Knock knock knock!
"Come in."
Hearing a response from inside the room, Flint finally opened the door and led Sato and the others inside.
Upon entering, the first thing they saw was an old woman with graying hair, currently squatting on the floor, focused solely on feeding a rather ugly-cute Hippopotas.
"Elite Four Bertha, I've brought Sato and the others," Flint reported in a soft voice, not as boisterous as usual.
"Mhm."
However, Bertha simply acknowledged with a sound, not even glancing up as she continued feeding the Hippopotas.
Two minutes later, Bertha finally stood up slowly and looked at the group with a kindly smile.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Please, have a seat."
Everyone sat down. Despite Bertha's "gentle" expression, the aura she carried from years in a high position made them afraid to act out of turn.
"Hippo~"
Once everyone was seated, the now full and satisfied Hippopotas trotted over on its short little legs, hugged Bertha's ankle, and began sleeping peacefully.
"I've long heard that Kanto produced a promising young seedling, but as I've grown old, I don't like to move around much, and never got the chance to see for myself.
It just so happened that Flint mentioned you were coming to Sinnoh for a journey, so I took the liberty of asking him to bring you over."
Bertha's tone was calm and mild, but no one present dared take her words lightly.
"Meeting you is our honor. There's no such thing as being too forward," "diplomat" Joseph responded graciously.
Bertha smiled and nodded, then carefully examined Sato and the others, finally nodding in satisfaction once again.
The three of them had different expressions, uncertain of what Bertha was planning, but they could only wait quietly.
"Kanto these years… you've found it promising, haven't you?"
Bertha continued the conversation. The term "Kanto" here referred to both the Kanto and Johto Regions, as was customary among the older generation.
"Absolutely. Thanks to the strategy of establishing a Gym to anchor each city/town, many areas have gradually been developed. My Shadownight Gym is one such example."
Sato silently grumbled, 'You're an Elite Four of an entire region… shouldn't it be easier for you to get this kind of information than me?'
"Good, good~" Bertha seemed relieved, and her smile widened a bit.
But then her expression changed, and she hesitated slightly as she looked at Sato before finally speaking with some unease, "Then… do you know how Lavender Town has developed over the years?"
"…Lavender Town?" Sato was momentarily stunned, but then seemed to understand. "Lavender Town has long been designated as a candidate city for establishing a Gym, but for some reason, no Gym has ever been built there. As for anything else… I'm sorry, Elite Four Bertha, I don't really know."
"I see…" Bertha didn't say much more, but the disappointment in her voice was unmistakable.
No one dared speak to interrupt at this moment, and Bertha herself seemed lost in old memories.
After a long while, Bertha finally returned to herself and smiled helplessly at the group. "When you get old, you just love reminiscing about the past."
Seeing the five people in front of her still looking dazed and unsure whether to ask questions, Bertha suddenly found it amusing, and her mood noticeably improved.
Bertha continued in her calm tone, "If you don't mind this old lady rambling, let me tell you a few things that happened back in the day."
Everyone quickly shook their heads. After all, with her putting it like that, who would dare say they minded? Don't they know why Vileplume is so red?
And so, a story long buried in dust gradually unfolded before them.
Back when the sisters Agatha and Bertha were about the same age as Sato and the others, they too showed extraordinary talent as Trainers.
At that time, resources for Trainers were mostly monopolized by families and clans with long-standing legacies, more so than even now.
Among them, the Shiroyū clan, known for their mastery of Ghost-type Pokémon, stood out as one of the most powerful.
Let alone the fact that they had produced two extremely promising young members at the same time -Agatha and Bertha- making the Shiroyū clan shine.
For ordinary Trainers, standing out back then was many times harder than it is now.
…But then someone appeared who instantly stole all the spotlight.
Samuel Oak.
The current Champion of the Kanto Pokémon League!
Even now, he continues to suppress everyone of his generation.
In his youth, Samuel Oak's monstrous growth rate made it nearly impossible for these families and clans to find a chance to hold him down.
Before they knew it, he had already grown to a level where peaceful coexistence was the only option.
During that period, as often happens among geniuses, direct confrontations were inevitable, and it was under such circumstances that Agatha and Bertha met Samuel Oak.
Of course, there was no cliché love triangle between two sisters vying for one man. Agatha fell for Samuel Oak, while Bertha simply admired him.
But at the same time, the Shiroyū clan had different plans for the sisters' futures.
Because both Agatha and Bertha had performed too well, other families, eager to claim a share of the power, began applying pressure on the Shiroyū clan from other angles.
Left with no choice, the Shiroyū clan had to publicly compromise, secretly summoning the two sisters and informing them of everything.
The elder sister Agatha was to strive for a position in the Elite Four. As long as her strength was sufficient, she would ascend without obstruction… and might even aim for the Champion's seat.
The younger sister Bertha was to respond to the League's new policy: once a Gym was established in Lavender Town, she would be stationed there as the Gym Leader.
One could become an Elite Four, while the other could only become a Gym Leader. Even though the clan leader assured Bertha this was only a temporary concession to appease the other families, the young and proud Bertha could not accept it easily.
Just as the clan was still trying to persuade and comfort Bertha, Agatha vanished into the night… vanished with Samuel Oak!
The Shiroyū clan went mad on the spot. Their "treasured" future leader had been whisked away by a brat with no background, and they hadn't even realized it.
"My sister told me she wanted to help Samuel, who stood alone and unsupported. She said she would help him overthrow the dominance of powerful families that controlled 90% of the League's power. She said he wanted to give everyone with dreams a chance to become a Pokémon Trainer…"
Bertha's narration was slow and steady, but all five listeners could hear Samuel Oak's ambition in every word, Agatha's resolve and love for him...
And Bertha's own sorrow and helplessness.
What she had treasured so deeply was, in Agatha's eyes, nothing more than something to be discarded. Without hesitation, she had simply walked away.
All of Bertha's previous grievances and complaints felt pathetic and laughable when placed beside her sister Agatha.
"So, on a similarly moonless and windy night… I left too. I came alone to Sinnoh, as a 'commoner' Trainer, to challenge Samuel Oak.
If Samuel could achieve it, then so could I, Bertha, even without my sister!"