Gym Leader

Sinnoh Region.

At Cynthia's home near Mio City.

Cynthia and Kaim faced each other on the battlefield near her house.

"Come back!"

Little Black's Payback struck Cynthia's Lucario head-on.

Lucario took the hit, thinking he could endure it, but the damage exceeded his limits, and he dropped to his knees. He tried with all his strength to stand, but failed, his knees finally giving way. Perhaps sheer determination kept him from collapsing completely.

"That's enough."

Cynthia recalled Lucario to his ball. Across from her, Kaim was drenched in sweat and breathing heavily.

Perhaps because he had been so desperate, he couldn't grasp what Cynthia meant and found himself asking again.

"Hah... really?"

"Lucario can't battle anymore. You won."

"I won?"

"Those were the rules, right? I only used Lucario, while you used Kuroki, Blaziken, Lucario, and Mohawk."

"I won."

Since Cynthia had restricted herself to Lucario, Kaim would win if he became unable to battle. Meanwhile, Zweilous hadn't received enough training to fight yet, so he hadn't participated in this battle.

Yet Kaim stood there stunned, perhaps because it hadn't sunk in.

"What's wrong?"

"No, well... I don't know how to feel."

Until now, he had never managed to knock out one of Cynthia's Pokémon in their battles. As a result, even though they had thrown everything they had at her Pokémon, he still couldn't accept that they had actually defeated one.

"Didn't I tell you? If you broke that bad habit, you'd improve."

"Ah."

There were still plenty of things he needed to improve.

But Kaim had definitely reached a higher level. Otherwise, he could never have knocked out one of Cynthia's Pokémon.

"Until now, you've fought using only the basics I taught you. Sometimes you added my methods to those basics, but the only opponents you could beat were Trainers still collecting Badges. My methods suit me and my Pokémon. There are other methods that suit yours."

"So it was like fighting with a weapon that didn't suit me?"

"Yes. Actually, didn't it feel easier than usual?"

Just as Cynthia said, Kaim had found it easier than usual to control the battle. Express his thoughts immediately. He realized that if he followed through on that completely, things would change dramatically.

"Yes."

"You should be able to find your own way of doing things now, Kaim. But you didn't believe that. Instead, you followed instructions from all sorts of people, including me, so neither you nor your Pokémon could fully realize your potential."

Both Trainers and Pokémon had their own personalities. As such, the methods that suited each Trainer and each Pokémon differed. No single strategy suited every Trainer.

There was also a wall that basic strength alone couldn't overcome. Only when mind, technique, and body reached a certain level could someone cross that wall. If any one was lacking, they couldn't get past it. That was the very wall Kaim had run into.

However, thanks to N's advice, Kaim had managed to correct his bad habit, if not completely, and overcome that wall. He could feel it himself.

"What a huge difference."

"Didn't I tell you that, of mind, technique, and body, you already had the technique and the body? Your mind was holding them back. I knew you could reach this stage."

"That's amazing. You know, you're only two years older than me, yet there's such a difference."

"Everyone has things they're good and bad at."

"Your housework is downright disastrous, Cynthia."

"Hey."

Cynthia tapped the joking Kaim on the forehead.

She folded her arms and thought deeply about him. To be honest, Kaim couldn't quite feel happy about it.

"I think you understand, but you really have reached a higher level now. You're at the level of a Gym Leader. But to truly get past your wall, you need to overcome the opponent you've kept losing to."

"...Plum?"

"Right. What's your record against her now?"

"Forty-nine losses, not counting draws."

"I think your current style will surprise her."

The root of Kaim's bad habit lay in his current state of continual defeat. Therefore, he first needed to win against the opponent he had always lost to. The most fundamental cause couldn't have existed because of his older sister, but since he had begun seriously studying battling, he had suffered plenty of losses against Sumo. That was why he had to defeat her.

"I know."

"It's all right. You've already built up what you need. Everything you've accumulated is your weapon now."

Kaim had few tools at his disposal. However, he had proven that even those few weapons could work against highly skilled opponents, depending on how he used them. Having knocked out one of Cynthia's Pokémon left no doubt about that.

"When I look at what I can do, I'm sure there's someone who can do each thing better. There probably isn't anything only I can do. I managed to beat one of your Pokémon, but I still can't feel confident."

"Yes. You can't just shake off a belief that's been ingrained in you for twenty years."

"Yeah. I don't have confidence."

"I should thank N."

It was only after N spoke to him that he had come up with the idea.

Cynthia had thought she had no choice but to work through the problem little by little, so she hadn't expected Kaim to get over the wall so quickly.

"Yeah. I'm grateful to everyone. Not just N. Caitlin, Alice, and Shikimi too."

"I'll definitely repay their kindness someday."

"Starting with you, Cynthia."

"I didn't do it because I wanted anything in return, so you don't have to. But that makes me happy. Thank you."

Kaim knew very well that he wasn't alone. Loyal as he was, it was only natural for him to repay the kindness he received. He considered it the recipient's responsibility.

Cynthia understood his personality well, so she didn't want to dismiss his feelings. Still, she wanted nothing in return and couldn't simply accept. Of course, depending on what Kaim gave her, she might secretly be delighted, but he didn't notice that.

"When are you going to the Gym next?"

"Tomorrow. I have a few challengers booked, and once those battles are over, I'll challenge Sumo."

"Yes. You can win now."

"I'll trust you on that."

He picked up Little Black and walked back to the house beside Cynthia.

After that, they went about their usual lives and slept together that night. Since returning from the Isshu Region, sharing a single bed had become their default. By now, Kaim had grown used to it and no longer behaved rashly.

The next day.

Veilstone Gym.

"Oh, Kaim."

As soon as he arrived at the Gym, Sumo, who was talking to the receptionist by the entrance, noticed him and called out.

"Good morning."

"Yes. Good morning."

"So, what's going on?"

"It's about today's challengers. Three have appointments today, so I'd like to ask you to battle two of them."

To challenge a Pokémon Gym, a Trainer could book a challenge in advance and visit at the appointed time. They would then battle three or four Gym Trainers, depending on the Gym. If they defeated those Trainers, they could challenge the Gym Leader. They also received time to heal their Pokémon between battles, allowing challengers to fight every match in perfect condition, though some dared to proceed without healing.

Meanwhile, the Gym needed to make preparations based on the number of Badges each challenger had earned, including assigning suitable Trainers and Pokémon.

"Understood. How many Badges do my challengers have?"

"One has four, and the other has seven."

"I see. They're fairly advanced for challengers."

"It looks like we'll be the last Gym for one of them, and they seem to be collecting Badges pretty quickly."

"...I see."

If someone only wanted to collect Gym Badges, steadily leveling up their Pokémon was enough. Gym Trainers and Gym Leaders never went all out against challengers. If they did, the challengers would certainly lose.

However, Sumo was still relatively new to being a Gym Leader. She was young, and being a natural prodigy, she sometimes struggled to adjust her strength. If she eased off a little, she became much weaker, but if she fought seriously, she was quite formidable. Of course, she could adjust her strength to let challengers win, but there was inconsistency. Perhaps today's challenger with seven Badges would face a genuine battle against Sumo during their Gym Challenge. Naturally, that wasn't a bad thing, so Kaim had no intention of saying anything. He just felt a little sorry for the challenger.

Even if today's challenger won, it would be rough.

He smiled wryly to himself without letting it show and continued the conversation.

"So when are the challengers coming?"

"At ten, twelve, and three. You'll handle the ones at ten and three, Kaim. Thank you."

"Got it."

"I'll leave it to you, then."

"Plum."

Sumo tried to leave, but Kaim stopped her. She halted and turned around.

"Yes?"

"Have you eaten breakfast?"

"Ah."

Sumo was at a loss for words.

Her family was poor, and her father spent most of his time playing slot machines from morning until night, leaving almost no money at home. As a result, Plum ate only once a day.

Kaim, who walked around dressed like a caretaker, couldn't possibly ignore such unhealthy eating habits.

"...Sorry."

Plum would eat if she could. Even Sumo didn't enjoy being hungry all the time. But with neither money nor food at home, there was nothing she could do.

"I see. Here, take these."

Of course, Kaim understood that too. He knew some circumstances were beyond her control, and he wasn't cruel enough to try to scold her over them.

So whenever he came to the Gym, he cooked for Sumo. He took three large food containers from his bag and handed them to her.

"I made rice balls, chicken salad, Tamagoyaki, and stew. You need raw vegetables too, so I made a salad. I prepared three portions since they'll keep for a while, but please eat them soon."

Kaim always gave Plum nutritionally balanced meals. When Cynthia learned about Sumo's circumstances, she readily agreed to let him cook for her.

He had been cooking for Sumo for over a year, but her father still knew nothing about it. Of course, Kaim wasn't doing it because he wanted anything in return.

He didn't want to say anything like that. Ultimately, it was his good nature that had drawn her to him.

"Ah, I'm sorry."

"You look after me too, so don't worry about it."

"This really helps."

Without Kaim's food, Sumo might have remained hungry all the time. Thanks to him, she could train properly, and most importantly, she had some room in her food budget. At first, she had tried to pay for the meals, but Kaim refused to accept any money.

Kaim said she could make up for that amount by battling him a few times, but Sumo felt she was receiving far more. She thought to herself that someday, she would definitely repay his kindness.

"They're so alike."

In fact, Kaim had grown stronger because Sumo accepted his challenges no matter how many times he lost. Even losing battles against a higher-level opponent could earn him a great deal of experience.

"Thank you. I look forward to working with you today."

Sumo headed to the training room with the food containers.

He checked the clock. It was nine, leaving about an hour before the first challenger arrived.

"I'd better get changed and pick my Pokémon."

Gym Trainers changed the Pokémon they used according to the number of Badges their opponents had earned. Thus, when fighting as a Gym Trainer, Kaim chose Pokémon belonging to the Gym.

Gym Trainers and Gym Leaders had to battle not only with their own Pokémon but with others as well, adjusting their strength for every opponent. Among professions specializing in battling, theirs was particularly unusual and demanded considerable versatility.

"Four Badges for the first one, was it? Then their levels should be around thirty."

He selected two Pokémon while checking the list.

He chose Gorky, Lv. 29, and Nidorino, Lv. 30, to face his first challenger. Picking up their two balls, he let them out.