Chapter 360
Inside the cave.
Terrance and his Pokémon were resting against the wall, eyes closed.
Unwilling to give it up, a group of Sneasel had attacked not long ago to reclaim their habitat, but Terrance successfully fended them off.
He suspected it wouldnât be the last time. During his stay on the island, the Sneasel would likely attack again.
Altaria had already briefed Terrance on the entire islandâs general terrain and situation. If the island was divided into four regionsânorth, south, east, and westâthen Terrance was currently at the center.
According to Altariaâs observations, there were four large PokĂ©mon groups occupying the four regions of the island. Compared to the Sneasel and Venomoth groups Terrance had encountered earlier, these groups were significantly larger.
âThese four PokĂ©mon groups are probably the true rulers of this island. The PokĂ©mon weâve encountered so far must just be parts of the ecosystemâŠ.â Terrance shook his head, deciding not to provoke the four possibly most powerful groups on this island.
Whether he could take them on was one thing, but there was no reason to waste the effort. For regular combat practice, the nearby adorable Pokémon along with the fearless Sneasels who are determined to reclaim their habitat are enough.
With limited supplies on hand, Terrance had no interest in provoking major trouble.
âThat means the four PokĂ©mon groups are the key elements of this D-Level Lost Region islandâŠâ Terrance found it quite interesting. One of the groups was a Beedrill colony. He didnât know how the Beedrill on this island managed to stand out among Bug-types and became so fearless like bird PokĂ©mon, but the fact that they can rule a region spoke volumes. Terrance guessed their status might have been achieved through sheer numbers.
Another group consisted of Nidoranâ and Nidoranâ, with a few powerful Nidoking and Nidoqueen protecting them.
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Hoenn League.
Inside the roundtable conference room.
The members of the review team responsible for âHoenn Gym Trainersâ were gathered together.
Among them, the middle-level personnel of the League, led by Elite Four Glacia, were discussing the Gym qualification review for the upcoming year.
A rookie, newly assigned to the review team, nervously swallowed. As he sat beside Glacia, his whole body felt as if he had fallen into an icy cave. She seemed like a snow maiden exuding a frosty aura, giving off a vibe that seemed to warn others to stay away.
A few of the review members chuckled inwardly on seeing the rookie being so stiff, but as Glacia spoke, the atmosphere immediately became serious.
Glacia was the only one not wearing the designated uniform. As a member of the management team, she had the privilege. Her pale lavender dress made her look a bit cold.
âHere is last yearâs performance evaluation of Hoenn Regionâs twelve Gyms. One Gym failed to meet the standards, and two barely passed.â
As Glaciaâs words landed, some members shrugged; it seemed another Gym was about to lose its qualification.
âShawn, go over the details of these three Gyms,â As Glacia finished speaking, a young man stood up and began, âRogge Cityâs Rogge Gym issued over 400 Gym Badges last year. However, less than 40% of the Trainers who won went on to participate in the Ever Grande Conference. Furthermore, Rogge Gymâs Trainer Shin has been repeatedly reported for negligence and misconduct, failing to take challengers seriously.â
âIt appears Gym Trainer Shin is transitioning to a different role. He currently holds a prominent position at Rogge Pharmaceuticals, which likely explains the poor performance of the Gym last year.â
Glacia showed little emotion about Rogge Gymâs conduct. Nor did she mention how it would be handled, leaving others surprised.
Shawn continued, âThe two Gyms that barely met the standards are Fortree Gym and Wave Gym.â
âFortree Gymâs situation should be familiar to everyone. The current Gym Trainer is new to the role and still struggling to determine the appropriate standard for awarding badges to challengers. However, the former Gym Trainer is guiding them, so this rookie Gym Leader just needs more time to grow.â RÌ
âStill, I recommend assigning an inspector for regular evaluations.â
âWave Gymâs performance evaluation has consistently been low due to decrease in challengers. However, its Gym Leader is experienced.â
The decline in Wave Gymâs challengers was partly due to its remote location on a desolate island. Yet everyone present knew the real reasonâSootopolis Gym was thriving, and as a fellow Water-type Gym, Wave Gym had naturally fallen into decline.
Glacia delegated the inspection tasks for these two Gyms before adding, âShawn, Senior Moore has expressed interest in transferring his Gym to his granddaughter. However, he feels she isnât ready yet. You will oversee this evaluation and find an opportunity to tell Senior Mooreâs granddaughter to travel for two years before taking over the Gym.â
âMe?â Shawn was taken aback but quickly thought of somethingâŠ..
âSenior Moore? As in the Lavaridge GymâsâŠâ Shawnâs initial surprise turned into seriousness as he nodded. Moore wasnât just the Gym Leader of Lavaridge Gym; he was also a former Elite Four member of Hoenn, specializing in Fire-type.
âAida.â
âPresent!â The newly appointed inspector responded nervously.
Though a seasoned Trainer himself, Aida was like a harmless bunny under Glaciaâs intimidating presence.
âGlacia isnât even from Hoenn, right?â Aida thought to himself. Heâd heard rumors that Glacia once believed Ice-type PokĂ©mon could grow stronger in a hot climate, so she traveled a long distance to the hot region of Hoenn to train her PokĂ©mon. However, after repeatedly encountering weak Trainers, she became disappointed and decided to challenge for a position on Hoennâs Elite Four!
Standing at attention and nervously looking at the beautiful woman before him, Aida couldnât help but feel admiration.
âSomeone has applied to establish a Gym in Fallarbor Town. He is currently undergoing âreal combatâ assessment. You will be supervising his upcoming âinternshipâ as your first assignment.â
Supervise?!
Aida was stunned. Gym Trainer assessment already had designated âexaminersâ. Why was he being given a supervisory assignment on top of that?
Nonetheless, Aida promptly accepted the task.
Lucy Joy, the assigned examiner, was not a Hoenn League inspector. Although she obtained the authority to assess Terrance through connections, the assessment process for Terrance cannot completely lack the influence of the Hoenn League; otherwise, it wouldnât make sense.
The Joy Family had deep influence across the leaguesâbe it the Indigo League, Hoenn League, Sinnoh League, or even the Unova and Kalos League. As one of Hoennâs Elite Four, even Glacia couldnât entirely change some political decisions.
âThe person who applied to establish the Gym is called Terrance. His next assessment will take place at Rogge Gym. He will temporarily serve as Rogge Gymâs intern Gym Leader for two months. During this period, Rogge Gymâs Trainer Shin will be suspended from duty.â
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