I, Gary, Want to Become a Pokemon Master

Chapter 711 - 711: Cascarrafa Gym

Gary entered the city through the eastern entrance of Cascarrafa.Cascarrafa was a lively, bustling town in the Paldea region.

The town was divided into three distinct levels, with massive elevators ferrying people back and forth between the tiers.

Gary took in the sights of Cascarrafa on his way to the Cascarrafa Gym.

The Cascarrafa Gym was extremely famous throughout the city. If you asked any passerby where the best restaurant in Cascarrafa could be found, they would all give you the same answer—it was inside the Cascarrafa Gym.

The Gym Leader of Cascarrafa was an older man named Kofu, who was not only a Trainer but also a renowned chef.

The Gym Leader of Cortondo, Katy, was actually Kofu's apprentice, though Katy had only learned dessert-making from him. Kofu's true specialty wasn't desserts, but seafood cuisine.

This time, Gary was determined to try Kofu's cooking for himself. But it was still early in the day, and if he wanted to eat, he'd have to wait until the evening.

"Alright, we're here."

When they arrived at Kofu's Gym, Gary patted Cyclizar's head, and Cyclizar immediately came to a stop.

Gary looked up at the sign, which read "Kofu Lounge." Below that were the words "Cascarrafa Gym"—the perfect blend of restaurant and Gym.

Kofu was a Gym Leader who specialized in Water-type Pokémon, so the venue had naturally been built around a large swimming pool.

The windows of Kofu Lounge were made of clear glass, allowing diners inside to watch the battles taking place in the arena outside. At 2:00 PM, however, the restaurant was empty aside from the staff enjoying their lunch break.

Gary recalled Cyclizar into its Poké Ball and pushed the door open.

The Gym's interior was fully outfitted like a high-end restaurant. When the waitress at the counter noticed him walk in, she asked in mild confusion, "Excuse me, handsome. Is there something I can help you with? Do you have a reservation?"

Kofu Lounge was one of the most famous restaurants in Cascarrafa. It filled up the moment it opened, and every mealtime the staff had to turn tables several times over. Even so, demand still outstripped supply. Plenty of people couldn't get in even if they wanted to, so booking in advance was the only reliable way to secure a table.

"A reservation?"

Gary knew that the Cascarrafa Gym served food, but he hadn't realized reservations were required simply to get a meal.

"You're not a local, are you?" the woman asked.

"No. I came from the Kanto region to challenge the Cascarrafa Gym. Is Mr. Kofu here?" Gary asked.

"Oh, so you're here for a Gym challenge. My apologies, my mistake. Please wait here a moment—I'll call the boss down." The waitress immediately picked up the landline at the counter and called for him.

Since the Cascarrafa Gym also operated as a restaurant, Kofu served as both head chef and owner. As a result, the staff had grown accustomed to simply calling him "boss."

Not long after, a middle-aged-to-elderly man wearing a chef's uniform and a dark blue apron stepped out. He had a broad face and a thick neck.

Men with broad faces and thick necks tended to be either wealthy bosses or head chefs.

Kofu, however, seemed to be both a well-off man and a hearty, straightforward type—somehow embodying both traits at once.

Kofu walked toward Gary and stopped about a meter away. "You here to challenge me?"

"Yes," Gary responded. "My name is Gary. I'm from the Kanto region, and I've come to challenge your Gym."

Judging by Kofu's age, Gary figured he probably had a fairly high-level Pokémon on hand.

But when he thought about it further, the man was a chef who had to cook every noon and evening. It didn't seem like he'd have much time left over to train Pokémon. Gary guessed that Kofu's Pokémon weren't at too high a level—Gym tier was likely his ceiling.

"You've come at just the right time. I happen to have a free window right now, so let's battle before the dinner service starts," Kofu said.

"Thank you very much."

Gary had been worried that Kofu might postpone the Gym battle.

"Gary, come with me."

Kofu led Gary out to the arena. The two of them stood in the command areas at opposite ends of the swimming pool, while a man in a chef's uniform stepped into the referee's box to officiate.

The arena's energy shield activated.

Gary looked at the pool and felt a mild headache coming on. He hadn't caught a single Water-type Pokémon during his time in the Paldea region. If Kofu had a high-level Water-type, Gary wouldn't have any home-field advantage in a venue like this.

Once the energy shield had activated, the referee immediately announced, "The Gym Battle between Cascarrafa Gym Leader Kofu and challenger Gary will now begin. Each side may use three Pokémon in this Gym Battle. Only the challenger has the right to substitute Pokémon."

[Ding! Mission released: 1. Obtain the Badge / Reward: Low-Level Rare Candy x2, Intermediate Rare Candy x2, Muddy Water Permanent Move Tutor, Premium Mystic Water x1!]

[2. Use a Paldea region Pokémon to obtain the Badge / Reward: Low-Level Rare Candy x2, Intermediate Rare Candy x2, Water-type Self-Select Permanent Move Tutor, Random Pokémon Item x1, Permanent Water-type Tera Shard x1.]

Seeing the system's rewards, Gary knew Kofu wasn't taking this Gym battle seriously.

Even if Kofu didn't have any truly powerful Pokémon on hand, he was bound to have Pokémon at Gym level. Kofu had probably seen how young Gary was and decided not to bring out his strongest team.

Gary didn't mind too much—he was running low on Low-Level Rare Candy anyway, so this would help top up his supply.

"Gym Leader Kofu, please send out your first Pokémon," the referee announced.

"You're the first dish on today's menu. Come out, Veluza!" Kofu threw out his Poké Ball.

A fish appeared, its body lined with sharp fins.

[Lv. 29 Veluza ♂ / Gym Tier]

Veluza was a Pokémon commonly used for food. Because it possessed a regenerative ability, the flesh on its body could be shed and discarded at will.

In the ocean, whenever a Veluza encountered a natural predator, it would shed all of its outer meat to escape. In truth, that outer flesh wasn't really part of Veluza's actual body—Veluza itself was just a fish head attached to a spine of hard, sturdy bone.

"Cetitan, this is your first Gym battle. Do your best." Gary sent out his Pokémon.

A massive creature crashed into the water, sending waves sloshing violently in every direction across the pool.

[Lv. 32 Cetitan ♂ / Champion]

"Oh! A Cetitan!"

Kofu was clearly stunned. He hadn't expected Gary to send out an Ice-type Pokémon against him.

However, the pool was a bit too small for Cetitan. Its massive body alone took up nearly a third of the entire arena.

"Veluza, use Water Pulse!" Kofu launched the first attack.

Veluza opened its mouth, condensed a ball of water, and shot it forward.

Bang!

Cetitan didn't bother dodging and simply absorbed the Water Pulse head-on with its body. The move dealt decent damage, but against Cetitan's immense pool of HP, it was hardly worth mentioning.