has shown up. This tournament just keeps getting livelier."
"Livelier? It's practically a battle of gods!"
On the forums, someone began listing the participants in this Pokémon League Conference.
The list grew longer and longer, and more and more frightening.
A week passed in a flash. Lu Chen was sitting on the farm's lounge chair.
He set the Badge case on the table, picked up his teacup, and took a leisurely sip.
Not far away, Ash and Gary were practicing battles in preparation for the upcoming Pokémon League Conference.
Pikachu versus Eevee.
"Quick Attack!"
"Eevee, Swift!"
The two Pokémon traded blows, flashes of electricity and starlight crossing.
They battled for nearly ten minutes.
Finally, Pikachu slammed into Eevee with a Quick Attack, while Eevee unleashed a Swift at the same time.
Both Pokémon fell to the ground, then struggled to their feet simultaneously.
"A draw!" Misty raised her hand beside them and announced.
"It wasn't a draw! I obviously won!" Ash protested.
"Are you blind? Eevee stood up first!" Gary protested even harder.
The two broke into an argument.
Brock shook his head helplessly, his gaze passing over them and landing on that familiar patch of Berries on the farm.
And that one look made Brock freeze.
"Why do those Berries look..."
Brock's voice suddenly sounded a little strange.
Ash and Gary were still arguing and didn't hear him.
Brock walked a few steps closer, narrowed his eyes, and carefully studied the fruit trees in the field.
Those thirty fruit trees had already grown taller than a person, with thick branches and deep green leaves.
And every branch was laden with heavy fruit.
The fruits resembled starfruit, shaped like five-pointed stars. Their skins had a faint silvery-white sheen, with a strange glimmer shifting across them in the sunlight.
A sweet, fresh fragrance hung in the air, faint yet enough to make one's throat itch.
At that moment, Ash also noticed the unusual Berries. He pointed at the fruit trees in the field and asked curiously,
"Lu Chen, what kind of Berries are you growing? How come I've never seen them before?"
"They're just ordinary Berries," Lu Chen explained.
Ash tilted his head and stared for a long while, then scratched his head.
Gary was just about to mock Ash for not even recognizing Berries, but when he went closer to look for himself, he froze too.
He had never seen fruit with that shape, color, or sheen in the Pokédex at Professor Oak's Laboratory.
"What kind of Berries are these?" Gary frowned.
Just then, Brock, who was preparing dinner, suddenly looked up.
He narrowed his eyes and carefully examined the details of the fruit.
Then Brock's narrowed eyes suddenly flew open.
"Oh my god!"
Brock jumped, nearly flinging the spatula out of his hand.
"Could... could these be Starf Berries, hailed as the king of Berries?!"
Ash and Gary both turned to look at him.
"Starf Berry trees?!" Gary froze for a moment.
"You've got to be kidding! Growing Starf Berries is still a major challenge. They can't be artificially propagated at all..."
Gary stopped halfway through.
Just then, Professor Oak happened to come over from the laboratory. Hearing the commotion, he came closer too.
When Professor Oak saw the Starf Berries covering the branches with his own eyes, he stood as though rooted to the spot.
"So... these fruit trees I've watched grow every day are all Starf Berry trees?!"