Could I Please Speak to the Gym Leader?
For many people in the world — especially those of us who loved the franchise when we were younger — we wish that Pokémon could be real.
No, I don’t mean replacing the entire fauna of the planet with adorable and also freaky animals that exist only to be violently captured and used in battle, but, all moral issues aside, wouldn’t it be cool if just a little bit of the Pokémon universe were real?
Well now it is.
If these pictures from Japan’s new real-life Pokémon Gym don’t bring you back or rekindle your obsession with the franchise even a tiny bit, I don’t know what will.
Source: Twitter @ErnestaVala
Start the slideshow below to see exclusive pictures from the Pokémon Gym, then SHARE with your Poké-obsessed friends!
Pikachu
Source: Twitter @MilkshakeMx
From the moment you see this gym on the street in Osaka, you know you’re walking into something special.
Walking In
Source: Twitter @donaiyanenna2
The colorful insides look very typically Japanese and like something from out of a Pokémon fantasy world.
I Choose You!
Source: Twitter @newslove2d
These look exactly like the people you’d expect to be lingering around a gym waiting to fight…
Prepare for Battle
Source: Twitter @VICEGaming
The gym even has an indoor Charizard battle arena. Neat!
Games and Activities
Source: Twitter @MilkshakeMx
How cool does this look? The gym is filled with minigames and training exercises that help teach about physical activity.
Colors and Lights
Source: Twitter @The_Antagonists
The gym has been described as a mini “indoor theme park,” complete with a schedule for entertainment and exercise.
Food Court
Source: Twitter @MilkshakeMx
The only thing I’m not too sure about in terms of this being a “gym”…
Pika-Snax
Source: Twitter @PuzslrWorld
…are the delicious and unhealthy-looking Pikachu-themed snacks that you can buy inside. Think you’d get any work done in this gym? Next time you’re in Osaka, swing by and get your badge!