"Mashin Hero Wataru... Mado King Granzort... What's this one?"
The figurines on the wall were all at least fifty centimeters tall and exquisitely crafted. Their display compartments had been carved straight into the rock, using the existing stone carvings to create remarkably vivid backdrops.
"That's Pokémon Sentai Gaoranger. The heroes can communicate with Legendary Pokémon and turn them into mechs. It's a classic of the sentai genre."
Zhang Mo patiently explained the figurines Xin Mu didn't recognize. Judging by the number on display, this Gym Leader really loved this stuff.
And this was only part of the outer passage. Farther inside, calling it a figurine showroom no longer seemed quite right. A wax museum would have been more accurate.
"Say, Gym Leader, did you get permission to make these...?"
These weren't just displays of fictional characters. They depicted people from the various regional Leagues and their partners: Cynthia and her Garchomp, Diantha and her Gardevoir, Iono and her Bellibolt, Alder and his Volcarona...
If there hadn't been male Trainers farther back, Xin Mu would have started wondering exactly what this Gym Leader was up to behind closed doors.
Although Gym Leaders held legitimate, League-certified positions, someone could be a Gym Leader in public and the boss of Team Rocket in secret. Getting up to some decidedly indecent business would hardly be surprising.
"What are you thinking? Of course I got their permission. I'm not selling them, either. These are just keepsakes. Once some things are gone, you'll never see them again."
As he said that, Zhang Mo looked toward Alder's statue. His Volcarona was no longer around.
Every region's Champion was its pillar of support. While Alder was protecting the Pokémon League, his main partner, Volcarona, had overexerted itself and become terribly weak, eventually dying of illness.
"Let's not dwell