Chapter 55: Gray Badge
(Third update!! New book seeking flowers and collections!!)
“You guys, get out of the way!!” Xiao Gang was always gentle with his younger siblings, but at this moment, he was unusually stern.
Although becoming a gym trainer was not what he wanted, the gym was the lifeline of this family. To take care of his nine younger siblings, the expenses were huge.
Such a situation occurring in the gym was indeed his responsibility as a gym trainer.
He immediately sternly reprimanded his younger siblings. Xiao Gang’s siblings obviously did not expect him to be so angry. In their eyes, he had always been a very gentle person.
“But… but we just wanted to protect Big Brother’s hard-trained Onix. Besides, he was the one who broke the rules first.”
Listening to Xiao Gang’s words, the children felt a bit wronged. Xiao Gang’s third younger brother said with a bit of defiance, looking up at the ceiling.
The water from the fire suppression device seemed to have run out and was no longer spraying. They could see the damaged sprinkler system.
“The Pokémon League rules state that anything inside the competition venue is part of the competition. I did not break any rules!” Xiao Zhi said calmly after hearing this.
Even in the air, as long as it was within the venue, it could be considered part of the battle. This was a rule set by the Pokémon League to cultivate adaptable trainers.
Truly outstanding trainers must possess excellent adaptability in the heat of battle. As long as it’s within the competition venue, even things like the ceiling or chandeliers can be used.
Even the venue itself is just a place for battles. Even if a Pokémon is knocked out of the venue, as long as it hasn’t lost its fighting capacity, it can still return to the venue to continue fighting.
As a gym trainer, Xiao Gang naturally understood this better than anyone else, which was why he was so rare in losing his temper with his younger siblings.
“Besides, your brother's Onix was carefully trained. Do others' Pokémon not deserve the same? Do you know how much hard work every trainer and their Pokémon go through to participate in the Pokémon League and challenge gyms?”
Xiao Zhi wasn’t going to be polite with these little brats. Onix was a huge Pokémon that was troublesome to take care of on a daily basis.
But although Pokémon require different levels of care, every trainer treats them with equal love and dedication.
Your brother has invested effort, others have invested effort too. Why is it okay for other trainers to have their Pokémon injured and defeated, but your brother’s Pokémon can’t be hurt?
“...”
Listening to Xiao Zhi’s words, Xiao Gang’s siblings fell silent. They were relatively mature, having been raised by Xiao Gang’s care. After hearing what Xiao Zhi said, they understood that what they did was wrong. Now that the water had stopped and they hadn’t finished off the attack, Onix had already regained its footing.
“I’m sorry for what happened. I lost this match.” Xiao Gang looked at Xiao Zhi and admitted his defeat, his voice filled with sincere apology.
Xiao Gang walked into the arena, gently touched Onix’s body, then walked towards Xiao Zhi. He pulled out an octagonal badge from his pocket.
“This is the Gray Badge, proof of victory against the Nibi Gym. You fought very well, and battling you made me learn a lot.”
Xiao Gang was well aware of the Pokémon League rules and fully agreed with Xiao Zhi’s words. Every trainer’s dedication to their Pokémon is the same. The level of difficulty in caring for Pokémon shouldn’t be used as a standard to judge whether a trainer cares about their Pokémon.
Therefore, he sincerely admired what Xiao Zhi said. It was hard to imagine that Xiao Zhi was just a rookie trainer. Without a doubt, he deserved the Gray Badge.
“Thank you!” Xiao Zhi didn’t hesitate to accept the Gray Badge. After all, he had won. After receiving the badge, he also shook hands with Xiao Gang.
“Also, I apologize on behalf of my younger siblings.”
“No problem!” Although there was a little mishap, the result was what he wanted. As for what happened, he wasn’t going to dwell on it with these kids. Putting other things aside, he actually admired Xiao Gang. Compared to his parents…...
“Alright, I’ll be on my way then. Pikachu, let’s go!” Xiao Zhi looked at Pikachu in the arena and called out to him.
“Pika!” Pikachu, shaking off the rainwater, quickly ran out and jumped onto Xiao Zhi’s shoulder.
Xiao Zhi then left with Pikachu and Xia, while Xiao Gang stood there in silence, watching them leave.
“Big Brother, I’m sorry!” Realizing their mistakes, Xiao Gang’s younger siblings felt the silent atmosphere and lowered their heads.
“Jiro, take your siblings back first.” Xiao Gang didn’t seem too angry, rather calm, but the calmer he was, the more uneasy his younger siblings felt.
Seeing this, Jiro didn’t dare to disobey and hurriedly took his siblings away. Xiao Gang stayed behind, cleaning up the arena alone.
At this moment, a figure watching from a window high above saw this scene, tears welling up in their eyes, filled with deep self-blame. After a while, they quietly left.
...
“I didn’t expect something like that to happen. But thankfully, I got the badge in the end.” Walking back to the gym, Xia was still thinking about what had just happened.
“It’s okay. They were just kids, after all.” Xiao Zhi smiled calmly in response to Xia’s words.
“Huh? Xiao Zhi, your attitude is completely different from before! You looked really angry just now.” Xia was surprised. Xiao Zhi’s demeanor now was completely different from before.
“I was indeed angry! I don’t like people who disrespect the rules of the competition. But Xiao Gang wasn’t wrong. The kids were just acting out. Since the competition is over, let’s forget about it.”
Xiao Zhi responded calmly. Xia nodded in understanding, silently taking note of Xiao Zhi’s words.
“Actually, we can’t blame them entirely!” A voice came from somewhere.