"I lost!"
"You're strong, you're the strongest trainer I've ever seen."
"Big brother, you can definitely beat the Petalburg Gym Leader!"
Bug-catching boys are everywhere in Petalburg Woods.
The strongest among them is only level 7, but they provide a considerable amount of experience.
Compared to wild Pokémon, they provide significantly more.
Seed Ball's strength is also gradually increasing.
"Ding~ Seed Ball level 29 to level 30!"
"Seed Ball has mastered a new move, Iron Head (self-destruct)."
Bai Yu looked at the panel that appeared before him, somewhat surprised.
"Although it hasn't evolved into Ferrothorn yet, its strength has increased considerably."
"Iron Head?"
"That move is quite good."
Bai Yu stared at Seed Ball.
Seed Ball is a tank-type Pokémon, and for such a Pokémon, mastering Iron Head, combined with its already excellent attack...
It can indeed be quite effective, although its power isn't as high as the Big Bang.
However, in a critical moment, the damage it inflicts can definitely achieve a one-for-one trade.
"I haven't seen any Fighting-type Pokémon I'm looking for."
"Well, you couldn't really call them Fighting-type Pokémon; the only one I have right now is Makushita."
Bai Yu looked at Makushita lying on the ground, unable to battle.
Along the way, the most Fighting-type Pokémon Bai Yu encountered was Makushita.
He hadn't even seen any other Pokémon.
"In the Hoenn region, it seems that Makushita is the only Fighting-type Pokémon."
Bai Yu slowly shook his head. Neither the Fighting type nor Makushita
itself was a good choice for his team.
Fighting-type Pokémon are incredibly easy to deal with; a single Ghost-type can provide perfect defensive synergy.
Bai Yu didn't see a suitable Lilligant for a Rain team along the way.
Most of the Lilligant he saw had the ability Sharp Eye, and very few had Wet Body.
Only Lilligant with Wet Body can evolve into Pelipper to change its ability to Rain.
Other than that, all other abilities are perfectly inherited during evolution.
"There aren't any suitable Pokémon in Petalburg Woods either."
"I can look for a main Rain team Pokémon at the beach later."
Bai Yu quickly dismissed the idea.
For now, training his three Pokémon was enough.
As for other team compositions, until suitable replacements were found, the
focus would be on improving his own Pokémon's strength.
Rustboro City!
The first city in the Hoenn region to have a Gym. The Rustboro City before him was remarkably similar to the one in the game.
The layout of the surrounding houses was almost a perfect replica of the game's layout.
Entering through the gates of Rustboro City, you'll find the League Gym located in the very center of the city.
Not far from the Gym, a towering skyscraper stands, its size far surpassing that of the Gym.
If Bai Yu isn't mistaken, this skyscraper belongs to Devon Corporation, the family business of Steven's father, whose holdings encompass almost half of the Hoenn region's wealth.
Besides Devon Corporation, you can also see a Pokémon Center and an item shop.
"An item shop? I remember in reality, item shops are part of the Pokémon Center."
"This layout is exactly like the one in the game."
Bai Yu didn't think much of it and headed towards the Rustboro Gym.
The interior of the gym was far more luxurious than Bai Yu's own.
The entire layout was modern, while Bai Yu's gym looked rather dilapidated.
Bai Yu didn't have much money to support his gym, so its current scale was already quite impressive.
Entering the gym and heading towards its center, he soon saw a woman standing there.
She held a Poké Ball, seemingly aware from the beginning that Bai Yu intended to challenge her.
"I'm a Gym Leader from Rustboro City, my name is Du Juan!"
"As you can see, I'm a Rock-type Gym Leader, and my training grounds are geared towards Rock-type Pokémon."
"I wanted to apply the knowledge I gained at the Pokémon Trainer Academy to real battles, which is why I became a Gym Leader."
Du Juan gazed at Bai Yu, having been prepared for the challenge since he entered the Rustboro Gym.
Although it was a relatively weak gym in the Hoenn region, she wouldn't hold back.
"These words are almost identical to what you'd hear in a game."
Bai Yu looked at Du Juan, recalling the Bug Catchers he'd encountered before.
This so-called game world was remarkably real.
"Then let's begin this gym battle. I hope you'll give it your all!"
Du Juan said, throwing her Pokémon.
The image of the Pokémon Du Juan threw quickly appeared on the large screen to Bai Yu's right.
It also displayed the Pokémon available to both sides.
In this respect, it was far more advanced than gyms in reality.
"Geodude?"
It's nothing special.
"My Nosepass!"
Du Juan watched helplessly as her Nosepass lost its battle ability.
A wave of emotion washed over her; her strongest Pokémon had lost the battle just like that.
"Ah... I lost..."
"It seems I still have a lot to learn..."
Du Juan said with some regret.
Bai Yu looked at Du Juan without giving it much thought.
These are all familiar platitudes, and besides, as the first gym in the Hoenn region,
its strength naturally isn't that great.
Compared to the Pewter Gym in the Kanto Region, it's not far behind.
Losing to it would be truly unexpected.
Du Juan then took out the badge her gym needed.
She walked towards Bai Yu and handed him the badge.
"The Pokémon League stipulates that trainers who defeat gym leaders can receive this."
"Please accept this Pokémon League-recognized Rock Badge."
Du Juan spoke these words in a slightly mechanical tone, and also took out the gym badge belonging to the Rustboro Gym.
"Ding~ Seed Ball level 30 to level 31."
This battle provided a higher experience level than Bug Catcher.
It directly raised Seed Ball by a whole level.
"Challenger, I believe you will become the next Hoenn Champion! Be sure to show your true fighting spirit at the Hoenn Tournament! It's just a pity I haven't reached that level yet!"
After saying this, Du Juan turned and walkd towards the exit of the Pokémon Center.
It seemed she was going to the center to treat her Pokémon that had lost its ability to battle.
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(End of Chapter)