The more they thought about it, the more it felt wrong.
Unova's dragon god being taken away by a Trainer from their own villain organization, and then the Unova League urgently inviting talent from every region to take up posts…
And on top of that, Lt. Surge drifting over from Unova years ago…
No matter how you looked at it, it all sounded off.
Even if they weren't jumping straight to "dark and messed up," it still didn't feel right.
"Ahem. Let's talk about something happy."
Grey cleared his throat. If they kept going like this, Unova was going to end up as "black" as N's username.
Even if it was white, they'd talk it darker and darker.
To stop himself from overthinking next week's trip to Unova, Grey decided it was better to change the subject.
For example—what Caitlin wanted to do in Saffron City.
With that in mind, Grey asked her.
"I want to see how you normally handle Gym challenges. Is that okay?"
Caitlin didn't really know where she wanted to go, but the moment she thought about the fact that she had Grey's first-ever badge gift, she couldn't help feeling happy.
When challengers came later—after the battle—if she casually, subtly, accidentally on purpose took out that badge…
Wouldn't that make her feel even better?
Clearly, the feeling of "showing off in public without saying a word" was something Caitlin found herself craving.
After being repressed for so long, she really did need some positive emotional reinforcement.
"How I normally handle Gym challenges? Sure, I guess, but… I did say the Gym was closed today."
Grey hesitated—but when he noticed the faint disappointment in Caitlin's eyes, he changed course.
"Still, it's early enough. I can put out a notice and open for the afternoon."
Just one afternoon was fine. Tomorrow he could keep the Gym closed again and head to Celadon City—no big deal.
"Mhm! Do you and Sabrina want something to drink? I'll treat you."
Caitlin almost blurted out a thank-you, but she remembered Grey saying they were friends and she didn't need to be so stiff. So instead, she asked what the two Gym Leaders wanted.
A small treat between friends was no problem.
"Fruit juice for me," Grey said.
"I'll have the same," Sabrina added.
With that, Caitlin stood up and walked over to the vending machine.
Thunk—
A moment later, Caitlin floated three bottles over with her psychic power. She opened them and handed them to Grey and Sabrina in turn.
"Didn't have to spend money," Grey said.
"Thanks," Sabrina said.
"No problem—because we're friends."
Caitlin sat back down beside Grey, smiling.
Hearing Caitlin call her a friend, even Sabrina's usually expressionless face softened with the faintest smile.
Between psychics, sometimes a few simple words were enough to make the other person feel good all day.
"Alright. I posted a temporary notice on the Gym's official site. Now we just wait."
Grey showed the announcement to both of them.
Right then, the Pokémon Center called out.
"Mr. Grey and Ms. Caitlin, your Pokémon have finished treatment. Please come to the counter to collect them."
"Huh. That was fast."
Grey stood and went with Caitlin to retrieve their Poké Balls.
With their partners back, and with Sabrina's help, they returned to the dojo.
The moment they stepped in, Green slid right up beside Grey and teased him near his ear.
"Why the sudden change of heart? You were going to go have fun this afternoon, and now you're opening up again like normal to take challengers. That really doesn't sound like you~"
"Caitlin wants to see what I look like when I'm handling Gym challenges, so we're opening this afternoon. Oh—and Caitlin already got one of my badges. Green, you really need to work harder."
Grey patted Green's shoulder with a heavy, meaningful tone.
Hearing that, Green turned her head.
And there it was—Caitlin casually teleporting into her hand the badge Green had been dreaming about.
"Huh?! Why?!"
Green covered her mouth, her eyes darting back and forth between the two of them.
Wait—
Caitlin was Grey's top Governor supporter… no way!
"Waaah… don't pinch my cheeks…"
That thought had barely formed when Grey—having caught the shift through Aura—grabbed her face and started pinching.
"Caitlin and I are pure and innocent. Don't use your money-blinded eyes to pollute us!"
Like he didn't know what Green was thinking.
She was thinking Caitlin had thrown a ton of money at him, so him casually tossing her a badge wasn't a big deal.
Because honestly, Kanto really hadn't made any grand statements when it came to giving Grey anything.
Even the Cerulean Gym regularly handed out a Cascade Badge as a thank-you when someone helped them.
So if you looked at it that way…
Badges kind of weren't that important.
In the end, anyone without real skill just got filtered out at the Indigo Plateau Conference anyway.
"Got it… it hurts, stop pinching my cheeks~~!"
Green's voice stretched out longer and longer as Grey kept going.
And Grey wasn't about to miss an opportunity like this. He only let go once he'd pinched to his heart's content.
"You jerk! You—you jerk!"
By the time Grey finally stopped, Green's cheeks were bright red. She clenched her small fists and started pounding Grey's chest like raindrops.
She clearly held back her strength each time, but the embarrassed fury was absolutely real.
That wicked guy—he had so many ways to "punish" her, and yet every time, it was always her cheeks!
Right now, the way Green puffed her cheeks and glared looked exactly like a Pikachu whose berry stash had been stolen.
Her "punches" gradually turned into harmless shoves, until all she could do was stomp her toe on the ground, grinding it like she was trying to erase her humiliation into the dojo floor.
"Poor Green."
Bumiao sighed from the side.
What else could you do when she had such pinchable cheeks?
Once Grey had his eyes on her, she was probably doomed to get her face squished on a regular basis forever~
Bumiao sighed internally, then went back to cleaning the dojo to prepare for the afternoon battles.
This time, she was the referee.
After all, Silver had been refereeing for ages—he deserved a break.
You couldn't fleece the same sheep all at once. You had to pace it, keep it sustainable.
Time flew.
In a blink, afternoon arrived.
The news that the Fighting Dojo was open again had already spread everywhere.
But there weren't actually many challengers…
It had been so sudden that everyone assumed Grey was going to spend the whole day "hanging out" with a Governor sponsor.
And yet he was back already in the afternoon?
People's imaginations went wild.
As for what they imagined…
Well, obviously Pokémon battles.
Ding-dong~
At 2 p.m., the bell at the Fighting Dojo rang.
Grey walked to the door, opened it, and saw who it was.
"Yo. Long time no see, Ash, Gary~"
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