In the Unova Region's Champion Castle, Alder was whistling as he looked guiltily at his apprentice.
"What? Master, Caitlin ran off? The damn challenger's almost here!" Marshal shouted, clutching his head in despair.
"Ahem... keep it down!" Alder kicked Marshal in the backside. "Didn't Caitlin leave Darach to fill in for her?"
"Then where is she? She's one of the Elite Four, but she never does her job! She's either off flirting with the Sinnoh Champion or going to Johto to watch some Silver Conference.
"Is watching the tournament really what she's going for? I can't even be bothered to call her out!" Marshal grumbled indignantly.
"I think she's just taking advantage of how easygoing you are, Master. What are you afraid of? Why can't you just fight her?"
Alder planted his hands on his hips, utterly unbothered. "Hahahaha! My foolish apprentice, isn't it obvious? I can't beat her!"
Marshal: "Master!"
"All right, all right. Anyway, work hard and try to beat the challenger in the first round. Then I can rest easy." Patting Marshal on the shoulder, Alder took out an exquisite flask, downed a couple of mouthfuls of whiskey, and hummed a tune as he walked deeper into the castle.
Watching his teacher walk away, Marshal's eyes briefly brimmed with tears.
Could even the invincible Alder not defeat time in the end...?
In fact, after losing his ace Volcarona, Alder's strength had not declined by much.
As someone who could stop a Bouffalant with his bare hands and take down a whole host of challengers in an instant,
he still possessed fighting strength at the very peak of the Elite Four level.
But compared with young people like Cynthia and Leon, a gap had nevertheless opened up.
"It's not that I've grown weaker. It's that you're all growing