Divine Plan? But I'm a Pokémon trainer.

Chapter 406 Challenger #1 – Joey (in Unova's appearance)
The next morning, Link, who was camping outside the Forest of Encounters, woke up early and prepared breakfast for the elves with Munchkin.

He has been conducting on-site surveys recently and has gained some understanding of the forest.

Although he, like everyone else, is constantly getting lost due to the influence of the forest, given time, he will be able to fully unravel the mysteries of this place.

"Bonnie~"

The strange creature danced at the aroma and couldn't wait to start the meal.

The Unova region has many places where excessive industrial development makes it difficult for grass-type Pokémon to adapt, but the Forest of the Inner Valley inexplicably makes it feel peaceful, as if it were in a dream.

This makes it wonder: can the extension of dreams really exist in reality?
There are still too many incredible things in this world, most of which cannot be seen in the Fear Cave or Beishang Township.

Just like the gym audition that trainers are preparing to undergo today, they can command their Pokémon in battle even when they are not physically present.

Thanks to the relatively advanced network in the Unova region and Porygon's ability to roam the internet, humans and Pokémon can fight side-by-side remotely with low latency.

But.

Ergui felt that the distance between humans and elves was too great, so he no longer felt like he had someone supporting him from behind.

Even with the mirror image created by Torygon behind them, Pokémon that know their trainer isn't there will still feel uncomfortable.

After all, people often unleash tremendous potential in order to protect those behind them.

"Don't worry, Evil Pine. The Gym Leader's job is not to crush the challengers, so it's okay even if you lose."

"And even if something goes wrong and the network connection is interrupted, the Porygon will fight in my place."

The Lianyi Dojo has a somewhat unique model.

Link is not a Normal-type Trainer, so the Pokémon in the Gym are neither his main force nor his second team.

Strictly speaking, the Pokémon responsible for the assessments at the gyms do not belong to Link; their nominal trainers are the gym leaders, Dr. Who.

The owner of this museum could be it, it could be a polygon, or even a fire fox and an evil spirit.

They can even fight independently without anyone giving them orders.

They are not formal team members, but more like office workers among Pokémon, with official positions in gyms and academies, and cooperate with humans in this way.

The bouncy Pompom put down its bowl with a hop and a sway. Doesn't this mean that it can also become a gym leader in the future and command the Pokémon to face the challengers?
Link nodded, thinking to himself that the "unyielding" Evil Spirit was prone to losing his temper, and that the Gym Leader might accidentally intervene.

"Bagogo!"

While sunbathing in his tent, Talebagos suddenly had a great idea.

Isn't it just a Normal-type Pokémon?
It can occasionally engage in exhilarating battles with new trainers who are on par with it.

"The outcome is absolutely unacceptable. If you go out, everyone will know who I am as Dr. Who."

"Crack..."

Talebagos seemed to be thinking, "Is it possible that it wasn't revealed at the Rainbow Festival more than half a year ago?"

"You dare to fabricate such a wild story?" Link immediately became serious. "Don't do anything reckless. This will definitely cause a huge mess, and you might just die suddenly."

The turtle nodded repeatedly, indicating that it understood and wasn't making things up; it was just saying.

Besides, it couldn't transform into its star crystal form without Link's help.

Just then, Porygon alerted that Joey from the Unova League had arrived at Blueberry Academy and applied to participate in a gym challenge like a regular challenger.

The auditors arrived earlier than he expected.

Polygon has projected the image in front of Link.

Seeing this, Kirby and Urquid joined in, almost pushing the trainer aside.

In the projection, Joey was with Principal Xilan, seemingly having completed the review of the academy's qualifications. ※A lineup at least a decade or more from now.

"Setting up cameras at Blueberry Academy was a wise decision. Also, as expected, most Nurse Joys in the Unova region are subtly different from those in Kanto and Hoenn."

It could also be an illusion caused by the different uniforms.

While Link was secretly observing...

Principal Xi Lan had already led Joey to the outside of the dojo.

Based on the design concept of the former aloe curator, the Ripple Dojo looks like a library.

"I heard that Dr. Who is Ms. Aloe's chosen successor. He must also be a scholar. I wonder if he teaches at the Blueberry Academy?"

In response to Joey's question, the principal explained, "He is a mysterious chairman of the board, and he must be very busy with many things on a regular basis."

To this day, Xilan still doesn't know the mysterious doctor's research direction, only that the other party is a trainer like himself.

Upon hearing this, Joey couldn't help but smile. It seemed that they would finally see the doctor in person today.

But until then.

She must first, like a formal challenger, navigate the intricate and ever-changing maze to reach the gym leader.

"It sounds very interesting. This must be the most unique test I've ever faced when challenging a dojo."

Joey and Principal Sylan completed their registration at the entrance and received the pre-issued credentials—

1. Once the challenger reaches the exit, they can challenge the gym leader.

2. There are shortcuts inside the maze, which can only be unlocked by answering questions.

3. You can reach the end even without solving the puzzle, but it may take too long or cause the sprite to be in poor condition.

4. In situations where multiple challengers attempt the challenge simultaneously, whether or not to cooperate depends on the challengers themselves.

5. When you have 5 or fewer Pokémon, you can temporarily rent one Pokémon provided by the Gym Leader.

Retracting his earlier statement, Joey suddenly felt that this dojo was a bit strange.

"Principal Xi Lan, if I remember correctly, Ripple Gym has been the first gym in the Unova League's recommended challenge order since the beginning of this year..."

Are these rules too complicated for newcomers?
"Because Ripple Dojo emphasizes 'fundamentals,' both in terms of strength and knowledge," Principal Xi Lan, who was already familiar with the dojo's philosophy, explained.

You either fight your way through or solve puzzles to clear the game; you need either muscle or brains, right?

Joey reserved her opinion, but of course, she could understand that consideration.

Moreover, she is a licensed nurse who graduated from university. Even if she is not a professional trainer, she should be able to pass the level with her extensive knowledge.

"Hmm, that's certainly a very good value orientation. So, Principal Xi Lan, would you like to cooperate with me to pass the challenge, or..."

Upon hearing this, the principal shook his head: "I'm not a challenger. I'll go in with you and be in charge of the explanation."

It also satisfies my curiosity.

Joey readily agreed and confidently entered the maze with the principal.

The architecture inside the maze is quite simple, in order to save money as much as possible.

The lighting is just right and the space is spacious, so it's fine to fight in there.

So far, Joy is generally quite satisfied with the Ripple Gym...

(End of this chapter)