Pokédex: "Beep~ Skarmory, Steel and Flying type. The Armor Bird Pokémon.
Ability: Sturdy
Moves: Leer, Peck, Sand Attack, Fury Attack, Metal Claw, Agility, Wing Attack, Slash, Steel Wing, Payback, Drill Peck, Metal Sound, Spikes, Iron Defense, Taunt, Sky Drop, Tailwind
Egg moves: Whirlwind, Roost, Stealth Rock
Description: A Pokémon with a body and wings of steel. In the past, people used its fallen feathers to make knives and cleavers."
No wonder it's the leader of its flock—this move pool really is something.
Caleb put away his Pokédex. He hadn't even noticed Crystal was now standing right behind him.
"You—you caught the whole flock?!"
"Yeah, is that a problem?" Caleb blinked, confused.
"N-no... not really..."
It was just... this was her first time seeing someone catch Pokémon like this—capturing the entire family.
Seriously, are you the 'Chosen One' of catching Pokémon, or am I?
Crystal felt like her worldview was being shaken.
She then watched Caleb walk over to the Skarmory. He pulled something out of his pocket—it looked like a disc.
"A little welcome gift," Caleb said, handing it to Skarmory.
The other three curiously leaned in. The disc had two bold characters written on it: "Toxic."
Green: "..."
Crystal: "..."
Gold: "..."
Wait a sec—what kind of psycho teaches Skarmory Toxic?!
The next day.
It was a sunny, breezy day in Solaceon Town—perfect for a battle.
The gym opened bright and early, welcoming its very first challenger.
A young man with a super flashy hairstyle swaggered up.
He glanced at the bold sign in front of the gym: [Solaceon Gym – Welcome!]
"Hmph, this is the place? Heh, time for me to show 'em what I've got."
The young man curled his lips into a smug smile and shoved his hands into his pockets as he sauntered up to the gym's front doors.
BANG—with a heavy thud, the doors creaked open.
But instead of a lively arena or a warm welcome... he was greeted by a terrifying, monstrous face.
Haunter, grinning ear to ear, was yawning lazily—its jagged fangs gleaming ominously.
"G-GHOST!!!"
The unexpected scare froze the young man in place.
Then, his legs gave out in terror. He stumbled, lost his balance, and tumbled down the front steps like a snowball.
"Ow, dammit!"
With a pained groan, he landed hard on the ground, completely disheveled.
At that moment, Caleb came rushing out, having heard the noise. "Hey, you okay?"
He offered a hand to help the guy up.
"Hhh... I-I'm fine. Just... didn't expect to run into a ghost this early in the morning."
The young man winced as he rubbed his sore backside, clearly still shaken.
"Sha~ sha~ sha~..."
Haunter, far from remorseful, burst into gleeful laughter at the guy's reaction.
It turned to share the moment with Caleb—only to get a massive eye-roll in return.
"What are you looking at me for? You scared the guy—go help him up," Caleb scolded.
"Sha~ (p_q)…"
Obediently, Haunter floated over to the young man.
But as soon as it got close, the guy—who had just started to calm down—instantly freaked out again, letting out a blood-curdling scream.
"Aaaaah! Stay away! Don't come any closer!"
"I-I'm good! I can stand! Totally fine!"
He scrambled to his feet, retreating several steps to keep a safe distance from Haunter.
"Sha~???"
"So... you're scared of ghosts, huh?" Caleb said, walking up.
"N-no, I mean—pfft, who said I'm scared of ghosts? There's no such thing as fear in my vocabulary!" the flashy-haired guy shouted defiantly.
Oh... so he's illiterate.
Caleb nodded slowly, half-understanding, half-pitying the guy.
"What's with that look?"
"Anyway, whatever! I'm here to challenge you—Caleb, Gym Leader!"
"Me?" Caleb pointed to himself, then grinned. "Sure. I'd be happy to."
"Standard 3-on-3 rules, that cool with you?" Caleb called from his side of the battlefield after getting ready.
"Wait a sec." The guy suddenly pulled out his phone. "Mind if I livestream this?"
???
Caleb was momentarily stunned—why did that line sound so familiar?
But hey, if that's what he wants...
"Go for it."
With Caleb's approval, the flashy-haired guy launched his stream—and struck an unbelievably awkward pose for the camera.
"Hey there, everyone! It's your boy, Kael! I'm on the path to becoming a Dragon Master, and today I'm here at the super hot Solaceon Gym for a challenge! If I win the badge, don't forget to like and subscribe!"
"Yay, Kael's live again! Sending you a little heart~"
"Solaceon Gym? Oh yeah, isn't that the notorious Poison-type gym?"
"I've heard of it. My uncle's mom's husband's son's younger brother's kid challenged it once. Said he wouldn't go home until he beat it. Guy was totally obsessed."
"That bad? Kael, maybe don't go through with it."
"Yeah, my neighbor's kid tried too—basically ruined him. Never went home, ended up just living in Solaceon Town."
As this bizarre intro wrapped up, Caleb's second-hand embarrassment reflex kicked in hard.
Bro... are you trying to cringe me to death so you can win the badge?
"Caleb, Caleb!"
While Kael was still greeting his fans, Green walked over from the referee's corner.
"I looked into this guy—he's from the Blackthorn Clan in Kanto."
"The Blackthorn Clan? You mean... Lance's family?"
The Dragon Clan was one of the oldest families in the Kanto region, dating back over a thousand years—long before the Pokémon League even existed.
Even now, though their influence had waned, they still held sway within the League.
Rumor has it, every child born into the clan learns to control dragons when they come of age.
Looking at Kael now, performing tricks for the camera and thanking fans...
Man, times really have changed.
Even the dragon kids are learning performance arts.
At last, after Green finished reading out the rules, the match officially began.
The Gym Leader had the first move.
"Let's go, Skarmory!"
A flash of white light—and a metallic bird Pokémon gleaming with steel descended onto the field.
"Whoa, the Poison-type gym is sending out a Steel-type? Not even pretending anymore!"
"Another stall team—Kael, bring out your strongest dragon and wreck it!"
"Go Kael! Show this toxic gym leader the true power of dragons!"
Fueled by his chat's encouragement, Kael threw out his first Pokémon.
"You're up—let's do this!"
Flash of light.
A Pokémon with a grayish-brown body, a long neck, sturdy limbs, four giant leaves sprouting from its back, and a bunch of bananas hanging under its chin landed on the field.
Tropius!
???
Tropius? Wait—is that even a Dragon-type?!