Chapter 132: Challenging the Saffron Gym
In the presidential suite of the Saffron Grand Hotel, Rio sat in a circle with Munchlax, Charizard, Gengar, Eevee, and Froakie, listening to Munchlax tell its story. Meanwhile, Annihilape was busy pounding the Red Gyarados on the other side of the suite.
At first, Rio was the only one listening. But halfway through Munchlax’s story, Annihilape burst out of its ball, saying it was too angry and needed to vent. Then the Red Gyarados appeared, saying it was also fired up and needed its skin loosened. So the two of them moved to the far end of the spacious suite—one venting, one getting pounded.
Munchlax, which had been on the verge of tears, stopped and looked at Rio. Rio coughed and signaled for it to continue, treating the two hotheads as background noise. Munchlax resumed its story, but before long, Eevee came out of its ball, cursing Munchlax’s former trainer as a bastard. Then Froakie joined in, echoing that the trainer deserved to be beaten. Charizard followed suit, adding that the bastard was just as bad as its own former trainer.
Only Gengar, trapped in the ancient Poké Ball, was cursing Rio for twisting the switch too tight—it couldn’t get out and join the trash-talking. Munchlax, seeing everyone had come out, asked Rio to let Gengar out too, so its emotional storytelling wouldn’t keep getting interrupted. And so, the listening party grew from just Rio to the whole crew. They listened, and they hurled insults—mostly led by Gengar and the others.
When Munchlax finished its story, Gengar immediately launched into a rant: "Seriously—how can there be such a shameless trainer in this world?! He told the little fatty that if it won, he’d reward it with a big meal. And when it actually won, he started reneging—not just once, but multiple times! And then he abandoned it! Little fatty, you did nothing wrong. If it were me, I’d have given him nightmares so bad he’d die of fright!"
Thanks a lot... Rio shot Gengar a flat, sideways glare.
"Roaar~" — Absolutely despicable! All trainers who abandon Pokémon deserve to die. Brother, don’t worry—if you ever feel wronged again, come to me. I’ll teach whoever hurt you a lesson.
"Eevee~" — How infuriating! How can human trainers be so cruel? If you couldn’t afford to take Munchlax on a journey, why did you? Just as awful as Team Rocket!
"Froakie~" — They don’t deserve to live in this world.
"To sum it up: all human trainers are trash—utter bastards!"
"Roaar~" — Couldn’t agree more.
"Eevee~" — Seconded.
"Froakie~" — All of them deserve to die.
Are these guys forgetting they’re sitting right here... Rio cleared his throat expressionlessly. The cough reached the ears of the indignant Pokémon. Charizard, quickest on the uptake, immediately dialed down its fervor. Eevee and Froakie also settled down, sitting obediently beside Rio. Only Gengar kept ranting until Rio asked, "Were you the one abandoned, or was it Munchlax?"—at which point it finally shut up.
With Gengar quiet, Rio turned back to Munchlax. "Munchlax—if you meet him again, what do you want from him? Don’t hold back—say whatever you want. That’s your right."
"Rio, do you even know where that bastard is?" Gengar couldn’t help but interrupt.
Rio glanced at it but didn’t bother telling Gengar that the bastard would be challenging Sabrina’s Psychic Gym tomorrow. Catching the glare, Gengar wisely shut its mouth. "I’m mute."
Rio looked at Munchlax. "Ka~" — I want him to know all the pain I went through. I want him to kneel before me, beg for forgiveness—and then I’ll kick him away.
"Ka~" — Is that okay?
"Of course it is." Rio smiled and patted Munchlax’s head. "Your demands are completely reasonable. You’re the victim—don’t feel guilty. Do whatever makes you feel better. Whatever you need to vent, go ahead. I’ve got your back."
"Ka~" — I also want to hit him once.
"Of course—go for it."
"Little fatty—count me in."
"Roaar~" — Me too.
"Eevee~" — I want to kick him too.
"Froakie~" — I want to slap him.
"Annih~" — Give me a chance.
"ROAR!!!" — Give me a chance to Hyper Beam him!
"You all stay out of this," Rio said with a roll of his eyes. If they all joined in, that wouldn’t be "teaching him a lesson"—that would be killing him.
The next morning, not knowing when Munchlax’s former trainer would arrive, Rio arrived early at Sabrina’s Psychic Gym with Munchlax by his side. A queue had already formed—but Rio didn’t join it. He stood off to the side.
"Ka~" — It says it’s nervous.
"Munchlax—it’s normal to feel nervous. Today is the day you officially say goodbye to that painful past. What you’re feeling is happy nervousness."
As Rio chatted with Munchlax, the Saffron Gym’s doors opened, and Sabrina stepped out. "Finally open again after all these days—time to go crush some noobs," she mused, scanning the long line of challengers. Though she was a high-ranking Team Rocket executive, she still had her Gym Leader duties to fulfill.
"Hopefully today brings some decent opponents—not just people I can—" Sabrina’s voice suddenly stopped. Her pretty face slowly filled with alarm.