There were many people lining up to enter, so naturally the pace was slow. During that time, everyone shifted their attention to those who had invitation letters.
Then they noticed.
None of the people entering the Gym with invitations looked ordinary at all.
And the further it went, the bigger the names that showed up. "T-that's… that's Chuck, the Gym Leader from Cianwood City, right? I heard he and Elite Four Bruno are senior and junior disciples. He must really support Sato to personally attend the opening ceremony."
"He's just a Gym Trainer… Lo-look over there and then tell me that's not an illusion!"
Smack!
The guy who couldn't believe what he was seeing got whacked on the head by his friend… hard. But it helped him realize he wasn't dreaming.
In the sky above, a beautiful woman sat atop a massive Crobat. Crobat made no effort to suppress its aura and landed nimbly in front of the Gym.
"E-E-Elite Four Agatha!"
"ROAAAR!"
A dragon's roar grabbed everyone's attention again. Looking up, they saw a Salamence dive straight down, riding fierce winds as it landed in front of the Gym.
Agatha had originally planned to go straight inside, but when she saw who was riding Salamence, she paused and waited.
Once Salamence landed, the ever-stoic Drake jumped down, and before he even entered, someone spoke up.
"Didn't expect you to come too. What? Got your eyes on our talent from Kanto and came to poach him?" Agatha said with a smile.
"So it's you, Elite Four Agatha. Long time no see." Drake gave a nod, ignoring her teasing.
"Still got that stiff face all the time. Boring. Let's go inside already." Agatha rolled her eyes, too lazy to bicker with this wooden block, and recalled her Crobat before heading into the Gym.
Drake's expression didn't change at all. He recalled Salamence and followed her inside.
"Elite Four Agatha! Drake!"
At that moment, Sato, having sensed the aura of Elite Four-level Trainers, came out personally with his team to greet them.
"Mmh, your energy looks decent. Just don't forget your own training now that you've become a Gym Leader." Drake nodded slightly and offered a quiet reminder.
"Understood, teacher."
"So you're taking students now? Just a moment ago you were ignoring my questions, you stiff old fox!" Agatha shot Drake a look of disdain, though inwardly she was already calculating her next move.
Don't be fooled. While the Kanto League was the headquarters, competition between regions was fierce. Talents like Sato, who had already begun to shine, were people every League wanted.
And now hearing that Sato had become Drake's student, Agatha's good mood about attending the opening instantly soured.
"Ahem, Drake, Elite Four Agatha, please head inside quickly. If we wait any longer, I'm afraid the door of my Gym might get crushed," Sato said with a bitter smile.
The two looked back and saw that Umbreon and Houndoom could no longer keep the crowd under control.
Seeing the Gym Leader in person, along with two Elite Four, and knowing full well that those two Pokémon wouldn't actually attack anyone, the crowd couldn't help surging forward for a closer look.
"Hmph!"
Seeing the crowd pushing forward again, Agatha -already in a sour mood- let out a cold snort. Her Elite Four aura burst out instantly and swept over the people.
In that moment, despite the clear sunny morning, everyone felt a chill like a cold wind cutting through them. It was eerie and unsettling.
"Hmph~"
Agatha snorted lightly again and turned to walk straight into the Gym. No one outside dared to push forward anymore.
Sato and Drake exchanged a glance. Drake, surprisingly, gave a rare smile -one that even had a hint of smugness- before following her inside.
Sato didn't leave. He turned to look at the crowd outside, all staring at him eagerly. After thinking for a moment, he took two steps forward.
"Most of the people here are from Shadownight Town. Starting today, I count as one of you too. So there's no need to rush right now. From now on, you'll see me every day. Just don't get sick of me, okay?"
Sato smiled and nodded to the crowd, then turned to Amber and said, "Amber, if we can let more people in, let's let them in as long as they don't mind standing for a while."
"We don't mind!" someone in the crowd immediately echoed.
"The space is limited, we really can't fit too many," Sato said, then pointed at the large screen nearby. "The ceremony will be broadcast live inside as well, so there's no need to worry."
"Mhm! We're not worried!"
Sato turned his head, curious to see who was so cooperative responding to him twice in a row. It almost sounded like a comedy skit.
In the crowd, a girl with bangs clutched her friend's arm, face blushing as she whispered, "He looked at me… He looked at me…"
"…"
---
More than ten minutes passed. Once the front yard of the Gym was packed full, Amber finally stopped letting people in.
The Gym's front yard was more like an indoor sports arena. In the center was a standard battlefield, with rows and rows of spectator seats on both sides.
Most of the invited guests were seated in the first and second rows, the best viewing spots.
At that moment, a red circular platform was set up in the center of the battlefield. Once everyone was seated or in place, the MC, Sia, stepped onto the platform and began reading off the formalities.
It was mostly things like the purpose behind the Gym's creation, an introduction to the Gym Leader, the duties of a Gym, etc. Most people didn't listen seriously and weren't that interested anyway.
But soon, murmurs began to spread. Sia had invited Elite Four Agatha and Gym Leader Sato onto the stage for the Gym Badge presentation.
The Shadownight Gym Badge wasn't like most Dark-type designs -vicious and fearsome- but was instead modeled after the adorable Zorua.
A round black face, pointy red ears, and a cheeky grin gave the badge a clever and cute look.
Good thing Sato wasn't a Gym Leader in the Kanto Region. With Kanto's minimalist style, the badge would probably have been nothing more than a black polygon…
And when Elite Four Agatha personally handed the Badge to Sato, it officially marked that from this moment on, Sato had the authority to "award" the Shadownight Badge to any Trainer he acknowledged.
"The badge presentation ceremony is complete. Next up, a 1-on-1 exhibition match between Gym Leader Sato and Inspector Lance!" After inviting Elite Four Agatha off stage, Sia immediately announced the next exciting event.
Though just an exhibition match, Sato's opponent was none other than the League's most popular young Trainer: Lance. The excitement was palpable.
Sosuke and Akira quickly removed the platform while Sato and Lance both stepped onto the battlefield.
"Sato, even though it's your Gym's grand opening today, I'm not going to go easy on you. Losing to me isn't shameful after all," Lance said confidently, showing no signs of having fought fiercely with a Team Rocket Admin the night before.
"Lance, don't be too sure. You might be the one who loses. Houndoom… get ready for battle!" Sato smiled as he sent out Johto's own Houndoom.
"Watch closely, your opponent is… Dragonite!"