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Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, three full days had already gone by since the Mt. Chimney incident.
At the foot of Mt. Chimney, inside the Lavaridge Gym, Liam—whose injuries had mostly healed—changed into a fresh set of clothes, secured his PokeBalls, and strode out of his room.
A few minutes later, he arrived at the main hall of the gym.
"Yo! You're here! Haha! How are you feeling?"
Inside the hall, a group of people had already been waiting. The moment Liam stepped in, Wattson—clearly bored from waiting—laughed loudly and greeted him.
"Hehe, I'm mostly fine now. Thank you all for your concern."
Liam walked over with a smile and nodded in response.
"Good thing the Champion wasn't seriously hurt this time. Otherwise, we'd never be able to take responsibility for it."
Terry chimed in with a teasing smile.
"Haha, you're exaggerating. I should be thankful you're not blaming me for acting recklessly."
Liam sat down beside Mr. Moore, rubbing the back of his head with a slightly embarrassed expression.
"Still, although your actions were somewhat rash, they solved the problem. Capturing so many members of Team Aqua and Team Magma at once—your contribution was indispensable."
Elite Four Moore spoke with a gentle smile.
And indeed, just as he said—this satisfying outcome was largely thanks to Liam and Lorelei's "reckless" actions.
Three days earlier, after the tunnel collapsed, the fleeing members of Team Magma and Team Aqua were intercepted thanks to Lorelei's timely report. Moore reacted swiftly, mobilizing a large number of League members. The two organizations were caught completely off guard.
Although their leaders ultimately managed to escape with a handful of subordinates, the results were still highly successful.
Among those captured was Iga, who had only recently joined Team Aqua.
At this moment, there were ten people gathered in the hall, including Liam. These were the nine Gym Leaders of the Hoenn region—though Mossdeep Gym was led by a couple, bringing the number up by one.
Lorelei, however, was no longer here.
After bringing Liam down from Mt. Chimney, she had stayed by his side for two days, taking care of him. Once he had fully recovered, she left for Kanto with the captured Iga.
Iga would likely "visit" Team Rocket for a while before eventually being sent back to Johto.
This had been something Liam had already agreed upon with Giovanni—it was also part of Lorelei's mission.
On the second day after the incident, Gym Leaders from various cities had gathered one after another. Among them were familiar faces like Juan, as well as others Liam hadn't interacted much with—such as the Mossdeep and Dewford Gym Leaders.
The Hoenn League Chairman had also personally arrived, gave commendations, and then quickly departed—seemingly very busy.
With that, the Mt. Chimney incident was officially concluded.
.....
Now that everything was settled, Liam knew there was no reason to stay any longer. His purpose in coming here today was actually to say goodbye.
However, looking at all the Hoenn Gym Leaders gathered in one place, Liam felt this was a rare opportunity he shouldn't waste.
"Lord Moree.. Now that everything here is settled, I plan to take my leave. But before that… I have a request."
Taking advantage of everyone being present, Liam spoke up.
"Hm? Go ahead. You've helped us greatly this time. As long as it's within our ability, feel free to ask."
Moore narrowed his eyes slightly before generously waving his hand.
"Haha, then I'll say it. Gym Leader Wattson, Terry, and Juan already know—I've been collecting Hoenn Gym Badges. It's just a hobby; I won't use them for anything. If possible, I'd like to challenge everyone here to Pokémon battles. If I win… I hope to receive your Gym Badges."
Liam stood up and spoke sincerely.
Moore: "…"
Everyone else: "…"
For a moment, the entire hall fell silent.
"…That's it?"
After a long pause, Moore asked uncertainly.
"Yes, that's all."
Liam nodded.
"Haha, I thought it was something serious. So that's all! Champion, we all know your strength. I doubt anyone here could easily defeat you. However, Gym Badges are symbols of each Gym's responsibility. Simply handing them over would be disrespectful to our duties—and also to you."
As he spoke, Juan's expression turned slightly awkward, and Liam scratched his cheek, waiting for him to continue.
"So, I propose this—we still battle, but with a different format."
Moore took out a fiery red badge and placed it gently on the table.
"There's still cleanup work regarding Team Magma and Team Aqua. If everyone battles you individually, it would take too much time.
So I suggest this: one of us will battle you as a representative. If you win, the rest of us will hand over our badges. That way, it saves time. What do you think? And the rest of you?"
"…"
"…"
"I have no objections."
After thinking it over, Liam realized this proposal greatly benefited him—he only needed to win once to obtain all the badges.
"We agree as well."
The Mossdeep Gym Leaders exchanged a glance. One of them took out a heart-shaped badge and placed it on the table.
"Agreed."
"Agreed."
One after another, the remaining Gym Leaders placed their badges down in agreement.
"Good. Since everyone agrees, let's choose a representative. Who here is confident enough to take on the Champion?"
Moore looked around with satisfaction.
"For something this important, it should be you, Mr. Flannery."
The first to speak was the Petalburg Gym Leader.
"That's right. You're an Elite Four member and a senior. In both strength and experience, none of us have objections."
Juan added at just the right moment.
Soon, everyone voiced their agreement—it was unanimously decided that Moore was the best candidate.
"Very well. Since everyone says so, this old body of mine will stretch its bones a bit today. Champion—you heard them. I'll be your opponent!"
With that, he pushed himself up from the table, turned to Liam, and spoke with a fiery battle spirit in his voice.