Pokemon: The Gameboy Effect-Chapter 230: Chiba Gym

Flying to Verdantia City.

The direct flight took five hours. So, John booked a 7:00 AM flight, arriving at his destination by noon—just in time for lunch with Mark before heading to the Chiba Gym. If everything went smoothly, he'd pick up what he needed, stay the night, and catch an early flight back the next morning.

On the flight, John scrolled through his phone and came across an interesting piece of news:

Regigigas in the Mayan Forest

Curious, he tapped on the article. Apparently, Landorus, who had been thrashed by Regigigas before, had returned to the Mayan Forest and, for some unknown reason, gone berserk. Enraged, it unleashed a chain of Fissures, triggering an avalanche. But just as before, Regigigas reappeared and put the raging Legendary back in its place.

This time, however, Regigigas didn't just knock Landorus into the sky—it smashed it straight into the ground. Reports suggested that the impact had sent Landorus thousands of meters below the surface, exposing the magma belt of the Mayan Volcano itself.

John whistled. "Damn, that's some Whitebeard vs. Akainu level of destruction."

Still, a Pokemon like Landorus wouldn't go down that easily. Even if it got buried that deep, it was bound to crawl out eventually.

"Poor Landorus," John mused. He wasn't about to return Orb of Harvest to it, but maybe, once he was strong enough, he could capture it himself. That way, giving back Orb of Harvest  wouldn't seem like charity—it'd be a fair deal.

Landing at Verdatia City Airport, John stepped out of the terminal to find Mark already waiting, sporting sunglasses and carrying some luggage. Beside him was a familiar face—Stephanie.

"Yo, John! Over here!" Mark called out, waving.

John adjusted his bag and walked over. "Hope I didn't keep you waiting."

"Not at all, just got here twenty minutes ago. C'mon, let's grab some real food—airline meals are trash."

Stephanie drove them to a local spot famous for its fried dishes, where they had a quick but satisfying lunch. By 1:30 PM, they were on the road, heading toward Chiba Gym.

Chiba Gym wasn't in the city but deep in an old forest road nestled within the mountains. As a Grass-type gym, it made sense that the location was as close to nature as possible.

"John, just a heads-up," Mark said as they neared the gym. "If any of the gym guys act up, don't hold back on my account. Feel free to put them in their place."

John raised an eyebrow. "How bad are we talking?"

"Charles Darwin is pretty popular here, so some folks might be looking to start trouble."

John smirked. "No worries. If they wanna fight, I'll make sure they regret it."

With his current strength, no one at Chiba Gym, except for the Gym Leader Isaac Newton, was worth his attention. And with Saul as his teacher, as long as John played fair, even he wouldn't be able to do much about it. In fact, he hoped someone would pick a fight—what better way to make a name for himself and protect his friends from future harassment?

The car stopped outside the forest at a small estate with a large parking lot. This was the Chiba Gym's reception area. They left the car and walked through the manor, stepping into the dense greenery of the forest.

Immediately, a fresh, fragrant scent filled John's nostrils. Everything around him felt more vibrant—the flowers bloomed with striking colors, the trees stood tall and imposing, and the sounds of chirping birds echoed through the air. A narrow path of smooth bluestone stretched into the depths of the forest, inviting them onward.

A few steps in, John spotted a family of Pokemon—Oddish, Gloom, Vileplume, and Bellossom,lounging under a tree. Nearby, a group of Deerlings with brown backs and yellow markings darted through the foliage.

Stephanie stretched out her hand, and the Deerlings eagerly trotted over, nuzzling her palm. Further away, their parents—two winter-form Sawsbucks with white horns and thick, scarf-like fur—watched John cautiously.

Crossing a small lake, John noticed Ludicolo floating lazily on the water while Lombre and Lotad splashed around. The lake seemed to attract many Grass-type Pokemon, as he also spotted Breloom, Jumpluff, Shiftry, Roselia, and even Bulbasaur, Chikorita, and Grovyle gathered along the shore.

"There are so many Grass-types here," John remarked.

"Of course," Stephanie said proudly. "This whole ranch is dedicated to them. Most of the world's strongest Grass-type Pokemon have ties to this place."

"My dad built the gym here so he could take better care of them," she added.

Mark nodded. "Under Teacher's guidance, the Pokemon raised here have way higher potential and battle ability than those in the wild. Most of us at the gym catch our Pokemon from this ranch."

John wasn't surprised. Plenty of Gym Leaders built their facilities near specialized habitats. Take Harrison, for example, his Ice Dragon Gym was set in the mountains, where Dragon-type Pokemon lived in the valleys and Ice-types thrived near the peak. According to him, his Dragons had developed a natural resistance to Ice-type attacks due to their harsh training conditions.

While a regular Dragon-type would take double damage from an Ice move, Harrison's Pokemon had conditioned themselves to reduce that to just 1.5x.

It wasn't just Harrison, either, many Gym Leaders took advantage of their surroundings to raise unique, powerful Pokemon.

Walking past the lake, they finally reached the entrance of the gym. Before they could step inside, they were greeted by a tall, slender young woman who bore a striking resemblance to Stephanie.

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It was Jeanne, Issac's eldest daughter.

"Welcome, guest," she said with a polite smile. "My father asked me to wait for you here."