Takeo knew that the other party came from the Dragon Clan, so it was normal for them to look down on his Rock-type moves.
But he still felt a little uncomfortable inside.
He reminded Lance, "Young people can be spirited, but don't be too arrogant."
"I've noted it," Lance replied, then recalled his Dragonair and turned to walk outside, clearly not taking it to heart.
He walked into the dense crowd and coldly told a group of Gym apprentices and Trainers who were watching, "Move aside!"
His powerful aura indeed intimidated the group of people, causing them to move out of the way.
Only Flint remained standing because of Lance's impoliteness towards Takeo.
Although Flint was not strong enough, he was quite brave. He looked directly at Lance, his eyes flashing with dissatisfaction and fighting spirit.
Lance frowned at Flint, seemingly about to make a move.
It was Takeo who saw this scene and called out to Flint, "Flint, move aside."
Flint reluctantly clenched his fists, but in the end, he moved his body aside.
Lance did not look at him again and walked out.
Coincidentally, Giovanni had just walked in at this moment and bumped into Lance head-on.
They both stopped simultaneously and looked at each other.
Like Giovanni, Lance clearly sensed a threat from Giovanni. Auras simultaneously surged from both of them and collided!
That feeling of sharp brilliance made the apprentices observing the scene involuntarily lower their heads.
To say that anyone could look directly at them, it was only Takeo.
Lance was a few years older than Giovanni, and he could see this situation, so he couldn't bring himself to attack Giovanni.
And Giovanni didn't need to fight Lance, so they quickly withdrew their auras and then brushed past each other.
The tense atmosphere was thus eased.
Thump-thump!
Lance's back disappeared into the Pewter City Gym, and Giovanni became the protagonist in everyone's eyes.
Takeo was indeed a qualified Gym Leader. Even though his Pokémon had temporarily lost their combat ability, he still asked Giovanni as usual:
"Are you a Trainer here to challenge the Gym? Do you have an appointment?"
"Yes, I am," Giovanni nodded, then looked at Flint, "Regarding the appointment..."
Flint quickly walked to Takeo's side and whispered a few words into his ear.
Takeo's face darkened a little, and he first scolded Flint, "You, you! You're really going too far!"
However, he still valued his son-in-law, it was just that Flint was a bit disappointing.
Moreover, the Pewter City Gym had indeed been a bit strapped recently.
After he finished his outburst, Takeo then said to Giovanni:
"I'm truly sorry. As you just saw, that Trainer was very strong, and you want the highest challenge. My second team of Pokémon definitely won't do, and my first team of Pokémon probably won't be able to battle for the next few days."
Giovanni frowned. This was not the answer he wanted to hear.
Takeo, of course, saw Giovanni's dissatisfaction, and he immediately said:
"But don't worry, since Flint has agreed, then we won't go back on our word."
Giovanni then relaxed his brows. "Then what's the arrangement?"
Takeo pushed Flint forward. "Since Flint agreed to you, let him battle you."
Flint didn't even have time to refuse.
Giovanni, however, said, "You should be able to sense my approximate strength. He's not my opponent."
Takeo nodded. "Yes, I can also sense that I'm not your opponent either, but the process still needs to be followed. It just so happens that he can substitute for me. The result will be the same anyway, this doesn't affect it."
Challenging the Gym was just an experience. If there was no need for a battle, Giovanni could avoid it.
"In that case, I have no objections."
Both he and Takeo were satisfied, but Flint was unwilling.
"Father-in-law, you know I don't like battling. I only like taking care of Pokémon."
Upon hearing this, Takeo was so angry that he puffed out his cheeks and glared, "Nonsense! The future Pewter City Rock Gym is going to be taken over by you! If you don't like battling, then who will battle?! Me, this old man who's about to be buried?!"
Scolded so harshly by Takeo, Flint was clearly deflated.
Takeo also held Flint's lifeline. "What's more, this is something you agreed to, so you have to take responsibility yourself."
"But..." Flint was losing his nerve.
Giovanni watched the father-in-law and son-in-law, just standing by silently.
Of course, in the end, Flint still couldn't win against Takeo, and he was ultimately pushed onto the field.
To say that Flint was weak, he wasn't actually weak. He had Senior Level strength, he just didn't like battling people.
After registering his ID card with Takeo, due to Giovanni's surging strength, battling apprentices was actually no longer necessary.
But the process still had to be followed, though for Giovanni, it was an easy test to pass.
Upon reaching the actual Gym Battle, the fight was about to begin.
"Gym Battle begin! Interim Gym Leader Flint versus... Trainer Giovanni!"
The arena was the battleground that had just finished a battle, still with some accumulated water.
With Takeo acting as the referee, the fairness of this battle could also be guaranteed. Actually, this wasn't important, because no matter what, Flint was going to lose.
Takeo waved his hand and said to Giovanni and Flint:
"Both sides will each send out one Pokémon to battle. There will be a total of six Pokémon. The loser is determined when all of their Pokémon can no longer battle."
"Additionally, Trainers can also enter the field to attack the opposing Trainer."
As soon as he finished speaking, Giovanni's gaze instantly became very sharp. He then stretched his body, making crackling sounds.
This made Takeo instantly regret it. He felt that he shouldn't have said such a thing. This was clearly not right; this young man looked very strong.
He only had one son-in-law, he didn't want him to get hurt.
As for Flint opposite him, when Giovanni looked at him, he only felt a chill down his spine and his scalp tingle.
Fortunately, Takeo was a Gym Leader, so he could still make decisions. "Cough, cough, well, Trainers don't need to enter the field."
Giovanni frowned slightly, but since Takeo had said so, he didn't need to insist.
Giovanni's first Pokémon was Rhydon!
The massive Rhydon, with an even more astonishing aura, roared, showcasing its formidable strength!
Takeo, acting as the referee, was quite idle at this moment. Upon seeing Rhydon, his eyes immediately widened, and he promptly said:
"What an excellent Rhydon! Both its potential and strength are top-notch. Although it's Senior Level, it gives me a feeling that it can defeat a Gym Leader Level Pokémon."
Rhydon's excellence doubled the pressure on Flint, but since he had already been pushed onto the stage, he had no choice.
He also released his Pokémon, a Senior Level Graveler, which also looked quite good.
It just seemed to lack battle experience and wasn't particularly confident when facing Rhydon.
This was Flint's weakness: his lack of battle experience.
In fact, one could say that this battle was deliberately arranged by Takeo, precisely to force Flint to battle again and again.
So that he could take over the Gym.