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Chapter 129: Patrolling (1)
🕑 Added 2025-05-07 19:49:51 +0000 UTCKanto's current youngest major Gym Leader was gearing up for the official opening of his General-type gym, set to launch next week with the start of the League season.
Gladion was preparing for a televised Ace Challenge scheduled for the evening prior—a strategic move to ensure his name echoed in the minds of every new trainer embarking on their journey the next day so that they remember to come and challenge him.
He paced the gym's control room, screens flashing with social media analytics and battle prep notes, his smirk sharp as a Razor Claw.
'Next week, Moonwood becomes Kanto's heartbeat, and the Ace battle will make sure every rookie knows my name before they even step foot here.' Gladion thought
The Ace Challenge, set for the evening before the gym's opening, was a high-stakes spectacle to be broadcast globally.
Pitted against an elite trainer—a grizzled ex-ranger with decades of scars and a team of juggernauts—it was the perfect stage to debut Arsenal, his Magmortar, and reveal the Magmarizer, his next big-ticket evolution item.
Gladion's thoughts churned with strategy.
'Crush this Ace, show off Arsenal's flames, and every trainer starting their journey next week will have my gym on their radar. They'll trek to Moonwood for a badge, dreaming of facing the guy who took down a legend.l And has super rare Pokémon. Maybe if the viewers are lucky, they would see another Pokémon that they have not seen in their lives.'
The battle's viewership would also fatten his wallet—each view on the broadcast channel meant a cut of the ad revenue, a deal he'd negotiated with his trademark cunning.
'More eyes, more Pokédollars, more challengers.'Gladion gleefully laughed in his mind.
To maximize viewership, Gladion had unleashed his social media empire. Owning platforms like PokéGram and Pokébook gave him an unmatched edge—he'd ordered his team to flood feeds with targeted ads:
"Witness Gladion Vortex in an Ace Challenge NEXT WEEK! See the Power of Moonwood's General-type Gymleader!" Clips of Colossus's Hyper Beam and Zeus's Thunder looped from his match against Pryce, paired with teasers of Arsenal's fiery debut.
'Free ads, baby,' Gladion thought, smirking. 'When you own the platforms, you don't pay for hype—you create it.' Trainers across Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn were already buzzing, comments flooding @VortexChamp: "Can't miss this!" "Magmortar reveal? Magmar's final evolution?!" His analytics team projected a million views, and Gladion's grin widened.
'That's a mountain of cash—and a stampede of challengers for the gym's opening. Even though most would not challenge the gym in the first weeks. Not many people have two Pokémon at the start of the circuit but still there would be some.'
Gladion's gaze shifted to a digital schedule on his desk, outlining today's duties as he prepared for the big week ahead.
As Gym Leader, he was tasked with patrolling Moonwood Town and its surrounding regions—forests teeming with Beedrill swarms, ocean shores where Tentacruel lurked, and Mt. Moon's labyrinthine caves.
Meetings were also scheduled with ranger commanders stationed in these zones and the Navy commander overseeing coastal defenses. These weren't just routine check-ins—they were strategic.
'Show support, swap contact info, build alliances,' Gladion mused. 'If a Pokémon tide hits or Rocket grunts slink in, I need rangers and Navy muscle on speed-dial. Plus, connections are power—Grandpa Maren taught me that. They'll know Moonwood's got their back, and I'll have theirs when trouble brews.'
Patrolling was a core duty of a Gym Leader, not some optional side hustle, and Gladion knew the stakes. 'You don't get tax breaks for lounging in the gym, smashing kids' Rattatas, and calling it a day,' he thought, chuckling. 'The League's like, 'Want no taxes? Cool, but keep the region from turning into a Tauros stampede or a Gyarados rave!'
Wild Pokémon could wreak havoc—Ursaring raiding berry farms, Kingler flooding beaches with crabby tantrums. Then there were poachers, bandits, and Team Rocket, always sniffing for chaos.
A Gym Leader was the first line of defense, expected to squash threats before they spiraled.
Gladion moved to a reinforced case on his desk, selecting six Poké Balls for his patrol. He clipped them to his belt, joining the three already hanging from the necklace around his neck—one holding Colossus, his alpha Tyranitar, and two others whose occupants remained a mystery, even to his closest allies.
'Colossus is my trump card, but these two? My secret weapons—nobody's ready for them.' He ran a thumb over the mystery balls, their weight a quiet promise of power.
Gladion grinned at the thought of his unlimited carry limit, a perk of being a Gym Leader.
'No six-Pokémon cap for me anymore no cap of even twelve Pokemon that adult trainers have—thank the League for that.' The rule made sense: facing a Pokemon tide, an army of Rocket grunts, or a swarm of rampaging Pokémon, six Pokémon wouldn't cut it.
'Trainers qouldt be flattened if they brought just a half-dozen to a Rocket ambush or a herd of Rhyhorn charging Moonwood."
He pictured himself swarmed by grunts, only to unleash a dozen Pokémon—Colossus quaking the earth, Eldergreen dive-bombing, Zeus zapping.
'Yeah, good luck, Team Rocket—I'm a one-man army now.' The freedom to carry any number of Pokemon was a game-changer, letting him patrol with the firepower of a small militia.
Gladion stood as he adjusted his necklace, and grabbed his jacket.
'Time to patrol, make nice with the rangers, and keep Moonwood safe.' The gym's holographic displays flickered behind him, looping his Pryce victory, a reminder of his strength.
'Next week, the world watches me dominate—tonight, I make sure nothing messes that up.' With a final smirk, he strode out, ready to guard his turf.
