Pokémon Court

“That person just now?”

Terrance briefly explained the situation when Lucy Joy asked about Kotoko.

Hearing that Kotoko was just a child from an ordinary family in Fallarbor Town, the two Inspectors decided not to delve deeper. Their task was the Gym assessment, and even if there were other suspicious things, it wasn’t their concern.

If every seemingly suspicious individual were to be thoroughly investigated by the Pokémon League, the League’s forces would have been exhausted long ago.

A clearing in Fallarbor Woods.

As Terrance threw six Poké Balls into the air, six Pokémon appeared simultaneously, fluttering in the sky.

Beautifly, Little Beautifly, Beedrill, Butterfree, Dustox, and Vivillon.

To be fair… watching six Bug-Type Pokémon flying together was quite a spectacle, even with the two “outliers”—Beedrill and Dustox—mixed in.

“Aside from this Beautifly, the other Bug-Type Pokémon seem quite young,” Lucy Joy observed thoughtfully.

She pondered silently, glancing at Terrance. It seemed that this was a last-minute decision; otherwise, he wouldn’t have chosen Bug-Type, which has shorter growth cycles.

That made sense… After all, Terrance was still young and lacked experience. For a first-generation Gym Leader, reaching this level was already commendable.

Besides, Gyms could always apply to change their Gym type after being established.

Under the scrutiny of the two Inspectors, Terrance remained calm.

He let them carefully examine his Bug-Type Pokémon. In terms of raising them, there was little to criticize.

After all, these Pokémon had been personally cared for by an Intermediate Breeder, with the most suitable diets and careful nurturing, growing steadily over time.

In fact, they might even be overqualified as Pokémon for Gym challengers.

If not for their inherent species limitations, these Pokémon might rival the Starter Pokémon given to rookie Trainers. Terrance had laid a solid foundation for these five little bugs, even giving them some training in coordination.

In a couple of years, each one of these Pokémon would be able to stand on its own and serve as guardian Pokémon for Fallarbor Gym.

“Impressive~~”

After a long observation, the two Inspectors couldn’t find any major issues with their training or growth. Entrusting the Fallarbor Gym to these six Pokémon was deemed entirely appropriate. The claims Terrance made in his written report were not without merit.

“Let’s test them in battle,” Lucy Joy suggested.

“Alright,” Terrance agreed.

Testing the strength of Gym Leader’s Pokémon!

Naturally, Terrance sent out his Beautifly. After its battle with Elite Four Phoebe, Beautifly had grown mentally stronger, enhancing its strength even further!

Lucy looked at Terrance and Beautifly calmly. She already knew just how strong this Beautifly was…

Moreover, the purpose of the battle was not to test strength, but coordination.

In order to avoid quickly falling into a disadvantage during the whole battle, even though it was supposed to test coordination, for Lucy Joy, it seemed that the only way to have an advantage was to dominate in terms of raw strength.

Only by overpowering Beautifly with sheer strength could she use coordination to contend with the opponent.

After a long silence, Lucy Joy exhaled and threw her Poké Ball.

The Pokémon she sent out had a sleek, streamlined body. The lower half of its body was red, with jet-like wings and fin-like feet. A red triangular pattern adorned its chest, while the upper half of its body was white, featuring triangular ears on its head.

The face was also white, but in the center, there was a white pentagonal pattern, giving it an even more regal appearance…

Terrance’s expression changed upon hearing Joy’s words, drawing a sympathetic glance from Aida.

“Go, Latias!!!!”

…

…

The assessment process went smoothly. At the very least, At the very least, Joy’s mood wasn’t disturbed by the assessment. In a battle centered on coordination, managing to hold her ground against a Top Coordinator was already an impressive feat.

Since that match, Terrance’s perspective on all Joys fundamentally changed.

Aida’s expression seemed to say, ‘I’m also quite helpless’, leaving Terrance completely speechless.

Latias…

That’s just cheating!

If Terrance hadn’t been absolutely certain that he wasn’t dreaming, he wouldn’t have believed it. Wait—speaking of capturing Legendary Pokémon, aside from Brandon, there was one other person he remembered.

Even those with only a passing understanding might not recall that person’s name but would likely have some impression of him.

A mysterious Trainer who used two powerful Pokémon against Ash during a certain conference.

Terrance had thought such treatment was reserved for someone like Ash. He never expected to encounter a Joy with a Legendary Pokémon during his Gym assessment.

He felt quite bitter about it.

What’s more, during the battle, Terrance realized how little he knew about Latias. Even as a Breeder, he couldn’t fully understand a Pokémon like that.

So, the coordination test that Terrance originally didn’t care much about became, due to the significant disparity in strength between the two sides, a situation where he was now the one being assessed.

Outside the Old Greenhouse.

“If the Gym is to be established here… it’s not a bad choice,” said Lucy Joy and Aida as they looked at the Old Greenhouse.

Handing Terrance a document, Lucy Joy explained, “Here are the regulations on the Gym’s scale and required facilities. Selecting a Gym location is neither too difficult nor too simple. According to the new rules, any newly established Gym must be built near a Pokémon Center. Fallarbor Town doesn’t have a Pokémon Center yet, so for your Gym to be formally approved, we’ll need to wait until a Pokémon Center is set up here.”

Terrance nodded as he knew this: “So, once the Pokémon Center’s application is approved and both the Gym and Pokémon Center are completed, the Fallarbor Gym can officially start operations?”

“That’s correct,” Lucy Joy replied with a smile.

“But before that, you’ll need to design the Gym’s Badge, and also publish information about the referee and Gym staff.”

“Once all the Gym’s details are entered into the League’s database, only then will your Gym’s Badge be considered fully legitimate.”

Applying for a Pokémon Center shouldn’t be difficult, Terrance thought, especially if it’s based on the dual foundation of Gym and Pokémon Contest.

In fact, he might not even need to handle it himself. The Pokémon Contest side is probably already in the process of applying—maybe it has even already been approved.

Pokémon Contests are different from Gyms; without Nurse Joy around, how could a Pokémon Contest be held?

“Examiner Joy, Examiner Aida, thank you,” Terrance finally said.

The application for him to officially become a Gym Leader was nearing completion, wasn’t it?

Honestly, Terrance was feeling a bit tired—though this fatigue is a byproduct of the satisfaction that comes from seeing the results of one’s hard work.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“No need to see us off. You should head back—and good luck.”

With the assessment complete, the two Inspectors prepared to leave without lingering further. Terrance accompanied them a long way before returning. Meanwhile, Kotoko, who had been keeping an eye on the situation from afar, finally let out a sigh of relief.

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