Join my p@treon for more chapters
[email protected]/Tempest_29
On the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, Vladimir took Chris to Green Valley Province.
Green Valley Province is located in the central region of China, not far from the capital. Further north lies an expansive prairie. Green Valley Province also contains vast grasslands.
Flights typically require a transfer in the capital before heading to Green Valley Province.
The usual journey takes four hours, but Chris's trip only took two. The plane, which departed at 7 a.m., arrived at 9 a.m.
Since Professor Vladimir was traveling, Dragon University arranged for a private plane to transport him directly. Not to mention, bringing students from Dragon University to challenge a Gym is something the school would fully support.
In fact, this arrangement had been discussed from the beginning.
After all, the trainer taking on the Gym challenge was Chris, a freshman.
Allowing a first-year student to challenge a Gym Leader?
If Professor Vladimir hadn't suggested it, everyone would have thought it was a joke.
Even though Chris had obtained a senior breeder qualification certificate, being a breeder and a trainer are two entirely different professions.
The higher the skill level, the greater the gap between the two fields.
Many master-level breeders lack the battle prowess of a Gym Leader. Even if they have strong Pokémon, they could still struggle against a Gym Leader of similar strength in an actual battle.
Still, there were no objections—it was merely a topic of discussion.
Because, ultimately, objections wouldn't matter. Vladimir had already decided to bring Chris himself.
The school simply provided the private plane.
Upon arrival in Green Valley Province, a private car was waiting at the airport to transport Vladimir and Chris to Green Valley Gym.
Like most Gyms, Green Valley Gym is located in the suburbs, adjacent to a large pasture dedicated to the Gym's Pokémon.
The landscape was a vast grassland.
A paved road stretched ahead, flanked by lush greenery, with towering mountains in the distance. From this vantage point, the world seemed to be painted in two colors: the clear blue sky above and the endless green fields below.
From above, one could also spot a sapphire-like spring nestled within the grasslands—a life-giving water source for the entire region.
"If you become the Green Valley Gym Leader, you could raise Pokémon like Rapidash and Arcanine, which need ample space to run," Vladimir remarked as he gazed at the landscape from the car.
"I'll ask Senior Stephen about it one of these days," Chris nodded.
Chris had already marked a Growlithe spawning area on his handheld device, so he wasn't particularly concerned about raising Growlithes. However, Growlithe is a special Pokémon under official regulation.
Owning one or two Growlithe personally isn't unusual, as trainers might naturally encounter them. However, if someone were to raise over 50 Growlithe for commercial breeding, they would need an official certification.
On the other hand, Ponyta, which Chris also had breeding points for, wasn't officially regulated. That meant he could raise them freely.
Speaking of which, Ponyta and Arcanine were quite popular in riding competitions—especially in the grassland regions of northern Green Valley Province.
"I could host a riding competition here..." Chris mused.
After Surfing competitions, he might add riding sports to his interests as well.
Training an Arcanine as a mount seemed like a great idea. In his current lineup, Blaziken was his only Fire-type Pokémon. Arcanine was definitely a Pokémon worth raising.
As the car moved forward, Chris noticed a swarm of reporters armed with cameras and microphones waiting along the road.
The Green Valley Gym Leader's retirement was scheduled for a week later, which also marked the start of the competition to determine the next Gym Leader. As a result, reporters and trainers eager to participate in the battle began arriving one after another.
Those who arrived early had the opportunity to conduct pre-retirement interviews with the current Green Valley Gym Leader.
Chris still found it a bit uncomfortable to think about—challenging someone who was about to retire. Are we really just waiting a few days to defeat him?
It felt a little...
"Master Vladimir, we've arrived at our destination." The driver parked the car in front of a warehouse-like building. Flanking it were rows of closely packed two-story buildings, likely the residences of the Gym's disciples.
This was the Green Valley Gym.
Its appearance was vastly different from the Star Moon Gym Chris had seen before.
Standing at the entrance, Chris thought the place looked more like a ranch than a Gym. If I take over this Gym, I'll definitely renovate it.
First things first—a small villa as a place to live.
Near the entrance, an elderly farmer with a weathered complexion, wearing a straw hat, was surrounded by reporters. Several younger individuals, also wearing straw hats, overalls, and rubber boots, stood by his side, seemingly trying to shield him from the press.
"Master Keaton, will your apprentices be participating in the upcoming Gym competition?"
"Master Keaton, who do you think has the best chance of winning?"
Master Keaton was the current Green Valley Gym Leader.
At first glance, he looked like an honest, hardworking farmer. If Chris hadn't read his profile beforehand, he would have never believed this man was a Gym Leader.
He had held the position for nearly 30 years, making him the first Gym Leader in 20 years to retire due to age rather than being defeated.
Despite his years, Master Keaton's eyes were still sharp and full of life. His gaze swept past the crowd and landed on Vladimir, who had just stepped out of the car. A wide grin spread across his face.
The disciples quickly made way.
"Old friend, long time no see!" Master Keaton called out loudly as he walked through the crowd toward Vladimir.
"Long time no see," Vladimir responded with a smile, shaking Master Keaton's hand firmly. The two looked like old friends reuniting after many years.
The cameras from the surrounding reporters clicked rapidly. Many had already recognized Vladimir's identity.
This was big news—Master Keaton of Green Valley Gym was retiring, and Vladimir, China's top breeder, had come to attend the ceremony.
Wait.
There was still a week before the ceremony.
Why had Vladimir arrived so early?
Chris, watching from the sidelines, was wondering the same thing.
Did his teacher have a close friendship with the Green Valley Gym Leader?
Then why was he pushing Chris to challenge the Gym?