It was not a sheer drop, but the boy who had lost to the finishing blow nearly fell to his knees.
Kaim thanked Metagross and walked over to the boy with him.
"Damn it, you're a Fighting-type Gym Leader, but you use Pokémon that aren't Fighting types?"
"There's no rule saying I can only use Fighting types. I simply put together the team I envisioned, in my own way."
Sitting on Metagross's head, Kaim questioned the boy, his face expressionless.
"Uh, I still don't remember who you are, but do you understand what a Gym Leader's role is, Rookie Trainer?"
Reacting to the word "rookie," the boy glared at Kaim and roared.
"A rookie?! I've already earned my Gym Badges! And you're calling me a rookie?"
"You are a rookie. Earning Gym Badges is the starting line for a Pokémon Trainer. In fact, you might not have lost a single Pokémon here."
"Oh, that didn't go over well!"
"Now that you've earned your Gym Badges, you're officially a Trainer."
"Guh."
Unwilling to admit defeat, he tried to spit out every retort he could think of, but he knew it was all true, so he gritted his teeth and snapped at him.
"Honestly, you're still weak. I think Victory Road will be tough for you, even with a full set of Gym Badges."
Victory Road served to screen those entering the Pokémon League preliminaries. Simply collecting Gym Badges made someone an official Trainer, but not a top-tier one. For a Trainer aiming for the summit, earning Gym Badges amounted to nothing more than stepping up to the starting line.
"Your training is lax, and your instructions are sloppy and careless. You give useless orders when you could leave the decision to your Pokémon. For someone who can only give orders like