Chapter 94 The Frustrated Green, Steven Arrives in Kanto!
"Macha Gym...it's been so long."
"Can I really become a great trainer now?"
At the gym entrance, a spiky-haired boy, his eyes lacking their former brilliance, spoke with a tone of utter dejection. He once thought he was the strongest trainer.
Until he experienced a battle, a battle within Lavender Town. In that battle, he lost Rattata, who had always been by his side, and he also lost the fighting spirit a trainer should possess.
He had left Pallet Town carrying a dream, wanting to become a League Champion like his grandfather, standing atop the Kanto region, standing before Crimson.
Unfortunately, all of this was shattered by that battle, completely destroying his fighting spirit to become a legendary trainer, and forfeiting his qualifications to become one.
"Azure? What brings you here?"
Bai Yu was about to go out to buy some Pokémon food when he opened the gym door. The figure that greeted him surprised him. It was Professor Oak's most favored grandson, the one who would one day stand at the highest point in the Kanto region, later becoming the manager of the Viridian Gym and a gym trainer.
In the games, he had never lost a single opponent, except for Red, and had shown a crushing dominance in almost every match, contributing the famous five-minute League Championship moment.
Of course...
as one of the Kanto Elite Four, being speed-beaten by two trainers in just five minutes should have been the most frustrating thing for them.
The world only remembers the five-minute championship; who would remember that the mighty Kanto Elite Four were swept twice in a row by two trainers who had only been traveling for less than a year?
"Gym Leader Bai Yu, I want to know, can a trainer like me really become a strong player in the future?"
Azure's fighting spirit vanished without a trace at that moment.
He slowly raised his head, a trace of sadness in his eyes. He hadn't yet emerged from that shadow. If he had, he wouldn't have chosen to come to Macha City, to stand before the Gym.
Qinglv tried to find any reason to become a Trainer, but he couldn't ignite the fighting spirit within him. The fear in his heart drove him to return to Pallet Town, to his grandfather's side, to become a humble researcher, and to live out his life quietly.
"Hmm?"
"Why, after traveling for a while, are you questioning your life?"
Bai Yu looked Qinglv up and down.
In the special episode, Qinglv fell into a slump after that battle.
From that day on, he became a perennial runner-up, always overshadowed by Red.
Even after becoming the League Champion, he still lost to Red, and subsequently came to Viridian City to succeed Agatha as the Viridian Gym Leader.
"Phew… the Pokémon that accompanied me through my childhood is dead."
Qinglv clenched his fists; the mere mention of that Pokémon caused his heart to bleed.
If he had stockpiled antidotes beforehand, perhaps the Pokémon wouldn't have died from the poison.
All of this was ultimately because of him.
"As expected."
Bai Yu recalled the scene in Lavender Town.
The ghost story in Lavender Town involved Team Rocket, who brought a large number of Poison-type Pokémon and released Koffing. Qing Lv's Rattata inhaled too much of the Koffing.
Furthermore, Qing Lv didn't carry any antidote. By the time he returned to the Pokémon Center from the depths of the Pokémon Tower, Rattata had already lost its life form and died tragically.
This was the only Pokémon Qinglv lost, and it marked the beginning of Qinglv's transformation. Unfortunately, by the time Qinglv emerged from this shadow, he had already fallen behind Crimson, and even if he wanted to catch up, it seemed futile.
"So… are you planning to give up becoming a trainer?"
"If so, I truly feel sorry for your Pokémon."
Bai Yu wasn't sure if he was influenced by Bai Yu.
Qinglv's setback happened earlier than expected.
He shouldn't have agreed to that match; if Qinglv hadn't lost, his subsequent growth trajectory would have been much better.
"But…"
"What 'buts'? If you continue like this, are you doing justice to the Pokémon you hold?"
"I…"
Qinglv fell silent, his mind filled with the Pokémon he had previously used.
Why did he leave Pallet Town? Wasn't it to surpass his grandfather, stand at the pinnacle of the League, and become a legendary trainer?
With this in mind, he returned to Pallet Town from the Johto region, carrying his starter Pokémon and lofty ambitions.
His dream was to collect all the Pokémon he encountered and stand at the highest point in the Kanto region.
The series of setbacks made Qinglv forget the promise he made in his childhood.
"Roar~"
A flash of light, and Arcanine appeared beside Qinglv, nuzzling his hand and looking up with eyes full of concern.
The other Poké Balls on Qinglv's waist popped out, just like Arcanine. They didn't want to see Qinglv give up; they wanted to stand at the pinnacle of Kanto, and even the world!
"Gym Leader Baiyu, I..." Qinglv was about to thank him when he realized Baiyu had already left.
"No need for thanks. I don't want the Kanto League to lose a great trainer in the future."
"Life would be less fun that way."
Baiyu was blunt; without Qinglv, who knew what might happen?
Qinglv and Red were indispensable, as were Azure and Yellow. The fact that
four monster-level trainers had emerged in the Kanto region made one wonder if the region would develop like a special episode, or if it would take an even deeper turn.
"Gym Leader Baiyu, next time I will definitely defeat you head-on."
Qinglu looked at Baiyu's retreating figure, secretly making a resolution.
Once he won the Kanto League Championship, he would return to challenge Baiyu.
He would show him his future strength.
He wondered...
what kind of opponent Qinglu would face then, what kind of Pokémon he would battle against.
...
"What a troublesome guy. If he wanted to go back, he could have just gone back. Why did he have to come and block my gym entrance?"
"Luckily, that guy had some brains. If it were Gary, I wouldn't know how to persuade him."
Baiyu breathed a slight sigh of relief after watching Qinglu leave.
He didn't want to fight Qinglu now. Qinglu was known for not winning a single match; even if he won, it wouldn't be meaningful. His tactics and fighting spirit had been reduced to the limit.
Fighting him was worse than facing the Rainbow Four a few days ago; at least they contributed four spectacular matches.
Baiyu went out and bought some Energy Cubes, then returned to the gym
to wait for the trainers who would come to challenge him that afternoon.
We absolutely must avoid opponents like Qinglv, who seem to want to give up on the battle; that would make the fights so boring.
Baiyu prefers more interesting duels.
Ideally, it would involve a champion or something.
It would be a good opportunity to test the strength of the Pokémon he's trained over this period.
And see if they can gain an advantage against a champion-level trainer.
Of course, this was just Bai Yu's imagination.
Champion-level trainers weren't exactly commonplace.
Even if they existed, they wouldn't actively challenge a moderately famous gym.
"I was just about to call you out for dinner, and you went to buy Energy Cubes again?"
Sabrina, wearing an apron, came out of the kitchen.
Sabrina had been cooking all this time, and who would have thought that the self-proclaimed Psychic Queen Sabrina's culinary skills were so impressive? Her cooking was in no way inferior to the chefs Bai Yu had seen before.
"Aggron and the others have been training a bit too hard lately, and their Energy Cube consumption has increased significantly. At this rate, I'll soon be unable to afford to raise those Pokémon."
Bai Yu said with a hint of helplessness. If it weren't for the gym's recent rise in popularity and
the League's generous rewards, Bai Yu wouldn't know how he could have advanced.
"How about you go back to Saffron City, and I'll hand over the Saffron Gym to you?"
Sabrina hadn't been back for a long time.
The Saffron Gym Leader was currently Sabrina's father.
Of course, if Sabrina wanted to give it to Bai Yu, her father wouldn't say anything.
Initially, Sabrina's father entrusted the Gym Leader position to his daughter because he found it troublesome.
Who would have thought it would come full circle and return to his own hands?
He was called back from his vacation in Alola to take over as Gym Leader.
He was incredibly frustrated.
"Forget about Saffron City, I don't want to be constantly harassed by Team Rocket."
Ever since the explosion in Saffron City
, there have been frequent disturbances. Team Rocket members are like rats, impossible to eradicate completely.
Only now, with the Ice-type Elite Four member Lorelei in Saffron City, have they managed to curb Team Rocket's repeated actions.
If Bai Yu were to go, Lorelei would delegate these tasks to him.
Bai Yu doesn't want to spend every day eliminating Team Rocket members.
Those guys, as long as Giovanni lives, they'll never be completely wiped out.
While Bai Yu and Sabrina were talking, at
the Gym entrance,
the receptionist was slumped over the table, looking completely listless.
Since the Rainbow Four lost their match, the reputation of the Macha Gym has grown increasingly widespread.
The strength of the trainers who came to challenge had also improved, which significantly reduced the number of trainers coming to challenge. The receptionist's initial excitement gradually turned into boredom and a dazed state.
"So boring~ The trainers who came to challenge are all so weak, not even as strong as the four giants of Rainbow City that I saw before."
The receptionist fiddled with her captured Vulpix, poking it with her finger, a smile on her face.
The ordinary Vulpix wasn't as cute as the Ice Vulpix, but it was the first Pokémon she had captured, so naturally she had to treat it well. Before becoming a receptionist, her dream was to become an excellent coordinator.
"The Gym Leader's strength has also spread. Trainers who come to challenge will naturally have to consider the Gym Leader's strength. They won't come to challenge blindly."
The referee next to him couldn't help but yawn and say.
There were very few referees as leisurely as him in the entire city.
Anyway, he was paid by the League. Even without competitions, he would
only have less performance and earn a little less in wages each month. The League's base salary was still there, so the loss wouldn't be too great.
"I must say, the Gym Leader's strength is indeed formidable. I've served as a referee for many gyms, and there aren't many trainers with his level of skill."
"In my memory, only the top gym leaders from the eight major gyms like those in Saffron City can rival him in strength. If it weren't for Sabrina giving me this opportunity, I don't know where I'd be serving as a gym referee."
The referee was secretly delighted. He was already a vice-referee at the Saffron City Gym, but Sabrina had dragged him here to be a referee, and life was quite comfortable.
"There's a Kanto Gym here too?"
"I wonder how the Kanto League compares to Hoenn."
Wearing a striking suit, exuding an aristocratic air, his silver-blue hair hinted at his extraordinary nature.
Steven!
Full name: Steven Zvoki, son of Devon Corporation, the largest conglomerate in the Hoenn region.
Devon Corporation covers nearly 90% of the industries in the Hoenn region, and its products can be found in various parts of the world.
At only sixteen years old, he swept through the entire Hoenn League. No matter the trainer, none could withstand Steven's brilliance. The only one who could be considered a worthy opponent was Wallace.
After becoming champion, Steven realized that the entire Hoenn region was nothing to him. He found it difficult to find an opponent who could make him go all out, even Wallace.
Wallace was focused on flashy performances and the title of "Master of Spectacular Shows," taking a different path from Steven, and their future achievements would differ.
Previously, at the Pokémon Master Tournament, Steven encountered Lance and even battled him. Steven narrowly won that match, which sparked his strong interest in Kanto.
Especially after hearing Lance mention the Kanto League and that there were several trainers like him, Steven was immediately inspired to go to Kanto. He
also wanted to see the strength of the gyms in the Kanto League and compare them to those in Hoenn. If they were strong enough, he could emulate them.
If someone's strength surpasses Kanto's original level, it's possible to recruit them as a Gym Leader in Hoenn, or even one of the Hoenn Elite Four.
Daigo is also somewhat troubled; the Hoenn League currently lacks an Elite Four member.
A certain Fire-type Elite Four member wants to return to be a Gym Leader, but they haven't been able to find a suitable candidate.
This has troubled Daigo, the League Champion, for quite some time.
"Excuse me, is your Gym Leader here?"
Daigo entered the gym and walked towards the receptionist.
His tone was gentle, carrying a hint of aristocratic air, a unique quality that made the receptionist a little flustered.
"Gym Leader, he's inside. You're the challenger, right?"
The referee stepped forward and asked.
He felt he'd seen the person somewhere before, but couldn't remember their name.
Daigo was initially taken aback, then thought for a moment and silently nodded.
He also wanted to see the other's strength; coming as a challenger was acceptable.
Let's see how they react when facing a Champion-level Pokémon.
"Yes, I'm a trainer from the Hoenn region."
"My name is Steven!"
"Zufiki Steven!"
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