Chapter 81: Flannery's Grandfather

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"Grandpa, what did you say? You want to hand over the Lavaridge Gym to me?"

On the second day after arriving in Lavaridge Town, Gary, Rosa, and Hilda came to the door of the Lavaridge Gym according to the instructions on the map.

As they arrived at the gym, they suddenly heard a shout from inside.

After hearing this shout, Gary and the others exchanged glances but decided to step into the Lavaridge Gym.

Inside, they saw a girl dressed a bit flamboyantly arguing with a white-haired old man wearing glasses, so much so that they didn't notice Gary and the others entering.

Gary immediately recognized the two. The white-haired old man was the former Fire-type Elite Four member, Mr. Moore, of the Hoenn region, and the red-haired girl was Flannery, Moore's granddaughter, who served as the Gym Leader of the Lavaridge Gym and battled Ash in the original series.

"That's right, Flannery. I'm getting old, so I want to hand over this Lavaridge Gym to you," Moore said, crossing his arms and giving an answer that left no room for refusal.

"What? You just want to abandon the Lavaridge Gym and go to the Johto region to study Pokémon? You really think I don't know that!" Flannery retorted, revealing Moore's true intentions.

"This..." Moore was caught off guard by his granddaughter's accusation and showed an embarrassed expression, unsure of what to say.

Seeing her grandfather's embarrassed expression, Flannery quickly realized she might have been too harsh. Her grandfather was indeed getting old, so she softened her stance.

"Alright, I'll take over the Lavaridge Gym from you in the future," Flannery conceded.

"Really?" Moore's face lit up with excitement upon hearing Flannery's agreement. "I'll contact the League and arrange for the change of Gym Leader."

"However, I don't know much about running the Lavaridge Gym, so you'll need to teach me, Grandpa," Flannery said, pulling Moore back from his eagerness to change the Gym Leader.

"Of course, I'll guide you," Moore agreed readily. Then he noticed Gary and the others at the gym entrance.

"Hey, when did they come in?" Flannery asked, surprised to see Gary and the others.

"Just when we were arguing," Moore replied directly.

From their conversation, it was clear that Moore had noticed Gary, Rosa, and Hilda when they entered, but he hadn't mentioned it.

"Who are you?" Flannery asked, now aware of their presence.

"You must be here to challenge the gym," Moore said before Gary and the others could explain.

"That's right," Gary nodded, acknowledging Moore's statement.

"What a coincidence that you came today. It's my last day serving as the Gym Leader of Lavaridge Gym," Moore said with a light smile.

"It is our honor to battle with Mr. Moore," Gary responded with a smile.

"Oh?" Moore looked at Gary with interest. "Do you know this old man?"

"Of course, Mr. Moore," Gary replied.

"This old man is an Elite Four member?" Rosa and Hilda showed surprise when they heard Gary refer to Moore as an Elite Four member.

"Yes, Mr. Moore was the former Fire-type Elite Four of the Hoenn League, but he retired long ago," Gary explained to Rosa and Hilda.

"I didn't expect people still remember my grandfather's past," Flannery said, looking at Gary with surprise.

"Since we were going to challenge the Lavaridge Gym, we did some research beforehand," Gary explained.

Moore squinted his eyes, studying Gary carefully. "You look familiar. Have I seen you somewhere before?"

"Do you know me?" Gary was surprised by Moore's words.

After thinking for a moment, Moore recognized Gary's identity. "You're the grandson of Professor Oak, aren't you?"

Moore pointed at Gary excitedly.

During this time, Moore had become interested in Pokémon research, so he knew about Professor Oak and his famous grandson, Gary.

"Uh," Gary's mouth twitched slightly at being referred to as Professor Oak's grandson.

"Yes," Gary nodded, admitting it.

"Then can you do Pokémon research?" Moore asked with curiosity.

"No," Gary replied bluntly, disappointing Moore a little, though he quickly recovered.

"Mr. Moore, we're here to challenge the gym!" Hilda reminded him, seeing Moore's distraction.

"Sorry, I almost forgot," Moore said, showing an apologetic expression.

"Grandpa!" Flannery, Rosa, and Hilda all showed helpless expressions.

"Alright, I understand. Come with me!" Moore said, leading them to the battle site of the Lavaridge Gym.

Gary was the first to challenge, so he stood opposite Moore on the battle site.

The battle was about to begin.