"What a fierce battle!"
"Yeah! I didn't even dare breathe just now!"
"Is this the oppressive power of a Champion? Miss Cynthia's relentless offense was suffocating."
"Her opponent was strong too. He doesn't even look twenty yet. And Miss Cynthia didn't hold back at all—yet she still lost."
"Under twenty… what terrifying potential."
Sam was still brimming with excitement. He rushed onto the field, scooped Dratini into his arms, and tossed it up in celebration.
"Well done, Dratini!"
Turning defeat into victory against Cynthia—even in a one-on-one warm-up—was deeply meaningful to him.
Watching Sam celebrate so enthusiastically, Cynthia shook her head slightly, a faint trace of dissatisfaction crossing her face.
Losing a warm-up match was one thing—but she absolutely could not afford to lose again in their official battle two days later.
Cynthia silently resolved to go all out next time.
At that moment, Sam had no idea what she was thinking. If he did, he would probably start worrying immediately.
Seriously… Cynthia was terrifying.
Ding.
A long-absent system notification echoed in Sam's mind.
> Main Mission Activated — The Final Gym
Your Gym challenge journey is about to reach its end.
An ending is also a new beginning.
Earn Blaine's approval and obtain the Volcano Badge.
Mission reward will be determined by completion level.
Minimum: C Rank. Maximum: SSS Rank.
The familiar mechanical voice made Sam feel strangely nostalgic.
From confusion when he first arrived in this world, to gradually becoming a qualified Trainer—six months had passed in the blink of an eye.
He no longer wanted to exist quietly in the background.
He wanted the world to know he had been here.
I came. I saw. I conquered.
That was what he longed for.
---
Cinnabar Island had once been a pilgrimage site for Fire-type Trainers.
Countless Trainers had come here chasing the flames, seeking to challenge Blaine of the Cinnabar Gym.
But ever since the island's hot springs were discovered, everything had changed.
More and more tourists arrived—not for the Gym, but for the open-air baths.
Cinnabar Island slowly transformed from a battleground for Fire-type masters into a vacation paradise.
With fewer challengers each year, Blaine eventually closed the original Gym out of frustration.
However, Sam knew the truth.
The Cinnabar Gym wasn't truly gone.
Blaine still searched the island for promising Trainers and personally invited them to challenge him.
As for how he judged someone to be "qualified," Sam had no idea.
Finding Blaine—or being chosen by him—was no easy task.
Fortunately, Sam had another method.
---
At the Cinnabar Island Pokémon Center, Sam dialed Professor Oak's number.
"Long time no see. What's going on, Sam?" Professor Oak's voice came through, sounding busy as ever.
It was already past one in the afternoon. The Professor had just sat down with a simple cup of instant noodles.
"Professor Oak, could you teleport my Gengar back to me?"
Sam already knew that his official match with Cynthia in two days would be 1v1 with two Pokémon each. He needed one of his strongest Pokémon besides Tyranitar—otherwise, there would be no suspense at all.
Professor Oak perked up immediately.
"I heard you captured an ancient Pokémon—Aerodactyl?"
"That's right."
Ash must have told him.
"Could you send Aerodactyl to the lab? I'd like to compare a wild Aerodactyl with one revived from fossils."
"No problem."
Sam agreed readily. He had no immediate plans for Aerodactyl, so letting the Professor study it was perfectly fine.
"Oh, and Professor—do you have Blaine's contact information? I'm on Cinnabar Island and want to challenge the Gym, but I don't know how to find him."
"Blaine? Hahaha, haven't seen that old friend in ages. Let me check."
After rummaging through old records, Professor Oak returned with a number and passed it along.
"If you see that old geezer, say something nice about me!"
With that, he hurried off—no doubt eager to begin studying Aerodactyl.
---
Thanks to Professor Oak, Sam quickly got in touch with Blaine.
Blaine was about the same age as Oak—but unlike Oak, who still had a decent head of hair, Blaine was completely bald.
The tragedy of middle age.
Dressed in a red T-shirt and flashy floral shorts, Blaine looked surprisingly youthful despite his age.
After learning Sam's purpose—and hearing Oak's introduction—Blaine wasted no time.
He led Sam straight to the new Cinnabar Gym battlefield.
The original Gym arena had long been abandoned.
Instead, Blaine had chosen something far more extreme.
They stood at the heart of a volcano.
Below them, lava bubbled and flowed. The battlefield consisted of narrow stone pillars rising above molten magma.
This was an arena built specifically for Fire-type Pokémon.
For most other types, one misstep would mean instant defeat—or worse.
Looking down at the flowing magma, Sam swallowed.
Even with all his confidence, he couldn't deny it—
He was nervous.
Not everyone could calmly battle above a lake of lava.