Teddy grinned at his Munchlax’s happiness. The little gremlin sat perched in the bicycle’s basket, cooing into the wind and flapping his stubby arms — clearly convinced he was a Pidgey.

  He’d been skeptical the basket could hold the two-hundred-pound cannonball, but it was functioning as promised; the counterweights keeping them level and the little motor removing any strain from pedaling. Honestly, the hardest part had been convincing Munchlax to return to his Poké Ball as he was far too heavy to lift into the basket.

  The memory of Munchlax standing there, now almost 2 feet tall, hands on his hips… eliciting a promise from Teddy with the most serious “Munch” he had ever heard… that he would be released right away.

  The scene would forever be etched in his heart… and the camera of his PokéDex.

  Munchlax had instantly examined his surroundings upon his release, as if convinced an entire day might have passed.

  Which all faded away the instant the bike started rolling.

  “Muuuunch!” he giggled over the wind, pointing to a flock of Pidgey that had joined them in their ride.

  The flock abruptly panicked and fled when Gastly popped out from one of their shadows, leading to mad cackling from his two pranksters, and many disturbed stares from other pedestrians.

  Teddy just laughed along, glad to be on the way to the Gym. When his journey first began, he probably would have scolded Gastly for the random prank.

  Now? He shrugged and threw his head back, laughing louder and enjoying the wind as it rushed through his hair.

  ____

  So… Goldenrod’s Gym was…

  Something.

  Teddy stared at the building before him in flabbergasted disbelief. Violet’s Gym had been…

  Well, the best word for it was rickety. Wobbly platforms that held ridiculous perches far off the ground. The perfect home for Flying-types.

  For Teddy, it had been the perfect home for a safety harness.

  Then there was Azalea. It was better, but still pretty small — all things considered. Still, he enjoyed its puzzles, and the Gym Leader had been pretty alright.

  He would never forget how they went above and beyond to make his Munchlax’s first Gym experience a fun one.

  But well, the building before him was… nauseatingly gaudy.

  By far the biggest building he had ever seen, apart from Goldenrod Mall, of course — that monstrosity barely counted as one. It had taken him an hour to ride past it, on his bike no less.

  But that wasn’t the issue. The issue was the decorations.

  Every inch of the building was absolutely oozing with murals of… cute.

  Meowth. Persian. Skitty. Delcatty. Heck, there were even Sentret and its evolved form of Furret. Not to mention the Jigglypuff and Clefairy. And if there wasn’t a pet? There was a flower or a heart.

  All. Bright. Pink.

  Is every Gym going to be crazier than the last?

  He looked up, taking in the entire, obscenely ridiculous architecture and realized…

  It didn’t matter. It didn’t matter *one bit*.

  If this was the beginning of his Journey, he would have turned and walked away, certain that such a ridiculous place would be too much for him.

  Now? Even mixed with the scent of flowers and bubblegum floating from the building and the accompanying headaches they caused, Teddy knew he; and his Team, would be walking straight through those doors.

  ”Heya, Munch,” he began, looking down at his Munchlax, before pausing and cracking a grin.

  “Munch?” his favorite food gremlin giggled, looking around with interest from his perch in the basket. He was happily bobbing as if they were still riding, paws stuffed in his mouth, eyes slightly crossed, the fur on his head blown into a crooked mohawk.

  He reached down and smoothed his fur, taking a moment to scratch an ear when Munchlax went completely cross-eyed.

  “Ready to go inside, buddy?” Teddy asked. MunchMunch perked up, looking back at the building.

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  “Hey Shado — “ Teddy began.

  Then Shadow turned to look at him and he promptly collapsed off the bike, cackling like a ghost type himself, his MunchMunch tumbling out of the basket giggling merrily.

  Teddy had seen many looks on Shadow’s face. She thought she was sneaky, but she was honestly terrible at keeping a straight face.

  He had seen annoyance. Irritation. Frustration. Bemusement. And more often lately, happiness.

  But he had never seen the absolute look of disgust on her face when she turned from the building to look at him, the pleading look in her eyes said it all.

  “Do we have to go in there?”

  “Hey Shadow,” Teddy gasped, wiping a tear from his eye. “Why don’t you tell Munchlax this is the Gym?”

  Gastly immediately forgot her disgust, now focused on the upcoming battles.

  “Gaaaaas,” she whispered to Munchlax.

  His gremlin straightened instantly, all nonsense gone, replaced instead by determination.

  “Munch,” he stated, waddling forward.

  Teddy cocked his head in surprise. It seemed both of his Pokémon took the Gym battles very seriously.

  Unable to keep the smile from his face, Teddy chained the bike to the closest rack, adjusted the Egg on his back, and followed with a chest inflated by pride; his Shadow at his side.

  ____

  Both Teddy and Shadow flinched upon entering the building, the overwhelming floral blockade was just too much.

  Flowers. Everywhere.

  Hanging from the ceiling. Growing from pots. Hanging from the half walls. Growing out of the walls.

  Apparently Munchlax agreed, as he was, unsuccessfully, trying to eat a flower without anyone noticing — apparently testing for food.

  He must have liked what he found, because he promptly ate another. Teddy exhaled his bemusement as Shadow took care of explaining just why it wasn’t ok to eat the decor.

  Munchlax didn’t look convinced.

  Looking around, Teddy discovered that unlike outside, the cute here was real. Persian and Skitty lounging happily from the half walls that spread through the Gym, Jigglypuff singing softly while Sentret flounced across the floor.

  And right in front of them, seated in a heart-shaped chair, behind a hot-pink desk was a woman in a pastel blue dress, perfectly complementing her immaculate blonde hair, flawless skin, and the most beautiful smile Teddy had ever seen.

  He stood there, frozen, until Shadow Licked the back of his neck, sending shivering goosebumps dancing across his skin.

  “Oh uh… Hi,” Teddy said, doing his best to keep the blush down while Gastly cackled at him. “I’m uh, here to register.”

  “Mmhmm, name, dear?” She asked, not looking up.

  “Teddy,” he stammered, berating himself for being so tongue-tied.

  “Wait time is about two weeks. Three, depending on Whitney — “

  The woman looked up, her breathtakingly blue eyes the exact same shade as her dress.

  “OH MY ARCEUS!” She cried, bolting up so quickly she knocked the chair over and flipped the desk on its front.

  She then proceeded to sprint around the desk — impressive, considering she was in six-inch heels and a skirt, pushing Teddy over so forcefully he fell onto his backside and kneeling down before Munchlax.

  “YOU ARE SO CUUUUUUUUUUTE!” She exclaimed, squeezing his cheeks and pulling them far further than they were meant to go.

  “Muntttch?” Munchlax grunted, obviously as flash-banged as Teddy was.

  “Oh I absolutely Adore your Munchlax! Oh I absolutely must battle your Munchlax!” She bolted up, looking down at Teddy.

  “Trainer, I challenge you to a battle!” She declared, her Pokéball flashing to reveal a Sentret happily bouncing on its own tail.

  “Uhh?” Teddy replied, standing up unsteadily, the smell of the Gym making him light-headed. “I thought you said two weeks —“

  “Oh nonsense! Don’t be silly! That’s for ugly Pokémon!” She trilled, flicking her wrist. “Your Munchlax is pos—i—tiv—ely ADORABLE!” she squealed.

  Teddy smiled sheepishly as a girl with a Geodude sniffed and left with her nose turned up.

  “Well uhm… Alright? Munchlax, ready to battle?” Teddy asked.

  There goes the afternoon of going shopping, Teddy thought to himself, not in the least bit sorry.

  The battle fire had awakened and he was as ready to go as his team.

  “La-a-a-aaaaaax,” Munchlax immediately burst into the most terrifying cackle Teddy had ever heard.

  Apparently the Gym Trainer agreed, as she stepped back, bringing a hand to her chest in shock.

  “Oh My!” She exclaimed, clearly unable to reconcile such a terrifying sound coming from such a cute Pokémon.

  Teddy, however, recognized the laugh almost immediately, having heard it floating through the vents of the Pokémon Center. Nurse Joy had said it “Belonged to one Gengar,” with all the annoyance of a frustrated teacher.

  He raised an eyebrow. Munchlax had learned fast.

  Gastly joined in the cackling, but Teddy just smiled.

  Oh, this Gym had absolutely no idea what it was in for.