Kanto region, Indigo Plateau.
"So that's how the Unova League sees N… Then I understand…"
Looking at the message Caitlin had sent him, Grey began thinking.
Although the Unova League had arranged two Champion candidates, in reality, they would still take public opinion into greater consideration.
In a situation like N's, before he gained the recognition of the local residents, becoming Champion would probably be a very difficult matter.
"Strange. Normally speaking, shouldn't someone be able to become Champion directly after defeating the Elite Four and then challenging the current Champion? Why is the Unova region making things more complicated?"
Silver, who had not entered the tournament, came over to Grey's seat. He also knew about the current situation in Unova. Based on his understanding of how League Champions were chosen, should it not just be whoever had the guts to take the spot?
"I don't get it either. The Unova League probably has its own considerations. If N doesn't become Champion, he could come to the Kanto region instead. Right, Senior Damalanchi?"
Grey looked at Damalanchi.
The latter was still smiling cheerfully.
"That's right. If that Unova League of theirs does not like N, then our Kanto League will just have to take in that homeless child."
Damalanchi grinned so widely that he was practically about to burst into laughter.
That was the wielder of Zekrom, a first-class legendary Pokémon.
If they could really get him to join them and become a trainer of the Kanto region, it would absolutely be a wonderful thing.
Even if N was pretending, they had enough battle power to stop N from doing anything bad.
In other words, if they successfully recruited N under their banner, it would definitely be a very good thing.
"Gym Leader Grey, what do you think the probability is that N comes to our Kanto region?"
Damalanchi narrowed his eyes and looked at Grey.
"I think it's pretty high. If the local residents of Unova really reject N that much, then I feel like if we extend an olive branch to him at that time, he will definitely join our Kanto region."
Grey had his own considerations as well.
As everyone knew, N was a very pure person.
He knew who treated him well.
In a situation where "the entire region stands against him," if someone reached out a helping hand, it would definitely move N to tears.
Of course, things had not reached that point yet.
Grey also did not know what all the residents of Unova truly thought.
Beep, beep…
His phone rang again.
[Caitlin: Grey, why aren't you replying to my messages? If you still don't reply, I'm going to get mad. (.)]
On Caitlin's side, after sending her message and seeing Grey stubbornly not reply, she had almost gotten angry again.
Fortunately, she knew what kind of person Grey was.
Normally, if he did not reply to her messages, he was definitely handling something.
So she only sent that one message and waited for Grey to reply when he had time.
And sure enough, after Grey saw that Caitlin had sent him a message, he replied right away.
[Dojo Annihilape: Sorry, sorry. I was just talking about something with Senior Damalanchi. I understand the situation with N now. Thank you very much for telling me.]
[Dojo Annihilape: I've honestly been really busy lately… Once I finish handling things in Hoenn, I'll definitely go straight from the Hoenn region to the Unova region to see you!]
[Dojo Annihilape: >o]
Grey sent three messages in a row.
First, he apologized and explained the reason. Then he painted a big promise for her. Finally, he sent a cute emoticon.
After this three-hit combo, although it was a little crude, it really did calm Caitlin down quite a bit.
[Caitlin: Hmph. I thought you missed me, but the moment you messaged me, it was just to ask about that man. I'm mad. So what are you going to do about it?]
[Caitlin: (｀⌒メ)ノ]
Caitlin was afraid Grey would take her whining seriously, so she added another emoticon to prevent Grey from really thinking she was angry.
[Dojo Annihilape: Let me think… How about I make time tonight to video call you? Also, the Indigo League Conference has just started, and I remember there are handmade bracelets nearby. How about I make you a bracelet later and mail it to you?]
Grey glanced at the vendor distribution map for the Indigo League Conference.
Among them was a shop selling handmade bracelets.
Grey had never given a girl a gift before. He only remembered that in his previous life, a girl had once told him that if he wanted to give a girl a present, he could give her a handmade bracelet.
What was that saying again?
Oh, right. It was the thought that counted, not the price.
And so, after suddenly remembering it, he sent that message to Caitlin.
He had no idea whether Caitlin would like it.
[Caitlin: !!!]
[Caitlin: I've grown up this much, and no one has ever given me a handmade bracelet before. Then I'll be looking forward to it a lot! Thank you, meow.]
[Caitlin:]
Caitlin was truly looking forward to the bracelet.
The accessories she bought were all finished products from major brands.
Something like what Grey had described was a first for her.
More importantly, this was something Grey would make by hand.
By hand!
One of a kind!
It was just like an instant photo.
Aside from the evo series of instant cameras, every instant photo taken by the others was one of a kind.
If Grey gave it to her, then that meant it would be a bracelet that belonged only to her.
Before he had even started making it, Caitlin had already begun imagining things.
[Dojo Annihilape: Okay. Then after the opening ceremony ends, I'll find a place and make one for you. But it might take a while. I need to pick which materials suit you.]
[Caitlin: No problem, meow. I'll keep waiting for you, meow!]
[Caitlin: Then I won't bother you anymore. I'm looking forward to seeing the bracelet. Mwah.]
[Caitlin: (><)/]
After sending the messages, Caitlin took the initiative to go offline.
On the Indigo Plateau side, Grey finally let out a sigh of relief.
While chatting with Caitlin just now, he had really been afraid of saying something wrong.
He had not chatted with girls much before. When Caitlin sent that message saying she was angry, it had genuinely scared him.
However, with the emoticon following it afterward, Grey also knew that Caitlin was purely acting spoiled.
Mm…
Sure enough, straightforward people were still easier to deal with.
The reason Grey did not interact much with girls was that he was afraid of guessing.
Guess wrong here, fail to handle things properly there, and then somehow make the girl angry again.
If she really got angry, he would still have to coax her.
At that point, it would take a lot of time.
One careless step, and he might even become a simp.
Being a simp was absolutely not something he could do.
Speaking of simps, Grey thought of the previous simp pig, Pignite.
After being educated by Reshiram, the current Pignite had already become "Pigblaze," a pig with no woman in his heart, whose flames burned with divine skill.
According to that kind of ranking, he was basically at the grand pig master level.
"I wonder how Pignite is doing back at the Gym."
Grey missed the group of Pokémon at the Gym a little.
It had only been three or four days, but Grey already felt like half a month had passed.
"Oh, right, Senior Damalanchi. If I go out later and want to take all the Pokémon in my Gym with me, what should I do?"
Grey looked at Damalanchi. The number of Pokémon he would need to carry when he went out later would definitely be high. Setting aside whether he would really use a group attack or not, he would definitely want to bring them along.
"Oh? Is Grey planning to travel far again? Under normal circumstances, a trainer can only carry six Pokémon. Sigh, even the Elite Four and Champions of every region all follow this rule."
What Damalanchi said was true.
Even villainous characters from various regions only carried six Pokémon.
Even if it was not explicitly written down, it had already become an unwritten rule.
If someone started breaking that precedent, they would definitely be attacked by everyone.
However, Grey heard the hidden meaning in Damalanchi's words.
He had said "under normal circumstances," which meant there were definitely abnormal circumstances.
They were all adults. Those who understood, understood.
It could not be said openly, only hinted at.
If someone with ulterior motives heard it, recorded it, and released it, would that not be the end?
"I remember Professor Oak and the Professors of various regions are conducting joint research to invent a portable carrying case. This case will be linked to a subspace transfer system. Through the Rotom and Porygon loaded inside the case, it will conduct remote transfers, allowing Pokémon to be switched anytime, anywhere."
Damalanchi had personally helped lead this project.
"Oh! The power of science is truly amazing!"
Grey knew what this thing was.
It was basically the Pokémon Box from the games, something that allowed Pokémon to be swapped anytime and anywhere. It was truly convenient for trainers.
However, he had not expected the Pokémon Box to be born so soon.
Thinking about it, it seemed pretty nice.
"Then, Senior Damalanchi, when will this Pokémon Box go on sale?"
Grey already could not wait to use the Pokémon Box.
"Ah, this little box cannot see the light of day just yet. Once it is truly built later, I will save one for you."
Damalanchi made a gesture for him to keep his voice down.
"Oh, that. If the little box can't see the light of day, then of course I understand. I'll wait until it's built, then try out what this thing is like."
Grey nodded lightly.
It was just that the conversation between the two sounded a bit like coded speech, making Silver, who was nearby, listen without understanding but still feel impressed.
"All right, the sacred flame runner is about to enter. The opening ceremony is also about to truly begin."
Damalanchi sat back down and looked toward the entrance, waiting for the runner to enter.
"Speaking of which, Gym Leader Grey, is there any trainer you favor?"
While waiting, Damalanchi did not forget to find another topic.
"Well, Senior Damalanchi, do you mean someone I simply think highly of, or someone I think can win the championship?"
Grey smacked his lips.
If it was simply someone he thought highly of, then there were plenty of choices, a whole busload of them.
But if the question was who he thought could win the championship, then there was only one choice.
Those who knew, knew.
"Naturally, I mean a trainer whom you personally think highly of, Gym Leader Grey."
Damalanchi stroked his beard and shook his head. "As for the champion of this Indigo League Conference, whether it is you or me, we should already have a candidate in mind, yes?"
"That's true."
Grey gave a bitter smile and said without thinking, "If it's just trainers I think highly of, then I feel all three from Pallet Town are pretty good."
The Pallet Town trio.
That was Ash, Gary, and Green.
Even though Green had not been in Pallet Town for a long time, her registered residence was still Pallet Town.
One could discover that with a little investigation, so it was not some big secret.
"Indeed. If not for that person, the champion of this Indigo League Conference should have been chosen from among those three."
Damalanchi was also optimistic about the three of them.
There was just a hint of pity in his tone.
What a pity that those three had run into an "evil" outsider, someone who had specially come over to enter a baby tournament and stomp weaker players.
"Senior Damalanchi, do you think there's a possibility that after he goes back and holds a tournament later, I could also go over and stomp some weaker players?"
Grey made a joke.
"Gym Leader Grey, it is good that you have that idea. But after all, you are a trainer of our Kanto region… So, you understand, right?"
Damalanchi winked at Grey.
"You mean I should not enter?"
"No. What I mean is, when you enter, remember to wear a disguise. Look over there. Isn't that one dressed very tightly to hide his identity?"
Damalanchi gestured with his mouth toward the Masked Royal.
"That's true. Then later, I'll wear a mask too and go stomp weaker players."
Grey nodded, still joking.
The Masked Royal had dressed himself up so that others would not know his identity.
However, in other people's eyes, that behavior felt a little like someone holding up a sign saying, "nothing suspicious here."
You came here to stomp weaker players, but you are still hiding your identity.
When you registered for the tournament, your place of residence was written down clearly. Was there any difference between hiding and not hiding?
Was he not afraid that local trainers would run over to his region and counter-stomp his weaker players?
Of course, those were just some online comments from Kanto residents.
Grey still knew why the Masked Royal wanted to conceal his identity.
"Gym Leader Grey really understands my heart."
Damalanchi smiled.
Grey also smiled.
Silver and Lance stared.
What were those two laughing about?
The two standing behind them looked at each other, both seeing helplessness in each other's eyes.
"Uncle Lance, you have worked hard managing the League all these years."
"It wasn't hard. I was just born unlucky. Silver, you have worked hard managing the Gym these past few days too."
Grey and Damalanchi were speechless.
We are still right here!
Besides, can't you tell we were joking?!
...
...
Very soon, the sacred flame runner entered the field.
The runner was Ash, which was exactly the same as in the original story.
There was not much to say about the opening ceremony.
After the flame was lit, it was the turn of the Elite Four, Damalanchi, and the others to give speeches.
The difference was that this time, Grey also had to give a speech.
"Ahem…"
Standing on the podium, Grey was still a little nervous.
Looking at the many contestants below, Grey cleared his throat. Only after calming himself down did he finish the speech.
The whole process was more frightening than dangerous, but fortunately, the result was good.
After returning to the audience seats, Grey still felt somewhat drained.
"Senior Damalanchi, please don't ask me to do these speeches in the future."
Grey let out a long breath and forced a faint smile at Damalanchi.
"Hehehe. Young people need to give more speeches. Later, there will definitely be even more scenes like this that require you to step forward."
Damalanchi looked deeply at Grey.
Grey scratched his head and only laughed along a few times.
"By the way, Gym Leader Grey, the Aether Foundation seems to be looking for you."
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