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As soon as he stepped through the distinctive blue doors of the Water-type Gym, which rippled like water, a crisp scent unique to the Gym's interior—a blend of water vapor and special incense—wafted over him.
Before Ariel could savor this unique atmosphere, several figures rushed out from the depths of the Gym in a state of distress.
They were young people wearing uniform light blue outfits, appearing to be the Gym's disciples. They ran stumbling along, and one was so flustered he nearly fell face-first, only saved by a companion catching him in time.
Upon seeing Juan at the door, the group seemed to find their pillar of support. They scrambled over, their faces filled with anxiety and a sense of grievance.
"Teacher! You're finally back!"
The leading disciple panted heavily, his voice trembling slightly.
Juan's brow furrowed slightly; he did not like such a panicked and flustered display.
His low voice carried a hint of displeasure:
"What's the matter? Rushing about like this, where is your decorum?"
Suppressed by their teacher's aura, the disciple's speech became even more stuttered:
"It's... it's the Market! Those troublemakers have appeared there again!"
He gestured as he spoke,
"Three people and four Pokémon have already been injured by him! Since you weren't here, teacher... we tried to catch him several times, but that guy is too cunning, we couldn't catch him at all!"
After listening, Juan's expression didn't fluctuate much. Instead, he shifted his gaze away from them and said indifferently:
"In the future, there is no need to report such matters to me."
His words left the disciples stunned on the spot.
If they weren't to report to their teacher, who should they report to?
Juan's gaze finally landed on Wallace, and he tilted his chin slightly, gesturing:
"Report everything to your Eldest Senior Brother."
"Eldest Senior Brother?"
The young disciples' gazes followed Juan's gesture and landed in unison on Wallace's peerlessly handsome face, their eyes filled with obvious confusion and incomprehension.
In their impression, although Wallace was their teacher's most prized disciple and possessed extraordinary talent, he was young after all. He didn't seem capable of bearing the title of Eldest Senior Brother, let alone handling the Gym's daily affairs.
Furthermore, Wallace traveled all year round, so they rarely saw him. The disciples in the Gym didn't have much of an impression of him, only hearing their teacher mention him often.
Juan saw through the disciples' doubts but didn't bother to explain much. He simply announced in an unquestionable tone:
"After this period, I will set out on a journey as an ordinary Trainer. From now on, all affairs of the Sootopolis City Water-type Gym will be handled by Wallace."
As soon as these words were spoken, not only the disciples but even Wallace himself once again showed that familiar expression—a mix of helplessness and a headache.
He shrugged silently, as if resigned to his fate, and said to his still-dazed junior brothers:
"That's... how it is. I'll handle the specifics."
Wallace took a step forward, instantly switching from a somewhat flighty young man to the role of a reliable senior brother.
The disciples were stunned for a good while before finally digesting this shocking news.
Their gazes toward Wallace instantly shifted from doubt to admiration and trust.
In their hearts, their teacher Juan was a god-like existence, and someone their teacher valued so highly must surely possess extraordinary talent.
The junior brothers' burning and pure gazes of admiration made Wallace's face, which had been feigning seriousness, flush slightly with embarrassment.
He cleared his throat and, to hide his shyness, deliberately raised his voice, speaking with power and conviction:
"Don't worry! With me on the case, I will definitely drag that arrogant fellow out!"
This assurance finally put the disciples at ease.
They nodded repeatedly, bowed respectfully to Juan and Wallace, and then turned to leave.
Seeing that things had been properly arranged, Juan said no more and walked toward his own room in the depths of the Gym, leaving the space to the young people.
Only Ariel and Wallace remained in the vast front hall.
"Brother Ariel, this way."
Wallace returned to his usual tone, leading Ariel through a long corridor paved with Blue Glazed Stones to an elegant guest room.
"This is the room prepared for you. Let's rest for the night to recharge, and tomorrow morning, we'll go to the Market and catch that troublemaker!"
Ariel stood at the door and didn't go in immediately. He looked at Wallace with a hint of amusement and raised an eyebrow:
"'We'?"
This kid really doesn't stand on ceremony.
"When did I agree to go with you?"
Hearing this, Wallace immediately leaned in with an exaggerated movement and hooked his arm around Ariel's shoulder, his handsome face practically screaming "as a matter of course."
"Brother Ariel, you can't put it like that!"
He leaned close to Ariel's ear and lowered his voice, his tone carrying a hint of cunning:
"Can you really say you're not responsible for me having to take over this mess so soon? On the boat just now, who was it that mentioned to Teacher that they wanted to go traveling? Who was it that played along with Teacher and pushed me into this pit of fire?"
"Now that I'm going to eliminate a menace for the people and catch a villain, as the main instigator of this Gym inheritance incident, shouldn't you take responsibility and accompany me?"
Ariel was left speechless by this twisted logic. On second thought, it seemed... there was actually some truth to it.
He twitched the corner of his mouth helplessly and finally nodded.
"Fine, I'll give you that."
To be honest, Ariel was indeed a bit interested in this matter.
He had never experienced what it felt like to "catch someone" openly in a city before; it sounded quite novel.
"But why not go now?"
Ariel voiced his question,
"Aren't you afraid that guy will come out and hurt someone again tonight?"
Wallace released Ariel's shoulder and crossed his arms, a look of wisdom beyond his years appearing on his face.
"According to my junior brothers' descriptions, they failed to catch him several times in a row, which means the guy is very cautious and has strong counter-reconnaissance skills. Our people just tried to corner him today, so logically, he will definitely go into hiding tonight and won't show his face again."
He paused, his analysis making perfect sense:
"If we rush over now, there's a high probability we'll return empty-handed and instead alert him. It's better to rest well and let him lower his guard. Tomorrow, we'll wait for him to tire himself out and give him a surprise."
Listening to Wallace's analysis, Ariel couldn't help but think more highly of him.
This fellow wasn't just gifted in Pokémon battles; his mind really worked fast, and he considered things thoroughly.
It seemed Juan's decision to hand the Sootopolis Gym over to him wasn't just a whim.
Just as Ariel was about to push the door and enter his room, he suddenly remembered something important. He stopped and turned to ask:
"By the way, Wallace, do you have an incubator for Pokémon Eggs here?"
"An incubator?"
Wallace was taken aback for a moment, then laughed:
"Of course! That's a small matter. I'll have someone send over Sootopolis City's most advanced Constant-Temperature Incubator in a moment."
As he spoke, he leaned in curiously and whispered:
"Brother Ariel, what kind of rare Pokémon Egg did you get? Give me a hint, what kind of treasure are you planning to hatch?"
Seeing his curious gaze, Ariel deliberately kept him in suspense and smiled mysteriously.
"You'll know once it hatches."