After hearing how strong the challenger was, Pryce had wanted to refuse outright. Challenging him with just one Pokémon at the Beginner King level? One puff from Swinub's nose would probably be more than he could withstand.
But when Pryce saw Froslass beside them, he said, "Take him straight to the Arena."
"What?!" both Roy and the apprentice exclaimed.
Neither of them had expected Pryce's decision.
Once the apprentice left, Pryce shook his head.
"Young people these days are too impatient."
"What about me, Pryce?"
Roy pointed at himself, waiting for Pryce's assessment.
Pryce sized Roy up and delivered his verdict.
"You? You're stubborn as a mule."
Hey! Why's the old man insulting me?
Faced with Roy's indignant protest, Pryce insisted he meant stubborn in a good way: steadfast, meticulous.
Roy wasn't convinced by the explanation. Had the old man been taking a sly dig at him or not?
After the apprentice left, Roy brought Froslass and Pryce back to the Arena. A tall man in a referee's uniform was already inside.
The referee was surprised to see Roy walking behind Pryce. This was the first time he had seen anyone laugh and chat with Pryce, let alone someone so young.
Led by the Gym apprentice, a man appeared at the Arena entrance. He had long blond hair, a haughty expression, a purple suit, and a red bow tie.
But he wore only a shirt beneath his purple jacket, and he didn't have Roy's constitution.
The moment he entered, a gust of cold wind made him shiver. His nose started running, and he kept muttering, "What kind of lousy Gym is this? It's freezing."
Roy thought the man looked familiar, though they had never met. He was probably a character from the anime.
But which one?
At the sight of