Gary stared down at the Poké Ball in his hand, voice soft but resolute.
"Sorry, buddy. You don't have any large-scale moves right now, so this isn't the best matchup for you," he said apologetically. "Those clones are just too tricky to deal with."
The Poké Ball in his palm trembled faintly. He could almost feel Weavile's silent protest through the ball's faint pulse. Gary smiled faintly.
"I know you want to keep going, Weavile… but those illusions are airborne, and you can't fly. Without Blizzard or Avalanche to clear the field, you'd be cornered fast."
The Poké Ball quieted, as though Weavile understood—but the stillness carried a hint of frustration that tugged at Gary's chest.
Gary drew a deep breath and raised his voice. "Alright then… Magnezone, you're up next!"
He hurled the Poké Ball into the air, unleashing a surge of brilliant white light.
"Zzznnnngg—!"
With a metallic hum, the light condensed into a magnetic form, revealing the triple-eyed, hovering Pokémon—Magnezone—its twin magnets spinning slowly, electricity crackling around it like tiny blue serpents.
[Lv. 59 Magnezone – Champion Level]
Fantina's eyes sparkled as she gave an elegant spin, her violet hair fluttering.
"Ooh, such a bold switch! Très bien, let's see how you handle this! Mismagius, use Mystical Fire!"
"Mismaaa~gius!" The Ghost-type let out a piercing cry, conjuring fiery circles that danced in the air around it. Bright violet flames burst forth, swirling toward Magnezone in a blazing storm.
Gary raised a hand sharply. "Magnezone, use Gravity!"
"Zzznnnng!" Magnezone's central eye flashed brilliant red. Instantly, an overwhelming gravitational field rippled through the arena.
With a heavy whoosh, everything was drawn down by the invisible force—the glowing air, the hovering illusions, and even Mismagius herself.
Fantina gasped as her elegant Pokémon crashed slightly toward the ground with a startled shriek. "Ah! Mon dieu!"
"Mismagius's clones are gone," Gary stated calmly. "No more tricks."
The Pressure of the Gravity Field shimmered visibly, pressing even the banners lining the Hearthome Gym walls.
While the real Mismagius writhed against the force, she still managed to unleash the flaming ring she had started—Mystical Fire struck Magnezone head-on.
The blaze engulfed Magnezone briefly—but when the flames faded, the steel Pokémon hovered, barely singed. The damage was minimal.
Gary's tone sharpened. "Lock-On!"
"Znnnggg! Magnezone—zone!"
The sensors on Magnezone's sides glowed red, locking onto Mismagius. A small targeting reticule shimmered onto her form like a scarlet bullseye.
Fantina frowned, eyes narrowing. "Très bien—Mismagius! Use Mystical Fire again! Burn that target away!"
"Mismaaaa!"
The ghost conjured another spinning circle of burning energy, hurling it forward like a blazing wheel.
But this time, the gravity dragged it down—Magnezone's magnetic fields twisted, redirecting the flames into the ground. The fire burst harmlessly against the stage floor.
"Alright, Magnezone!" Gary called. "Now—use Zap Cannon!"
"Zz—zngngngngng!"
A glowing orb of energy condensed before Magnezone. Sparks flared wildly as the ball of light grew, crackling gold with volatile power. The orb pulsed—then fired forward like a meteor of lightning.
Fantina's eyes widened. "Oh no…! Mismagius, quickly—Destiny Bond!"
Gary's heart skipped a beat. Destiny Bond?
Fantina's tone grew fierce—as fierce as any commanding general in the League. "If we go down, we go together! Mismagius!"
"Mismaaa—!" The witch-like ghost shone with a blinding purple gleam, its ethereal ribbons flaring outward. A link, faint yet chilling, formed invisibly between her and Magnezone.
Gary gritted his teeth. "That's bad…!"
The Zap Cannon hit home with an ear-splitting BOOM! The explosion rocked the battlefield. For a moment, the blast formed a black mushroom cloud that swallowed everything in its radius. The referee shielded his face from the impact wave.
When the smoke cleared, both Pokémon were down. Magnezone's three mechanical eyes flickered once, then dimmed as it dropped heavily to the ground with a metallic clang.
Across from it, Mismagius collapsed as well, body unraveling into faint violet mist before fading entirely.
The magnetic hum slowly faded into silence.
Thomas raised his flag. "Mismagius and Magnezone are both unable to battle! A double knockout!"
Fantina sighed deeply, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "As expected… Mismagius, you danced beautifully."
They recalled their Pokémon at the same time. Each trainer slid a fresh Poké Ball from their belt, the new battle about to begin.
Thomas lifted his arm again. "Both sides—prepare your next Pokémon!"
Fantina and Gary locked eyes, silent sparks flying between them as they threw their Poké Balls simultaneously.
"Battle form—Drifblim, take flight!"
"Electivire, go!"
In perfect unison, two flashes of light burst across the field.
"Driiiif-blim!" The Ghost-type floated upward, its balloon-like body undulating as its eerie pupils glowed with restrained power.
"Electivire!!" roared Gary's Pokémon, slamming its four legs into the ground, sending cracks spidering across the arena floor.
[Lv. 48 Drifblim – Elite Class]
[Lv. 63 Electivire – Champion Class]
Fantina's personality instantly flared up again—graceful but fierce. "Alright, Drifblim—Will-O-Wisp! Show them your ghostly flames!"
"Drif… bliiimm!"
The Balloon Pokémon spun rapidly on its axis, and countless small blue flames shimmered into existence, swirling beautifully like a haunted aurora before diving toward Electivire. Ghostly whispers echoed through the gym as the attack spiraled in.
Gary swung his arm. "Electivire! Hit back with Discharge!"
"Electivire!!"
Yellow-white electricity erupted from Electivire's body, arcing violently through the air like lightning vines. The blast of electrical energy vaporized the incoming ghostly flames instantly, the sound of crackling power reverberating off the marble walls.
"Drrriiiffff!" Drifblim cried out in pain as currents danced across its body. Its extremities stiffened; static crackled along its trailing cords.
Fantina gasped. "Drifblim!"
Thomas raised an arm, watching closely. "Continue, Trainers!"
Electivire let out a mechanical snarl, its eyes burning red. Electric energy still pulsed through the air; small sparks leaped from its steel shell.
Drifblim drifted awkwardly, trembling. Its body, normally buoyant, began to sag. With a heavy, sorrowful cry, it plummeted toward the ground, hitting the surface with a dull thud.
"Drifblim!" Fantina shouted again, rushing forward a step before stopping herself.
Thomas lifted his flag decisively. "Drifblim is unable to battle! The winner of this Gym match—and the Relic Badge—goes to the challenger, Gary Oak!"
The crowd gasped. A few of Fantina's assistants exchanged stunned glances. It had been a clean, commanding victory.
Fantina stood motionless for a few seconds. Then she sighed, an amused smile curling across her lips despite her disbelief.
"Oh, mon dieu… defeated, just like that. If it hadn't been for Mismagius's Destiny Bond, I would have been swept by three Pokémon. How embarrassing!"
Gary smiled gently. "That was an amazing battle, Fantina."
Fantina's laughter returned—warm, theatrical, and as bold as ever. "Oh, you're too kind. But, my, my… your Pokémon truly are breathtakingly strong." She winked and added with her trademark flair, "If I were twenty years younger, Gary Oak, I might have been tempted to pursue you instead of just battling you!"
Gary blinked, caught completely off guard. "Uh… wh-what?!"
Gary felt his ears heat up. Being confessed to so bluntly, and in public at that, left him more flustered than any battle just had.
Despite her age, Fantina was undeniably charming. If she wished, plenty of younger men would no doubt fall for her unique mix of elegance and playfulness.
Even Thomas chuckled under his breath as Fantina waved a finger playfully, then turned toward a nearby pedestal. She retrieved a shining emblem—the Relic Badge—her own Gym's proud symbol.
"Here. The Relic Badge—proof you've bested the Hearthome Gym."
Gary accepted it with both hands, bowing his head slightly. "Thank you, Fantina."
A chime rang from Gary's Pokédex:
[Mission complete! Reward delivered to item storage.]
With that, the match came to its close. Gary left the Hearthome Gym under the glow of the setting sun, badge in hand, his heart still alive with the energy of battle.
Once outside, Gary opened his space backpack and blinked as a new reward entry lit up his screen.
Item Received: Gimmighoul's Coin Purse
Contains 999 Gimmighoul Coins. Fully charged and ready for evolution. Capable of evolving Gimmighoul into Gholdengo.
Gary whistled softly. "So that's what it was—Gimmighoul's Coin Purse!"
He scrolled through the Pokémon database. "A Ghost-type Pokémon from the Paldea Region… When 999 coins are collected, it evolves into Gholdengo, a Pokémon of solid gold energy and exceptional power."
The data flashed again:
Gholdengo Ability – Good as Gold: Immune to status moves and debuff effects. Known as the 'Golden Body Pokémon.' Its power rivaled even some Legendary Pokémon in the recorded data.
Gary leaned back thoughtfully. "A species strength of 550… That's right up there with Legendary tier Pokémon now."
The system's commentary scrolled through Gary's mind:
The baseline for "Legendary-level" Pokémon used to be a base stat total of 570, but after the appearance of powerful non‑Legendary species like Urshifu, that threshold had been softened to 550.
Ultra Beasts, with totals around 540, technically hailed from another world and, strictly speaking, weren't counted as standard Pokémon—so they were excluded from that particular benchmark.
The coin purse he'd just received contained all 999 coins required to evolve a Gimmighoul straight into Gholdengo, instantly granting it the potential to reach Champion level.
For someone like Gary—tall, confident, and already strong—it was perfectly reasonable, even expected, that he might raise a Gholdengo as one of his aces.
He chuckled softly. "Guess I'll have to visit Paldea sooner or later."
Once he'd made up his mind, Gary didn't hesitate long. He decided to head for the Paldea region to obtain one.
Gimmighoul—often found haunting old treasure chests—wasn't especially rare in Paldea. Their numbers were decent, and they could often be seen in or around antique shops, ruins, or secluded towers.
On its own, though, Gimmighoul was quite weak. In its roaming form it barely fought at all, and even in its chest form it relied mainly on simple moves like Astonish and Tackle, only a little stronger than a low‑level Caterpie.
The crucial point was that a Gimmighoul that couldn't gather enough coins would never evolve. Only a tiny fraction of them ever managed to become Gholdengo.