"As for the gem-style badges, that's unique to Kanto. Our official gyms are recognized as part of the Elite structure, and because of their merits, the benefits are excellent. Even if a Gym Leader does nothing, the League still pays them a monthly stipend."
Koga smirked slightly as he continued, "Don't be fooled by our strength as Elite trainers—without the League's backing, we're just following orders. Still, it's a win–win arrangement. At least we don't have to worry about making a living."
"Before you came along," Koga went on, "a lot of kids from influential families challenged this gym. Without exception, every one of them only earned a Silver Badge. You're the only one who actually defeated the trainer of the Heavenly Palace fair and square."
Ash nodded in understanding. No wonder trainers from other regions sometimes dismissed Kanto as the 'weakest.'
But that was only true in the eyes of outsiders. Those who understood the region knew that Kanto's real powerhouses were dangerous opponents. While many participants were knocked out in the early rounds of the League Conference, the quarterfinals were almost always filled with top–tier trainers.
"The League's playing a clever game," Ash thought to himself. "Even the elite trainers aren't left alone. The pressure from Kanto's top families must be so great that even the League has to bend."
Kanto had more powerful families than any other region, each with its own territory. For now, there was a fragile balance—none of the clans openly interfered with the others. But if that balance broke, the consequences wouldn't just be a simple case of one plus one. It was no wonder the League actively recruited elite trainers to keep the peace.
"Have a few rooms prepared for us," Ash said after finishing his tea. "It's already afternoon, and the trip here was tiring. We'll start the challenge tomorrow."
Koga gave a wry smile. "Almost all the rooms on the left wing were destroyed—by you. The only ones left are on the right, but that section includes one of our battlefields. There are five rooms in total, but one's a storage closet and two belong to Aya and me. That leaves only two for your group."
Ash rubbed the back of his head, a bead of sweat forming. "Uh…" Truth be told, when Koga said there were only two rooms left, Ash couldn't help but feel a flicker of happiness—though he wasn't sure why.
"It's fine," Sabrina said suddenly, glancing over with her usual calm expression. "I'll stay with Suzie. You can share with Cynthia. Consider it your reward, you pervert."
Ash nearly choked.
Though Sabrina wasn't exactly thrilled about Ash's closeness with Cynthia, monogamy wasn't strictly the cultural norm here, and over the past days she'd grown more accepting of their strange little group dynamic.
Suzie was twenty, Cynthia was twenty–eight, and Sabrina was Ash's age—so pairing up with Suzie was no problem for her.
As soon as Sabrina finished speaking, Cynthia's cheeks flushed red. She didn't argue, and Ash—certainly not foolish enough to say something like "I'll just sleep outside"—kept his mouth shut. Who would turn down a situation like this? Not him. That would be the kind of choice that earned a man a lifetime of bachelorhood.
Once the arrangements were decided, Koga led the group to the guest rooms. It was already past four in the afternoon, and after a rough night camping in the wild, no one had slept well. Turning in early made perfect sense.
"Well… let's call it a night and get some rest. We'll take on the challenge tomorrow," Ash said once Sabrina and the others had gone to their rooms.
"I'll take a shower first," Cynthia replied quickly. She dug a change of clothes from her pack and all but dashed into the bathroom, clearly flustered.
On the road, none of them carried pajamas—changing into sleepwear inside a tent in the wilderness was more trouble than it was worth—so normal clothes would have to do.
Ash watched her retreat, smirking faintly. "Guess she's a little nervous." He stripped down to his boxers and slid under the covers. If he wanted a shower, he'd have to wait until Cynthia was finished.
He wasn't some inexperienced kid. In his past life, he'd shared more than a few beds, so there was nothing awkward for him about this. But for Cynthia, it was the first time she'd ever shared a room—let alone a bed—with a man. And not just any man—her fiancé.
"Damn it… my thoughts are all over the place," Ash muttered under his breath. Cynthia's image—fair skin, refined features—kept flashing in his mind. She wasn't just beautiful; she was a goddess.
Of course, he wouldn't actually take advantage of her here. This was Koga's home, after all. Still, a little harmless closeness? That could be good for building their relationship.
"Calm down, veteran," he told himself. "Think about something else… Let's see, I've still got two Full Restore Capsules, one hundred-square-meter storage ring, seven Rare Candies, three Full Restore Capsules—no, wait, that's right—three, two skill disk uses left, three Master Balls, and one copy card."
"If I draw again tonight, maybe I can get another copy card. The more of those, the better."
"System," Ash asked aloud, "the abilities and items from other worlds—those only come from the five weekly draws, right?"
He knew by now that if he didn't ask, the system wouldn't volunteer information unless it had to.
Ding!
[Five hundred attribute points can be exchanged for a lottery draw.]
Ash almost fell out of bed. "Are you kidding me?! You keep something that important secret unless I ask? What the hell!"
Still, the cost made him wince. "Five hundred points for one draw… that's steep. And after the last upgrade, there are even restrictions. Total rip-off."
The system wasn't sentient—it couldn't argue or explain—so complaining was pointless.
"Ash, I'm done," Cynthia's voice called from the bathroom, breaking his thoughts. "Your turn. I've already run the water for you."
...
TN:
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