With Luxray and Electivire both defeated, Volkner stood silently for a moment.
Across from him, Rayquaza hovered in the air, emerald scales gleaming with quiet dominance.
Volkner slowly reached for another Poké Ball.
"So this… is what my challengers felt when they stood in front of me?"
He let out a soft laugh.
For years, he had grown numb battling trainers far weaker than himself. He had mistaken their weakness for his invincibility.
But true invincibility?
That belonged to someone like Aiden.
A single Dragon Tail had erased his ace.
In that instant, something clicked in Volkner's heart.
Losing wasn't terrifying.
What was terrifying—
Was losing the will to battle after defeat.
And right now, facing Rayquaza's overwhelming presence—
His fighting spirit burned brighter than ever.
"Raichu. I'm counting on you."
Red light flashed.
A chubby, orange Raichu landed on the field, cheeks crackling with electricity.
Ding!
Pokémon: Raichu
Level: 73
Ability: Static
Type: Electric
Aptitude: Gold
Moves: Electro Ball, Thunder, Thunderbolt, Light Screen, Quick Attack, Thunder Punch…
Aiden glanced at it with mild amusement.
Between Pikachu and Raichu—
He personally preferred Raichu's sturdier, rounder form.
If he ever wanted an Electric-type, Raichu would be his choice without hesitation.
Unfortunately, some Pikachu simply refused to evolve.
Volkner didn't hesitate.
"Raichu — Thunder! Full power!"
He understood something clearly.
Against Rayquaza—
If you didn't open with your strongest attack, you wouldn't get a second chance.
Dark clouds formed above the battlefield.
Golden lightning gathered violently, illuminating the Gym in blinding light.
With a furious cry, Raichu called down a massive bolt of thunder—
It crashed toward Rayquaza.
Rayquaza merely glanced at it.
Then—
A single Dragon Breath shot upward.
The lightning was shattered midair.
The emerald energy continued forward—
And struck Raichu directly.
Raichu collapsed instantly.
The Gym fell silent.
Three Pokémon.
All defeated.
Volkner stood frozen for a second before letting out a long breath.
There was no shame in this.
Only clarity.
The evaluation had reached its conclusion.
After briefly scanning Volkner's remaining Pokémon through the Pokédex data, Aiden finalized the assessment.
Sunyshore Gym Leader Volkner — Overall Strength: Champion Tier.
Electivire and Luxray — High Champion tier.
Raichu, Jolteon, Lanturn, and Ampharos — Lower Champion tier.
In pure combat strength—
Volkner was fully capable of contending with Flint of the Sinnoh Elite Four.
Perhaps even surpassing him slightly.
And yet—
He had remained a Gym Leader.
With ambition, he could easily replace Aaron or Bertha among the Elite Four.
After recalling Rayquaza, Aiden spoke calmly.
"Before coming here, I heard rumors about Sunyshore Gym."
"As Gym Leader, you hold authority over this city. But authority comes with responsibility."
"If you neglect your duties long-term, even strength won't save your position."
Volkner scratched the back of his head, smiling sheepishly.
"Understood."
"I'll take Gym battles seriously from now on."
Aiden uploaded the evaluation results through his Pokédex.
Sunyshore Gym — Passed.
As he prepared to leave, he paused.
"If you truly feel you lack worthy opponents…"
"Why not challenge the Elite Four? Or even the Champion."
"Sinnoh might grow stronger with you among them."
Volkner blinked.
He glanced toward Cynthia.
She didn't speak—
But her faint nod said enough.
For the first time—
Volkner seriously considered it.
Perhaps Sinnoh's Elite Four lineup would not remain unchanged forever.
—
That night, Aiden and Cynthia returned to the Pokémon Center.
After resting, Aiden opened his Pokédex and began scanning the distribution of Pokémon around Sunyshore City.
At his current level—
Ordinary Pokémon no longer interested him.
Legendary beasts.
Rare species.
Pseudo-legendaries.
Those were his true targets.
In Sinnoh, there were only a handful he truly desired.
Garchomp.
Lucario.
Drapion.
Electivire.
Rhyperior.
Leafeon.
After searching the database, he noticed something intriguing.
Near Sunyshore's forest region—
There was a colony of Skorupi.
Skorupi evolved into Drapion.
Since he was already here—
There was no reason not to catch one.
With his objective decided, Aiden and Cynthia entered Sunyshore Forest together.
Of course, Pokédex distribution only indicated possible habitats.
Encountering one—
Was still a matter of chance.
But Aiden wasn't relying on chance.
His psychic power spread outward instantly.
Within seconds—
The entire forest's structure unfolded in his mind.
And then—
He paused.
A faint smile curved his lips.
"Interesting."
"So there's something like that here…"
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