"If it holds the best Magnet, it can fire off a Zap Cannon...!"
Gary carefully ran the numbers in his head. Zap Cannon had a base power of 120. If Magnezone attacked after its opponent, the move's effective power could reach 240. Even if it attacked first, it would still reach around 222. The power of a single attack was almost on par with the Self-Destruct of an ordinary Pokémon.
Zap Cannon was already the strongest Electric-type move available. If there were an even stronger move, Magnezone really would have the power to slay gods.
Unfortunately, Steel Beam was Duraludon's signature move. Otherwise, Magnezone would still have room to improve.
"Magne?"
Seeing Gary's astonished expression, Magnezone looked puzzled. Although two of its Abilities had been greatly strengthened, it couldn't actually feel the difference.
After all, EX Magnet Pull and EX Analytic only activated under certain battle conditions, and even EX Sturdy required Magnezone to take a hit before its effects became apparent.
"You're very strong now. After lunch, we'll continue practical training this afternoon. You'll discover a completely different version of yourself then," Gary said, deliberately keeping it a secret.
"Magne?"
Magnezone nodded thoughtfully. For a moment, it wondered if Gary was fooling it again. But then it remembered that Gary had never broken a promise to any of his Pokémon, so there had to be a reason.
Then this afternoon it would test itself against Charizard in battle.
Charizard: (?^?)! Don't think I can't do anything to you just because your typing has the advantage!
Charizard had already reached level 70. Even though Magnezone had become much stronger, it still couldn't overcome the gap between their levels.
Over the following days, Gary remained at Professor Oak's Laboratory. Every day he supervised his Pokémon's training, helped take care of the Laboratory, and handled various chores. His days were busy but fulfilling.
As for Ash, he was still making his way back. He first had to sail from the Hoenn region to Vermilion City, then travel from Vermilion City back to Pallet Town. Even using transportation along the way, it would still take at least half a month before he returned.
At noon that day, after preparing food for all the Pokémon, Gary returned to the house for lunch. Professor Oak and Tracey were already there.
Professor Oak smiled warmly as soon as he saw him.
"Gary, come have a seat."
The moment Gary saw that kindly smile, he became suspicious. Whenever Professor Oak smiled like that, it usually meant he wanted a favor.
"Grandpa, what is it?" Gary asked directly.
"Haha, it's like this. The League asked me to ask whether you'd be interested in serving as the Gym Leader of Viridian City," Professor Oak said.
"What?"
Gary wondered whether he'd misheard. The League actually wanted him to become a Gym Leader?
"I know you're surprised, but you're fully qualified. As long as you're willing, the League will cover all your expenses while you serve as Gym Leader," Professor Oak explained.
"But I don't really want to be a Gym Leader. I still plan to travel to other regions afterward," Gary replied.
"It's not a permanent position. They only need you to serve as the temporary Gym Leader for two months. The League will compensate you as well," Professor Oak said.
"Can I choose my own reward?" Gary asked, becoming somewhat interested as soon as he heard there would be compensation.
"What do you want? If it's too excessive, the League won't agree," Professor Oak reminded him.
"Don't worry. I won't ask for anything unreasonable." Gary waved his hand. "I only want one Pokémon."
"A Pokémon? Which one?" Professor Oak asked in confusion.
Gary had already caught more than forty Pokémon. If there was an ordinary Pokémon he wanted, he could simply catch it himself with his current abilities.
Any Pokémon that even Gary couldn't easily obtain had to be extremely rare.
"The Pokémon I want is either Riolu or Gible," Gary answered.
Gary hadn't been idle during this period. He had been thinking carefully about what kind of team he should prepare for the Sinnoh League. He already had five Pokémon planned, but he still wanted to add at least one or two more.
After giving it plenty of thought, Gary realized that, aside from Legendary Pokémon, the only Sinnoh Pokémon truly worth raising for his purposes were Lucario and Garchomp.
The problem was that both species were exceptionally rare. Although wild populations existed, the chances of encountering one were extremely low.
During his entire journey through the Hoenn region, Gary had never encountered a wild Bagon or Beldum. His Salamence had come from Meteor Falls, not from finding one in the wild.
Rather than spending countless hours searching for wild Riolu and Gible in Sinnoh, it was far more practical to ask the League directly. The strength of an organization was always greater than that of an individual.
After all, even Pokémon hunter organizations could capture Legendary Pokémon if their clients offered a high enough price.
"The two Pokémon you're asking for are very rare, and neither is native to Kanto. Let me ask the League first," Professor Oak said. He couldn't promise the League would agree, so he had to inquire first.
"Alright. If the Kanto League can't provide one of them, then forget about me becoming the temporary Gym Leader," Gary said.
Gary simply wasn't interested in being a Gym Leader.
The biggest reason was that he didn't have the right Pokémon available. Gym battles followed standardized League rules. A Gym Leader could only use Gym-level Pokémon, while nearly all of Gary's current team had already surpassed that standard.
There was another important restriction as well: a Gym Leader had to specialize in a single type. For example, the leader of a Fire-type Gym could only use Fire-type Pokémon.
Because of those two restrictions, Gary would only be able to use his Water- and Rock-type Pokémon.
Those were Kabutops and Omastar, the two Pokémon he had obtained in Fossil Valley. Both had Gym-level potential, were currently around level 45, and had been staying at Professor Oak's Laboratory.
"Alright."
Professor Oak could tell that Gary had agreed only because of him. If the Kanto League couldn't provide the requested Pokémon, then he would simply have to decline on Gary's behalf.
After lunch, Professor Oak contacted the Kanto League's Trainer Association, which was responsible for managing all Gym Leaders.
The Trainer Association found Gary's request rather difficult to deal with.
They had only intended to appoint him as a temporary Gym Leader. If Gary had been willing to officially join the Kanto League, giving him additional resources wouldn't have been an issue. After all, he was an exceptionally promising Trainer worth investing in.
However, Gary had shown no intention of formally joining the League. Because of that, the Trainer Association had to think carefully before deciding whether such an investment was worthwhile.
The reason the position of Kanto Champion had remained vacant wasn't because there was no suitable candidate. Rather, anyone who held that position had to officially serve within the League.