Honchkrow flapped its wings and let out an ear-piercing screech that felt like it could split eardrums.
The sound was full of taunt and mockery, causing Pachirisu, who was just about to use Follow Me to draw attention, to freeze in place.
In that instant, a dark shadow shot forward like lightning, moving so fast it was almost invisible.
It was Weavile. In the blink of an eye, it closed in on Chansey, its claws gleaming with a chilling light as it slashed down without mercy.
Chansey clearly felt that hit—she winced, and even dropped her Eviolite from her pouch.
Strangely though, instead of crying out like most Pokémon would, Chansey's round face showed an odd glint of excitement.
Knock Off—a Dark-type move that deals 1.5x damage if the target is holding an item.
Gotta admit, Paul knew what he was doing. He figured out Chansey's weak point in no time.
But that expression on Chansey's face...
Sm?
No way, right?
"Sucker Punch!"
"Protect!"
The two shouted their commands almost in unison.
Sucker Punch, at such close range, was guaranteed to land a critical hit. It might not knock Chansey out in one go, but it'd be a serious blow.
But the game-changing Sucker Punch was stopped cold by Protect.
"Pachirisu, Super Fang!" Caleb called out loudly.
"Honchkrow, stop it!"
In an instant, the tension on the field ramped up. Both Trainers and Pokémon were on edge, one misstep away from disaster.
"That's enough!"
Just as the battle was reaching a fever pitch, a sudden voice cut through it all.
The sharp tone shattered the high-strung atmosphere like glass. Both boys instinctively turned to look.
It was Officer Jenny.
Like the Joys, the Jennys were part of one of the League's major families.
The Joys were mostly Pokémon doctors, while the Jennys were the police force of the Pokémon world.
"Sorry to interrupt your match, but if you're planning to catch that Gliscor, I'm afraid that's not going to happen."
"Why not?!" *2
Both Caleb and Paul shouted at the same time.
Officer Jenny walked up to the Gliscor and pulled out a potion, spraying it over its wounds. Only when its injuries had begun to heal did she look up and explain.
"That Gliscor is the leader of its swarm. Most of the Gligar that came into town were drawn here by it."
She paused, then continued.
"Gliscor and Gligar fly by riding the wind. While flying, they emit a special frequency that attracts others of their kind.
A week ago, this Gliscor flew into the town unexpectedly, and the surrounding Gligar followed it in droves.
But this town has peculiar wind patterns—it's easy to fly in, but hard to fly out. So Gliscor and its swarm got stuck here.
Over time, the Gligar adapted to the town and started treating it as their territory.
In Pokémon society, dominance is determined entirely by strength.
If there's no Gliscor to keep them in check, infighting over leadership could break out within the swarm.
If that happens in town, the consequences would be unthinkable."
Though the League never made a hard rule on which Pokémon couldn't be caught, once a Pokémon directly impacts town safety or public welfare, Officer Jennys have the authority to intervene.
"So what you're saying is, if we solve the Gligar problem, we can catch that Gliscor, right?"
Caleb smiled.
"Eh?" Officer Jenny was caught off guard, surprised that Caleb had gotten to the heart of the issue so quickly.
"Yes, if you can truly handle those Gligar," she nodded, answering truthfully.
At that, Caleb's lips curled into a grin. "Then I'll take them all."
"What?" Officer Jenny froze.
She must have misheard. All of them?
He couldn't mean the Gligar, could he?
No way. That had to be a mistake.
Standing nearby, Nurse Fiona Joy didn't even flinch. It was like she'd already predicted Caleb would say that.
Caleb spoke again, this time carefully enunciating every word like he was afraid they hadn't heard him: "I said, I, Caleb, will take all of those Gligar."
He was clearly speaking to Paul, but Paul's expression didn't change at all—still cold as ever.
It was Officer Jenny who looked like she'd seen a ghost.
"You mean all of them?!"
"Don't joke around. Do you know how many Gligar there are? At least a hundred!"
Officer Jenny emphasized, "Just feeding them would cost at least six or seven thousand per Pokémon every month. That's over a million per month!"
And on top of that, the Gligar were known troublemakers. Who knew what kind of havoc they'd cause? Even the wealthy townsfolk weren't willing to be stuck footing the bill.
After all, money doesn't grow on trees.
"A million?!"
Caleb looked shocked.
"That cheap?!"
Officer Jenny: "..."
Rich bastard.
A million a month really wasn't much to Caleb. Even without the League's subsidy, the orchard behind his Gym alone could easily sustain the Gligar.
Besides, it wasn't a bad deal. Gligar and Gliscor were both solid battlers—adding them would significantly boost his Gym's strength.
"Wait a second... you're not a poacher, are you?" Officer Jenny's gaze sharpened.
Lately, poachers had been more active than usual—and they were getting better at disguising themselves.
Looking at Caleb's harmless face, she couldn't help but grow suspicious.
Faced with her accusation, Caleb hurried to clear his name.
"From... Solaceon Town's... Gym?"
Officer Jenny furrowed her brow, trying to place the name.
It rang a bell… but from where?
After a moment, her eyes lit up with recognition. "Oh! I remember now! Isn't that the one people called the Cerulean Gym of Sinnoh? Was trending not long ago too."
Caleb: "..."
No, this won't do. When I get back, I have to make the Gym famous.
Otherwise, Solaceon Gym is seriously gonna become the new meme measurement unit.
"If you're a Gym Leader, then all you need to do is register."
Gym Leaders get a lot of perks from the League, and one of them is having no cap on how many Pokémon they can own!
Ordinary people usually raise no more than a dozen Pokémon.
The limit was mainly in place to avoid societal instability from people amassing too many Pokémon.
But Gym Leaders, whom the League deeply trusts, aren't restricted by this rule.
In a way, a town's Gym is like a mobile armory.
No wonder he had the guts to take in that many Gligar. Officer Jenny finally relaxed.
"Then I'll be counting on you, Leader Caleb."
Caleb walked over to Gliscor, pulled a Luxury Ball from his belt, and turned to Paul. "I assume you have no objections?"
Paul merely snorted and said nothing.
"Return, Weavile. Return, Honchkrow." Two beams of red light shot out and recalled his Pokémon. Without another word, Paul turned and walked away, not even sparing Caleb another glance.
Originally, Gliscor was a key part of Paul's planned lineup, but given how things turned out, it looked like he'd need to revise his strategy.
Thinking that, Paul's gaze grew determined.
"Solaceon Gym, huh..."