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At 4 PM, Kai arrived in Celadon City once again, making his way toward the Celadon Gym. But to his surprise, the gym was under heavy renovation!
The entire front half was covered in scaffolding. Dozens of workers with tools in hand bustled across the structure. The air buzzed with the sounds of drills, hamrs, and power saws. Down on the ground, several Machamp worked tirelessly, hauling loads of construction materials back and forth with expert coordination.
Through the gaps in the scaffolding, Kai could faintly make out burn marks and signs of fire damage. Though faded with ti, they clearly indicated that the building had once suffered a major blaze.
'What happened here?' He wondered.
As he stood in confusion, a familiar voice called out from nearby.
"Kai! Over here!"
He turned to see Erika.
Just like he rembered, she radiated calm beauty. Dressed in a traditional kimono, she stood with quiet grace, poised and elegant. There was a distinct charm about her gentle, dignified, and undeniably refined.
Kai approached and greeted her before turning his gaze back to the gym. "Was there a fire here? When did that happen? You never ntioned anything."
"It's been quite a while now," Erika said thoughtfully. "I think it was just a few days after you finished your Gym Challenge here right around the ti we tead up with the International Police to take down that Team Rocket base."
Kai paused, recalling the tiline. Co to think of it, he vaguely rembered a similar incident being ntioned in the ani.
He smirked. "Let guess Ash Ketchum showed up around then?"
"Oh? You know Ash too?" Erika smiled. "Yes, it happened during his Gym Challenge. Team Rocket launched an attack right when he arrived. It was a bizarre trio two humans and a talking owth. They set fire to the gym during the chaos. Thankfully, Ash and his friends were there to help stop the blaze from spreading further."
Kai chuckled inwardly. That could only be Jessie, Jas, and owth.
And really, when you thought about it, if Ash hadn't been there, maybe Team Rocket wouldn't have followed him to the Gym at all. Which ant… in a roundabout way, the fire was kind of his fault.
He wisely kept that thought to himself.
"But if this happened so long ago," Kai asked, "why wait until now to start repairs?"
Erika sighed with a tired smile. "Believe , I filed the damage report with the League the very next day. But funding issues and approval delays… it all dragged on longer than expected. Thankfully, the funds were finally released a few days ago. So I decided to take this chance not just to repair, but also expand the Gym a bit."
Ah, so that's why she had ti to consider a trip to Johto. With the Gym temporarily shut down, Erika had the rare opportunity to travel.
That reminded him—"What about the greenhouse and your Pokémon inside? Did they make it through?"
Erika nodded. "Luckily, yes. Thanks to everyone working together, we managed to contain the fire. The greenhouse wasn't affected. A small miracle, really."
She then added with a warm smile, "Oh, and I wanted to thank you again for those oranges you sent. They were amazing so different from anything in Kanto. We even planted the seeds, and the sprouts are growing nicely!"
Kai blinked in surprise. He'd nearly forgotten about that little care package. "I'm glad they took root. Honestly, I was worried they wouldn't survive the climate change."
Erika then glanced around, visibly searching for soone.
"Strange… I thought Sabrina would be with you. Weren't you two traveling together?"
Kai waved dismissively. "Don't remind . The League's been pressuring her to return and resu her duties at the Gym. She couldn't refuse, so I brought her back to Saffron before heading here."
"I see…" Erika looked mildly surprised. "I didn't realize the League could be that insistent."
She quickly shook the thought from her mind and gave an apologetic smile. "Oh, how rude of to keep you out here chatting this long. You must be exhausted after your journey. Please, co inside and have so tea."
Kai was a bit parched, so he nodded and followed her into a large wooden structure that had been set up behind the Gym as a temporary base.
Inside, a few of Erika's female staffers, won Kai vaguely rembered from the Gym, were present. When they saw him, they giggled behind their hands, casting teasing and sowhat bold glances his way.
Kai coughed awkwardly and gave them a polite nod before quickly following Erika into a smaller, more private eting room.
As soon as they stepped inside, a soft floral perfu greeted his senses. The room, though temporary, had been carefully arranged with elegance and charm. Potted plants and flower arrangents adorned every corner, reflecting Erika's love of nature.
It felt… cozy.
Maybe too cozy.
The overwhelming femininity of the space made Kai feel slightly out of place. His throat felt dry, though, whether from the room's scent or Erika's presence, he wasn't sure.
Seated gracefully across from him on the tatami floor, Erika poured them both a cup of hot tea.
"Please don't mind the setting," she said kindly. "This place is just a makeshift office for daily tasks while the Gym is out of commission. It's not built for battles, so it's a bit modest."
"It's wonderful," Kai replied after a sip. "For soone like who's always on the road, a place like this… feels like a dream ho."
Erika laughed softly, clearly pleased by the complint.
She rembered their past well battling together against Team Rocket, standing side-by-side in danger. Kai had protected her more than once. And even if she'd never said it out loud, in her heart, she already considered him a close friend.
Being praised by soone like him truly made her day.
There was a warmth to her smile, a kind of glow that radiated kindness and quiet strength very different from Sabrina's sharp intensity.
Erika had her own kind of beauty one that was hard to ignore.
Kai caught himself staring and quickly looked away, clearing his throat. He steered the conversation toward business before his thoughts wandered too far.
"So, about your Johto trip, you ntioned wanting to catch Grass-types. Do you have any specific Pokémon in mind? That'll help give you so solid recomndations."
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