Chapter 61: Closure?
Upon learning of the Cinnabar Gym's closure amidst mutual suspicion, Xia Mu was shocked.
After all, the Indigo Conference was just over a month away, and closing the gym now undoubtedly dashed the hopes of trainers who had already earned seven badges for their eighth.
Although there were over a dozen gyms in the Kanto region, they were scattered throughout the city, with considerable distances between them.
Most trainers strategically chose specific gyms to challenge, traveling along designated routes. Turning back now, aside from the possibility of making it in time, was something no one wanted. Therefore, this disturbance was inevitable.
Xia Mu remained silent, believing that Blaine had a reason for doing so.
Otherwise, the League would certainly not allow the gym to close at this time, and if the situation escalated, the Cinnabar Gym would be blacklisted, becoming an obscure gym. At that point, Cinnabar Island and even the surrounding islands would no longer attract large numbers of trainers.
"What, you want to speak up for those trainers?" Blaine saw through Xia Mu's thoughts and asked.
Xia Mu shook his head, not answering. Having lived two lives, Xia Mu knew the saying "the more you say, the more mistakes you make," so when faced with a difficult question, he simply kept quiet and listened.
Moreover, Blaine's initiative in bringing it up meant he would tell him the reason.
Seeing Xia Mu's composure, a hint of appreciation appeared in Blaine's shrewd eyes: "No wonder your father and that kid have been praising you to the skies lately.
The difference between before and after falling into the water is indeed huge. Although we haven't seen each other for almost two years, I have a deep impression of you, and I've been keeping up with your news."
"Think back to before, you wouldn't dare breathe loudly in my presence, keeping your distance.
Now you outwardly respect me, but in reality, you have your own opinions and are biding your time."
"You flatter me, I truly didn't know your intentions." Xia Mu's heart skipped a beat; he hadn't expected Blaine to be so perceptive. Fortunately, he hadn't lied.
Blaine nodded, not dwelling on one point, and continued, "Actually, my reason for doing this is very simple.
You already know why these trainers came to Cinnabar Island. The vast majority of them are not only slackers, but even those who genuinely came for the badges are just hoping to use this opportunity to sneak in a badge."
The words flowed slowly from Blaine's mouth, and Xia Mu listened attentively without interrupting.
"At first, I didn't pay much attention, but now this trend is getting increasingly strange. Closing the gym is not only about being responsible for myself, but also for the trainers who genuinely want to challenge gyms and earn badges for the League Tournament."
"The notice to close the gym was issued early yesterday morning.
There was no disturbance yesterday. The reason so many trainers have gathered today is that someone must be up to something. If I open the door, it will force me to accept challenges from all the trainers. Whether I can handle it or not, I'll definitely be forced to hand out badges to quell this farce."
"I want to let those trainers who want to use sheer numbers to get badges know that I don't fall for that.
No matter what, we can't let it get out of control like some gyms, where we end up just going through the motions and giving everyone a badge."
"Our Kanto region has added three new gyms this year. Some of these gyms, in order to support the local economy, have done many unscrupulous things.
I really want to see if this year's Indigo Conference will break the record for the lowest level ever."
...
After listening to Blaine's words, Xia Mu was quite inspired.
He thought of some of the gyms at the beginning of the original anime, such as the most famous Cerulean Gym, where you could get a badge just by going.
Were these badges, touted as the easiest to obtain, really as simple as they seemed? Actually, no, what you see is only the surface. The Cerulean sisters attracted many trainers to challenge them with their water ballet, presumably to promote the development of Cerulean City through the influx of trainers, with the League also playing a supporting role.
The trainers did arrive, but they couldn't control the situation, and it eventually escalated into a situation where anyone who challenged the Cerulean City Gym could get a badge.
The news spread like wildfire... completely out of control. The Cerulean Sisters' situation was a case of doing something beyond their capabilities despite lacking the necessary skills.
However, Xia Mu remembered that the Cerulean Sisters eventually became Cerulean City's star attraction, with people flocking from all over to see their synchronized swimming performance, so they were successful in that respect. Of course, that's a story for later.
Blaine's current situation is similar to the one the Cerulean City Gym faced. However, this time it's not Blaine or the League pushing things out, but rather the so-called 'strongest Pokémon trainer'.
Through conversations with Blaine, Xia Mu roughly determined that Blaine and the League were currently suspicious of each other.
Blaine suspected the League was behind it all, the reason for which was currently unknown, but it was highly likely aimed at the Xia family.
If Xia Mu hadn't known the original story, he probably would have thought the same.
However, given the current situation, Xia Mu, with his omniscient vision, could guess that the League probably also thought Blaine was behind it all. This whole charade was just to attract more trainers to the islands.
Both sides treated it as a clown show, so neither investigated further.
That's why no official investigation was launched into the Mewtwo incident; even if they investigated the new islands later, it would be pointless.
"Alright, whatever those trainers did, it has nothing to do with you. I was quite happy that you volunteered to battle me yesterday.
Your father and that kid told me you've been diligently training your Pokémon lately, so as your elder, let me give you a good check." Blaine stood up, gesturing for Xia Mu to follow.
Suddenly having to battle, Xia Mu was actually a little hungry.
He'd come over early that morning without having breakfast. But since Blaine had said so, he couldn't say anything.
The two arrived deep underground at the Cinnabar Gym.
The battleground was here. Because it was a volcanic area, the vast underground space, with a little modification, became an absolute fire-based battlefield.
To Xia Mu's surprise, there was a vast space below, the living quarters of Blaine's Fire-type Pokémon.
Xia Mu had now witnessed the entire Magmar family; excluding the Magby, the highest-level Magmar was level 60, and the lowest was level 30.
Xia Mu understood why Charizard could defeat Blaine's Magmar in the original anime—it must have been a relatively weak Magmar in Blaine's possession.
Otherwise, considering Charizard's evolution level and the progression of the plot, it would have been at most a little over level 40.
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(End of Chapter)