Ten minutes later, Lt. Surge came rushing over. He had assumed someone had reported him for being a little too rough with challengers lately, prompting the League to send someone to investigate his Gym.
However, he froze when he saw that the visitor was Skyla.
"Skyla? What are you doing here?"
Lt. Surge rubbed his eyes, wondering whether he was seeing things. Once he confirmed that the young woman before him really was Skyla, whom he had met at military flight school, he could not help clicking his tongue in surprise.
Unova and Kanto were separated by an enormous distance. Under normal circumstances, the two of them could only chat online. He never expected Skyla to come all the way to Kanto.
"Hehe, I flew Gym Leader Grey and Caitlin here for their romantic getaway, so I decided to stop by and visit you while I was here."
Skyla proudly puffed out her chest and produced her ace pilot license.
"Maverick, I'm an ace pilot in Unova now. How are your flying skills these days? You haven't gone so long without touching a plane that you've forgotten how to fly, have you?"
Lt. Surge merely gave her a meaningful look.
Skyla's pupils contracted slightly. She had only been teasing him, but apparently she had guessed correctly.
"Maverick, you've only been in Kanto for a few years. Don't tell me you haven't touched a plane once during all that time."
"I haven't."
Lt. Surge nodded gently.
"You know I retired because of what happened back then. I don't really want anything to do with planes anymore."
A trace of nostalgia entered his eyes as he spoke.
He had once been an ace pilot himself, but then he had taken part in the battle that ultimately made him retire. He had nearly died in a sea of flames. Fortunately, his Pokémon had been there to save him.
After narrowly surviving, Lt. Surge chose to retire. He came to Kanto and became a Gym Leader, settling into a relatively peaceful position.
"To be honest, your timing is pretty good," Lt. Surge said as he looked at Grey and the others. "Had you arrived two or three days later, I probably would've already left Vermilion City."
"Oh? Where are you planning to go?" Grey asked curiously.
"I don't know. I'll probably wander around and see where the road takes me. I need to push myself toward greater heights too."
Lt. Surge gazed into the distance, anticipation flickering in his eyes.
"Then I wish you the best of luck."
Grey held out a fist and offered him his sincere blessing.
"I'll take that as a good omen."
Lt. Surge laughed before glancing between Grey and Caitlin.
"When the two of you eventually get married, I'll come to the wedding no matter where I am. Grey, remember to send me an invitation in advance."
"Of course. We're close friends. There's no way I'd forget your invitation."
Lt. Surge raised an eyebrow.
"Since we're so close, could you let me borrow your bird, your Zapdos, for a few days?"
"Vermilion Harbor sure is busy today. Lt. Surge, what did you just say? The cruise ships were too loud, so I couldn't hear you."
Grey looked at him with feigned confusion.
"Grey, you really are something else."
Lt. Surge laughed in exasperation.
So they were close friends whenever Grey needed something, but the moment he did not, Surge went right back to being "Lt. Surge."
Still, Lt. Surge had only been joking. There were several Zapdos in the world, so perhaps he would eventually get a chance to try his luck with one.
"By the way, if you want to search for Zapdos, I think Kalos would be a good destination," Grey suddenly said. "Kalos has Mega Stones, and people have also reported sightings of Zapdos and Moltres there. Perhaps you'll enter a cave and discover Raichu's Mega Stone."
"Raichu? Do you really think it has a Mega Stone?"
Lt. Surge rubbed his chin. If Raichu truly could Mega Evolve, then a trip to Kalos would be worthwhile.
Whether he found Raichu's Mega Stone or successfully caught a Zapdos, the journey would not be wasted.
"Of course it does," Grey said confidently. "Believe strongly enough and luck might favor you. A Trainer as devoted to Raichu as you might discover its Mega Stone the moment you step into a Kalos cave."
"Since you're so certain, I'll begin preparing. I'll leave for Kalos in a few days."
Grey had genuinely managed to convince him.
"Sounds good. You and Skyla can catch up. Caitlin and I will head back to Saffron City."
Grey said goodbye to Lt. Surge before leaving with Caitlin.
One hour later, at the Fighting Dojo in Saffron City, Kanto.
"Fighting Dojo! Your king has returned!"
Grey pushed open the door.
However, he immediately noticed that the atmosphere inside the Fighting Dojo felt strange.
At the same time, he sensed a powerful yet unfamiliar aura within the building.
"Do we have a guest?"
Grey instinctively leaned forward and looked toward the living room.
A blonde woman wearing a black coat was sitting on the couch. Her long hair partially covered one eye, and she was quietly savoring a cup of coffee.
"Did I come to the wrong place? Is this actually Veilstone Gym instead of the Fighting Dojo in Saffron City, and Cynthia just happens to be visiting?"
Grey wondered whether his eyes were playing tricks on him.
Cynthia was the Champion of Sinnoh. Why would someone of her status visit his modest Fighting Dojo?
Then again, perhaps this woman was merely an extremely dedicated cosplayer.
"Cynthia, sweetie!"
Caitlin suddenly called out from beside him.
Well, it really was Cynthia.
Grey parted his lips, intending to say something, but Caitlin had already thrown herself into Cynthia's arms. He did not have the heart to interrupt the reunion between the two close friends.
"Caitlin, how has Grey been treating you?"
Cynthia held Caitlin's hands, seemingly eager to hear her answer. The concern in her expression made it obvious that she was worried Grey might not have treated her friend well.
"Grey's been wonderful to me. We've been very happy together these past few days."
As Caitlin spoke about their time together, a blush involuntarily spread across her face.
She had been somewhat reserved while they were away and had not completely let herself go. Now that they were back at the Fighting Dojo, she planned to spend their first night home doing whatever felt most comfortable.
Cynthia fell silent.
Caitlin's words sounded suggestive without being explicit enough for Cynthia to call her out on it.
"As long as you're happy."
That was all Cynthia could say. She then turned her attention toward Grey.
"Gym Leader Grey, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Cynthia, Champion of the Sinnoh region."
"Nice to meet you, Cynthia. I'm Grey."
Grey gave her a brief greeting.
The room promptly fell silent again.
"Would everyone like something to eat? I prepared some sweets for afternoon tea."
Bumiao approached while pushing a small serving cart. She deliberately positioned it between Grey and Cynthia, breaking the awkward tension.
Grey secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He truly was not good at dealing with women like Cynthia. Merely meeting her gaze made him feel uncomfortable.
Her presence was incredibly intense.
It was the unique aura possessed by a battle-hardened veteran. Grey's own presence was only beginning to take shape, so he could not compare to an experienced powerhouse like Cynthia.
Of course, in terms of their current strength, Grey did not believe Cynthia could defeat him.
"Bumiao, where did Sabrina go?"
Grey belatedly realized that Sabrina was nowhere to be seen.
"Sabrina has been out making a huge shopping run lately. She said she needed to build someone's strength back up so they wouldn't run out of stamina during battles," Bumiao answered honestly.
"I see."
Grey turned toward Green and spoke with a thoughtful expression.
"Green, young women need daily exercise too. Look at Sabrina. She's stocking up on supplies specifically so you won't exhaust yourself during future battles."
Green stared at him in disbelief.
He was pinning this on her too?
Seriously, did he even hear himself?
Green gritted her teeth. She wanted to refute him, but she could not say anything. If she exposed Grey's excuse in front of everyone, she could forget about getting a peaceful night's sleep.
"Gym Leader, have you considered that Silver might be the one with the weak constitution? You know he used to go hungry more often than not. You could count on one hand the number of days he managed to eat his fill."
Green immediately passed the blame to Silver.
Her body certainly was not weak.
Therefore, Silver had to be the weak one.
"What?"
Silver felt as though he had been caught in the crossfire for no reason.
He had not done anything recently. Every day had followed the same simple routine, and he had barely even seen Sabrina.
How had all the nutritional supplements filling the refrigerator suddenly become things she had bought for him?
"So that's how it is?"
Silver scratched his head but did not dare argue.
Whatever Green said was true. All he needed to do was nod and agree.
"Silver, you really should exercise more. If you want to become Champion one day, you'll need to defeat four members of the Elite Four in succession. You'll have to remain completely focused throughout those battles. Without a strong body, you might collapse halfway through because your own stamina gives out."
Grey spoke to him earnestly.
"Kanto already has it relatively easy because you only need to challenge the Elite Four. In other regions, a Trainer still has to battle the regional Champion after defeating the Elite Four."
Silver felt that something about Grey's explanation sounded strange.
Kanto's Elite Four were all Champion-level Trainers. Their overall quality far surpassed the Elite Four of other regions.
Still, Silver did not contradict him.
Grey was the Gym Leader, after all.
Everything Gym Leader Grey said was correct.
"You are absolutely right, Gym Leader Grey."
A faint smile appeared on Cynthia's lips as she slowly rose to her feet and calmly met Grey's gaze.
"However, words alone ultimately prove nothing. Without demonstrating your lesson through an actual battle, it may be difficult to convince everyone. I believe you understand that principle better than anyone."
"How about you battle me and lead by example?"
So that was what Cynthia had been after.
Grey had sensed something was wrong from the moment he entered.
Cynthia wanted to battle him but had been unable to find a suitable excuse. Now, after hearing him lecture Silver, she had seized the opportunity to challenge him.
Her reasoning was perfectly sound.
He could not even refuse outright.
"What kind of battle would you prefer?" Grey asked.
"I'm fine with a one-on-one battle, a three-on-three battle, or a full six-on-six battle. I'll leave the choice to you."
Cynthia naturally allowed Grey to decide.
"Then how about three-on-three?"
Grey immediately chose a three-on-three battle.
One-on-one would be too short, while six-on-six would take too long. Three-on-three felt just right.
"Very well, three-on-three it is. I wonder which Pokémon you intend to use."
Cynthia smiled.
Steven had told her that Grey had caught Groudon and Kyogre. He could even summon Lugia to help him, and he also had Reshiram and Kyurem.
If Grey casually sent out any three of those Legendary Pokémon, she might as well forfeit immediately.
"Let me think. I'll probably use Annihilape, Blaziken, and Articuno."
Grey thought of the Fighting Dojo's earliest frontline stars.
Those three Pokémon had been the Dojo's main pillars during its early days, so Grey named them without hesitation.
"All right."
Cynthia did not say anything else after hearing his choices.
Although Articuno was a Legendary Pokémon, it was ultimately only a sub-Legendary Pokémon, which placed it around Champion level in practical terms.
Judging by Grey's choices, he probably wanted to battle her with Pokémon of roughly comparable strength.
In that case, she had nothing to worry about.
"Let's battle a little later. I just got back from Vermilion City, so I'd like to rest first. We can start in about half an hour. By the time we finish, it should be almost time for dinner."
Grey naturally needed a brief rest after returning from Vermilion City.
Once he had recovered his energy, he would show Cynthia his true strength.
"That's fine. Tell me whenever you're ready."
Cynthia had no objections.
"Cynthia, sweetie, my Grey is extremely strong. You need to be careful."
After listening to their conversation, Caitlin warned Cynthia to take Grey seriously.
Grey's strength was obvious to everyone.
Even without using his major Legendary Pokémon, his team still possessed Champion-level power.
Annihilape might not have appeared in a public battle for a long time, but its actual strength had improved tremendously.
Caitlin was certain that Annihilape was the Pokémon on Grey's team closest to reaching battle-legend tier.
Of course, Cynthia's Garchomp was also approaching that level.
In a one-on-one battle, the two might be evenly matched, making it extremely difficult to predict the winner.
However, a three-on-three battle was different.
Two or even all three Pokémon could coordinate their efforts to wear down a single opponent. The final outcome would depend on each Trainer's lineup, synergy, and tactical decisions during the battle.
"Caitlin, who do you think will win between Grey and Champion Cynthia?" Green asked curiously as she came closer.
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