The woman looked at Natsui, one hand on her hip. "Hi there! So sorry, it was so rushed last night that I didn't get a chance to properly introduce myself. My name is Luana. I'm the president here, managing this hotel, and I'm also the Trovita Gym Leader!"
President!?
Natsui had thought she was just in a partnership with the hotel; he never expected she owned the entire building.
Is being a Gym Leader really that profitable?
Such wealth, it had to be said, was enough to make Natsui's heart stir.
Maybe after I've challenged all the major leagues around the world, I should open a gym just like this one.
"Pardon my manners," he said, coming back to his senses and seeing her looking at him. Natsui quickly pushed aside his distracting thoughts and introduced himself as well. "My name is Natsui. I'm a trainer from another region, and I've come specifically to challenge you, Ms. Luana."
Luana nodded.
It wasn't surprising; most of the trainers who came here were here to challenge her.
But…
Her gaze shifted from Natsui to Sabrina.
She had to admit, even as a woman who had seen many beauties, she was still stunned by the woman before her.
But this woman's eyes were icy cold, and she exuded a powerful, oppressive aura. She looked very difficult to get along with.
"What sharp eyes you have. Miss, are you also here to challenge the gym?"
Sabrina stood her ground, arms crossed, with no intention of speaking.
Natsui naturally took over the conversation, answering for her. "No, this is my companion. She's just traveling with me. Although she is also a trainer, she is not a challenger."
"I see." Luana nodded again, not looking at Sabrina anymore, and turned back to Natsui. "By the way, how many badges have you obtained so far? You're not challenging me first, are you?"
Natsui took the badge case from his backpack, opened it, and showed Luana the three badges of different shapes inside.
"I have already defeated three gyms. The Trovita Gym is my final target."
"Oh my," Luana said, slightly surprised. "You already have three badges. That means if you defeat me, you'll be qualified to participate in the Orange League's Winner's Cup!"
The Orange League's Winner's Cup…
Nearby, hearing this name, Sabrina couldn't help but ponder it.
Natsui had explained it to her before.
He had said that after defeating the four Gym Leaders, one could challenge the strongest trainer in the Orange League. And by defeating that person, one would achieve the highest honor in the Orange League.
"That's right…" Recalling all his experiences over the past few days, Natsui felt a wave of emotion. "I'm really just one step away from the Winner's Cup challenge."
Seeing him like this, Luana laughed heartily and, without further delay, began to explain the rules.
"The battle format at my Trovita Gym is a Double Battle where both sides use two Pokémon at the same time. The match is decided in a single round. If either one of a trainer's Pokémon faints, that trainer loses!"
A Double Battle…
This was the first time Natsui had encountered a Double Battle format in a gym.
But… unlike the normal Double Battles he knew, the rule here was that if even one Pokémon went down, it was an instant loss.
Didn't that mean if his two Pokémon focused all their fire on one of Luana's, as long as they could knock it out quickly, he could secure a swift victory?
The rule seemed a bit crude and peculiar.
But there was no point overthinking it. Since it was a rule someone had established and that had been in place for a long time, there must be some reasoning behind it. It was best to just follow it.
"I have no problem with that. Please begin, Ms. Luana."
Just then, a referee walked over from the side.
He stood between the two of them and announced loudly, "The official badge match between Trovita Gym Leader Luana and the challenger, Natsui, will now begin! Both sides, please send out your Pokémon!"
It had to be said, this was the most formal gym battle Natsui had had since arriving in the Orange Archipelago.
Not only was there a professional referee presiding, but regardless of the scale or the venue, it was completely different from the previous three gyms.
Every single part of this screamed money.
Compared to this, the other venues could truly be described as "backwaters."
And this drastically raised his impression of both Luana and the Trovita Gym.
Suddenly, he heard the sound of footsteps. Natsui looked around and saw many people, gathered in small groups, appearing from the staircase entrances on both sides and taking seats in the gym's spectator area.
These were all trainers staying at the hotel. Having been notified by the manager that a gym battle was about to take place, they had come specifically to watch.
Because the hotel and the gym were one and the same, whenever someone challenged the Gym Leader, these guests could come and observe.
Looking across all the Pokémon Leagues, this was the only place that allowed unrelated tourists to watch an official gym challenge, and this had become a unique feature of the Trovita Hotel.
Fortunately, these people were all well-mannered. They quietly found their seats, trying not to make any noise, and simply watched the field in silence.
Luana's voice pulled Natsui back from his thoughts.
"Have you decided on your Pokémon?"
As she spoke, Luana took two Poké Balls from her pocket, enlarged them in her hand, and threw them onto the battlefield.
"These are my Pokémon for this battle!"
As the two beams of blue light faded, Natsui saw that they were an Alakazam and a Marowak.
Alakazam is a Psychic-type Pokémon, and Marowak is a Ground-type.
This combination feels a bit strange. It doesn't seem like they have much synergy…
The thought flashed through his mind, and although he was surprised, he didn't let his guard down for a second.
As for his own Pokémon, Natsui thought for a moment.
He had already decided on his lineup when he first heard the rules. Seeing Luana's two Pokémon now, he didn't feel the need to change his strategy based on their types. He stuck to his original plan and sent out his own combatants.
Another two beams of blue light flashed.
This time, appearing before Luana were a Charizard and a Scyther with a scar on its forehead.
Two Flying-types…
She narrowed her eyes, but after looking for a while, she couldn't guess Natsui's intentions.
In fact, Natsui's reason for sending out this pair wasn't based on any special strategy. He simply wanted the veteran Charizard to mentor the newly-added Scyther.
But as it happened, Scyther's Bug-type had a certain advantage against Alakazam, which was quite favorable for this battle.
Seeing that both sides were ready, the referee took a step back and then decisively waved his hand.
"Then… the Trovita Gym challenge match will now officially begin!"
------------------------
Support my projects and get immediate access to hundreds of chapters of Bleach, Naruto, Pokémon, and more! ✨ Key Benefit: Your favorite novels, with my quality, and always up-to-date.
Featured Novels (with hundreds of chapters available NOW!):
The Heroine Wants to Join My Harem (1050 caps)
Goddess Training Manual (800 caps)
I Have Caught a Pokémon (700 caps)
Bleach Getting Stronger (330 caps)
Naruto: Saving the Uchiha (300 caps)
And many more!
Why subscribe?
🔥 Immediate Access: Read my new chapters before anyone else.
📚 Huge Library: Access my complete catalog instantly.
⭐️ High Quality: Enjoy the novels with a professional and well-crafted text written by me.