Chapter 222: Returning Home in Glory
"Aria, you keep Articuno’s feather," Saurion said, handing the box containing the feather to Aria Thornwick.
Aria looked at the box, then glanced back at Rio, who was jogging toward the interview stage. Without a word, she tucked the box away. Her mind drifted back to her visit to the Ranger organization a few days earlier.
Her brother, and those who had whispered behind her back about her "sacrificing herself" for the mission—their attitudes had changed completely when they learned that the man she had supposedly sacrificed herself for had become the long-vacant League Champion of Kanto and Johto. Her brother no longer told her to stay away from the organization; instead, he urged her to build a good relationship with Rio—and, if possible, to bring him to the Ranger organization to strengthen ties between the League and the Rangers.
The gossips had fallen silent. Some even seemed jealous. The narrative had shifted from "shameless" to "she has a sharp eye for picking the right person—either she doesn’t make a move, or she picks a future League Champion and gets in early."
She tried to explain to her brother, but he just said, "I understand—your sister-in-law was the same way when we first met." That left her completely speechless.
Sigh—I’ll just take things one step at a time. I’m not going back to the Ranger organization anytime soon, Aria thought, walking away with Saurion.
Time passed. A month had gone by since Rio became the League Champion.
After a busy month, Rio finally had some free time and returned to his beloved Lavender Town. In that month, the town had changed dramatically. When he first arrived, if it weren’t for the iconic Pokémon Tower, he would have thought he’d come to the wrong place.
First, the people—crowds of them, flowing through the streets. Then, the buildings—many new structures had been erected. When he reached the area near the Lavender Gym and the Pokémon House, the crowd was even more astonishing.
He was especially glad he’d had the foresight to wear plain clothes, a hat, sunglasses, and a mask. He was genuinely tired of interviews and autographs. In the end, he had to sneak in by climbing over the wall from the other side.
But no sooner had he jumped over than a Houndoom barked at him.
"Kid—you’re the eighteenth person today trying to sneak in," said two trainers in Gym uniforms, strolling over with their hands behind their heads, looking relaxed.
"Go back. We understand you want to join the Lavender Gym, but you have to follow our rules. We don’t just let anyone in," one of them said.
"What rules?" Rio asked, puzzled. He didn’t remember setting any rules—wasn’t it just pay and join? He usually only ever argued with people, never with money. If someone threw money at him, he’d say, "Right this way, sir."
"The rule is—you need at least five badges to qualify," the left trainer said.
"That’s right—five badges or more," the right one nodded.
Did I set that rule? If I did, how did you two get in? Rio looked at them oddly. They had joined before he left for the Indigo Conference and only had two badges, nowhere near five.
"And what about you two—do you have five badges?"
The two exchanged glances, a little flustered. "Don’t ask so many questions. The rules are the rules—just go back, or we’ll have Houndoom chase you out."
"Hound~" Houndoom bared its teeth at him.
"Are you sure you want to do that to me?" Rio took off his sunglasses with his left hand and his mask with his right.
When they saw his face, both trainers were stunned.
"Gym Leader!!!" Their eyes went wide.
"So you still remember me," Rio said with a smile, then turned to the equally surprised Houndoom and patted its head. "Your nose isn’t very sharp, is it? Can’t even recognize me standing right in front of you? Or is your memory of me fading? I even gave you some training pointers before I left."
"Hound~" Houndoom whined, covering its nose in embarrassment.
Seeing that, Rio remembered he had put on some top-tier cologne. As the League Champion, he had to maintain his image at all times—always present himself in the best light. The League had provided him with many things and a list of things to remember. Wearing men’s cologne was one of them, partly because he was also a spokesperson for the brand.
Get paid, do the job.
"Gym Leader, you’re finally back!" The two trainers’ shock turned to joy.
"Yes, I’m back," Rio said with a smile. "Now, explain to me this new rule about needing five badges to join. As the Gym Leader, I didn’t even know about it."
"Uh..." The two exchanged awkward glances. The right one scratched his head and said, "Grandpa Fuji suggested we say that. There are just too many people wanting to join now. The place is packed every day. If we allowed them all in the old way, there wouldn’t even be room to stand."
"Hmm, that does make sense. I can see why you’d need to adjust the rules," Rio said, thinking it over. With his fame now, the old system would indeed be unworkable.
"Grandpa Fuji also said that even if someone joins with five badges, they still have to pass a character evaluation," the left trainer added.
Rio nodded again. Old folks really do think things through. That was a good point—if someone with ill intentions used his name to do bad things, his reputation would suffer too. After all, his trainees were seen as his disciples.
"Grandpa Fuji’s advice is excellent—keep following this rule from now on."