Chapter 454: The 3rd Challenger
Terrance left Kotoko’s house.
After he left, Kotoko fell into deep thought, recalling Terrance’s proposal just now.
“Become a Gym Trainer?”
With the identity of Gym Trainer, she would also be considered an official member of the Hoenn League. Having this status meant that any illegal organization would have to think twice before targeting her.
Up until now, no organization had dared to openly oppose the Pokémon League, let alone a group like Team Nightmare, which had been destroyed by just two people.
Retaliating against an orphan with no background might still be something some people could get away with, but attacking a Gym Trainer—whether they succeeded or not—would push Team Nightmare into true oblivion. Pokémon League would never allow a small organization to challenge its authority.
Moreover, with the identity of a Gym Trainer, Kotoko’s dream of becoming a Trainer would have a much better starting point…
After leaving, Terrance was also reflecting on whether his proposal had been appropriate. Compared to Ayan and Scarlet, Kotoko’s Trainer foundation was already very solid, and it had been honed through repeated real battles.
To reach Kotoko’s level, Ayan and Scarlet, even if lucky, would need a few years to grow.
With her strong foundation, Kotoko taking on the role of a Trainer at Fallarbor Gym would only require a period of guidance from Terrance before she could quickly grasp the essentials and get into the right state.
That way… Terrance could wait until Ayan, Scarlet, and Chisana had grown before entrusting the Gym to them.
At the same time, during this period, Kotoko could also use the Gym’s resources to enhance her own strength and build her foundation.
Currently, aside from Terrance, the other members of Old Green House still had a relatively weak Trainer foundation and needed time to grow. In the short term, these kids wouldn’t be able to handle the role of Gym Leader properly.
“Remnants of Team Nightmare?”
Back at Fallarbor Gym, Terrance went to look for Albus.
“Why are you suddenly asking about this?” Albus looked surprised.
“However… I don’t think there’s much chance of them still existing. Think about it—their core members have almost all been wiped out, leaving only some profit-driven organizations tied together by interests. To avoid exposure, they would be more focused on hiding than doing anything that could harm their own interests.”
“Uh, but I won’t rule out exceptions. There could still be some extreme low-level members or even a few core members left, but they shouldn’t be able to stir up much trouble. Hahaha, are you worried about me? Don’t worry, no one can hurt me.”
“Why would I worry about you?” Terrance said, speechless.
“Hearing you say that, I almost wish some of Team Nightmare’s remnants would show up so I could take them all down in one go….” Albus fell into thought.
“Well then, just be on guard against assassination. It’s time for a Gym Battle.” Terrance shrugged.
“Oh? A Gym Battle? I think I’ll go watch.”
“I didn’t invite you…”
…
…
“Fallarbor Gym, specializing in Bug Types. Hmph, let me burn all these little bugs to ashes!”
A cocky, red-haired boy with spiky hair swaggered into the Fallarbor Gym.
“I’m Blaze from Twinleaf Town! Is anyone here?!”
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“The Gym Leader has been waiting for you. Please follow me.” Scarlet appeared out of nowhere and spoke to Blaze.
Blaze was not a rookie Trainer—he had once participated in the Ever Grande Conference, though he didn’t make it very far before being eliminated.
This person was somewhat unique—he seemed to be a Trainer who specializes in a single type, with almost all of his Pokémon being Fire Type. This was also why he had been easily countered and eliminated early in the Ever Grande Conference.
“Fallarbor Gym is a Bug Type Gym… He probably thinks he got lucky.”
As Terrance drafted a document for changing the Gym’s battle format, he awaited this morning’s challenger. Because of Kotoko, he had gradually settled on a certain format and was making the final revisions.
Once the revisions were complete, he would hand them over to Kotoko for review. After that, it would be up to her to make a choice.
“Time is tight…” Terrance thought to himself.
The sound of a door opening interrupted him. Terrance set down what he was working on, and by this time, Scarlet had already led the challenger into the battle room.
“Hello, challenger. I am Terrance, the Gym Leader of Fallarbor Gym. The rules are one-on-one, one match decides the victory. If you defeat me, you will earn the ‘Coordination Badge.’ Any questions?”
“No! Let’s begin!” Blaze declared.
Terrance nodded. The challenger was impatient—just as he liked it. To save time, he had chosen a one-on-one format for this battle.
Since the opponent specialized in Fire Type, he was almost certainly going to send out a Fire-Type Pokémon. Terrance had already devised a counter-strategy. If the opponent could break through it, then whether it was a one-on-one or a two-on-two match wouldn’t make much difference.
“Go, Masquerain.” Terrance tossed out a Poké Ball and stood there calmly.
“I choose you, Torkoal!”
Blaze also sent out his partner, a Pokémon that burns coal within its body. Its body was primarily a reddish-brown color, with a black-gray tortoise shell that had five fiery red holes. At the very top, there was a small vent, from which Torkoal immediately began emitting thick smoke upon entering the arena.
“As expected, a Fire Type…” Terrance was slightly surprised. Masquerain was the Gym’s top choice for dealing with Fire-Type Pokémon.
The opponent was asking for trouble.
Whether Blaze could defeat Masquerain would depend entirely on his skills!
“Battle, begin!” At Scarlet’s command, Blaze quickly gave his first order. “Use Flamethrower!”
“Masquerain, Wind Dance.” Terrance spoke calmly.
Gust, Dodge!
This was a technique learned from Beautifly. While Masquerain wasn’t as proficient with it as Beautifly, dodging the Flamethrower was still very easy for Masquerain!
“Next, use Sweet Water while dancing.”
“Sweet Water? What the heck is that?!” Albus, who had been watching from above, squeezed through the door slit and quickly clung to the railing after hearing the battle begin.
“Wait, isn’t that Water Sport move?!”
Taking advantage of the air currents, Masquerain dodged Torkoal’s attack and began gathering countless water blobs, hurling them toward the ground.
“Torkoal, don’t be afraid! Use Flamethrower to evaporate those water blobs!” Blaze went for the most direct approach. However, in the next moment, he realized his mistake—Masquerain’s Water Sport wasn’t aimed at Torkoal at all. Instead, it was evenly spread across the entire arena. For a moment, Torkoal was unable to use Flamethrower to stop all of the water blobs.
Except for the area directly beneath Torkoal, the rest of the arena was now covered in damp patches, completely soaked.
“You think just a bit of water can trouble Torkoal? Torkoal, show them what you’ve got! Use Fire Spin to turn this arena into your home field, then attack Masquerain!”
Boom!
A massive Fire Spin erupted from Torkoal, sweeping across the arena. However, the flames looked noticeably unstable, as if they could collapse at any moment.
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