Ilima was shown out the door in a daze.
Granted, whether to award a Badge was up to the Gym Leader, but after all his time studying abroad, this was the first time he had lost a Gym battle and still received one.
Was that even allowed?
His instinct was to refuse, but by the time he came to his senses, he was already beside the canal outside the Gym. The Old Butler, Sebastian, had even called a boat.
"Sir."
"Once you accept a Badge awarded by a Gym Leader, you generally can't give it back. It goes into the system."
The Old Butler smiled kindly.
Ilima was speechless.
Could Gym Leaders just force Badges on people now?
He stepped silently into the boat. The moment he sat down, something occurred to him, and he called out,
"The Gym Leader said he looked forward to seeing me again. Will he be a guest at the Ever Grande Conference?"
"No. A competitor."
"I see—wait, what!?"
Ilima's eyes widened. Thinking he must have misheard, he asked again, "Did you say a competitor?"
The Old Butler nodded. "Yes. You heard correctly."
"A competitor..."
The Old Butler's answer echoed in his ears like a spell.
Only when the boat reached the Pokémon Center and the boatman reminded him to get off did the handsome young man from Alola finally come back to himself.
He gazed toward the Sootopolis Gym, now long out of sight, and murmured,
"A competitor at the conference serving as a temporary Gym Leader... That can happen?"
The world beyond Alola really was full of surprises.
Anything could happen out here!
After leaving his injured Pokémon in Miss Joy's care, Ilima searched for Baimu online. Someone like him had to be famous.
And then...
"Hm?"
Ilima brought his phone closer, then