Normally, a Gym Leader entered through the entrance opposite the Gym challenger's. That was only natural. But Kabu was different.
No matter who came, he stood beside them like this and entered the battlefield with the Gym challenger.
"When we stand together and go in side by side like this..."
After taking a deep breath, Kabu murmured softly.
"You can clearly see all the challenger's expressions and emotions."
I walked beside Kabu as I listened.
"Nerves, anxiety, fear, arrogance, optimism... I enjoy seeing everyone's different emotions."
"And now, it's time for both competitors to enter! Kabu, the Gym Leader who completed his duties yesterday, and the lightning-fast Floria!"
After passing through the dark passage, I stepped onto the reddish-brown battlefield. At the same time, deafening cheers and announcements rang out. I felt my eardrums trembling, yet, strangely, I could hear Kabu's voice clearly.
"But behind all those emotions, every one of them has a clear determination to defeat me. Every time, they remind me of who I was back then."
We crossed the boundary lines and entered the middle. For the first time since coming here, we stood face-to-face and looked at each other.
"It reminds me of the days when I kept looking ahead and running with all my strength. Of the days when I kept taking on challenges as a challenger myself."
Mr. Little Bear stared at me. Strangely, I couldn't tear my gaze away from his eyes.
"We Gym Leaders are walls to overcome, but we're also challengers aiming to become Champion. That's why I enter from the same place as the challenger, reminding my body how it felt back then and getting myself fired up." "I did it."
He let his pressure loose. It was stronger and heavier than Miss Bea's or Nessa's.
"Floria, deep in