I, Gary, Want to Become a Pokemon Master

Chapter 428 - 428: Sootopolis City

In reality, Z-Moves offer similar advantages as they do in the games.Pokémon can still hold items to support their battles, but compared to Mega Evolution, Z-Moves are slightly less versatile. However, their activation is much faster.

As long as the Trainer has enough Z-Crystals, Z-Moves can be used repeatedly, which in many ways gives them greater offensive flexibility than Mega Evolution.

After receiving the Z-Ring, Gary returned to the outskirts where he'd previously trained. He released Blaziken, planning to test the power of a Z-Move for the first time.

"Blaaaze!"

Blaziken expected today to be a regular training session, perhaps practicing Contest techniques. But seeing no partner Pokémon around, it tilted its head in confusion and looked curiously at Gary.

Blaziken: "Blaziken?" (Are you giving me special treatment today?)

"Blaziken, we're going to try a Z-Move today," Gary explained calmly. "I'll activate the Z-Crystal on this Z-Ring. You'll feel an extra surge of energy in your body. Channel that energy into your move—it'll change its form and strength. Got it?"

The process of forming a Z-Move involves converting Z-Energy into elemental power to reconstruct the targeted move. The Z-Crystal stores the exact blueprint of how to do that. As long as the Z-Crystal is activated, the Pokémon will instinctively know how to shape and unleash the upgraded move.hat fell. Many meteorites had impacted the Earth back then, and this city had risen from the ashes of one of them.

An ancient tribe known as the Sootopolitans had once guarded the city. They were thought to be closely related to the Draconids, who protected the skies and the legacy of Rayquaza. To protect their kin, the Sootopolitans eventually went into hiding, changing their names and blending into history.

Wallace—the current Gym Leader—was a direct descendant of the Sootopolitans, though he never showed much interest in tribal duties or ancient history.

Flying into the skies above the crater, Gary got his first breathtaking view of Sootopolis City.

The entire city sat inside the bowl of a sunken volcano, encircled by glistening white cliffs. The volcanic rock had been bleached by centuries of rainfall and ocean spray, leaving the entire area with a striking, marble-white hue.

"It really is... beautiful," Gary whispered.

He walked through the city's elegant streets, admiring the intricate, artistic architecture.

No wonder so many great Pokémon Coordinators had come from here.

The top Trainer in the city was clearly Wallace, with his master Juan as a close second. Both were famous not only for their battle skills but also for their exceptional performances in Pokémon Contests. Most Trainers here trained for both—the battlefield and the Contest stage—emphasizing harmony and grace alongside strength.

After enjoying the city's aesthetic beauty, Gary stopped by a lakefront restaurant and sat down at an outdoor table near the water's edge.

Across the lake stood a giant ancient tree—a landmark of the city for hundreds of years.

According to lore, the tree had been gifted to Sootopolis by a giant from the Kalos region, the same giant who had once built a terrible ultimate weapon in an attempt to revive his beloved Floette. That giant was none other than AZ, the fallen king of Kalos.

In his grief, AZ had sacrificed countless innocent lives to power the weapon and bring Floette back to life. But when Floette learned of what he had done, she abandoned him. Cursed with immortality, AZ had wandered the world alone for centuries, always searching for her.

Eventually, it was said that he had come to Sootopolis and gifted this giant tree—Floette's favorite species—to the city as an act of redemption.

However, the story diverged from the game canon. In this world, the final weapon AZ once wielded was never activated during the Kalos plot. In fact, Gary had learned that the weapon had been destroyed three centuries ago.

At the time, the Kalos people had overthrown their monarchy. The weapon had been dismantled during that revolution, and the imperial system collapsed with it. The Kalos League rose in its place.

It was likely that AZ himself had played a role in dismantling the weapon. Perhaps, in the end, Floette forgave him, and the two were finally reunited—finding peace after centuries of separation.

After finishing his meal and resting in a nearby park for a while, Gary made his way to the Sootopolis Gym.

The Gym was unlike any other. It resembled a grand cathedral, its blue roof shimmering in the sunlight, with towering white stone pillars carved with swirling wave patterns.