After sending the waiter away, Nozomi recalled his Gyarados into its Poké Ball and then enjoyed a deep, comfortable sleep.
The next morning, refreshed and full of energy, Nozomi set out to find the Cinnabar Gym.
"Blaine's Hot Spring Inn…"
As he walked down the island's streets, Nozomi shopped idly while scanning both sides of the road for hot spring resorts.
He didn't bother going to the Cinnabar Gym itself—he knew perfectly well it had been closed for quite some time. As the Gym Leader of Cinnabar Island, Blaine had grown disheartened; most trainers who came here were more interested in soaking in hot springs than battling for badges. Now he ran a hot spring inn instead, living in a semi-retired, reclusive state.
"But seriously, which one of these dozens of inns is actually Blaine's?"
Even though Nozomi remembered the general storyline from the anime, he couldn't recall exactly where Blaine's inn was located.
"This is such a pain… What's with this 'semi-retirement' nonsense? If he wants to retire, then retire properly! Let someone else take over the Gym. Now everything's just unnecessarily complicated."
Nozomi's mood was sour.
If Blaine didn't want to be a Gym Leader anymore, there would be plenty of people eager to replace him. Just look at what happened in Dark City—Yas and Kaz had practically beaten each other senseless over a Gym that wasn't even officially recognized by the League yet.
If they knew Blaine was acting like this, their heads would probably explode.
Nozomi didn't know whether Yas and Kaz would lose their minds over it, but after searching for half an hour without finding a trace of Blaine, he was about ready to explode.
He wondered if he'd been too polite. Maybe if he demolished the Cinnabar Gym, Blaine would show up on his own.
Just as Nozomi was seriously considering tearing the Gym down, an old man wearing a golden wig and sunglasses appeared in his line of sight.
Nozomi's eyes immediately lit up.
That man with the golden wig—if that wasn't Blaine, then who else could it be?
At that moment, Blaine was standing at a small stall, haggling with the shopkeeper over some goods.
Seeing this, Nozomi didn't hesitate. He strode right up behind Blaine and gave his shoulder a firm pat.
"Blaine, you really made me search for a long time!"
Completely caught off guard, Blaine jolted in surprise when he felt the hand on his shoulder.
"Who!?"
Instinctively, his hand went to the Poké Ball at his waist as he turned around warily.
When he saw Nozomi's face, his expression froze.
"You?" Blaine asked, wearing an odd look.
Cinnabar Island – Blaine's Hot Spring Inn
Nozomi sat at a table, a cup of tea in his hand, gazing across at Blaine.
"Blaine, I've been looking for you all morning," Nozomi said. "You sure know how to hide. If you hadn't brought me here yourself, I probably wouldn't have found this place even by nightfall."
He recalled how Blaine had led him through countless twists and turns before finally arriving at this remote little inn. The thought made Nozomi's temple twitch.
He'd been lucky to bump into Blaine by chance. If not, he might have ended up blasting the Cinnabar Gym just to smoke the man out.
Blaine coughed awkwardly at Nozomi's complaint, feeling slightly embarrassed.
"Well then, young man, what brings you here to find me?" Blaine asked, changing the subject.
Of course Blaine knew who Nozomi was. As a semi-retired Gym Leader, his daily routine—aside from occasionally accepting challenges when he felt like it—was simply to watch League news and keep up with current events.
He still had connections within the League, so he'd heard plenty about Nozomi, the rising young trainer rumored to rival the Elite Four in strength.
Naturally, Blaine was curious about him.
But he couldn't quite figure out why Nozomi had come to seek him out in person.
"It's nothing major," Nozomi replied casually. "I just came to challenge the Cinnabar Gym."
He finished the last sip of tea from his cup.
"Challenge the Gym?" Blaine repeated, his expression twisting oddly.
According to everything he'd heard, Nozomi's power was already comparable to the Elite Four. Why would someone like that bother with Gym challenges?
"No choice," Nozomi said simply. "I'm missing just one last badge. Might as well finish what I started."
He opened his jacket, revealing six neatly arranged badges gleaming on the inner lining.
"…"
Blaine fell silent. Nozomi's reasoning was flawless—and technically, as a registered Rookie-Level Trainer, he had every right to challenge the Gym. By League rules, Blaine had to accept.
But Blaine didn't want to.
He enjoyed mentoring younger trainers, sure—but that didn't mean he enjoyed getting utterly crushed.
Age brought wisdom, and Blaine knew perfectly well that if Nozomi's strength was even half of what the rumors claimed… there was no way he could win.
His expression grew strained.
"There are so many Gyms in the League," Blaine protested. "Why not challenge one of the others? Why come all the way to Cinnabar Island?"
The Kanto League had far more than eight Gyms. Aside from the main eight featured in official tournaments, there were numerous smaller, less famous ones—sixteen or seventeen in total, designed to balance out the difficulty for trainers collecting badges.
Cinnabar was one of the farthest and most remote of them all. Blaine truly couldn't understand why Nozomi had to pick his Gym of all places.
"Because this place has hot springs," Nozomi answered matter-of-factly. "And besides, I'm already here. You expect me to turn back now?"
"…I hate hot springs."
Blaine's distaste for the island's tourist trade was obvious.
Nozomi didn't respond. He merely poured himself another cup of tea, waiting patiently for Blaine's decision.
Watching Nozomi's calm, unbothered demeanor, Blaine felt a mix of irritation and resignation.
Served him right, perhaps—after all, he had made the kid search the entire island.
At last, seeing that Nozomi wasn't going to leave, Blaine sighed heavily. There was no escaping this.
If he refused the challenge outright, Nozomi could easily report him to the League, and as a Gym Leader who had practically abandoned his duties, Blaine would face serious consequences.
"Fine," Blaine said at last, standing up. "Follow me."
Though reluctant, he finally agreed to Nozomi's challenge.
He didn't want to battle, but it was still better than losing his position as Gym Leader altogether.
After all, the Cinnabar Gym represented half a lifetime of his dedication—there was no way he could stand by and watch it fall into someone else's hands.