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Because he had to train with Cynthia, Aiden didn't have any live streaming plans before the Dragon-type Master Tournament began.
As a result, he went to bed quite early that night.
Sunlight Gym was pretty spacious, always configured as a three-bedroom, one-living-room setup.
Besides Aiden's and his parents' rooms, there was an extra guest room, which was perfect for Cynthia to stay in temporarily during this period.
Time quickly passed to the next day.
Perhaps because there was someone at home to talk to him, Aiden slept extraordinarily soundly last night.
When he woke up, Cynthia was already outside training her Garchomp and Kommo-o.
By the time Aiden finished washing up and went out, besides Cynthia, there was also a group of trainer-students standing outside the gym.
They stood neatly fifty meters away from the gym, seemingly watching Cynthia's training, occasionally whispering to their companions.
"Wow, it's a Garchomp! To be able to catch such a powerful Pokémon, that big sister must be really strong, right?"
"With such a big shot out here, who would dare to challenge the gym..."
"Hey, do you think it's possible that this Garchomp trainer hasn't passed Teacher Azure's assessment either?"
"Hiss—, wouldn't that be a bit overpowered?"
Due to the commotion from the training and the noisy students, Miraidon, who could sleep twenty-five hours a day, was unusually awake, sitting in its cat bed questioning life.
"Gao!"
Seeing Aiden come out, Miraidon immediately let out an indignant cry, coming behind him and pushing his back with its head.
The meaning was clear.
You, help me deal with these guys disturbing my sleep!
Aiden could only smile helplessly.
Alright, alright.
Aiden quickly walked forward. When the students saw him appear, they immediately came over.
"If I remember correctly, shouldn't you all be in school right now?"
"You actually started skipping classes just to challenge the gym?"
Aiden frowned.
Although he didn't know why the students were gathering here at this time, he still had to deal with the issue of skipping classes seriously.
After all, Naranja Academy did have a bunch of unruly students who skipped classes.
Regardless of the cause, such behavior was very bad, and so far, he hadn't seen any bullying issues at Naranja Academy.
But these students were bullying his gym every day; the negative review rate might be the lowest in the world...
"How could that be, Teacher Azure? We are top-notch good students!"
After being startled by Aiden's serious expression, the students quickly began to explain themselves, with Okamoto, the leader, explaining why they were here:
"Since there will be a competition in a few days, the Battle Plaza in the center of Mesagoza is temporarily closed, so the school decided to give us a holiday."
"If we weren't eager to improve ourselves, how could we possibly rush to Sunlight Gym to get tortured... I mean, instructed by Teacher Azure on the first day of vacation, right?"
This statement immediately prompted nods of approval from the surrounding students.
To be honest, what Okamoto said made sense.
After all, considering the discouraging difficulty of Sunlight Gym upon first encounter...
It was like those trash games where you just left the beginner village and suddenly faced an unbeatable boss at the gate, directly maxing out the difficulty.
Those who could endure such frustration and keep challenging repeatedly, except for true masochists, were only excellent trainers eager to improve themselves.
In other words, if they could overcome this stumbling block of Sunlight Gym, they would definitely become pillars of Paldea in the future!
"Is that so?"
Aiden genuinely didn't know about this since he was the rural gym leader of Cabo Poco, and usually not aware of urban news.
"In that case, why don't you enter the gym?"
"Ah, Teacher Azure, look over there."
Okamoto mysteriously pointed towards Cynthia's direction and whispered:
"That female Dragon-type trainer looks very strong. Could she be someone who previously failed at Sunlight Gym and came back for revenge with those two Dragons?"
"Teacher Azure, if things get bad, let's go hide in Mesagoza for a few days!"
At Okamoto's conjecture, Aiden's face turned black.
"What nonsense is this..."
Why does your imagination run so wild at times like this!
"Everyone knows that Mesagoza is hosting the Master Tournament; obviously, she is a participant, just temporarily staying at Sunlight Gym."
"As for the contestant information, check the official website yourselves."
After saying that, Aiden walked straight to the battle area outside Sunlight Gym without looking back, casually leaving behind a sentence:
"If you want to challenge the gym, come now."
The remaining group of students stared at each other wide-eyed. Soon, someone reacted and opened the League App.
Soon, the identity of the trainer with Garchomp surfaced.
The new champion of the Sinnoh region, a young world-class top trainer, and a strong contender for the Dragon-type Master Tournament this year—
Cynthia!
"Ah?"
Okamoto and the students simultaneously blanked out for a moment.
This is the Sinnoh Champion! How could Teacher Azure know such a terrifying monster?
Is this the network of a master-level tactical trainer?
...
A few minutes later.
Aiden and a student from Naranja Academy stood opposite each other on the battlefield.
"Since the gym apprentice is absent, I will temporarily serve as the referee for Sunlight Gym today."
"The gym challenge rule is 1v1, with the challenger starting first. The side that loses the ability to battle first is considered defeated!"
Cynthia's energetic voice reached the ears of the surrounding students as she stood at the midpoint of the field.
Teacher Azure, is this referee really okay?
Isn't it too absurd to have a champion as a referee!
Now the challenge difficulty of Sunlight Gym isn't just limited to the Pokémon itself, but even off-field pressure is maxed out...
Noticing the trembling hands of the boy holding the Poké Ball, Okamoto couldn't help but sweat for this little brother attempting his first challenge.
The battle began with Aiden's Garganacl taking the stage first.
The opponent was Scizor.
Seeing the Covert Cloak worn by Scizor, Aiden couldn't help but shake his head repeatedly.
"Sure enough, it's this set again. Though it's useful, you can't just copy homework!"
"Garganacl, use Rock Tomb!"
After a few rounds, Garganacl, without using Salt Cure, easily won thanks to type advantage.
And this little brother who failed to copy homework was "singled out for praise," with Aiden analyzing frame-by-frame the numerous flaws in his previous command.
Aiden immersed himself in giving critiques, the little brother soaked in getting scolded, while the other students immersed themselves in spectating.
This harmonious scene made Cynthia, observing quietly from the side, smile knowingly.
It seems that Aiden is doing pretty well as a gym leader, having gained the recognition of these challengers.
Of course, if he could return to Sinnoh as a gym leader or Elite Four, or even inherit the champion position from her, it would be even better...
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