Chapter 120: Gurkinn — What Kind of Pokémon Lineup Is This?!
"6v6?"
"We're going this hard?"
Sora had originally thought this would simply be a somewhat difficult Gym challenge personally overseen by Gurkinn.
He never expected the old man to request a fair full battle.
There was no doubt Gurkinn would bring out his strongest lineup.
This was no longer a casual exchange between senior and junior.
This was a genuine showdown.
No—
if what Korrina said was true…
"Divine Arts. A Hall-level martial artist."
Gurkinn said:
"If this girl isn't lying, then in this battle, this old man is the challenger."
"You're exaggerating. I'm nowhere near as incredible as Korrina says."
"Compared to you, Senior, I'm just a newcomer."
Following the old man, Sora arrived at the very center of the Gym.
The battlefield alone was over ten times larger than an ordinary Gym arena.
Such a massive field allowed Pokémon to unleash their abilities freely.
"Master is too modest."
Standing in the referee's position, Korrina spoke both to defend Sora's reputation and secretly warn her grandfather:
"I think Master's strength already surpasses the Elite Four. Even Champion Diantha might not necessarily defeat him."
Gurkinn's mouth opened slightly.
How could he fail to understand his granddaughter's implication?
But…
How was that possible?!
The boy before him was only what, sixteen or seventeen?
Stronger than the Elite Four and Champion?
"..."
Sora gave Korrina a meaningful look.
The girl stuck out her tongue playfully.
Sure enough, even while wanting to slap her grandfather in the face, she still tried helping him avoid disaster in small ways like this.
Still, that was already the limit.
Battles demanded fairness.
Korrina had done everything she could.
Now all that remained was to witness firsthand how badly her grandfather would suffer.
"Oh right, Elder?"
Sora asked:
"Would it be alright if our battle was recorded?"
"Oh?"
Gurkinn shrugged indifferently.
"Of course. Do you need this old man to have someone arrange it?"
"No need."
Sora took out a camera.
"Prince Raleigh of the Azoth Kingdom once asked me to let him see Magearna battle."
"I see."
Understanding Sora's intention, Gurkinn smiled.
"There's no need to go through such trouble. Korrina!"
"Got it!"
Korrina hurried off to operate the system.
The next moment, cameras extended from the surrounding walls, capturing every angle of the massive arena.
The giant dark screen in the distance lit up with an incoming call notification.
"This is…?"
Before Sora could react, a familiar figure appeared on the screen.
It was Princess Kimia of Azoth.
"Grandpa Gurkinn?"
"And little Korrina? Why are you contacting me this late?"
Kimia asked instinctively.
Then she noticed Sora.
"Sora!!"
"So this means…"
"That's right!"
Korrina pressed her face close to the screen and grinned.
"Master's about to have a full 6v6 battle against Grandpa!"
"So you're inviting us to watch?"
Kimia reacted immediately and quickly had someone call her younger brother Raleigh over.
At the same time, they also fetched Fleur-de-Lis, who happened to be staying in the palace due to work.
Soon, all three had arrived.
"Big Brother Sora!"
"Mr. Sora."
"Yo!"
Sora raised a hand and greeted the trio on the giant screen.
"Sorry for bothering your sleep so late at night."
"Ohohoho!"
Raleigh looked unbelievably excited.
"Being able to watch Big Brother battle Elder Gurkinn makes staying up all night totally worth it!"
"Indeed."
Fleur-de-Lis appeared extremely composed, sitting elegantly beside the princess.
Yet even she clearly anticipated the upcoming battle.
"But Korrina, when did you become Big Brother Sora's disciple?"
"Just recently, of course!"
Korrina clenched her fists dramatically.
"After battling Master, I deeply realized my own shortcomings and decided to follow his footsteps for special training!"
"I can't pretend I didn't hear that."
Gurkinn said helplessly:
"If you run off with someone, what happens to the Gym?"
"Isn't Grandpa still here?"
Korrina pressed her palms together pleadingly.
"Please! This is a once-in-a-lifetime request!"
What could Gurkinn even say anymore?
Aside from training sessions, the old man truly spoiled his granddaughter.
"Just remember this."
"This old man's stamina is limited."
"If you don't want me to die from overwork, you'd better return within three months."
Handling Gym challengers every day by himself—
Gurkinn admitted he couldn't sustain that for very long.
"Hehe."
"Got it! Thanks, Grandpa!"
After saying that, Korrina secretly gave Sora a "mission accomplished" look, making him shake his head helplessly.
"Sorry for causing trouble."
"It's fine."
Sora replied:
"Korrina's excellent. And since I'm unfamiliar with the Galar region, I'll be relying on her during the trip."
Thus, while chatting casually, both sides silently finalized their battle orders.
Sora recalled Ogerpon and Magearna.
Along with them disappeared Victini, who had been invisible the whole time.
"That Pokémon…"
The brief glimpse of Victini caused Gurkinn's brows to furrow deeply.
The old man felt that orange-yellow flying squirrel looked strangely familiar.
As though he had seen it somewhere before.
And there was also the green Pokémon shaped like a cloaked little girl who had appeared alongside Magearna.
What kind of Pokémon lineup is this?
Gurkinn suddenly realized something terrifying.
Aside from Magearna, he didn't recognize a single one of Sora's Pokémon.
No—
strictly speaking, if he weren't currently in the former territory of Azoth, he might not even have recognized Magearna.
I acted too rashly…
Gurkinn felt he had been far too impulsive.
To him, Sora resembled a bottomless lake whose depth could not be measured.
The situation is extremely unfavorable for me.
The only information he possessed came from Korrina.
"A Hall-level martial artist…"
"And the legendary Divine Arts…"
Beyond that, there was Korrina's claim that Sora surpassed the Elite Four and rivaled the Champion.
Naturally, Gurkinn would never assume his granddaughter had merely misjudged due to inexperience.
He had personally taken her to watch battles involving the Kalos Elite Four many times.
Korrina absolutely could distinguish strength from weakness.
"So all of this is true?"
Realizing this, Gurkinn suddenly felt terrible inside.
Wait wait wait… are you serious?
You're telling an old man like me to battle a trainer who mastered Divine Arts and surpasses the Elite Four and Champion?!
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