Pokémon: Multiverse Chat Group

Early the next morning, Ash’s biological clock woke him up precisely at seven. He opened his eyes and instinctively wanted to stretch like he usually did, but his arm froze halfway up. The even sound of Misty’s breathing came from the upper bunk.

That’s right. Yesterday he and Misty were in the same room.

He lifted the quilt stealthily, stepped barefoot on the floor, and walked carefully with every step, afraid of making a sound that would wake the person on the upper bunk. Then, carrying his clothes and toiletries, he turned the bathroom doorknob at the slowest speed, slipped inside, and closed the door at the same slow speed.

If Brock saw this scene, he would definitely give Ash a severe scolding. When Ash shared a room with him, when had it ever been this quiet? Switching to Misty resulted in a completely different attitude. Prioritizing a girlfriend over friends, huh?

However, even though Ash was stealthy, Misty still woke up, because usually Misty woke up around this time too. Except that after waking up she usually lingered in bed for a bit. Upon hearing the commotion inside the bathroom, all her sleepiness vanished instantly. That’s right, she had slept in the same room as Ash yesterday.

The person inside the bathroom must be Ash, right? How exactly did she fall asleep last night? Why didn’t she have any memory of it at all?

She quickly smoothed her hair, which was messy like a bird’s nest, roughly tidied it up using her fingers as a comb, and patted her cheeks to make herself look less sleepy-eyed. After finishing all this, she realized what she was doing and couldn’t help burying her face into the quilt, letting out a silent wail.

What was she nervous about? That was Ash. Her boyfriend. Not some stranger. But precisely because he was her boyfriend, she felt even more nervous.

The sound of water in the bathroom stopped. Ash came out and saw Misty sitting on the bed with her face buried in the quilt.

“Oh, Misty, you’re awake?” Ash wiped the water droplets on his face. “Did I wake you up?”

“No, no.” Misty emerged from the quilt instantly, waving her hands hurriedly. “I woke up on my own. It’s usually this time anyway.”

Ash didn’t notice Misty’s nervousness at all, instead turning sideways to clear the bathroom door. “Then go brush your teeth and wash up.”

Misty held Togepi and got out of bed, poking her head into the bathroom to take a look. The cup was already filled with water, and the toothbrush had toothpaste already squeezed onto it.

Her cheeks suddenly heated up. This guy was usually so careless, but now he was being exceptionally considerate.

“Thanks.” She whispered, holding Togepi as she slipped into the bathroom to wash up.

There were no dramatic events that morning, but there was a unique little warmth between them. After lingering in the room for a while, Ash and Misty came down to the Pokémon Center. On one hand, they were going to have breakfast. On the other hand, Ash wanted to swap Pokémon with Professor Oak to make full preparations for the Sunyshore Gym.

In the Pokémon Center lobby, in front of the public video phone. Static flickered across the screen, soon revealing Professor Oak’s familiar face, with the cluttered yet orderly desk of the laboratory still behind him. The cuffs of his lab coat were stained with a few blades of grass, probably having just returned from the backyard.

“Oh, Ash! Calling so early. Have you encountered any rare Pokémon again?”

“No, I want to swap some Pokémon.” As Ash spoke, he took out a Poké Ball from his waist. “Today I’m going to challenge the Sunyshore Gym. The opponent is an Electric-type. I want to swap over two Pokémon that are more suitable for dealing with Electric-types.”

“I see. The Sunyshore Gym. Could that be Volkner from the Sinnoh region? That is quite an extraordinary opponent!” Professor Oak stroked his chin. “Which two are you planning to swap for?”

Ash reported two names. Professor Oak nodded and turned to go to the backyard, returning to the screen shortly after with two Poké Balls, a few more blades of grass clinging to his cuffs.

“Are you ready?”

“Ready.”

The two of them placed their Poké Balls on the transmission device at the same time. A flash of light swept by, and the trade was complete.

Ash picked up the newly acquired Poké Balls, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth. No matter how today’s Gym battle went, being able to let some old friends make an appearance was a happy thing for both him and the Pokémon.

Just as he put away the Poké Balls, footsteps came from behind. Brock and Serena walked over one after the other.

“Morning, Ash, Misty.” Brock yawned. “How did you sleep last night?”

Ash tucked the two Poké Balls back to his waist and nodded. “Pretty good.”

Misty also nodded in agreement. Although there were some minor episodes, the night had been quite pleasant overall.

“Hehe, Misty, you must have been woken up by Ash this morning, right?” Brock said with some teasing.

Misty blinked, recalling the situation that morning, and spoke truthfully. “No, Ash got up light-footedly this morning without making a single sound. I woke up on my own.”

“What?” The smile on Brock’s face froze.

“I didn’t hear him at all when he got up, and even the faucet was turned on very quietly.” Brock’s expression looked as if someone had shoved a whole lemon into his mouth. He slowly turned his head and stared at Ash with an incredulous gaze, as if looking at a stranger.

“You. Ash. That man who blasted me out of my dreams at six or seven every morning, learned to be light-footed just from sharing a room with Misty?”

Ash felt a bit creeped out by the stare. “What’s wrong? Isn’t it only right to be quiet?”

“Only right?” Brock’s voice pitched up half an octave. “Why didn’t you think it was right when you lived with me? Getting up at six in the morning making all kinds of racket, my nerves were practically worn to shreds by you! Switching to living with a girl, you actually learned to be light-footed?”

Ash scratched his head, thought about it seriously, and gave what he thought was a reasonable explanation. “You’re not Misty.”

Brock clutched his chest, staggered back a step, and leaned his whole body against the front desk of the Pokémon Center with an expression of pure devastation. “Prioritizing romance over friendship. Public morals are degenerating. I slept in the same room as you for over half a year, and you ignored me completely. After one night with Misty, you actually learned to be light-footed.”

Misty’s cheeks grew hot from his phrasing, and she couldn’t help scolding. “What do you mean by ‘one night with Misty’? Brock, can you not make it sound so weird?”

“Exactly, exactly.” Ash nodded in agreement beside her. “And Misty is my girlfriend, not you.”

This righteous and confident remark made Brock lose it even more.

“Serena, you say something to him too!” Brock turned to her for backup.

Serena stood to the side. Originally, the faint shadows under her eyes made her look a bit listless, but looking at Brock’s exaggeratedly distorted expression and Misty blushing as she scolded him, she couldn’t help it and chuckled softly.

“I think it’s completely normal for Ash to treat Misty a bit specially, right?”

Brock completely lost his voice. He looked up at the ceiling of the Pokémon Center and let out a sorrowful sigh. “Bad choice in friends.”

After breakfast, the four of them packed up properly and left the Pokémon Center.

The Sunyshore Gym was situated on the west side of Ecruteak City, forming a sharp contrast with the ancient bluestone streets. The outer walls of the entire Gym were spliced together from silvery-gray metal panels, with cold and sharp lines reflecting a faint glow in the sunlight.

A queue had already formed at the entrance, numbering around a dozen people. Some were leaning against the wall browsing their phones, while others squatted on the ground flipping through notes, all looking like they had been waiting for a while.

Ash and the four of them walked to the end of the queue. Brock poked his head forward to look and roughly counted. “Quite a few people. Much livelier than the Ecruteak Gym.”

“After all, it’s an external Gym from the Sinnoh region.” Misty held Togepi, sizing up the sci-fi-looking building. “Whether in fame or rarity, it’s more attractive than local Gyms.”

“Compared to the Battle Pyramid, though, this many people is nothing.” Ash recalled the sea of people in Goldenrod City and shook his head. The queue in front of him looked long, but it was only about a dozen people, so the rotation speed shouldn’t be slow.

Sure enough, in less than half an hour, the people in front went in and out one after another. Some were crestfallen, some were expressionless, and occasionally one or two showed joy on their faces, probably having obtained the Badge.

Just as the queue was about to reach Ash and the others, the Gym’s heavy doors were abruptly pushed open, and a teenager wearing a duck-billed cap walked out angrily. His cheeks were flushed and he was cursing under his breath, his voice so loud that even Ash and the others at the end of the queue could hear it clearly.

“What kind of lousy Gym is this? Letting students brush people off? I came running all this way to challenge the Gym Leader, not to play house with your students!”

As he walked, he kicked a pebble on the roadside, and it rolled far away with a clatter.

Ash’s gaze sharpened, and he chased after him in a few strides.

“Hello, what happened inside?”

The teenager looked up at Ash, probably finding someone to vent to, and poured everything out in one breath. “That Gym Leader, called something Volkner, thought there were too many challengers and their strengths were uneven, so he let his trained students fight in his place. If you want to challenge him, you have to get past that student’s test first.”

The more he spoke, the angrier he got, his voice pitching higher. “Isn’t this just looking down on people? I collected Badges all the way from New Bark Town, finally managed to get here, and I couldn’t even see the Gym Leader’s face before being brushed off by a student!”

“That student. Is he strong?” Brock chimed in.

The teenager’s complexion instantly turned ugly. His lips moved a few times, and his voice suddenly dropped. “I couldn’t take down even a single one of his Pokémon. Got swept three-zero.”

Finishing that, as if afraid of being asked for details, he lowered the brim of his cap and walked away quickly, leaving Ash and the four of them looking at each other.

Misty looked at the teenager’s receding figure with some pity. “Although his attitude was a bit rough, he was still a Trainer who fought his way here after all. Being swept three-zero by a student is quite a blow.”

Brock stroked his chin, thoughtfully. “That guy Volkner lost interest in Gym challenges in the Sinnoh region precisely because he had no opponents. He came to Johto originally wanting to find some strong challengers.

As a result, although the number of challengers here is high, they are a mixed bag of quality. He must have gotten annoyed by those who weren’t strong enough yet stubbornly insisted on challenging, which is why he came up with this method.”

“Letting the students screen them first. Only those who can beat the students are qualified to fight him.” Ash picked up where he left off, his gaze falling on that silvery-gray metal door. “The idea is understandable, but the approach is disrespectful.”

He paused, his voice dropping slightly.

“More importantly, if a Trainer doesn’t even have the spirit to personally stand on the Gym field to welcome challengers, then what is left of him?”

Misty turned her head slightly, looking at Ash’s profile.

Ash’s voice was very calm, but hidden within that calmness was a different kind of emotion. “Volkner has lost the passion of being a Trainer.”

His voice was not loud, but every word was distinct. He looked at Pikachu beside him, recalling when he first started his journey, recalling the challenges along the way. No matter whether the opponent was strong or weak, he was always filled with burning passion.

This was the most basic and genuine emotion of being a Trainer. And Volkner no longer had this emotion, which was why he would pull a stunt like this.

“I will show him through Pokémon battles that battling isn’t just about strength, victory, and defeat.” With those words, he didn’t say anything more, stepping toward that silvery-gray door.

After another ten minutes or so, it was finally Ash and the others’ turn.

The guard was a middle-aged man wearing a blue uniform. He looked at Misty and the other two behind Ash, asking in a businesslike manner. “Are they all challengers?”

“They are my companions, accompanying me. Not participating in the challenge.” Ash turned sideways to reveal the three people behind him.

The guard nodded, picked up his walkie-talkie and said something, then stepped aside to clear the passageway. “Go on in.”

The four of them passed through a fairly short corridor. The walls on both sides were also silvery-gray metal, embedded with a few cold-white light strips that illuminated the entire passage brightly yet coldly. The end of the corridor suddenly opened up.

It was a standard battle field, with the ground made of light gray hard material and painted with white boundary lines. On both sides of the field were the Trainers’ command positions, and further out were several rows of simple spectator seating. Rows of lights hung from the ceiling, illuminating the entire field as bright as day.

Standing in the center of the field was a young man with blonde spiky hair. He had an upright posture, wearing a blue long-sleeved jacket, a black base shirt, and dark blue trousers, with a row of Poké Balls hanging at his waist.

Seeing Ash and his group walk in, he didn’t even bother to lift his eyelids much.

“I am Gym Leader Volkner.” His voice was not loud, his tone as flat as reciting a line repeated countless times. “The challenge rules are as follows: three-on-three. The Trainer who defeats the opponent’s three Pokémon is the winner.”

“In addition, your opponent is not me, but my student Jay. Only by defeating Jay will I accept your challenge.”