"We're here. This is the Violet Gym."
As he spoke, Natsui and Sabrina had already walked into the gym. However, when he stated his purpose to a staff member, he was told that Falkner was not in the gym at the moment.
"I'm very sorry," said a young man in a white judo uniform, looking rather apologetic. "Our Gym Leader, Mr. Falkner, went out this morning. I don't know when he'll be back. If you wish to challenge him today, please wait in the rest area."
What bad luck…
But there was nothing to be done. Natsui and Sabrina could only sit and wait in the rest area.
Lying on the soft sofa, bored, he looked around and saw many young men dressed in the same uniform as the staff member.
Huh? Are all these people apprentices here?
Natsui couldn't help but feel it was strange. This was, after all, just a gym, and a Flying-type gym specializing in bird Pokémon. Are all these people aspiring to become bird Pokémon masters? They could just learn from Ash or Lance. Everyone knows Ash and Lance are the true masters of the Flying type, and bird Pokémon are naturally no exception.
Glancing at Sabrina, Natsui asked in a low voice, "By the way, do you know this person, Falkner?"
Sabrina shook her head. "Although we're under the jurisdiction of the same Pokémon League, the Gym Leaders of Kanto and Johto belong to two different regions. We've never met, let alone had any interaction."
"I see…"
Natsui tried to recall any information he had about Falkner.
As they say, know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win a hundred battles. Unfortunately, Natsui didn't know much about Falkner. He had only heard that Falkner was known for his cool and handsome image, but that he paled in comparison to his father, Walker.
However, his father was currently traveling, which was why he had passed the position of Gym Leader to Falkner. And many of Falkner's Pokémon had come from his father.
It was purely a case of the son inheriting the father's business.
But on second thought, such people were not uncommon. In Kanto, for instance, not just Brock and his father, but also Sabrina and her father, and even Misty's family—wasn't the position of Gym Leader inherited in the same way?
The two waited for a while longer. Seeing the time tick by, Natsui finally couldn't sit still any longer.
"No, we can't just wait here like this. Why don't we find a place to stay first, or go check out the Sprout Tower?"
Sabrina gave a light "mhm." Just as they were about to leave and had reached the gym's main entrance, they ran into a young man.
Judging by his age, he was about the same as Natsui, but a head shorter. He wore a similar judo uniform to the staff, but the style was much more ornate. As for his face, he had thick, semi-long hair, and although his heavy bangs covered half his face, his delicate features were still visible.
This must be Falkner…
At first glance, he did look a bit cool, giving off a very calm impression.
But cool is one thing, handsome is another. Hmph, in front of me, no one has ever dared to call themselves handsome.
Before Natsui could speak, Falkner spoke first. "I am Falkner. Are you here to challenge the gym?"
It really is him.
"That's right," Natsui said. "But only I am here to challenge the gym. The lady beside me is just my companion."
After giving Natsui a couple more glances, Falkner nodded. "I see. Please follow me."
Falkner walked past Natsui and towards the gym's main hall. Just then, Natsui also noticed a Hoothoot, standing on one leg on Falkner's shoulder.
Hoothoot looked a lot like an owl, but a bit more rounded. It had very small wings and a beak. As a Normal/Flying-type Pokémon, its red eyes looked extremely scary at night.
And Natsui remembered that Hoothoot has an internal organ that can sense the Earth's rotation, so it hoots at the same time every day. Its internal clock is incredibly accurate.
It was also said that in the past, people held it in high regard, treating it as a divine messenger of time. In some countries, it was even considered a god of wisdom that knew everything in the world.
Now, seeing how close Falkner was with it, he was probably like Ash with his Pikachu, also liking to have his Pokémon stay outside its Poké Ball with him.
Hoothoot tilted its head. Seeing Natsui's gaze on it, it let out a 'hoot hoot' and waved its wings, greeting him with great intelligence.
Natsui also smiled back at it.
Led by Falkner, the three of them went to the elevator in the center of the main hall and rode it to the top floor.
The top floor was the gym's battlefield. However, upon arriving, Natsui found that the field had no roof and was exposed to the sun. It was just enclosed by a wall of tiered seating.
In the center was a standard, ordinary battlefield.
In truth, Natsui didn't like battling on rooftops, ship decks, or elevators. He always felt they were too flimsy and didn't dare to use terrain-destroying moves like Dig, worried about breaking them.
He preferred the feeling of solid ground under his feet, where he could battle as he pleased without any worries.
After a few steps, Falkner stood in the trainer's box on one side and said solemnly, "Let me introduce myself again. I am Falkner, the Gym Leader of the Flying-type gym—the Violet Gym. Welcome to my challenge."
"My name is Natsui."
Unexpectedly, after hearing his name, Falkner showed no surprise, just said flatly, "I know it's you, the champion of the Indigo Conference. But I thought you would come to challenge our Silver League immediately after the Indigo Conference. I didn't expect you to be so late."
So he already recognized me.
"I went to the Orange Archipelago on the way and stayed there for a while."
Since they were not familiar with each other, Falkner didn't say much more. He waited until Natsui was also standing in the trainer's box on the other side before saying, "Alright, let's go over the rules. Each person is limited to using three Pokémon. Whoever's Pokémon all faint, loses."
A typical gym battle, either two-on-two or three-on-three, followed such rules. There was generally no difference.
Just as Natsui was getting ready, the elevator suddenly opened again, and a dozen or so young men walked out.
They stood behind Falkner without a word, seemingly here to watch the battle. One of the slightly older boys came to the center to act as the referee.
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