'For the next two days, the handsome Gym Leader Dylan will be out for training. Trainers who wish to challenge this gym, please come back in two days.
Friendly reminder, if you encounter the Gym Leader in the wild, there's a chance he might accept your challenge—Rota Gym Notice Board.'
"Gym Leader, is this alright?"
Today, the receptionist girl, with cute twin tails, smiled happily at Dylan after writing on the notice board.
"Very good. Your handwriting is beautiful."
Dylan praised her with satisfaction. Her writing was indeed very pretty.
"Hehe~ But Gym Leader, is this really okay? It seems like, apart from the Indigo League Tournament, no other gym takes holidays..."
The receptionist girl was happy to be praised but soon showed some worry on her delicate face.
"What if a challenger reports our gym for neglecting duties?"
"No worries. Gym leaders need rest too, and I'm not on holiday; I'm training."
Dylan spoke calmly. Normally, gym leaders, as the girl mentioned, only rest during the Indigo League Tournament.
This is mainly because when the Indigo League Tournament starts, no one challenges gyms for badges anymore since the competition has begun.
However, as a modern and good gym leader, Dylan believed he deserved some time off.
Working non-stop all year is not ideal; at least he should have weekends off to relax.
Moreover, he could use these weekends to experience the world's adventurous spirit, and he had a point to make—he was going out to train!
Who says gym leaders don't need to improve? Nowadays, the competition among gym leaders is intense. They face pressure from peers, challengers' public opinion, and inspections from the League.
Who knows when a pink-haired inspector might come down with their Latias and shut down your gym? (In the anime, the Kanto gym inspector is a Nurse Joy with a Latias. The Joy family is full of surprises.)
So, Dylan also needed to train hard to improve himself!
"It's a normal thing. If I don't train, how can I get stronger? If I don't get stronger, how can I better face challengers? Our gym's reputation is improving bit by bit."
"Many strong trainers might come to challenge, so I need to improve too."
Dylan spoke with a straight face, not feeling any shame.
Besides, Dylan knew from the original story that gym leaders often 'disappeared,' wasn't it a standard feature?
He was just blending in.
"Yes, I believe the Gym Leader can do it!" The receptionist girl nodded enthusiastically, her twin tails bouncing.
"Very good. Go home now, and remember to come to the gym in two days."
"Yay~"
Getting a two-day break, the receptionist girl was quite happy and ready to have some fun.
"By the way, Gym Leader, is the gym still hiring?"
"Hmm? Do you have someone to recommend?"
Dylan checked the time; Ilene hadn't arrived yet.
"Yes, I have a friend who's very interested in becoming a trainer, and she's a great person."
"Gym Leader, you're so amazing; could she come to the gym as an apprentice?"
The receptionist girl looked at Dylan expectantly. She wasn't interested in becoming a trainer herself.
Even though training was popular in this world, not everyone wanted to be a trainer, as it required a solid foundation.
The girl became the receptionist at Rota Gym because her family wasn't well off, and Dylan, knowing her situation, offered her the position out of kindness.
"Sure, since you recommended her, bring her in a couple of days."
Dylan pondered for a moment and then smiled.
"Great! Gym Leader, you can trust Selene. She's different from me; she's really amazing! She could recite type matchups easily as a child!"
"Selene?"
Dylan was surprised to hear the name. Selene?
"Look, Gym Leader, Selene is here! Selene~!"
The receptionist girl noticed something, her eyes lighting up, and she waved excitedly in that direction.
Dylan turned to see a slender black-haired girl with a pure, delicate face, wearing a yellow floral top and green shorts, her straight legs visible. She looked around fifteen or sixteen years old, with a pure and innocent aura.
Hearing the girl's voice, Selene quickened her pace, jogging over.
This...
Dylan's eyes flickered as he looked at Selene. Was this fate?
"Hey!." Selene smiled sweetly, clearly happy to see her childhood friend.
"Selene~ Long time no see! This is the Gym Leader, the leader of Rota Gym."
The receptionist girl hugged her friend tightly and quickly introduced Dylan.
"Gym Leader, this is Selene, my neighbor, whom I just mentioned."
"Hello, Gym Leader Dylan."
Selene politely bowed, her clear eyes filled with curiosity as she glanced at Dylan.
For this Rota Gym leader her friend spoke of, Selene was indeed very curious.
"Hello, no need to be so formal. Since you're a friend of her, just call me Dylan like she does."
Dylan's gentle voice made it easy to feel at ease.
"I heard that you want to become a trainer, right? How old are you now?"
"I'm fifteen, turning sixteen in five months."
Selene answered obediently.
"Then you can start traveling near the end of the year." Dylan nodded. No wonder she was still in Kanto.
"Would you like to join Rota Gym? I'm not a famous trainer, but I'll do my best to teach you."
Dylan smiled.
"Thank you, Gym Leader Dylan, I'd love to." Selene was pleasantly surprised. Becoming an apprentice at a gym is a rare opportunity for any aspiring trainer.
Her dream was to become a champion!
And her friend was desperately giving her encouraging looks.
"Yay~ Now Selene can keep me company every day."
The receptionist girl was thrilled, jumping up in excitement.
"Alright, come to the gym with her in two days."
"Okay~"
"Ilene is here. Gym Leader Dylan, we'll leave now."
"Go ahead."
Dylan watched the two girls leave, chatting happily, still feeling a bit emotional.
"What's up? Is she a friend?"
Ilene walked up to Dylan, noticing his unusual expression.
"Yes, a very talented trainer. What a coincidence~"
Dylan sighed at the coincidence.
He knew Selene was from Kanto, only moving to Alola with her mother at the start of the game.
But the original story never specified where in Kanto Selene was from. Turns out, it was from Rota.
"A very talented trainer?" Ilene was surprised. Those two words were quite significant, especially coming from Dylan.
"Yes, she's a prodigy~" Dylan glanced at Selene, who hadn't gone far yet.
And by 'prodigy,' Dylan meant it as a compliment.
This girl was as talented as Red and Blue!
Who would have thought?
This seemingly innocent girl not only single-handedly defeated the strongest evil organization, Team Rainbow Rocket, from a parallel world but also defeated the 'strongest legendary Pokémon,' Necrozma, three times, eventually subduing it.
"Let's go."
Dylan stopped thinking about it. Whether Selene in this real world had the same talent as in the game, she was now Rota Gym's first apprentice.
He would teach her well. Who knows, maybe a future trainer who shocks the world will come from Rota Gym?
(End of Chapter)