In his pursuit of finding a stronger trainer to battle, Albus set his sights on Adelaide Gym.
Of course, his goal wasn't the gym leader, Alexander, but rather the apprentices who trained within the gym.
The rules here closely resembled those in the games—trainers had to defeat several apprentices before earning the right to challenge the gym leader. The reason for this could be that the gym leader simply couldn't handle an overwhelming number of challengers, or perhaps it was just a way to filter out unworthy opponents.
Every gym had its own set of requirements for awarding badges. It wasn't always necessary to defeat the gym leader; sometimes, earning their approval was enough.
This was something that had happened to Sammy when he first began his journey.
After expressing his intention to challenge the gym, Albus was led to a room resembling a training ground.
Soon, he encountered his first opponent—a young man wearing gym attire and a red headband.
"I won't let you get the gym badge so easily!" the young man declared.
Albus: "..." Silly boy, my goal isn't the gym badge—it's you!
Other gym apprentices gathered around, eager to watch the battle. One of the girls stepped forward as a temporary referee.
"The rules are simple: this will be a 1v1 match! Each trainer may use only one Pokémon!" she announced.
As soon as the whistle blew, the red headband tossed his Poké Ball, releasing a muscular bear-like Pokémon with sleek fur.
"Go, Zangoose! Use Sand Attack!"
Albus carefully observed the battlefield.
In the games, Sand Attack was a Ground-type move that reduced the opponent's accuracy. But in reality, the attack stirred up a dense cloud of sand, obscuring the opponent's vision while giving Zangoose an opportunity for a surprise strike.
"I see…" Albus murmured before giving his command. "Mimi, use Stun Spore!"
"Ni!"
A light-yellow powder spread from the bud Pokémon, mixing with the swirling dust and making it nearly impossible to detect.
The red headband, just about to call for a surprise attack, quickly swallowed his words.
"He's using Stun Spore as a defensive barrier? This way, Zangoose won't be able to strike unseen. This guy's smarter than I expected," one of the gym apprentices commented.
From the sidelines, the other gym apprentices watched with interest.
At that moment, a man wearing a red jacket walked into the room.
The apprentices immediately recognized him. "Mr. Alexander—"
"Shhh," Alexander hushed them, choosing to quietly observe the battle instead.
Since Sand Attack was not a continuous move, the dust quickly settled, revealing Zangoose in the open once more.
Albus seized the opportunity. "Mimi, use Seed Bomb!"
"Ni!"
"Zangoose, cover your nose and use Headbutt!" the red headband countered.
A large seed shimmering with green energy shot forward from Mimi's head, while Zangoose charged straight at it with a powerful headbutt.
The two attacks met in mid-air. Before the Seed Bomb could explode, Zangoose's headbutt knocked it away, causing it to detonate harmlessly in the air.
Undeterred, Zangoose continued its charge.
"Ni!"
Mimi cried out in pain as it was struck, stumbling backward several steps.
"The Stun Spore has been countered, and Seed Bomb isn't working," one of the gym apprentices remarked. "Mimi doesn't know many moves before evolving, right?"
"Yeah, not many. This new trainer is about to lose."
Compared to ordinary trainers, the apprentices in the gym were clearly on another level.
However, Albus wasn't discouraged. Watching the Seed Bomb get knocked away gave him a new idea.
What if he could control when it exploded?
Timing the explosion seemed tricky, but what if he could make it detonate instantly upon impact—like a cannon shell?
Of course, now wasn't the time to experiment. The battle was still ongoing.
"Mimi, use that technique!"
"Ni!"
A seed the size of a fist formed at the top of Mimi's head.
"Seed Bomb again?" the red headband scoffed. "Zangoose, use Headbutt once more! End this fight!"
The scene played out just like before—Zangoose struck the Seed Bomb, knocking it away.
But this time, something was different.
As the Seed Bomb exploded in the air, a fine mist of barely visible yellow powder spread across the battlefield.
"What…?"
"That's… Stun Spore?"
"No way! He infused Stun Spore into Seed Bomb?!"
The gym apprentices were visibly shocked. Even Alexander raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Fusion moves were notoriously difficult to execute. Even elite trainers struggled to pull them off consistently. If it were easy, they would have been commonplace in competitive battles long ago.
With the tables suddenly turned, Zangoose found itself paralyzed.
Now defenseless, it was struck by two consecutive Seed Bombs.
Amidst the explosion, Zangoose's eyes rolled back, and it collapsed.
"Zangoose is unable to battle! The gym challenger wins!" the referee declared. "Would you like to continue your challenge?"
Albus shook his head. He had already accomplished his goal.
Without that special technique, Mimi's raw strength was still lacking.
As Albus turned to leave, Alexander watched him with great interest. An interesting kid…
After returning to school, Albus devoted himself to training in isolation.
The world of Pokémon battles fascinated him—the strategic exchanges between trainers, the dynamic clashes of Pokémon, and the endless possibilities for improvement.
However, Mimi's move pool was still too limited.
Albus began seriously considering the feasibility of what he called "time bombs" and "landmine bombs."
He discussed the concept with Mimi, who attempted several tests, but the results were unsatisfactory.
"It's not working as intended…" Albus mused.
If he couldn't create a time bomb directly, what if he controlled the energy input into Seed Bomb instead?
With this in mind, Albus took Mimi to a nearby riverbank to experiment.
He theorized the methods while Mimi practiced, adjusting based on what worked and what didn't.
Their training continued relentlessly, all the way until Christmas Eve.
Finally, Mimi successfully created a "landmine bomb."
By increasing the concentration of Grass-type energy within the Seed Bomb and thinning the seed's outer shell, the move could now explode the instant it made contact with an enemy.
Compared to a standard Seed Bomb, this technique had far greater explosive power.
However, the "time bomb" concept remained a failure.
Albus speculated that the reason might be due to how Pokémon energy worked—once an attack left the Pokémon's body, they could no longer control it.
"This is harder than I thought…" Albus sighed.
Lately, he felt like a scholar obsessed with research. After rushing through classes, he would immediately head to the river to experiment with Mimi.
The grind was intense, but Albus was determined.
His journey as a trainer had only just begun, and he was ready to push his limits.