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Chapter 106: Gym Settlement and Team Rocket's Attack!
🕑 Added 2025-09-08 12:13:42 +0000 UTCThat's absolutely right.
Iono realized that whether it was the chat comments from her livestream viewers or what Norman had said, none of them were wrong.
In the real world, her love for Pokémon was naturally beyond question. As an Electric-type Gym Leader, her team had a solid eight or nine Electric-type Pokémon.
She'd always taken great care of her Pokémon. Even during this recent period when she'd been completely absorbed in this game called "Pokémon Emerald," Iono never forgot to arrange battle training for these Pokémon during the day, prepare their daily meals, or chat with them about recent events.
But when it came to her few Pokémon in the game, just as the chat comments said, Iono hadn't been nearly as attentive.
Of course, part of the reason was that Pokémon called Zeraora had such a strong pull on her attention...
But now that she'd been reminded like this, she suddenly realized that since every Pokémon in this game had its own intelligent AI model, in a way, they could actually be considered independent individuals with their own thoughts.
If that was the case, then she absolutely had to treat these Pokémon seriously, too.
After all, her identity in the game wasn't just that of a player, but also a trainer.
And as a trainer, there were certain things and responsibilities that had to be fulfilled and accomplished.
According to the chat comments, Cynthia was doing great in this regard while playing the same game.
No wonder she could become a Champion. She really needed to reflect on this and learn from her!
With this thought, Iono couldn't help but silently apologize in her heart to those few Pokémon she had in the game.
At the same time, she seriously pressed the interaction key and spoke to Norman in front of her.
"Sorry, I understand now. Starting today, I'll definitely take good care of their feelings and treat them as my true partners."
As soon as Iono said this, a smile appeared on Norman's face, and he clapped his hands.
"Good kid, I knew you'd figure it out. As a trainer, this is something you absolutely must do."
"Since that's the case, I won't say much more about this. Although your performance in caring for Pokémon wasn't good enough, that battle just now undoubtedly proved your training skills. I'll count this gym battle as passed."
Iono's eyes immediately lit up when she heard this.
If that was the case, then it couldn't be better. Otherwise, the powerful combat ability that Kangaskhan had shown after its Mega Evolution really gave her a headache, and she didn't know how she'd be able to get past this hurdle.
Originally, when she caught Magneton, her plan and idea was to use Magneton's Sturdy ability and the survival effect it provided. Even when facing the most dangerous opponents, it could take one full-power attack, giving her a chance to counterattack in dire situations.
However, before she could put this idea into practice, that Pokémon called Mega Kangaskhan used actual combat to show Iono that the Sturdy ability wasn't 100% safe either.
Since Norman was now directly stating that she'd passed the gym battle, it meant she temporarily didn't have to face that guy again.
But at the same time, Iono couldn't help but start getting curious.
Since, according to the chat comments, players could also perform this kind of Mega Evolution, and she had the corresponding evolution item for Ampharos...
What would her Ampharos look like after completing Mega Evolution? What kind of special abilities would it gain?
Unfortunately, it seemed that to perform this so-called Mega Evolution, you didn't just need the bond between trainer and Pokémon, but also a special item called a Key Stone. She probably wouldn't be able to see it anytime soon.
Thinking about this, Iono couldn't help but feel a bit regretful.
Why hadn't she discovered this problem earlier? If the relationship between her and Ampharos had been good enough, maybe she could've seen what Ampharos looked like after Mega Evolution ahead of time, just like Cynthia.
Speaking of which, which Pokémon was it that completed that evolution on Cynthia's side?
Maybe she should ask about it later.
While Iono was internally curious about Mega Evolution, Norman stepped forward and took out a badge from his chest, handing it to Iono.
"This is the Petalburg Gym's badge. With this badge, the level cap for Pokémon you can command increases to level 60."
"Besides this badge, to congratulate you for finally understanding the importance of the bond between Pokémon and trainers, I'll give you a little encouragement."
Norman said this while taking out a small box and waving it in front of Iono.
A notification also popped up on her screen.
【Ding! Congratulations, player, you've discovered the special item "Soothe Bell"!】
Norman's explanation continued:
"This is a Soothe Bell. When you give this bell to a Pokémon you like, whether battling with it or living together, it will increase the friendship between you two, making you more in sync with each other. Use it well to make up for your previous mistakes."
Iono stared at the notification in front of her for a moment, suddenly realizing a problem.
This thing was definitely good, no doubt about it, but it could only be carried by one Pokémon to take effect...
Her team had a full six Pokémon, so who should she give this thing to?
Ugh, no matter who she gave it to, it somehow didn't seem quite right.
While Iono was dealing with this headache, the chat comments in her livestream also noticed the problem.
【Huh, I remember Cynthia didn't trigger this kind of reward. How come the streamer gets an extra bell here?】
【That's such a dumb question. Cynthia didn't even need a Key Stone and directly completed Mega Evolution with Sceptile through their bond, then beat the crap out of Kangaskhan. If you were Norman, would you still think she needed this bell?】
【That actually makes some sense. If I were Norman, after getting beaten up, I'd be too lazy to give it to.】
【LOL, so it looks like Norman originally wanted to teach his daughter a lesson, but ended up getting schooled by Cynthia instead. Don't underestimate her bond with her Pokémon!】
In the game, after Norman finished speaking, he took out another disc.
"Finally, according to tradition, this is the standard reward for winning a gym challenge: the Technical Machine for Facade."
"This move normally has average power, but once a Pokémon is in an abnormal status condition, it'll unleash an unprecedentedly powerful force. It's pretty great in certain situations. Child, I hope you can make good use of it."
Just as Norman was about to hand over the disc, along with the badge and bell, to Iono, something unexpected happened!
A mechanical claw came down from nowhere, directly snatching away the badge, the box with the items, and the Technical Machine.
Norman reacted extremely quickly, stepping forward to try to grab that mechanical arm, but it had already retracted.
He immediately frowned and shouted angrily:
"Who's there?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, a massive explosion suddenly rang out from the gym's roof. Through the smoke and dust, something descended from above on steel cables, and along with thick smoke, three silhouettes appeared in Iono and Norman's field of vision.
Looking at those somewhat familiar silhouettes and hearing the music that suddenly started playing in her ears, Iono suddenly had an ominous feeling.
Sure enough, the next moment, accompanied by a spotlight shining from who knows where, familiar voices rang out beside her ears once again.
"Did I just hear someone asking why?"
"Fine! Since you're asking so sincerely!"
"We'll be generous enough to tell you!"
The same familiar music, the same familiar opening lines. It really was Team Rocket's trio!
The last time Iono had encountered these three was when she was still in Mauville City.
Back then, she'd just finished challenging the gym and walked out the door only to be blocked by these three people, who then beat her down hard with a Pelipper that had the Drizzle ability...
That would've been bad enough, but the key thing was that after she lost that battle, these three had said some dismissive words and just ran off, not even giving her a chance to win it back.
Iono had been hoping she'd run into them again someday to get her revenge, and she never expected them to show up again right after she'd finished challenging a gym!
These three really knew how to pick their timing...
While Iono was thinking, the chat comments in her livestream had a completely different attitude toward Team Rocket's trio appearing.
【It's these three guys again! Here we go, here we go, my favorite episode.】
【Aren't these three supposed to be Team Rocket villains? How come they look so much like comedians that you can't really hate them at all?】
【I don't know about that, but I'm more curious about how their Meowth learned to talk?】
Many of the people watching the livestream were Iono's longtime fans, so they'd naturally witnessed her previous encounter with Team Rocket firsthand.
Meanwhile, in the game, Team Rocket's trio had already finished reciting that classic set of lines.
As they struck their ending pose, the red-haired woman (Jessie) stepped forward, clearly holding the badge and boxes containing the items and TM that Norman had just given to Iono.
"Old man, pretty generous with your gifts to this little brat. We'll take these as a greeting present!"
"We meet again, meow!"
Meowth's gaze also fell on Iono as he waved his claws and spoke up.
"Team Rocket? This is an official gym. You dare steal things here?"
Norman stepped forward at this moment, positioning himself in front of Iono with his brow furrowed as he questioned them.
His entire demeanor had completely changed. Gone was his earlier easygoing manner, replaced by a powerful and intimidating aura radiating from his whole body.
"So what if it's an official gym? We're Team Rocket!"
James stepped forward upon hearing this, a smug expression on his face as he stretched out his arm and pointed directly at the Kangaskhan beside Norman.
"You, as a Gym Leader, have quite the impressive Pokémon there... It can even Mega Evolve. If you know what's good for you, hand it over!"
Meowth also jumped forward to chime in.
"That's right, that's right! The boss will definitely love it, meow!"
"Why waste time talking to them? Let's do this!"
Jessie directly threw out two Poké Balls, and as two flashes of red light appeared, an Arbok and a Seviper materialized in front of her.
James seemed to snap back to attention and threw out his own Poké Ball. The Weezing that had appeared before, along with that Pelipper with the Drizzle ability, appeared beside him as well!
At that moment, Iono's gaze fell on those four Pokémon, and her eyes immediately narrowed.
She'd already discovered that in this game, even through the screen, you could vaguely sense the aura emanating from those Pokémon's bodies, allowing you to judge each Pokémon's level and strength.
The aura from the four Pokémon that Team Rocket had sent out was practically on par with the Pokémon in her own team, and even seemed to slightly outclass hers!
But when they'd last met, their Pokémon had only been a little stronger than hers...
She was a player, so she could level up extremely quickly.
But they were clearly just NPCs in the game. Why could their levels increase so fast, too?
And she'd only reached her current level after eating Rare Candy!
Who was really the player here??
As Iono's composure started to crack internally, she suddenly realized how serious the current situation was.
She'd just finished her gym battle, and all the Pokémon in her team had lost their fighting ability under that Kangaskhan's attacks. There was no way to deal with Team Rocket in front of her.
And Norman's Pokémon were in the same state after that battle just now...
So the only thing they could rely on now was that Mega Kangaskhan!
You had to understand that these two Team Rocket members definitely didn't look like they'd follow the rules and have 1-on-1 battles. On their side, those four Pokémon were already clearly eager to use their moves simultaneously.
Could Kangaskhan in its Mega state really take on these four high-level Pokémon at the same time?
Just as Iono was feeling uncertain, a brilliant seven-colored light suddenly burst from Mega Kangaskhan's body, then quickly dissipated into the air.
It directly reverted to its normal appearance before Mega Evolution, and the aura around its body suddenly dropped, even seeming somewhat weakened.
At the same time, the chat comments in the livestream all started speaking up.
【It's over! The evolution wore off!!】
【Oh no, these three are going to take advantage of this! Is Norman's Kangaskhan going to get captured?!】
【Streamer, go find other trainers in the gym to help!】
【Ugh, if it was still in that Mega form, it probably could've held its own, but what now?】
"Oh crap!"
Seeing this scene, Iono's heart immediately jumped in alarm.
It seemed this evolutionary state couldn't be maintained for long periods, and now... Kangaskhan had reached its limit and exited that state.
Didn't that mean no one could stop Team Rocket now?!
Comments
CSD2022
i sense a dramatic entry about to occur
