Kashiwagi once thought Toshiki and Hideki were orphans.
Through their conversation, he learned that their parents were actually traveling the world, only returning home a few times a year.
Talk about living the dream.
Leaving an eight-year-old behind like that was arguably irresponsible, to say the least. Having to balance running a Gym while raising a "problem child" like Hideki made Toshiki quite a capable man in his own right.
In this world, there are three paths to becoming a Gym Leader:
1. Inherit an existing Gym.
2. Be recommended by a panel of prestigious figures.
3. Start as an unofficial Gym, build enough fame to apply to the Pokémon League, and pass an inspection and investigation by a Pokémon Inspector.
Toshiki had attained his position through the second path.
"Excuse me, may I ask something a bit personal?"
Kashiwagi watched Toshiki's expression. Seeing him nod, he continued: "Hideki said your Gym is on the verge of closing?"
Toshiki's face stiffened, turning into a bitter smile. "Yes. Though I hate to admit it, the number of Badges I've issued over the past year has been... less than ideal. When the Pokémon Inspector arrives next, my Gym might be shut down."
"Define 'less than ideal'..."
"Three."
"Good grief." Kashiwagi couldn't help but suck in a breath of cold air. "Are there really that few challengers?"
Toshiki said awkwardly, "Few challengers is one part of it. The other is that my standards might be a bit too high."
"How so?"
"I generally set the difficulty based on Mr. Norman's standards. To some Trainers, it seems I've been a bit too... arrogant."
The young Leader sighed.
As a die-hard fan of Norman, Toshiki hadn't just modeled his Gym's appearance after Petalburg's; he had also mimicked the rules and requirements, trying to get every detail "just right."
Kashiwagi: "..."
Hearing this, he finally understood why this Gym was a ghost town.
"Phew—" He took a deep breath. "I have a question."
"Go ahead."
"What is the unique 'flavor' of this Gym? Or rather, what is the selling point that attracts people here?"
"Flavor...?" Toshiki was stunned. "Is that important?"
"Is it not?"
Kashiwagi almost lost his appetite. His head was full of question marks. "Pardon my bluntness, but if you imitate Mr. Norman in every single way, how are you supposed to attract challengers? Why would someone choose a 'knockoff' like you over the high-value 'original' next door?"
"Calling it a 'knockoff' is a bit..."
"Sorry, that was direct, but you have to understand—since you set up a Gym in North Petalburg, you and Norman are competitors. Do you get that?"
"Competitors? No, no, no! I wouldn't dare! I'm not worthy!"
Toshiki waved his hands frantically, a bashful smile plastered on his face.
Kashiwagi, however, couldn't find the humor in it. He felt an urge to pry open the man's head to see how it was wired. To be a fanboy to this extent...
Taking a deep breath and honoring the "grace of a shared meal," he began to strip away the delusions and lay the naked reality before Toshiki.
Competing with a world-famous figure in a neighboring city was hard enough. Toshiki had actively turned the difficulty setting from "Hard Mode" to "Abyssal Mode." If the Gym didn't die, who would?
Well, if it was going to die, it might as well die with its eyes open.
Toshiki's expression turned wooden as he listened.
Strictly speaking, he was a very intelligent man; otherwise, he never would have received the recommendations needed to become a Leader. The points Kashiwagi raised were easy to understand once given a second thought, but they were hard for Toshiki to swallow.
"You've been a Leader for a while now. You should know there's fierce competition between Gyms. If you copy everything about the Petalburg Gym, who's going to remember 'North Petalburg'?"
Kashiwagi didn't care if the man blew up at him. He'd said what needed to be said.
Fortunately, Toshiki wasn't the type to fly into a rage when confronted with the truth. After a long, heavy sigh, he muttered, "So, I'm really not suited to be a Gym Leader?"
"It's not about being suited or not. I just think your mindset is the problem."
Kashiwagi said, "There's nothing wrong with admiration. The mistake is letting that admiration cloud your judgment. You probably knew these things deep down, but your idolization of Norman blinded you. Have you ever actually talked to Norman?"
"Eh?"
"I'll take that as a no. Why not go talk to him? I'm sure a senior like Mr. Norman wouldn't be stingy about sharing his experiences as a Leader."
"But aren't we competitors...?"
"Are you playing dumb? Competition isn't the same as being enemies. Do you become blood rivals with everyone you battle? It's called 'healthy competition.' The world is overflowing with Trainers; Norman isn't going to blame you for taking a few challengers off his hands."
Kashiwagi even thought to himself that Norman would probably be grateful. After all, when you're that famous, the sheer volume of challengers can be overwhelming, eating into your personal time. Norman was only in his thirties—in his prime and very much in love with his wife—so he surely craved more private space.
Toshiki's expression shifted. "Then... I'll go ask him tomorrow—"
"No, go the day after tomorrow."
Kashiwagi reined in the man's sudden impulsiveness. "I'm challenging the Petalburg Gym tomorrow. Wait until I've secured my Badge."
"...Alright." Toshiki nodded, then added, "Do you want to try challenging my Gym?"
"Let me finish the Petalburg Gym first. That's going to be my first Badge, and I want to give it my all."
Kashiwagi finished his last bite. "Thanks for the hospitality. The dinner was excellent."
"I'll see you out!" Toshiki stood up quickly. He had wanted to offer Kashiwagi a room for the night, but he had already been turned down earlier.
-----
A peaceful night passed.
The next day. The sun was bright.
Kashiwagi did some warm-up exercises and woke up Galarian Corsola for a pre-battle briefing. Under its resentful gaze, he arrived at the gates of the Petalburg Gym half an hour early.
Today, the entrance was spotless. There were no North Petalburg flyers in sight; it seemed Hideki had actually learned his lesson.
He pushed the door open, and a boy with deep green hair came to meet him.
"Hello, challenger! Do you have a reservation?"
"I do. My name is Kashiwagi."
Kashiwagi showed the reservation info on his phone.
The boy blinked, startled, and then cried out, "Ah! You're Kashiwagi!"
"Uh... yeah? Something wrong?"
"Max called the Teacher and his wife! He specifically mentioned you! Teacher has been waiting for you for a long time!" The boy smiled brightly. "Oh, by the way, I'm Kenny. I'm an assistant here at the Petalburg Gym."
Kenny...
Kashiwagi searched his memory and matched the boy with the green-haired kid from the anime. He returned the smile. "Nice to meet you. Max mentioned you to me as well."
This was true—he'd heard the name while chatting with Max during their downtime.
"Really? That makes me so happy! Oh! Wait! I have to go tell the Teacher right away!" Kenny suddenly remembered his task and dashed toward the inner sanctum of the Gym, shouting back over his shoulder: "Please wait just a moment!"