The Saibei Gym. The Gym Leader's na was Yun Erdun. He was a Flying-type specialist and a provincial-level trainer known for his fierce and aggressive battle style.
At noon, Kenji first enjoyed a hearty al of Green City's local delicacies. Sated and happy, he headed to the Saibei Gym.
The gym's architecture reflected the local style, featuring ornate blue-brick designs.
Unlike most gyms, the Saibei Gym's arenas were all open-air, without roofs. This was likely due to Yun Erdun's specialization in Flying-type Pokémon.
Kenji walked into the lobby and told the staff he was here for a challenge. Before he could even take off his sunglasses, the receptionist looked apologetic.
"I'm sorry, sir. Leader Yun hasn't woken up yet. Could you co back in the afternoon?"
"Hasn't woken up yet???!"
Kenji frowned, glancing sideways at the digital clock above the lobby.
It was already 1:00 PM. And you're telling the Gym Leader is still asleep???!
Kenji had t many Gym Leaders, but this was the first ti he'd encountered one this lazy.
The receptionist looked embarrassed but nodded. "Yes. Why don't you co back later? It might take so ti for Leader Yun to wake up."
Kenji shook his head. "It's fine. I'll wait here."
Since Kenji insisted, the receptionist didn't argue further and went back to work.
Kenji didn't just sit around. Since he had ti to kill, he took his Pokémon to the gym's training grounds for a workout.
Around 3:00 PM—two hours later—the receptionist finally ca to find him.
"Sir, Leader Yun is awake. Would you like to start the challenge now?"
Kenji recalled his Pokémon and nodded. "Sure."
Before the challenge, he needed to verify his identity.
"You're Kenji???!"
The receptionist gasped in surprise as Kenji slowly removed his sunglasses.
Kenji coughed lightly. He still wasn't used to being famous. Being recognized everywhere made him feel insecure.
"Is there a problem?" he asked, puzzled.
"I'm your fan! Can I get an autograph??!" The receptionist's eyes sparkled as she pleaded.
...
After signing an autograph for his little fan, the receptionist led Kenji to the challenge arena.
Walking into the room, Kenji saw a man sitting on a bench by the field. He had ssy hair, dark circles under his eyes worse than a Pancham's, and wore a yellowish-brown leather jacket. A cigarette dangled from his fingers.
"Leader Yun, Kenji is here."
The receptionist whispered, glancing between the man and Kenji.
"Kenji??" Yun Erdun lifted his eyelids. His voice was hoarse, and his face looked incredibly haggard.
Kenji had seen videos of Yun Erdun's battles. Among the provincial leaders, he wasn't the oldest—not yet sixty.
While not young, he should still be in his pri.
But the Yun Erdun sitting here looked exhausted, his eyes dull. He looked like soone who hadn't slept for several nights straight.
Even during Kenji's college days in his past life, pulling two consecutive all-nighters hadn't made him look this wrecked. At first glance, Kenji worried the man might drop dead from sudden cardiac arrest.
"Leader Yun, are you..."
Kenji asked with concern, genuinely doubting if Yun Erdun was in any condition to battle.
Yun Erdun clearly recognized Kenji. He forced himself to perk up slightly. "Oh... it's nothing. Just discovered so ruins under Fossil Mountain in Green City a few days ago. Dug up so stuff. Got carried away researching it. I'll be fine once I catch up on sleep."
Hearing this, Kenji rembered. Besides being the Saibei Gym Leader, Yun Erdun had another identity: a fanatical archaeology enthusiast.
This world was full of ancient, even prehistoric, Pokémon civilizations that had vanished from history for various reasons.
But they left behind ruins.
And these ruins spawned a group of fanatics dedicated to uncovering the secrets of ancient Pokémon civilizations.
Yun Erdun was one of them.
"Excuse ... when was the last ti you slept?" Kenji asked tentatively.
Yun Erdun paused for a mont, then held up two fingers.
"Two days ago??" Kenji guessed.
Yun Erdun shook his head. "Two weeks. Until this afternoon, when I finally couldn't hold on anymore and slept for a few hours..."
"..." Kenji's eyelids twitched wildly. He silently retracted his earlier judgnt about Yun Erdun being lazy.
Not sleeping for two weeks straight? Even with the superhuman physique of humans in this world, that was insane.
Especially considering Yun Erdun still had duties as a Provincial Gym Leader on top of researching artifacts.
The man was a monster...
"Co on, co on. You're here for a challenge, right? Let see the strength of the National League Champion." Yun Erdun stood up, trying to look eager.
"Um... Leader Yun, actually, I'm not in a hurry..." Kenji coughed, looking at the man whose state could only be described as 'terrible.' He tried to refuse.
Yun Erdun knew what Kenji was worried about and insisted he was fine.
But Kenji persisted, suggesting they wait until Yun Erdun was fully rested.
They went back and forth until Kenji changed the subject, expressing interest in the artifacts excavated from Fossil Mountain.
Yun Erdun was imdiately distracted. Forgetting about the battle, he excitedly led Kenji to the room where he stored the artifacts.
The storage room—which doubled as Yun Erdun's bedroom—was filled with shelves displaying all sorts of strange objects, each carefully preserved in individual containers. Clearly, Yun Erdun treasured them.
But on a large table in the center of the room, a peculiar clay figurine instantly caught Kenji's attention.
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