(Grey's POV)

  I followed Erika through the winding, peaceful corridors of the gym. The heavy silence of the inner sanctum was a stark contrast to the roar of the arena I had just left. We entered a private room that smelled of cedar and fine tea. Erika gestured for me to take a seat, her movements graceful and fluid.

  "Please, sit, Grey," she said. She signaled an attendant to bring tea before turning her full attention back to me. "If you have any questions, you can ask them first."

  I had two burning questions, but I decided to lead with the personal one. "Why does your gym have an 'only girls' sponsorship policy?"

  Erika didn't look offended. She looked thoughtful. "That is a tricky question to answer, though I realize why you're asking. Your mother once asked me to sponsor you, years ago."

  "What?" I thought, stunned. When did she do that?

  "Yes, it was after around four months when she had started working in my perfume store," Erika said softly. "I had to deny the request. Even if I had wanted to say yes, my own hands were tied."

  "You are the Celadon Gym Leader," I argued. "How can your hands be tied?"

  "Have you ever heard of my clan, the Konoha clan?" she asked. I gave her a befuddled look, and she continued. "Erika Konoha—that is my full name. I generally avoid using the surname, but the leadership of this gym is hereditary within the clan, and the leader role is almost always taken by a woman. To understand the rule, you have to understand our history."

  She leaned back, her eyes distant as she recounted a story from long before the formation of cities or the Pokémon League.

  "Before the League, there used to be a period of constant wars between clans who wielded monopolies on certain types of Pokémon. Battles were brutal—not for the faint of heart, but to the death. While in other regions women were allowed to be trainers, at that time in Kanto, there was a severe lack of them. Due to the wars, many male trainers died, leaving behind widows who had no rights and no protection because they weren't trainers. Many died in hunger or poverty. If a widow had a male child with potential, a clan might take them in. But if the child was a girl, it was a death sentence for the mother's future.

  Then came Moegi Konoha. She was a woman who decided to become a trainer without a clan or any resources. During that time there was no trainers' exam; you just needed a Pokémon and the will to fight. Her ace was a Venusaur, and it is said in the clan she was blessed by Celebi herself, which is why Grass-types were drawn to her. She not only participated in the wars alone, she formed the Konoha Clan specifically to uplift women, helping them get Pokémon and a chance at life.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  The clan faced a lot of judgment and hatred at the start, but Moegi stood strong and defended against every attempt to undermine them. Eventually, other clans accepted them as rivals or friends. We keep the 'women only' policy today for that reason, and it is rarely questioned. Eventually, the era changed to regional battles, and the clan gathered here in Celadon. We have a lot of influence here—so much that the leadership is allotted to us. Promising women trainers, like Sharon and Casey, are allowed to join the clan and adopt the Konoha surname."

  I took in all that information. It gave me a faint idea of why those rules existed—it was more like even Erika, as Gym Leader, had to manage clan pressures.

  Erika then asked me if I had any idea why my matches were generally tougher than normal. I thought about it. Now that she mentioned it, they really shouldn't have been that difficult. "No," I said.

  "Koga marked you as a stronger trainer than the regular ones," Erika explained. "Because of that, most of your matches will be scaled higher than normal until you hit a plateau where the difficulty will be reduced."

  "That piece of..." I thought, though I caught myself. "What does 'marked' even mean? Am I the only one going through this?"

  "No," she told me. "Apparently, around ten trainers this year have already been marked. If Gym Leaders think a starting trainer has a lot of potential, the matches are scaled harder to push them to reach that potential faster and improve their skills. I was surprised Koga didn't tell you. Perhaps he wanted me to inform you. I mention it so you don't think you're being discriminated against or that we have a grudge; it's actually a good thing. You will come out of this much stronger than the average trainer."

  She then handed me an envelope and a case. "Here is 20,000 Poké-dollars in prize money and a reusable TM for Giga Drain. But I must ask... why did you never use any Grass moves with Exeggcute? While it wouldn't have been very useful in this specific match, not using them at all is quite weird."

  "He doesn't know any attacking Grass moves," I admitted. Erika looked at me in genuine horror—how could I train a Grass Pokémon to have no Grass moves? I explained further. "I frankly didn't have much of an idea of where to begin. I don't understand the mechanisms of draining moves yet. I was thinking of going with Sunny Day to boost his Chlorophyll and then trying to teach him moves from there."

  Erika cut me off. "That is a horrible idea. You cannot start with advanced weather manipulation before giving him a base in offensive Grass moves. You need a foundation." She thought for a bit, then gave me her number and told me to keep in touch for tips on teaching Exeggcute. She asked what my plans were.

  "I was thinking of leaving by this evening," I said.

  "Would you be willing to stay for three or four days?" she asked. "I could set up a base for Exeggcute to learn attacking moves, maybe Mega Drain. Then you could use the TM to train Giga Drain on top of that base knowledge. I feel bad for rejecting your mother when she asked about you due to the stubborn rules of my clan, so I can at least do this much. Besides, your Exeggcute has insane talent. In terms of psychic abilities, I haven't seen one that good since Sabrina's was an Exeggcute. I have a curiosity to see if it has a similar talent for Grass energy."

  "I'll stay," I agreed immediately.

  She then asked me how I became this strong. I was a bit hesitant, but it wasn't some big secret, so I explained my training methods. She was impressed by the dedication but shook her head.

  "It is as I thought. While training is good, you are not giving your Pokémon the necessary nutrients to use that training well. Think of it like this: when you work out, your body breaks down muscle to grow stronger, but it needs protein to do that. Similarly, you need to give Pokémon food related to their type energy or food to boost their growth. You're working well to learn things, but there is no actual growth—just the learning of moves. Eventually, you will hit a ceiling."

  "Where do I get specific foods for that?" I asked. "The Pokémart or the mall?"

  "The mall has some, but you can't get very specific or special type foods there," she said. "You might find generic versions breeders sell, which should work for now. Maybe when you become famous and stronger, you can enter a contract with a breeder for exclusive food—Pokeblocks or Poffins—or join a clan for that."

  I realized the advantages clan kids had never seemed to end. "How many people know about this?"

  "Ninety-nine percent don't," she said. "Only the one percent who are very rich, connected, famous, or in a clan know."

  I realized she had given me quite a lot of info for today. She told me she would hash out the details for the training and text me by tomorrow. I nodded, my mind spinning with new plans.