"Wow! Is this the gym you were talking about, Red?!"
"It's... massive!!!"
Arriving in Pewter City, Red and Luffy resembled tourists with empty wallets, marveling at the bustling streets and unique architecture. They wandered past the city's hallmark structures and headed straight to the Pewter Gym—the most prominent place in the entire city besides the Pokémon Center.
Unlike the small, unimpressive stone room from the game, the gym here was a spectacle. The once-simple forest had become a lush, evergreen expanse, and the gym now radiated grandeur and authority.
From a distance, the massive sculptures of two towering Onix flanking the gym's entrance immediately caught their eyes, exuding an aura of strength. Even standing outside, the sheer weight of the rock-inspired theme was palpable.
The faint sound of activity echoed through the heavy gym doors, hinting at the energy inside.
"Let's check it out!" Red said, stepping forward and pushing the massive stone-like doors, which, surprisingly, slid open effortlessly thanks to electric tracks.
The gym's interior was a perfect blend of simplicity and majesty. Earthy brown rocks formed the walls and floor, their rugged texture creating an austere yet powerful atmosphere.
In the center of the gym, the training area was a labyrinth of jagged rocks and towering boulders, each serving as a training site for rock-type Pokémon. Trainers in green uniforms stood near these formations, honing their Pokémon's skills.
These trainers were the "warm-up matches" from the game, providing experience before the real challenge.
On either side of the gym were large spectator stands. Though not crowded, a fair number of onlookers sat in pairs or small groups, their attention fixed on the rock battlefield below.
"It's just a bunch of trainers working with their Pokémon. Why are there so many spectators?" Red commented with a smirk.
"The system really went all out on this gym."
"Wow! So many people!" Luffy exclaimed, his eyes lighting up with excitement.
The gym felt more alive and immersive than the tiny room portrayed in the game.
Red glanced at the trainers, a confident smirk creeping onto his face. "Yeah, there are a lot of people."
His thoughts drifted. The trainers here gave much better rewards and experience points than random encounters in the wild. This gym could yield far more than he had anticipated.
Turning to Luffy, he suddenly called out, "Luffy!"
"Huh?" Luffy tilted his head curiously.
"See those trainers over there?"
"Yeah?"
"Let's go! Time to harvest!"
"Are we fighting again? Leave it to me!" Luffy cracked his knuckles, an eager grin spreading across his face. Even though most opponents they'd met so far were weak, the thrill of battle kept him excited.
Red and Luffy strolled confidently down the rock-lined path, heading toward a girl training a Geodude. As they approached, the girl's demeanor shifted immediately. Her expression grew stern, and she spoke with an air of authority:
"Who are you?!" she demanded, cutting off any greeting. "This is the Pewter Gym, not a playground!"
She paused before adding dramatically, "If you're here to challenge Leader Brock, you're 10,000 light-years too early!"
Without giving Red a chance to reply, she grabbed a Poké Ball and continued, "Let me test your strength first! Go, Geodude!"
The Poké Ball burst open, releasing a Geodude onto the rocky battlefield. In an instant, the floor panels shifted to form an arena, trapping Red and Luffy in the ring.
Luffy blinked in confusion, scratching his head. "What's with people in this world? They're so weird!"
Red, however, smirked knowingly. "Exactly as expected," he muttered, amused by how the scene mirrored the game.
He raised his voice, matching the girl's energy. "That's a big claim for such a small fry!"
Stepping back, Red gestured to Luffy. "You're up, Luffy! Show her what you've got!"
"Got it—oh yeah!"
Luffy, already eager for action, leapt forward from Red's side and landed in the center of the battlefield, facing off against the opposing Geodude.
Above the Geodude's head, a status bar appeared: [LV: 7, HP: 28/28].
At that moment, the gym fell completely silent.
Every NPC in the room seemed to receive some unseen instruction, their eyes turning toward Luffy and Geodude in the arena.
Then, as if on cue, deep, dramatic music began to play throughout the gym, resonating with a powerful rhythm. Each beat seemed to ignite the spirit of battle, intensifying the already charged atmosphere.
The sparse audience in the stands suddenly erupted into cheers, their voices filling the air as though they were witnessing an intense and high-stakes Pokémon showdown.
"Hey, hey, calm down! I'm just fighting a gym trainer. Do we really need all this drama?" Red thought, finally understanding the purpose of the spectators.
But as much as he tried to brush it off, he couldn't deny that the attention and energy were starting to get to him.
"The atmosphere's really heating up..." he muttered, feeling an unexpected thrill.
"Well, if that's how it is, I'd better play my part!" he added, fully embracing the role of a commanding trainer.
With newfound enthusiasm, Red called out: "Luffy, use Soru! Get behind the Geodude!"
"Huh?"
Luffy, who was used to fighting his own way, was momentarily caught off guard. However, realizing it was Red's command, he abandoned his instinct to think and followed orders.
With a burst of speed, he activated Soru, vanishing from sight for a brief moment and reappearing behind the Geodude.
The opposing Geodude, being both slow and low-leveled, couldn't keep up with Luffy's lightning-fast movement.
Even the gym trainer looked bewildered by the unexpected maneuver.
"Now! Attack its back!" Red shouted, seizing the opportunity.
Luffy's arm stretched out like a slingshot. "Gomu Gomu no... Pistol!"
The trainer on the other side quickly reacted. "Geodude, dodge it!"
But against such overwhelming power, even the best commands were futile.
BAM!
Luffy's fist struck Geodude squarely on its rocky back, the force reverberating through the battlefield. The sturdy Pokémon let out a pained cry before collapsing.
Above its head, the status bar instantly dropped to zero. [HP: 0/28]
The fight was over in one blow.
As the arena reset and the rocky floor returned to its neutral state, Red noticed a new notification appear before him:
[Monkey D. Luffy defeated the gym trainer's Geodude and gained: +38 experience points.]
But then, an additional line caught his attention:
[Command evaluation: Average.]
[Bonus reward: +8 experience points.]
"A bonus?!" Red thought, his eyes lighting up as he froze the notification to examine it more closely.
After a moment, it clicked.
"This is the first time I've actively given Luffy a command in battle," he realized.
"Could it be... the quality of my commands influences the rewards?!"
If that was the case, this feature added a whole new layer of engagement to battles. It wasn't just about brute strength anymore—Red's skill as a trainer also mattered.
Excited, he turned his attention to the next gym trainer, ready to test his theory.
Against the next two gym trainers, Red tried different approaches.
In one battle, he deliberately gave clumsy, convoluted instructions. Luffy ended up taking two unnecessary hits before finishing off the Geodude, and the resulting notification read:
[Command evaluation: Useless.]
[No additional rewards.]
In the other, Red stuck to his previous strategy: precise, straightforward commands like Soru and direct attacks. The result?
[Command evaluation: Average.]
[Bonus reward: +8 experience points.]
Red grinned, satisfied with his experiments. "So it's confirmed: better commands mean better rewards."
He began piecing together the mechanics.
"'Useless' commands give no bonus. 'Average' commands add an extra one-fifth of the original experience. Makes sense. The system's encouraging me to act like a real trainer."
He scratched his chin thoughtfully. "But it seems like 'average' is the highest I can get for now. Maybe more complex or tactical strategies are needed for higher evaluations."
Red glanced at Luffy, who was idly stretching and grinning. "With Luffy's strength, though, most fights end before I can get creative."
He decided to leave it for now. There were more pressing matters ahead.