Pokemon: Reborn Rich Alternate Earth
Chapter 620: The Grass Gym

Julian stayed in Harborcrest City for three days. On the second day, Rowan had already left—likely to join the military operation. On the third day, he spent some time touring Harborcrest City with the Thornton brothers.

After that, Julian headed to Verdance City, which was right next to Harborcrest.

Verdance City was home to a National-level Grass-type Gym and also a Special Advanced-level Secret Realm called the "Verdant Prairie." However, Julian’s purpose for visiting wasn’t the secret realm—it was the national Grass-type Gym.

When he arrived in Harborcrest City, he learned that Verdance City was right next door, so he applied for a Gym challenge. Naturally, the Gym accepted.

After spending a night at a hotel in Verdance City, Julian woke up at 8 a.m. and completed his daily system mission—"Drink two liters of water within one minute."

Finishing the task earned him 3,000 points, but it also left him uncomfortably full. Skipping breakfast entirely, he headed straight for the Grass-type Gym.

The Gym was located in the suburbs of Verdance City. Since his challenge was scheduled for 10 a.m., Julian wasn’t in a rush. Riding on Dragonite, he arrived in about half an hour.

It was exactly 9:30 when he reached the Grass-type Gym—half an hour early.

The staff at the Gym already knew who today’s challenger was, and once they saw Julian arrive, they immediately escorted him inside.

Just past the entrance, an elderly man with white hair and a cane stood waiting.

“Gym Leader,” the staff member greeted respectfully. “The challenger has arrived.”

Gym Leader Elliot nodded, then turned to Julian with a warm smile. "Gym Leader Walker, I’ve been expecting you."

"Elder Larch, I appreciate you taking the time today," Julian replied humbly.

Elder Larch’s full name was Elliot Larch. He was 110 years old and served as the national-level Grass-type Gym Leader. Among all current gym leaders, he was also the oldest.

In contrast, Julian was the youngest.

Thanks to the emergence of Pokémon and advanced technology unearthed from ancient ruins, the average human lifespan had now reached 120 years.

Though Elliot was old, he hadn’t even hit the average lifespan yet. Given his physical and mental condition, he could easily live another 30 or 40 years.

Moreover, he was a Grass-type trainer—a group famously known for their longevity. In fact, the rise in average human lifespan was partly due to Grass-type trainers.

Grass-type Pokémon themselves were exceptionally long-lived, and most had gentle temperaments. Prolonged exposure to their energy subtly improved a trainer’s constitution—though this process took decades to show significant effects.

The opposite was true for Ghost-type trainers, who were notoriously short-lived.

This was closely tied to the inherent nature of Ghost-type Pokémon. Many Ghost-types would unconsciously absorb their trainers' life force even when they didn't intend to, simply because they couldn't control this ability.

Only Ghost-type Pokémon that have reached the Elite-level or higher could truly master perfect control over themselves. As a result, Ghost-type trainers were the rarest among all eighteen types, and few lived to see a hundred years of age.

The situation was so severe that some trainers explicitly avoided dating Ghost-type specialists, fearing their partners might meet an untimely demise.

“Little John sure raised an impressive grandson,” Elliot sighed.

'Little John?!'

Julian barely suppressed a laugh—this was the first time he'd ever heard someone refer to John so casually. But given Elder Larch's age, he had every right to call him that.

"If even one of my descendants had half your talent, I could die without regrets," Elliot continued.

The reason a man of his age still held the position of national Grass-type Gym Leader wasn't due to reluctance to retire, but because the Larch family simply lacked a worthy successor.

The Larch family was small, with only about a dozen members—unlike the Walker family, where every member was a prodigy, the Larchs were mostly average in ability.

So Elliot had no choice but to keep going, hoping the next generation might produce someone exceptional. Otherwise, if no suitable heir emerged before he became unable to continue, the Larch family would lose their Gym Leader position.

The eighteen national Gyms weren't permanently tied to specific families. If a family failed to produce competent trainers capable of upholding the Gym's standards, the state would reclaim it—precisely the situation the Larch family faced.

Other scenarios included a family voluntarily resigning (though this was rare) or, in the worst case, treason—the consequences of which needed no explanation.

Over the past fifty years, none of the eighteen Gym-holding families had changed.

The Walker family, for instance, had overseen the national Steel-type Gym for nearly 150 years—remarkable, considering Pokémon had only appeared a little over two centuries ago.

In fact, the Walkers had held the position since the very establishment of Drakoria's national Gym system which was also about 150 years ago.

After some casual conversation, Julian followed Elliot and the staff to the battle arena.

"Julian, you're aware of our Grass-type Gym's challenge rules, correct?" Elliot asked.

"Of course. First a doubles match, followed by a one-on-one," Julian replied.

Not all Gym challenges followed the standard 1v1, 3v3, or 6v6 formats—some included doubles, triple battles, or even wild-style matches.

Before scheduLarchg his challenge, Julian had thoroughly researched the Grass-type Gym's rules, including its battle structure.

The two sides quickly took their positions at opposite ends of the battlefield. As the Gym Leader, Elliot was the first to release his Pokémon.

Bang! x2

In the next moment, a Venusaur and a Cacturne materialized on the field.

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Pokémon: Venusaur (Grass/Poison)

Level: 83

Potential: Blue

Ability: Overgrow

Held Item: Miracle Seed

Gender: Female

Moves: Petal Blizzard, Petal Dance, Tackle, Growl, Vine Whip, Growth, Leech Seed, Razor Leaf, Sleep Powder, Poison Powder, Seed Bomb, Take Down, Sweet Scent, Synthesis, Worry Seed, Power Whip, Solar Beam

TMs: Protect, Magical Leaf, Hyper Beam, Sunny Day, Giga Drain, Bullet Seed, Venoshock, Grassy Terrain, Earthquake, Giga Impact, Earth Power, Sludge Bomb, Frenzy Plant, Double-Edge, Bulldoze

Egg Moves: Ingrain, Nature Power, Toxic, Grass Knot

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Pokémon: Cacturne (Grass/Dark)

Level: 80

Potential: Cyan

Ability: Water Absorb

Held Item: Poison Barb

Gender: Male

Moves: Spiky Shield, Poison Sting, Leer, Absorb, Growth, Destiny Bond, Leech Seed, Sand Attack, Bullet Seed, Power Trip, Ingrain, Payback, Spikes, Sucker Punch, Pin Missile, Cotton Spore, Energy Ball, Sandstorm

TMs: Protect, Grassy Terrain, Hyper Beam, Poison Jab, Magical Leaf, Foul Play, Brick Break, FLarchg, Venoshock, Seed Bomb, Dig, Swift, Solar Beam, Drain Punch, Grass Knot, Dark Pulse, Leaf Storm, Trailblaze

Egg Moves: Acid, Switcheroo, Counter, Disable

*****

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/ReduxMagister