"Heatran."
Hearing Gary speak, Heatran let out a low rumble.
"Heat…"
The flames surrounding its body gradually subsided. The vortex of fire disappeared, and the scorching heat in the air slowly faded. It loosened its forelimbs from Bronzong and stepped back heavily, molten lines across its armor dimming bit by bit.
Inside the referee area, the machine referee announced in a steady mechanical voice:
"Frontier Brain Thorton has voluntarily admitted defeat. The winner of this Battle Factory challenge is Gary."
The battle officially ended.
Gary's gaze fell on Bronzong.
Its body had turned a deep rust-red color. That wasn't burn damage in the usual sense—it was the result of extreme heating. Steel-type Pokémon like Bronzong contained copper components in their bodies, and when subjected to high temperatures, the metal would glow and discolor.
Bronzong lay still, its bell-shaped body faintly red from residual heat.
Thorton walked forward and carefully recalled it.
After the formalities, Thorton personally handed Gary the Battle Factory's Golden Symbol.
The emblem was crafted entirely from gold, shining brilliantly under the lights. On its surface was engraved a bold capital "F," representing the Factory Symbol.
"Thanks," Gary said calmly as he accepted it.
At that moment, a familiar notification echoed in his mind.
[Ding! The task is completed. The reward has been distributed to the space backpack.]
After receiving the Golden Symbol, Gary exchanged a few final words with Thorton before leaving the Battle Factory.
Back at the hotel, Gary opened his system space and examined the newly obtained item.
"A Silver Crown… not useful for now."
He looked at the Silver Crown stored in his space backpack.
At present, the main Pokémon he was using in the Sinnoh region already possessed potential above Champion level. There was no urgent need to enhance them further.
High-potential Pokémon were extremely rare.
The probability of encountering a wild Pokémon with naturally high potential was even lower than encountering a Shiny Pokémon. Aside from Legendary Pokémon, whose potential was inherently extraordinary, ordinary Pokémon with Elite-level or higher potential were incredibly difficult to find.
Among the Pokémon Gary had captured in the wild, most possessed Gym-level or quasi-Elite potential at best. Truly high-potential Pokémon could be counted on fewer than two hands.
The majority of his team's growth came from top-tier fossils and system rewards.
"Let's increase Exeggutor and Gengar's potential."
Gary contacted Professor Oak's Laboratory and requested the temporary transfer of Exeggutor and Gengar.
Soon, the two Pokémon appeared before him.
"Exeggu—tor!"
"Gengaaaar~!"
Exeggutor swayed its three heads cheerfully, while Gengar floated nearby with a mischievous grin.
Gary consumed two Silver Crowns.
A faint light enveloped both Pokémon as their potential rose to Champion tier.
"Exeggutor!"
Its heads cheered in unison.
"Gengar!"
Gengar's laughter grew sharper, eyes gleaming with excitement.
Now, nearly all of Gary's first-generation main team had Champion-level potential.
Butterfree and Crobat were not included for the time being. Although he still had two Silver Crowns remaining, he chose to reserve them for future Pokémon.
As for capturing new Pokémon—
Gary had no particular plan.
In the Sinnoh region, there were no additional Pokémon he strongly wished to capture.
Originally, he had considered raising an Infernape or a Lucario, but despite traveling for a long time, he had not encountered any suitable individuals. Eventually, he gave up the idea.
After all, he didn't know what restrictions future system missions might impose.
When he thought about the Unova region, Gary frowned slightly.
"Unova… what a headache."
He had little interest in most Pokémon native to that region.
If he had to choose, perhaps Volcarona, Zoroark, or Excadrill were acceptable.
Ferrothorn was undeniably powerful, but its appearance was not to his liking.
Among those three, only Excadrill was relatively easier to find. Volcarona and Zoroark were notoriously difficult to locate. Even with modern communication methods, tracking them would require significant effort.
But those were future matters.
For now, Gary's focus remained on Canalave City.
He knew Ash and his companions would arrive soon.
Instead of continuing to challenge other Battle Frontier facilities, Gary stayed near Canalave City and focused on training.
Most of his Sinnoh team had already reached their required levels. He temporarily transferred several of his core Pokémon from Professor Oak's Laboratory to assist in training the Sinnoh team.
To avoid disturbing the public, Gary conducted battle training in the afternoons on the outskirts of the city.
Days passed quietly.
Time flowed quickly.
Until that morning.
Gary left his hotel as usual and headed out for breakfast.
But as he walked down the street, he noticed something unusual.
Every passerby he saw looked exhausted.
Heavy dark circles hung beneath their eyes. The skin around their pupils had a faint bluish tint. Their movements were sluggish, expressions drained.
Gary's steps slowed.
"…Darkrai."
His eyes sharpened.
This symptom was too familiar.
The Nightmare Pokémon.
Darkrai.
However, Gary immediately understood something else.
This likely meant the Team Rocket trio had arrived in Canalave City and started their money-making scheme.
This time, they weren't planning to steal Pokémon.
Instead, they wanted to make money to pay off their debts. After all, building countless giant robots every time wasn't cheap.
So they had created a machine capable of inducing nightmares in people. After spreading panic, they would sell fake Lunar Wings to desperate citizens, claiming it could prevent nightmares.
Naturally, their Lunar Wings were counterfeit.
Seeing the situation, Gary lost any interest in training.
He immediately turned and walked toward the nearest Pokémon Center.
Canalave City was a large port city built across multiple islands connected by sea bridges.
There were two main Pokémon Centers, along with several smaller facilities in the outskirts.
When Gary entered the Pokémon Center, he immediately noticed the atmosphere.
The waiting area was full.
Most people looked exhausted.
Even Nurse Joy—
She had heavy dark circles under her eyes, almost like panda eyes.
Gary walked to the counter.
"Nurse Joy."
"Ah!" She snapped out of her daze, clearly startled. "Do you need treatment for your Pokémon?"
"I'm fine," Gary replied. "But you don't look energetic. Didn't sleep well last night?"
Nurse Joy forced a tired smile.
"It's not just last night. I haven't had proper sleep these past few days. Every time I fall asleep, I wake up from a nightmare. I don't even dare to rest anymore."
"When did this start?" Gary asked calmly.
"About four days ago. At first, it was just ordinary dreams."
"But starting the second day, the nightmares became frequent. Now, even if I nap during the day, I still have nightmares. I wake up almost immediately."
As she spoke, fear appeared in her eyes.
Gary nodded slightly.
"This should be related to Darkrai. Has the police taken any action?"
There had been legends about the Nightmare Pokémon Darkrai in Canalave City since ancient times. Newmoon Island offshore was said to be its dwelling place, along with Cresselia.
"I'm not sure," Nurse Joy replied weakly. "Officer Jenny said they are investigating. I don't know when it will be resolved. We can only wait."
She hesitated, then added:
"By the way, I heard that Lunar Wings are being sold on a small island nearby. Some people say they can prevent nightmares. You could try buying one."
Her tone was kind, genuinely trying to help.