The Unova region is a very interesting place.
The Champion right now is Alder. However, Alder's best Pokémon died many years ago. This made him feel very bad.
This made Alder lose his interest in battling. He felt lonely in his soul. Because of this, he travels all over Unova. He looks at the feelings between Trainers and Pokémon.
It is worth mentioning that Alder has almost never had a battle in all these years.
This is why Alder lost very badly in the story of Black and White. He had a Champion battle to stop N. He put all his hope into the fight, but he still lost.
Damian believed that Alder could not win against N at that time anyway. This was true even if Alder was strong and had no sad feelings.
Alder has almost no will to fight. Also, the Unova Elite Four is not very strong. This is because Damian took Caitlin away.
Right now, besides Shauntal, Grimsley, and Marshal, the fourth member of the Unova Elite Four is Drayden. He is only helping for a short time.
This Elite Four is only average. They are not very strong, but they are not weak.
But the Unova League has a Champion like Alder. Can you really say the Unova League is strong?
So, there is a reason why the Unova League is weak right now.
Do not compare them to leagues like Kanto, Hoenn, Galar, or Paldea. The Unova League is not even as good as the Kalos region.
Diantha is the Kalos Champion. People do not think she is a very strong Champion. But she is at least mentally healthy.
Alder has a heartache. He cannot fight with all his power unless there is a very big crisis for the Unova League.
Of course, Damian knew that the Unova region is not actually weak at all.
Are there many Champion-level trainers in Unova? Yes, there are many.
There is N, who was born special. There is the dark scientist Colress. There is a girl named Iris. She knows the "Heart of the Dragon." Then there is Alder with his past pain. That makes four.
N is special. He is chosen by the Dragon of Ideals or Truth.
Also, Damian thought about something. Kanto has Red and Blue. Johto has Ethan and Silver. Alola has Selene, and Hoenn has May. Unova should have its own main characters.
He did not know if it was Hilda or Rosa. Maybe both of them were here.
So, the Unova region is actually very strong. The main problem is the people.
The young trainers have not grown up yet. The people with bad ideas stay bad. Right now, these trainers do not work together.
But Damian did not care about this. In fact, he liked it this way.
Driftveil City is a city by the sea in the Unova region.
People call it the Gateway to Unova. Many goods come through this port city. This is different from Castelia City. Castelia City is mostly for people.
The port of Driftveil City is for cargo ships and fishing boats.
Damian arrived in Driftveil City with Caitlin and Zinnia. Gladion told him that Ghetsis was seen near Driftveil.
"The smell of the sea breeze is a bit strong, but it's not unbearable," Damian said.
Damian walked near the docks. The smell of fish was strong. It was not like a holiday beach.
"Damian, what are we doing next? Are we just going to walk around here?" Zinnia asked.
She looked around. She was very interested in new cities.
"Well, if you're bored, you can go shopping," Damian said.
"Okay then, I'll go wander around by myself. I'll look for some trainers to play with while I'm at it. I wonder what the level of trainers here in Unova is like," Zinnia answered.
She could not stay still. She either stayed inside or moved around a lot.
"Go ahead," Damian said with a smile.
"Alright. Caitlin, do you want to come with me?" Zinnia asked Caitlin.
"I'll stay with Damian," Caitlin said with a small smile.
"You... you really can't leave Damian for even a single day," Zinnia said. She teased her and rolled her eyes.
Caitlin kept her gentle smile. She did not mind. She really wanted to stay with Damian all the time.
"Then I'm going to play by myself. If I run into that guy named Ghetsis, I'll contact you," Zinnia said.
She waved her hand. She walked toward a road with more people.
Caitlin watched Zinnia leave. She sighed. "Zinnia has become so much more cheerful now."
Before, Zinnia smiled every day. But she did not feel this relaxed deep inside.
"She used to carry too many burdens," Damian agreed. "But she's happy now, and that's good."
"Mm-hmm~ It's all thanks to you, Damian, for taking over the weight of her life," Caitlin said. She looked at Damian with soft eyes.
"Ha~ That woman, she tells you everything," Damian said.
He thought it was funny. Zinnia told her what he said.
"Because what you said was very responsible and charming," Caitlin said. Her eyes looked like crescent moons. She was very beautiful.
"Stop with the praise, stop with the praise. I'll start getting arrogant," Damian said.
He was happy. Caitlin was very beautiful and said nice things. He really liked her.
The two of them walked forward. They were not looking for anything specific. Then, they arrived near the Driftveil Gym.
Damian saw two people. His expression changed.
"Dad, honestly! I finally come home for a visit, so why do you look so unhappy?" a girl asked.
She had pink hair. She put her hands on her hips. She looked at the man with dissatisfaction.
The man wore a white hat and brown clothes. His face was serious and a bit scary. This was Clay. He was the Gym Leader of Driftveil Gym.
People called him the Underground Boss. He was a Gym Leader and owned a mining company. Clay also owned Twist Mountain.
Yes, Clay owned a whole mountain!
Clay was a rich mining boss. His nickname was perfect for him.
But now, Clay looked worried. His daughter, Lacey, was complaining to him.
"That's not what I meant, Lacey. You should be in school right now. Besides, the fishy smell here in Driftveil is so strong, you..."
"There you go again! Dad, I think you're being really difficult!" Lacey said.
She made a big X sign with her arms at Clay.
"I'm not that delicate! Besides, I came back with good news this time. I'm currently ranked third in the Blueberry League!" Lacey said.
She felt happy and proud. She was telling her father about her success.
"My daughter is the best," Clay said. He smiled.
He did not want Lacey to live in Driftveil City. So, Nimbasa City was her hometown. Clay wanted Lacey to have a good life and a good education.
So, he sent Lacey to Blueberry Academy. This school is a sister school to Naranja Academy in Paldea.
Blueberry Academy has the best education in Unova. Lacey was doing a good job. She was an elite student before graduating.
Clay believed Lacey would be even better than him!
"Hmph~" Lacey said. She crossed her arms. She wanted to be modest. But then she saw two people watching them.
Lacey felt embarrassed. She was a happy but serious person. It was embarrassing to act like a child in front of strangers.
However, Lacey looked at them. She looked at the boy in the long black coat. She thought about it.
She thought the boy looked familiar.
"Ah~ Right! I recognize you! You're Damian, the champion of last year's Indigo Conference, right?!" Lacey said.
She hit her palm with her fist. She looked at Damian with surprise.
She knew him because she wanted to be a great trainer. Lacey looked at tournaments everywhere.
Kanto was the strongest region, so Lacey watched it more.
She remembered Damian. He won the championship very easily. He left a deep impression on her.
"Yes. I didn't expect to be recognized even in Unova," Damian said.
He was surprised. Then he smiled gently.
"Your Annihilape is seriously amazing! I've never seen anyone sweep an entire tournament using only one Pokémon like you did!" Lacey said.
She saw an idol from TV. She was very excited.
Clay saw his daughter looking at Damian with admiration. He narrowed his eyes.
His daughter never looked at him like that!!
"Thank you. Actually, it was also because the quality of the competitors in that Indigo Conference wasn't very high," Damian said. He was modest and chuckled.
"Was it? The other contestants' battles didn't seem weak to me," Lacey said. She tilted her head.
"Oh, by the way, Mr. Damian. I'm Lacey, a student at Blueberry Academy. This is my dad, Clay. He's a very responsible Gym Leader," Lacey said.
She remembered her manners and introduced herself.
"Hello. I'm Damian from Kanto. This is my good friend, Caitlin," Damian said.
He smiled and introduced himself.
"Hello. I heard from my daughter that you were the champion of the Indigo Conference last year, right?" Clay said. He felt better. He looked at Damian with curiosity.
Damian was a very talented young man to win a tournament so young.
"Yes."
"Then, are you interested in challenging my Driftveil Gym? I, Clay, admire young people like you. I can battle you with my full strength and let you see your current limits!" Clay said.
He felt proud. He knew young people would be better than him one day. But that day was not today!
"Eh? Dad, Mr. Damian is actually extremely strong. Don't say things like that," Lacey said to Clay.
Clay was surprised. What did she mean?
He thought he was strong too. He was a famous trainer in Unova!
"How about it, young man? Do you want to give it a try?" Clay asked. He ignored his daughter.
"I think I'll pass. We have things to do," Damian said politely.
"Don't worry, it won't take up much of your time," Clay said.
"...Alright then," Damian said.
He had to agree.
The Driftveil Gym was right there. They did not have to look for a place to fight.
"Young man! I'm telling you now, I won't hold back!" Clay said.
He crossed his arms. He looked powerful.
"You should also give it your all. Let me see where your limits are!"
"I understand."
Damian raised his eyebrows. He put away Mismagius's Poké Ball. He took out the Poké Ball for Armored Mewtwo.
"Good! Then here I come!" Clay said.
He moved his arm. He was ready.
The Driftveil Gym Leader, Clay, has come to challenge!
Three minutes later.
"Dad!" Lacey ran to help Clay.
"This... how can he be this strong?!" Clay asked.
He did not believe it. He used three of his best Pokémon. But every one lost in one hit!
He was shocked. He did not think a tournament champion could be this strong.
Clay was completely surprised.
He did not find the opponent's limits. His own limit was only three minutes!
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