Gladion travelled towards Cerulean City while purposefully avoiding Moonwood Town, knowing precisely what awaited him if he passed through.
His mother Erza would interrogate him about the bandit encounter. He was pretty sure the rangers would tell her about it.
Even worse would be his father Ben, who would dissolve into uncontrollable tears, dramatically lamenting his son's near-death experience.
"Not today," Gladion muttered to himself. "I'd rather face a dozen gym battles than endure dad's emotional breakdown."
He could already imagine Ben's potential monologue: "My precious baby boy! Almost killed by bandits! How could this happen?" Complete with dramatic wailing and excessive hugging that would make Gladion want to teleport away.
Cerulean City appeared before him, a welcome distraction from potential parental drama. The city's water-themed architecture and numerous fountains presented a stark contrast to the forest routes he'd traveled.
At the Pokémon Center, Gladion had his Pokemon checked and treated. He had already registered his Magby and Elekid in the Pewter city under him. Every trainer has to update their records of the Pokemon that they have caught. This is to maintain a database as well as to prevent theft of Pokemon.
After that Gladion approached the gym.
"I'd like to register for a three-badge gym challenge," he told the receptionist handing out his trainer id. She scanned it and was surprised.
She blinked. "But you've only conquered one gym. Typically, trainers challenge gyms sequentially."
Gladion's smile was both charming and slightly mischievous. "I'm not a typical trainer. My Pokémon are... let's say, above average."
The receptionist, amused by his boldness, processed his unconventional request.
"Your battle is scheduled for today. Be here on time." she informed him.
"Thankyou!" Gladion replied and decided to relax with his Pokemon until then.
'Zeus wanted to try ice cream. I should buy him some of that. Anyways, I wonder what Misty's father is like. He was not in the anime or manga.' Gladion thought
The small ice cream parlor's outdoor seating area became an impromptu Pokémon picnic zone. Gladion sat with his team, a array of colorful ice cream cones spread before them.
Zeus was in absolute heaven. His electric cheeks sparked with excitement as he devoured a triple-scoop cone - vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry. Each lick sent tiny sparks dancing around the treat, which miraculously didn't melt.
"Careful, buddy," Gladion laughed. "You're going to short-circuit your ice cream."
Arsenal sat nearby, looking absolutely miserable. The heat radiating from his body caused any ice cream within a foot radius to instantly turn into a puddle. Tiny droplets of melted cream formed around him, creating a sad, sticky circle.
[I can smell it,]Arsenal whined, his fire-type body temperature keeping him from enjoying the treat. [But I can't eat it!]
Nyx rolled her eyes. [Maybe next time ask for a fire-proof cone,]she teased, licking her own vanilla scoop delicately.
Hydros shared his cone with Arsenal, letting the Magby at least smell the sweet treat. [Here, buddy. Close enough, right?]
Mystique used her tail to gently wipe a stray drop of ice cream from Zeus's cheek, causing the Elekid to giggle.
"You're a mess," Gladion chuckled, tossing a napkin to Zeus.
Colossus munched on a rock-flavored ice cream - which was literally just a small boulder with a tiny chocolate scoop balanced on top. Everyone stared in disbelief.
[What?]Colossus mumbled through a mouthful of stone and ice cream. [It's delicious!]
Zeus suddenly got an idea. [I'll use Thunder Shock to cool down Arsenal's ice cream!]
How a thunder shock could cool down an ice cream? Well, only Zeus could answer that.
Before anyone could stop him, a small spark flew toward Arsenal's ice cream cone.
The result was instantaneous. The caramel ice cream exploded into a steaming, caramelized mess that splattered everyone nearby.
A moment of stunned silence followed.
Then, uncontrollable laughter erupted. Even Arsenal couldn't help but chuckle at the ridiculous situation.
[Nice going, genius,] Nyx said, wiping caramel from her fur. [Real smooth.]
Gladion just shook his head, tears of laughter in his eyes. "Some days,"he said, looking at his team, "I think you guys are more of a circus than a Pokémon team."
Zeus, covered in melted ice cream, looked supremely satisfied. [Worth it,] he declared, licking a drop from his arm.
-----10 minutes prior to the gym battle ----
Misty's father was precisely the person, Gladion imagined him to be.
A robust man with weathered features and keen serious eyes that spoke of numerous battles, he approached the young trainer.
"You're Maren's grandson, aren't you?" he asked, his voice a mix of curiosity and respect.
Gladion nodded. "I am. Did you know my grandfather?"
The man chuckled. "Know him? We fought side by side during the Kanto-Johto border conflicts. Your grandfather was something else - a warrior who could make Pokémon and soldiers alike respect him."
"I bet he was quite the character," Gladion prompted, sensing a story coming.
"Oh, he was!" The man's eyes twinkled with memories. "There was this one mission where we were surrounded by enemy trainers. Maren's Golem rolled through their entire formation like a bowling ball through pins. And then he turns to me and says, 'Sometimes, diplomacy is overrated. Sometimes, you just need a rock-solid approach.'"
Gladion couldn't help but laugh. "Sounds like something Grandpa would say."
'So Gramps had a golem. Must be one of his Pokemon that died in the war.' Gladion thought sadly, he couldn't imagine the pain that his grandfather would be in after experiencing the death of one of his companions.
"He had a way of making even the most serious situations hilarious," Misty's father continued. "Once, during a particularly tense standoff, he told a joke so ridiculous that the opposing commander started laughing and forgot he was supposed to be angry."
Their conversation was interrupted when Misty's father mentioned his sister "Speaking of warriors, Your sister Gwen gave quite the performance here."
Gladion's interest peaked. "Oh? Tell me more."
"She challenged the gym with just her Bulbasaur. One Pokémon, total domination."
Internally, Gladion was both impressed and competitive. His sister was making her mark, and he was determined to match - if not exceed - her achievements.
"Her Bulbasaur must be exceptionally trained," Gladion remarked, his mind already analyzing potential strategies.
Misty's father laughed. "Trained? That Bulbasaur practically battled like it had a personal vendetta against water-types. Precise, ruthless, strategic. Reminded me of your grandfather."
'It looks like Bulbasaur hates water types to its core, thanks to Hydros.' Gladion chuckled in his mind.
As they talked, Gladion's mind raced. His sister was establishing herself as a formidable trainer, and he was determined to carve his own path. Not through imitation, but through innovation.
"I look forward to my battle," Gladion said, a glint of determination in his eyes.
"Me too, Kid. My name is Harrison Williams by the way." Misty's father introduced himself
'Huh, So Misty's last name is Williams. Good to know. Now that I think about it, how old is Misty? Brock is 7-8 years old. Misty might just be a baby right now.' Gladion thought
"It's good to meet you, Sir." Gladion said as he shook hands with the man
From what he knew about the man, Harrison was a navy officer when he was young and after the war was over he had spent years tracking illegal Pokémon trafficking rings in the Orange Islands.
He had developed a reputation for being both a brilliant strategist and a compassionate protector of marine Pokémon ecosystems.
'It would be fun to battle him. Maybe I could have him bend some rules for me.' Gladion thought as both him and Harrison took their respective positions for the gym battle.
---Author Notes-------
Thankyou devin drenovas, LoneExpert, Darth Traya and Durnam Davis
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