Pokemon: This Ash Is Too Versatile

"Speaking of which, this Gym is quite impressive."

"This Gym should be the most luxurious in the whole of Johto, right? Being able to construct such a Gym in such a short time must have been tough for the engineers and the Pokémon."

Both Cynthia and Misty voiced their complaints, this Gym really doesn’t leave much room for anything but ridicule!

The group arrived at the entrance of the Gym, where two guards in orange and black uniforms stood on either side.

These two clearly recognized Clair and Lance, and when they saw the group approaching, they quickly stood at attention and saluted.

"Gym Leader Clair, Mr. Lance, Miss Cynthia."

"Esteemed guests, are you here for a challenge?"

The head guard asked respectfully, his gaze falling on Ash, who was leading the group.

"I’m the challenger." Ash stepped forward and displayed his badge case. "I’ve now collected five badges and a proof from the Battle Pyramid, so I should qualify to challenge Gym Leader Raihan, right?"

Unlike other Gym Leaders, to challenge Raihan, one needs at least six badges.

Given Raihan’s skill and status, he naturally can’t accept just any challenger and can’t act as a rookie’s sparring partner.

There’s quite a rationale behind setting this rule.

The guard glanced at the neatly arranged five badges and the proof from the Battle Pyramid in the badge case, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

Six badges, one of which is the Rising Dragon Badge.

This means the young lad beat Blackthorn Gym and then immediately came to challenge Hammerlocke Gym.

In addition, there’s the proof from the Battle Pyramid, which is officially recognized by the League as counting for two badges, meaning Ash essentially has collected seven badges.

"Please wait, I will inform Gym Leader Raihan right away."

The guard took out a walkie-talkie, gave a brief report, and soon received a response.

"Gym Leader Raihan invites you all in."

"He says... he’s got nothing better to do and would be thrilled to have a challenge."

Upon hearing this, Clair snorted on the side: "That remark’s just asking for a punch."

Lance shrugged: "That’s Raihan’s style."

"If he weren’t cocky, it’d be concerning."

Led by the guard, the group walked through the Gym’s corridor towards the battle arena inside.

The interior of Hammerlocke Gym is quite modern, setting a stark contrast with the castle-style exterior of the building.

The walls are polished metal panels, the flooring is covered with dark red carpets, and specimen displays and models of various Dragon Type Pokémon fill the cabinets on either side.

The corridor is adorned with large posters, all featuring the same person without exception.

A young man with an orange headscarf and a slightly darker complexion in various poses, all selfies.

"This Gym Leader Raihan really loves... uh, himself." Brock hesitated a bit, avoiding the direct term ’narcissistic.’

"Raihan is famously fond of selfies, and on the Galar social media platforms, his fans probably rank in the top ten," Clair explained helplessly.

"Speaking of which, he’s quite the public figure, but... his battling style and his appearance, the contrast is pretty stark."

"Contrast?"

"You’ll understand soon enough."

After passing through the long corridor, everyone arrived at the core area of the Gym.

The battle arena is more spacious than Blackthorn Gym, shaped like a standard oval.

The center of the arena is covered with rough sand, surrounded by metal-framed stands, above which is a full glass dome that can be opened fully, currently sliding open to reveal the bright blue sky outside.

Sunlight poured through the open dome, illuminating the entire arena brightly.

On the other side of the arena, a tall figure stood with his back to the group, one hand on his hip, the other holding up a new model smartphone and taking selfies.

The man was at least six feet three inches tall, with healthy tan skin, dark curly hair tied up with an orange scarf, wearing an orange and black sports jacket printed with an exaggerated dragon pattern.

He turned around slowly after hearing the footsteps.

"Yo, welcome, welcome, welcome to Hammerlocke Gym."

That face wore a bright smile, revealing shiny white teeth, making the whole person look unbelievably sunny.

"You’re Ash from Pallet Town, right? I’ve heard all about you."

"The Kanto’s superstar, the trainer most likely to challenge Leon of this new era."

While speaking, Raihan wiggled the phone in his hand, quickly snapping a picture of Ash and his companions.

"Hehe, a memento, a memento."

"After I beat you, this photo will be prime material."

"Wait, what’s ’prime material’ supposed to mean?" Clair couldn’t help but complain: "Is that something a Gym Leader should say?"

Using a defeated challenger as material for his social media photos, it’s quite disrespectful behavior towards the challenger.

But Raihan laughed heartily and addressed Clair without a care: "Gym Leader Clair, you’re here too? Oh right, I heard this young man has already obtained your Rising Dragon Badge, huh? Watch me avenge you."

Clair: ...

Seriously, ’I heard,’ this should have been told to Raihan by the guard using the walkie-talkie once they entered, about the types of Gym badges Ash has!

Just keep laughing! As much as you can! You won’t be laughing soon enough!