Gary arrived at the entrance of Sunyshore Gym.
He walked up to the door and pressed the doorbell.
The speaker at the entrance suddenly produced a mechanical female voice.
"Hello. What is your purpose for coming to Sunyshore Gym?"
Sunyshore Gym had been completely renovated by Volkner himself, and everything inside was mechanized. Even the Gym assistant was an artificial intelligence system. When it came to AI technology, Volkner was undoubtedly one of the top experts in the world.
"Hello. I'm here to challenge Sunyshore Gym," Gary said.
"Then please come this way."
Next to the door was a machine that resembled a freezer. The cabinet door on it opened automatically, revealing a large number of Beacon Badges inside.
Although Gary had long known this would happen, actually experiencing it made him feel that Volkner was being quite irresponsible.
Even though a single Badge wasn't enough to enter the Lily of the Valley Conference, Sunyshore Gym was at least called the strongest Gym in the Sinnoh Region. Yet here it was, handing out Badges without even battling.
How was this any different from Misty's three sisters?
"What is this supposed to mean? You're just giving out the Badge?" Gary asked.
"For everyone who comes to challenge, there is no need to battle at this time. Simply take a Badge."
Gary didn't say much. Either way, he just needed to get the Badge.
Gary reached in, took out a Badge, and waited silently for a few seconds. But nothing sounded in his mind.
"System, I've obtained the Beacon Badge. Isn't it time to release the mission?" Gary asked inwardly.
[Ding! If the Badge is not obtained through an official Gym battle, the mission cannot be triggered.]
"What?!"
Gary had assumed that as long as he obtained the Badge, he would receive the mission reward. He hadn't expected that he actually needed to fight the Gym battle itself.
"It seems I'll have to wait until Volkner regains his motivation and challenge him properly."
Gary put the Badge back into the cabinet and turned to leave.
Gary didn't have the time or interest to try changing Volkner's mindset.
Volkner was nearly thirty years old—no longer a child. Ash could handle the job of reigniting his passion instead.
The next morning.
Gary rode Garchomp toward the northernmost part of the Sinnoh Region. When he noticed the climate growing colder, he switched to Articuno and rode it instead. After three hours, he finally arrived in Snowpoint City.
Gary wasn't in a rush to head straight to Snowpoint Gym.
Having learned his lesson, Gary specifically asked the local Nurse Joy first. He discovered that Snowpoint Gym's Leader, Candice, was a teacher who taught at a school from Monday to Friday, and the Gym was closed on weekends.
If someone wanted to challenge Snowpoint Gym, they needed to make an appointment in advance. Candice would then arrange a time to battle.
"So many rules."
Gary had challenged plenty of Gyms, but this was the first time he had encountered one that required an appointment.
Did she think she was a Frontier Brain? Needing to schedule things in advance before a battle...
There was no helping it.
After lunch, in the afternoon, Gary rode Cyclizar to Snowpoint Gym to schedule a Gym battle.
Although the weather in Snowpoint City was cold, Cyclizar could still be ridden—just at a slower speed. Cyclizar's speed was tied to its own body temperature. As long as its internal temperature stayed high, it could still travel across ice and snow.
When Gary arrived at the entrance of Snowpoint Gym, he opened the door and stepped inside. The hall was pleasantly warm.
"Is there something you need?" a woman waiting at the counter asked as she watched Gary enter.
Because Snowpoint Gym operated on an appointment basis, there was always someone stationed in the hall to receive visitors.
Gary walked to the counter and said, "I'm here to challenge the Gym. I heard that challenging Snowpoint Gym requires an appointment, so I came to schedule one."
"Could you show me your identification?" the Gym assistant asked.
Gary took out his Pokédex, which contained his identity information.
"Someone from the Kanto Region. So, do you plan to use Kanto Region Pokémon for your Gym challenge?" the woman asked curiously.
Gary didn't quite understand why she was asking. It seemed like she was prying into his personal details.
"No plans to," Gary said.
"That's a shame," the woman murmured to herself, then continued. "Understood. I'll schedule your Gym battle for tomorrow at 9 AM. Does that work?"
"No problem."
Gary nodded. Nine in the morning wasn't too late.
Once he obtained the Snowpoint Gym Badge, Gary planned to head to Veilstone City and wait for Ash to arrive, so he could prepare for his next move.
After scheduling the match, Gary left Snowpoint Gym.
The next day.
Gary arrived at the Gym fifteen minutes early.
The moment he stepped inside, he saw a group of five- and six-year-old children in the hall—about a dozen of them.
"What's going on here?"
Gary looked puzzled, unsure why there were so many children inside. This place wasn't a daycare.
"Teacher, is he the challenger?" one of the little boys asked a woman.
The woman was Candice.
"Candice, this is the Trainer who made an appointment yesterday. His name is Gary," the Gym assistant beside Candice reminded her.
Candice nodded, walked over to Gary, and greeted him. "Hello, I'm the Snowpoint Gym Leader, Candice. Please give me a good match."
"Likewise."
Gary nodded in response.
"By the way, the Gym battle will be open for viewing shortly. That won't bother you, will it?" Candice asked.
"Open for viewing? You mean letting these kids watch the Gym battle?" Gary vaguely guessed.
"Yes. I'm a teacher at the Pokémon School. I occasionally bring my students to watch Gym battles so they can learn how modern Trainers challenge Gyms," Candice explained.
"That's fine with me."
Gary didn't particularly care whether the Gym battle was public. Either way, it would only be embarrassing for whoever lost.
After that, Candice led Gary and the students into the Gym's battlefield.
This wasn't the first time Candice's students had come to watch a match. They were all familiar with the setup and filed into the audience area in an orderly manner.
Gary walked over to the command area on his own.
"Hey, you over there, Trainer. Are you actually strong? Can you even make Teacher Candice try?"
"Yeah, if you're too weak, this battle will be boring."
The children in the audience spoke in a mocking tone.
Gary simply glanced at them and ignored them. After all, there were always a few loudmouthed kids in every class.
"Say something. Why aren't you talking? Are you scared?"
"I think he got so nervous he can't even speak."
"Hahaha!"
Gary's silence only made the children even bolder.
"That's enough, all of you," Candice said as she stepped forward and scolded the children.
The moment the children saw Candice coming, they all shut their mouths. Sure enough, a teacher naturally commanded more restraint from students.