Inside the grand castle, as the atmosphere grew increasingly tense, Rosa felt a bit afraid. However, she saw Klein gently take her hand, his expression calm as he faced these so-called royal nobles.
"So arrogant. Are all the new Elite Four members this aloof nowadays?"
"And who might you be?"
"I'm the Gym Leader of the Rota Gym!"
The Rota Gym Leader was a young woman with long blue hair. She glared angrily at Klein. "Is the Kanto League planning to destroy even the last bit of tradition in Rota Town?"
"If you still wish to resolve this issue, I suggest you take back your baseless accusations."
Klein's tone was firm. Clearly, the underlying arrogance of the Rota Gym was beginning to irritate him. In this day and age, were they really still clinging to outdated aristocratic traditions?
Queen Ilene sighed helplessly. "Then, Klein, what is your proposed solution?"
Klein submitted his recommendations. The first item: instead of requiring trainers to book battles a month in advance, they should allow reservations only two days ahead. Secondly, the unfair requirement of four badges needed to challenge the gym must be abolished. If they wished to assess a trainer's skill level, they could implement a written test, with the question bank and standards provided by the League.
Given Rota Town's high level of autonomy, Klein was already being quite lenient with the Rota Gym's requirements. However, certain unreasonable conditions needed to change.
Two-day reservations?
Wouldn't that mean missing out on many banquets and dances?
And the four-badge requirement? Who exactly owned the Rota Gym?
Klein's string of demands made the blue-haired woman's face flush red. A powerful aura radiated from her entire being, and just as the Lucario behind her made a move, Klein's Scizor swiftly emerged from its Poké Ball, coldly stepping forward in defense.
For a moment, the red and blue Pokémon faced off. Klein, his gaze indifferent, looked at the Rota Gym Leader. "Battling won't solve anything. Tomorrow, I'll send an official examiner for the Gym battle. If you win, we can discuss modifying the conditions."
An official examiner?
"You mean this little girl?"
The blue-haired woman sneered as she glanced at Rosa. "Are you sure she even knows how to train Pokémon for battle?"
Facing this woman's repeated provocations, Klein finally lost patience. "Save your nonsense until after you've won a battle."
With that, he turned toward the throne, where Queen Ilene sat awkwardly. "Apologies, but we won't be attending this banquet. We'll be returning to the Pokémon Center. See you at the Gym assessment tomorrow."
After speaking, Klein swiftly took Rosa's hand and left. Queen Ilene wanted to say something to mediate, but under the fierce gaze of the blue-haired woman, she could only sigh.
"Cousin, was that really necessary?"
"Hmph. Tomorrow, I'll see for myself how that little girl plans to defeat me!"
Queen Ilene knew her cousin's stubborn nature all too well. Feeling a bit troubled, she turned to her steward.
The elderly butler smiled. "Since Elite Four Klein still has duties to attend to, there's no need to continue the banquet."
Rota Town's Pokémon Center, located in the southeastern part of the city, had an ancient architectural style. Inside, Nurse Joy helped Klein and Rosa adjust their Pokémon lineup before returning their Poké Balls.
"Do you really think I can handle the Rota Gym Leader?"
Rosa was excited about the battle but was still a near-novice, with little experience in managing intricate battle situations. Klein, however, was full of confidence. "Even if you don't believe in yourself, believe in Emboar and Serperior."
Rosa didn't have many Pokémon. Aside from exchanging her Salamence for her Emboar, she also had a Ninetales, an Audino, and her Serperior—all of whom had strong battle capabilities.
As if to confirm Klein's words, both Emboar and Serperior emerged from their Poké Balls at the same time, their eyes burning with battle spirit. After all these years, they had longed to return to the thrilling battles of the past.
"The Rota Gym Leader mainly uses Fighting-type Pokémon. Her most common ones are Lucario and Machamp. Here's a breakdown of her usual movesets and attack patterns."
Not wanting Rosa to feel intimidated, Klein patiently laid out the Rota Gym Leader's past battle records and strategies, carefully explaining countermeasures to ensure she wouldn't forget anything.
Surprisingly, although Rosa had lost her memory, her battle instincts remained intact. She quickly grasped Klein's key points, and after some test runs with Emboar and Serperior, she could even infer new strategies from what he taught her.
Early the next morning, outside the Pokémon Center, Rosa stood with Serperior, basking in the sunlight.
"Serperior, are you ready? We're about to challenge the Gym."
Serperior let out a soft hiss and gracefully flicked its body. In an instant, leaves swirled through the air, forming a powerful vortex.
"That's amazing."
Seeing Serperior's encouraging gaze, Rosa smiled—radiantly, joyfully. Perhaps being a trainer was quite fun after all.
"Then let's go! To the Rota Gym!"
On a distant coastline, Naga sat with his eyes closed, resting. Beside him, Komon was growing impatient. "Those guys might be useful allies, but have you considered what happened last time on Cinnabar Island? Your father completely sold them out."
"My foolish father…"
Naga sighed, but Komon was growing frustrated. Was this guy even listening to him?
The reconstruction of Team Malice required allies. The Kamiyama family had been utterly dismantled by the League, leaving Naga with no choice but to seek new partners.
The only viable option was a faction within the Hunter Association—one of its most powerful subgroups.
Suddenly, the entire island trembled violently.
With a deafening roar, the sea was split apart. A massive steel fortress descended onto the shores of Moro Island, shaking the earth with its landing.
The fortress, brimming with advanced technology, gleamed with an eerie metallic light. Naga slowly opened his eyes, a friendly smile appearing on his face.
"At last, Team Plasma has arrived."
This faction, a splinter group from Unova's Team Plasma, had long since severed ties with their homeland. Like the Dark Alliance, they were a major force within the Hunter Association.
At Naga's call, a figure on the steel fortress looked down coldly at the young man below.
"Regarding our previous collaboration on Cinnabar Island—your Kamiyama family's actions require an explanation."
Previously, the Hunter Association had received a high-priced request from the Kalos-based Flare Research Institute. Their leader, the mysterious Lysandre, sought rare minerals hidden deep within Cinnabar Island's geothermal veins.
Though Lysandre's identity remained elusive, there were undeniable ties between him and Team Flare. The Hunter Association ultimately entrusted the mission to this splinter Team Plasma.
At the same time, the Kamiyama family was involved with research on Cinnabar Island. The Association assigned both factions to collaborate—but due to the failure of the enigmatic Yin-Yang Masked Man, Team Plasma had been forced to flee under Dragon-type Elite Four Lance's surveillance.
This failure was why Team Plasma's leader was now furious with the Kamiyama family.
"If you want to work with us, Team Malice will have to help complete the Cinnabar Island mission."
At the mention of Cinnabar Island, Naga firmly shook his head. "I refuse."
"What?"
"At my current level, I can't defeat that League Elite Four."
(End of Chapter)