Volkner paused for a long while before calmly picking up his tooth, lightly clasping his fists toward Axel.
He had to say the polite things.
After this string of blows, Volkner had already understood something.
As long as he praised Axel high like Flint did, then he wouldn't be trash.
"Truly worthy of someone who'll blitz through Sinnoh's gyms in three days, indeed very strong."
"Axel... I'll remember your Gyarados."
"Given time, I believe he will surely bring you to the top of this world!"
After saying that, Volkner took out a badge and, with a solemn expression, walked toward the figure on Glastrier's back.
At that moment, Rayquaza quietly concealed his aura, turning and returning into the Poké Ball.
Gyarados immediately let out a painful roar and with a "bang" collapsed onto the ground.
'It feels like my body isn't mine!'
Watching Gyarados writhing on the ground like a twisted fritter, Volkner was utterly dumbfounded.
'Just now you swept three in a row, shouldn't you be acting like a victor at a time like this, even if your body hurts, at least keep up the tough act to the end?'
'Do you know how much you're embarrassing me, Volkner?'
'I, the mighty strongest gym leader of Sinnoh, drifting and wandering, finally stepped to where I am today.'
'And after I just fought and lost to you, you go and do something so shameful?'
'This makes me look trash!'
'It'll damage my reputation!'
Fortunately, the interns in the gym are Volkner's own people, and that paparazzo who filmed Crasher and Fantina also got a real scolding from Jenny.
No matter how badly Volkner got beaten, this matter wouldn't spread out.
And Axel blitzed a bunch of gyms in three days, not just destroying me alone.
'If others can be defeated by Axel, why can't I lose too?'
Thinking this, Volkner's face of mixed moods finally recovered a bit.
The most important thing now was to quickly give Axel the badge and have him hurry away.
But at that moment, developments once again exceeded Volkner's imagination.
On Glastrier's back, the figure who had been silent the whole time finally spoke for the first time, and it was not a man's voice.
The voice carried some gentleness, clearly that of a young lady from a wealthy household.
"Gym leader Volkner, Axel's Pokémon have already finished fighting you. May I now issue my challenge on behalf of Platinum?"
Volkner: "???"
'You're Platinum, then who was fighting me just now?"
His mind replayed the earlier battle, and he was astonished to discover one thing.
This Gyarados, whose level was much lower than his Pokémon's, seemed to have beaten him without a trainer?
At this thought Volkner staggered and almost fell to the ground.
'Is this... the true strength of a trainer who can spar with legendaries?'
Ding!
At that moment, a group chat notification sounded; someone had @'d Volkner in the group.
[Crasher: Gym leader Volkner, did you stop those two challengers?]
[Byron: It should be an easy peasy wash, that bodyguard is fierce, but that young miss is relatively easy to fight.]
Volkner didn't read the remaining messages, only lightly left a line "Axel has the makings of a champion," then put away his communicator.
Since Byron said the young miss was easy to beat, he'd give it a try.
A person couldn't lose face twice in one day.
More importantly, as long as he stopped this young miss, Axel surely wouldn't leave, and that would be a chance to redeem himself.
Not on my watch, he would not be swept three-in-a-row.
Volkner's fingertips trembled slightly as he nodded to the figure on Glastrier's back, "Miss Platinum, I accept your challenge."
Seeing Volkner accept, General Archaludon lightly tapped Gengar's arm.
["Brother, the other side looks fierce, can you beat them?"]
Gengar patted his chest and nodded vigorously, ["Don't worry brother, even before that big guy removed Floating, Gengar has already been around alive."]
["Next, I will show them what a Floating Gengar is!"]
(Note: The previous-generation Gengar once had the Floating ability.)
At the moment his words fell, a thick black mist rose around Gengar.
The next instant, his aura became suddenly archaic.
If Axel were present, he would be surprised to find that Platinum's Gengar's ability had already been swapped to Floating.
———
More than ten minutes later, Volkner watched Glastrier and Archaludon and their group leave, tilting his head to the sky at a 45-degree angle.
He was afraid that if he lowered his head, tears would fall from his eyes.
Ever since he learned Axel was coming, he had first waited excitedly for a day.
Finally waiting, the man didn't show, and his Pokémon had razed him.
When his gym spirit collapsed, Crasher gave him hope, saying Platinum was easy to beat.
Is this what Crasher meant by "easy to beat"?
'Easy my ass!'
That guy uses Toxic, then Sing, basically whatever dirty trick he can.
More absurdly, that Gengar had the Floating ability like those recorded in ancient texts.
His Pokémon were almost played to death.
After hesitating a long time, Volkner finally took out his communicator and opened the group chat.
[@Crasher Gym Leader, your suggestion was not bad, but I suggest you wait at the gym for me a bit, I have something to discuss with you.]
[Crasher: ??? Gym leader Volkner sorry, I'm going on a business trip tomorrow!]
[Volkner: Running? You think you can outrun my Raichu?]
While everyone argued, a message scrolled and was drowned by the group chat.
[BlackGold Gym Leader Byron: Brothers stop arguing, looks like more filth is coming.]
[I just met an absurd Pikachu. damn, it was only level 3 and it one-shot my big Onix!]
[BlackGold Gym Leader Byron: Hey hey hey, can you stop staring at Crasher and look at me for a sec?]
[Forget it... brothers, good luck to you all...]
———
Seeing the group chat descend into chaos, the last gym leader, Candice, fell into thought.
After watching so many days, she finally understood.
These two challengers are demons.
No matter how previous gym leaders prepared, these two people would clear stages in absurd ways and leave the gyms beaten senseless.
Should she just surrender now?
But the thought of being called to write a report by Miss Junsha made Candice's scalp tingle.
Better to get beaten up at least.
At least when Pokémon are beaten they can be sent to a Pokémon Center; if she were scolded she'd be sent to a mental hospital.
Suddenly a flash of insight crossed Candice's mind.
Unlike other gym leaders, she had another identity: a teacher at the Sinnoh Trainer Breeding Academy.
Under that identity her leader was not the Jenny family, but the Sinnoh League.
If League leadership needed her, she might reasonably avoid blame, right?
Thinking this, Candice decisively picked up the office landline and dialed a familiar number.
Beep~ Beep~ Beep~
The call connected, and Cynthia's tired voice came through.
["Hello, who is this?"]
Candice hurried to her feet, "Miss Cynthia, I'm Candice, a teacher at the Breeding Academy."
"There haven't been many challengers recently, so I wanted to ask, has this month's Patrol of the Spear Pillars been decided?"
"If not, I could help with the patrol!"
["Spear Pillars?",] Cynthia's tone carried some helplessness, ["No need to patrol the Spear Pillars for now."]
["But if Teacher Candice is free these days, could you come to Poplar Town?"]
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