"What did you say?!"
Barry was furious.
"The Sunyshore Gym is recognized as the strongest Gym in the Sinnoh region! Is acting like this worthy of that title? I came a long way to get here!"
He was beyond frustrated. He figured it would be best if Volkner just admitted he was wrong, otherwise, he really was going to complain to his dad.
Although Palmer didn't hold a formal administrative position in the League, Barry could still file a complaint to Scott through him. Scott had a fairly high status within the League; he could speak directly with senior executives from any region, so submitting a grievance would be easy.
"Do what you want."
Volkner still didn't care at all. Right now, he was simply disillusioned with Gym battles.
Because the Trainers who came to challenge him had been far too weak, he had gradually lost the joy of Pokémon battling. Now, he couldn't even muster the spirit to fight.
"Mr. Volkner, have you really lost your passion for Pokémon battles?" Gary suddenly asked.
Volkner was slightly taken aback, not expecting Gary to speak up.
"Yes. I have no interest in Pokémon battles anymore."
Perhaps because Gary had seen right through him, Volkner simply admitted it outright.
Beside them, Barry clenched his fists. If it weren't for the Pokémon present, he might have actually tried to throw a punch.
"Really? Are you sure it's not just because the Trainers challenging the Gym are too weak?" Gary pressed. "If you truly weren't interested in battling, why would you stand there watching us for so long?"
Volkner immediately frowned.
He had originally only come outside because he heard a commotion by the road. This public space was actually an electrical facility, specially built for Trainers to train their Pokémon before challenging the Gym.
But since Volkner had been refusing Gym matches, no Trainers had come here to prepare for a long time. That was why he had come over to check.
When he saw the battle between Gary and Barry, he hadn't been able to look away. Even after the match ended, he had stayed rooted in place.
Although it had been a completely one-sided match, Volkner had seen his former self in Barry—refusing to give up, even in the face of a vastly superior rival.
Deep down, Volkner was someone who truly loved Pokémon battles. He only found them boring now because his challengers couldn't push him.
But as a Gym Leader, it was his responsibility to cultivate the next generation of Trainers. If he found it boring, he could simply train a few stronger, Gym-level Pokémon to make the matches interesting again.
Gary's words seemed to pierce right through Volkner's defenses. Without saying another word, the Gym Leader turned and walked away.
"Hey! You're just going to leave?" Barry shouted after him, wanting an explanation.
"Let it go. Let's head to the Pokémon Center," Gary said.
"Hmph! I'm still going to complain to my dad and let the League's higher-ups deal with him," Barry grumbled.
Gary fell silent, thinking back to Ash's original journey.
When Ash first arrived in Sunyshore City, he ran into Elite Four Flint, who had come to persuade Volkner to return to battling. But even before Ash's group got there, Palmer had already mentioned the Sunyshore Gym's situation. It seemed Palmer had learned about it from Barry, which then prompted Flint to come over and talk sense into his friend.
"Let's go," Gary said, walking toward the Pokémon Center.
"Hey, wait for me!" Barry hurried after him. "Aren't you curious about who my dad is?"
Gary knew Barry was just itching to drop his father's name to show off. Barry wasn't a bad kid by nature; he was just reckless and liked to boast.
Gary decided to humor him. "Oh? Who is your father?"
"Haha, my dad is the head of the Battle Frontier! He's the Tower Tycoon of the Battle Tower, and a super powerful Trainer!"
"Wow, that's impressive."
"I know, right! Let me tell you, my dad's Dragonite is invincible. Very few normal Trainers can even force him to use it. Usually, his Rhyperior alone is enough to sweep a challenger." Barry puffed out his chest. "Even you wouldn't be able to beat my dad."
Listening to Barry ramble the whole way, the two arrived at the Pokémon Center.
Gary had to hand it to him—Barry had spent the entire twenty-minute walk doing nothing but bragging about Palmer. He was definitely his father's number one fan.
"By the way, Gary, since you've been challenging Gyms, you're going to enter the Lily of the Valley Conference, right?" Barry asked.
"That... depends."
"What do you mean 'depends'? You have to enter! I'm going to beat you at the Lily of the Valley Conference." Barry wasn't letting it go; he was clearly still hung up on today's loss.
Why did these protagonist types always lean into wishful thinking? They always wanted to challenge people they clearly couldn't beat.
"Alright. If I have time, I'll enter," Gary said.
"Are you busy with something else?"
"Yeah. I don't want to spend all my time doing Gym battles."
"Then what are you doing?"
"Challenging the Battle Frontier."
"The Battle Frontier?! Are you even qualified?"
Even though he had lost to Gary, Barry didn't think he was qualified to take on the Battle Frontier. Gary just didn't look old enough to have that kind of elite strength.
"I came to Sunyshore City specifically to challenge the Battle Castle. What do you think?" Gary replied.
"Seriously?!" Barry asked in shock. "Then how many Frontier Symbols do you have so far?"
"Two."
"Which two facilities?"
"The Battle Factory and the Battle Arcade."
Hearing this, Barry was stunned. He hadn't expected Gary to be this strong, especially without being a Frontier Brain himself.
"I didn't expect you to be that strong, but my dad is on par with the Elite Four! He can even hold his own against a Champion. You won't conquer the Sinnoh Battle Frontier that easily," Barry said confidently.
"Sure, we'll see," Gary said mildly.
He didn't want to keep teasing Barry and rile him up further. Barry dropped the subject and ran off to call his father to report the situation with the Gym.
After lunch, Barry rode off on his bicycle.
Gary rested for a bit before heading to the Battle Castle at two in the afternoon.
The Battle Castle was not open to the public, as it was the private estate of Caitlin's family. Only those officially invited by Caitlin or Trainers qualified to challenge the Battle Frontier were allowed inside.
When Gary arrived at the castle gates, he was stopped by the two security guards stationed at the entrance.
"This is a private residence."
"Unauthorized personnel are not permitted to enter."
The two guards firmly blocked Gary's path.