"Thank you so much for today. By the way, young man, what's your name?"
After finishing the treatment of all the Pokémon, Nurse Joy walked over with her Chansey, expressing her gratitude sincerely.
"My name is Rex, but you can just call me Rex, Nurse Joy. I was just doing what little I could to help today," Rex replied modestly.
For Rex, helping to treat Pokémon was merely a spur-of-the-moment decision. This way, he could both train Lapras' Life Dew skill and help others. It was a win-win situation with no downside, so why not?
"Rex, you're really too humble. With your help, you've greatly reduced the workload for me and Chansey today!" Nurse Joy said with a wry smile.
"Nurse Joy, I heard that today's situation occurred because Gym Leader Volker at Sunyshore Gym concentrated all the gym challenges in one day. Did you talk to Mr. Volker about not causing so many severely injured Pokémon at once?" Rex asked, a bit puzzled.
"My responsibility is to help trainers heal their Pokémon. How could I trouble Mr. Volker because of my own issues?" Nurse Joy said seriously.
This was actually the source of Nurse Joy's dilemma. Although Volker concentrated the challengers in a single day, making her extremely busy every few days, this still fell within her job scope. She couldn't ask a Gym Leader like Volker to change his challenge rules just because she was a bit tired.
Hearing Nurse Joy's words, Rex was a bit taken aback. He realized he might have oversimplified the situation.
To be fair, there was nothing wrong with Volker's arrangement. After all, he was fulfilling his duties as a Gym Leader. The only problem was that he caused the challengers' Pokémon to be seriously injured, leading to overcrowding at the Pokémon Center.
However, this wasn't entirely his fault either. Pokémon battles require defeating the opponent's Pokémon. It could just be that the challengers were not strong enough, and the skill gap between them and Volker was too wide, leading to such severe injuries.
Afterward, Rex didn't say much more. After all, he was just passing through and didn't intend to challenge Sunyshore Gym.
After bidding farewell to Nurse Joy, Rex, led by Lenka, a local expert, toured some of Sunyshore City's unique sights and popular attractions.
Time flew by as they ate, drank, and played. It was already nighttime when Rex escorted Lenka to her home and then found a decent-looking inn to stay temporarily.
Lenka had initially wanted Rex to stay at her house, but he politely declined.
After all, staying at a young girl's home would be somewhat inconvenient, and he didn't want to deal with the scrutiny of her parents. It would be far more comfortable to stay at an inn.
However, they did agree to continue exploring Sunyshore City the next day.
Soon, the next morning arrived. Rex got up early, prepared himself, and headed to the meeting spot with Lenka.
Their first destination today was the Vista Lighthouse. This lighthouse was located at the southeastern corner of Sunyshore City. Unlike the grand lighthouse in Johto, this one had only an elevator and an observation deck, but it was praised as the beacon that illuminated Sinnoh.
Only the first floor of the Vista Lighthouse was open to the public, but visitors could take the elevator to the observation deck at the top. From there, one could see distant landscapes, including the Pokémon League building in the distance.
Since they were in no rush, Rex and Lenka walked to the Vista Lighthouse, occasionally distracted by street food along the way. By the time they arrived at the lighthouse, it was almost noon.
However, since they had eaten so many snacks, neither of them was hungry. In fact, they were a bit full, so they decided not to have lunch and instead rest at the lighthouse.
Upon reaching the Vista Lighthouse, Rex discovered that its exterior was entirely covered in solar panels. According to Lenka, the electricity generated by these panels powered all of Sunyshore City.
Meanwhile, in a nearby ramen shop, a man and a woman were chatting casually.
"Dear, why didn't you stop Lenka? Is it really okay for her to spend time alone with a stranger?"
"Haha, honey, are you getting jealous? Lenka doesn't enjoy spending time with us much anymore. Whenever we ask her to help out at the shop for a few days, she acts like she's in prison!"
"When Lenka was little, she loved helping at the shop. I never thought she'd change so much as she grew up. If that boy dares to do anything inappropriate with Lenka, I'll make sure he regrets it."
"That young man seems alright. Didn't Lenka already tell us all about his background and deeds? Besides, they're just friends now. When we traveled, didn't we also make many friends?"
"Thinking back now, our adventures during our travels still feel vivid!"
At this moment, Rex had arrived at the entrance of the Vista Lighthouse. Suddenly, his nose itched, and he sneezed several times in a row.
"Rex, did you catch a cold?" Lenka asked, concerned about Rex's sudden sneezing.
"No, it's probably just someone talking about me. Anyway, let's head up to the observation deck!" Rex rubbed his nose, not paying much attention to it.
Soon, Rex and Lenka took the elevator to the top floor. It was a circular platform, and through the glass, they could see the distant scenery.
They walked and chatted, and as they turned a corner, they saw a young man standing there. However, since he had his back to them, Rex couldn't see his face, only his blond hair shining in the sunlight.
"Hello, we hope we're not bothering you?" Rex said apologetically, realizing their conversation might have been a bit loud.
"Not at all. This is a public place. Feel free to enjoy yourselves," the blond young man replied warmly as he turned to face Rex.
"You're Gym Leader Volker, aren't you? I never expected to see you here!" Lenka exclaimed excitedly at the sight of the blond young man.
Being a native of Sunyshore City, Lenka immediately recognized Volker. She admired him greatly, as he was known as the "Thunder of Sunyshore," the strongest Gym Leader. Moreover, Sunyshore City's solar power system was his brainchild.
"Yes, that's me. Nice to meet you!" Volker said, not surprised to be recognized, as he was a public figure in Sunyshore City.
"My name is Lenka, a local of Sunyshore City, and I've just become a Pokémon trainer. This is Rex from the Hoenn region," Lenka introduced enthusiastically.
Volker simply nodded at them as a greeting, but it was evident that he wasn't interested in continuing the conversation.
Volker was here because he was feeling confused. The trainers challenging Sunyshore Gym were far too weak, and he had lost all interest in battles.
He now faced two choices: continue as the Gym Leader of Sunyshore Gym or resign from his position and challenge the Elite Four.
Volker was still hesitant and unable to make a decision. Whenever he felt troubled, he liked to come to the observation deck to admire the distant scenery.
(End of this chapter.)