Join my p@treon for more chapters
p@treon.com/Tempest_29
Forced to compete?
Perhaps I am talking about Evan.
The Pokémon he trained actually helped him win battles in the gym.
But soon, Violet reacted.
It seems like someone told her about this.
"Huh?"
Inexplicably, Violet thought of what Madison had said to her when she called her over to help.
"I remember now!"
Violet suddenly understood.
"It looks like we have someone to challenge in this year's national competition."
When she said this, there was a fiery determination in her eyes.
She also wanted a worthy rival.
Having faced Evan before, she knew how powerful he was.
The battle between Empoleon and Gallade wasn't over yet. Fortunately, this time, they could settle the score in the national competition.
"Aren't you afraid?"
Claire, standing nearby, was curious.
Afraid of the risk?
If Violet lost, it could have a major impact on her Elite status.
"What's there to fear?" Violet replied confidently. "I'm qualified to challenge the Elite Four."
"Whether or not I win the championship doesn't matter. The main thing is to have a strong rival. Most competitors are at the Elite level, but few are at the Champion level."
"If two Champions face off in the national competition, even if I lose, I can still challenge the Elite Four without objections from anyone, right?"
Violet had thought things through. There might be some impact, but not too much.
Claire nodded. "That makes sense."
"Besides, this is a good thing."
"We were originally short one Elite."
"Now that Evan is here, the three of us could replace those three old-timers. Presumably, the old man will be thrilled to hear this."
"Well, I'll discuss it with him later," she said, her eyes lighting up.
Collaborating with Evan?
This could work.
But Violet wasn't overly concerned. Convincing Evan to become an Elite might not make him very happy.
On the contrary, Isla, who was listening to their conversation, was completely confused.
Why were they discussing such things?
At that moment, someone entered the breeding house.
"Sister Violet! Sister Claire! You're here too."
The visitor was none other than Sophia, accompanied by another girl—Rosa, who had previously cared for Gardevoir.
Sophia walked in with Rosa, her eyes lighting up when she saw the two of them.
"Sophia~~!"
"Rosa?"
"Why are you here, Rosa?"
Violet was puzzled as to why the acting gym leader had come.
"Long time no see, Violet. And Claire, too," Rosa greeted them warmly.
The Pokémon world was small, after all—they all knew each other.
"Hey, nice to see you, Rosa. Haven't you taken over as a gym leader?" Claire asked curiously.
"Why do you have time to be here?"
Rosa smiled and explained.
"I asked my dad to take over temporarily."
"Now, I'm planning to learn more about breeding."
"I also stopped by to order some custom energy cubes."
"By the way, where's the boss?"
Rosa looked around curiously, feeling something was missing.
Why isn't Evan here?
Sophia was equally confused.
Evan's absence was indeed peculiar.
Hearing this, Isla quickly explained.
"Brother Evan went out to challenge a gym."
"He probably won't be back for a few days."
"Miss, if you need any energy cubes, you can tell me. I'll record your request and have Brother Evan make them when he returns."
She greeted Sophia warmly, clearly trying to help.
Learning that Evan wasn't around—and had gone to challenge a gym—left Rosa feeling disappointed. But there wasn't much they could do about it. It was simply bad timing.
However, Sophia was surprised.
"Senior Evan went to challenge a gym?"
"Wait, what?"
The idea of Evan doing something like that seemed outrageous to her. But she quickly dismissed the thought.
Instead, she sat down with Rosa, joining the conversation. Before long, the girls gathered around began chatting amongst themselves.
As for Evan, he was completely unaware of all this.
Isla hadn't informed him, either.
At this moment, Evan had already arrived at his destination.
Looking down at the ancient city below, he couldn't help but reflect silently.
"As expected of a city full of ancient tombs," Evan murmured.
"You can feel the coolness in the air just being here."
"Ghost Trainers must love places like this…"
"Dragonite, fly east," Evan commanded.
"The gym is over there."
Following his navigation, Evan directed Dragonite, feeling no need to stop for supplies. His plan was straightforward: head to the gym, buy a tent or two, and then set off to find Gallade's Pokémon friends.
Hearing Evan's instructions, Dragonite soared ahead without hesitation.
Before long, Dragonite brought him to a massive building resembling a grand palace.
The structure had a distinctly Chinese aesthetic—antique and majestic.
However, the surrounding atmosphere felt eerie and unsettling, the kind of gloominess reminiscent of a cold palace.
Evan observed the scene, muttering to himself.
"This place would be impressive if it weren't so creepy."
The unsettling environment made him wonder.
"Is the gym leader here someone banished to the cold palace?"
While muttering, Evan directed Dragonite to land smoothly.
Gardevoir had already been returned to its Poké Ball.
A Shiny Gardevoir was far too conspicuous, and Evan preferred to keep a low profile. There was no need to attract unnecessary attention in the city.
After all, it would be troublesome if some overconfident young Trainer suddenly came up, demanding a battle.
Evan disliked dealing with unnecessary hassle, so avoiding such situations was better.
Dragonite, however, was a different case.
Any Pokémon that had evolved into Dragonite was at least at the quasi-Elite level. Anyone considering a challenge would think twice before taking on such a formidable opponent.
Even the more reckless Trainers would pause to evaluate whether they had what it took to defeat Evan.
But when faced with an opponent that strong, many would opt to ignore the challenge entirely. After all, they could always revisit the idea in the future when they'd grown stronger.
The world of Pokémon Trainers was full of inner monologues and unspoken drama.
Evan thought about his old friend, Colton. Recently, Colton had been repeatedly challenged in the wild—and had lost quite a few battles. The man's luck seemed to have taken a nosedive.
"What a miserable man," Evan muttered to himself with a wry smile.
In wild battles between Trainers, stakes were often involved.
A little wager could make things exciting, but high-stakes battles could be dangerous—not only to one's finances but also to their well-being.
And in battle, the stakes weren't just about money. Pokémon often suffered injuries, which added a hefty cost for treatment. Losing meant not only forfeiting money but also bearing the weight of those extra expenses.
It was a double loss.
While everyone dreamed of making money through battles, facing a truly powerful Trainer was an entirely different matter.
For those with a sense of self-awareness, challenging someone like Evan wasn't about being unable to win—it was about realizing the cost wasn't worth the risk.