“Is the Gym even open?” Kerry asked, as she and Nina trudged through the muddied roads of Viridian City. 

That transitional period between winter and spring was always the worst due to the mess brought about by melting snow. The annoying inconvenience of persistent rainfall also did not help matters.

Nina shrugged while dodging a puddle and maneuvering the protective case that she was dragging behind her out of the way. The girl was being very careful not to run the hardy wheels over any bumps or divots to avoid the risk of accidentally damaging the fossil contained within. Not that she needed to be so cautious — both Professor Oaks assured her that the case was quite rugged. And should it break, there was still the metal cube contained within to act as a failsafe.

“Only one way to find out,” said the other girl. “If Victor isn’t around then we’ll just continue on our way to Johto as planned.” Nina wanted to make her journey on foot if at all possible, instead of flying around with Nitey, to really get the full journeyman's experience, a sentiment that Kerry agreed with. 

And since that involved passing through Viridian City to get to Mount Silver, the two girls figured they could try their luck at obtaining the Earth Badge while they were at it.

The Viridian Gym was a fairly rustic looking building surrounded on all sides by farmland. It followed the standard boxy design that old school Gyms used to have, similar to the Pewter Gym that Nina once visited, but on a much smaller scale.

It all made sense if one considered the fact that this Gym building was not the same as the one constructed and used by Giovanni during his tenure as Gym Leader. Rather, this building predated even Giovanni and used to function as the City’s Gym before the old Rocket Boss took over. In its abandonment, it was appropriated as a farmhouse before being revived in an effort to get away from the stigma associated with Giovanni’s Gym.

“Excuse me!” Nina hollered. “Is Gym Leader Victor around?” The person she was addressing was a farmer who was doing some work in the snow covered fields, seemingly running a snow plow through it to thin the snow and prepare for spring.

The farmer rose and waved at the two girls, yelling back in a barely audible voice before steadily making his way over. Nina actually felt a little bad for inconveniencing the man.

“Ho there! Are you two here to challenge the Gym by chance?” The farmer said, once he got into earshot.

“Yup! My name is Nina from Cerulean and this is Kerry from Vermilion. Do you know if the Gym is open to accept challengers at the moment?”

The farmer nodded and beckoned for the two girls to follow as he led them towards the back of the Gym. “I’m sure we can figure something out. Not sure if you’re aware, but the Gym season is delayed this year. What’s with Lance punching a big ol’ hole in Mount Silver and all that.”

Nina laughed, feeling quite charmed by the man’s rural accent. “We’re aware, yes. But my friend and I were just passing by and thought we’d try our luck, y’know?”

“Aye. Fair, fair… Come on in and lemma make ya some tea.” The man beckoned as he opened up a backdoor leading into the Gym. Nina figured he must be a trainer or staff working at the Gym or something.

The first thing that Nina sensed when she entered the space was the smell; the earthy scents of fertilizer, soil and plant matter. Then she gradually took in the actual space itself, filled with metal racks housing various farming supplies, as well as farming equipment strewn all around the floor.

The two girls rubbed their shoes against the well worn little welcome mat by the door, more out of politeness than anything since their soles were immediately soiled by the dirt stained tiles. The entire place felt to Nina more like a storage room for a typical farmhouse than the interior of a Pokemon Gym.

“C’mon over and have a seat.” The friendly man gestured at a little wooden table surrounded by fold up chairs to the side. Meanwhile he went over to the kitchenette to prepare some drinks for his guest. “Coffee or tea?” He asked, to which both girls answered; “Tea.”

“That’s a lotta luggage you’re lugging around. Where’re you two ladies headed?”

Nina smiled and thanked the man for the beverage he placed in front of her. “Oh, we’ve just been asked to deliver something to Johto, hence why we’re passing by. What about you?” Nina asked, in an attempt to divert the conversation. “Are you the groundskeeper for the Gym?”

The man laughed and settled down to take a sip from his own cup. “Oops, did I forget to introduce myself? I’m Victor, the Gym Leader of this here city.”

Both Nina and Kerry nearly choked on their drinks at the man’s introduction. Nina had only seen Victor’s face on the League’s database before, but not anything recent since his battles weren’t exactly worth studying.

The picture she saw was an older one, when the man first took over as Gym Leader. And she distinctly recalled the man had a very Bruno-esque look to him. That was to say, lots of muscle and very aggressively spiky red hair, like a character from a martial arts novel.

However, the man in front of him was the very definition of mundane, even more so than Larry, the so-called ‘normie’ Gym Leader of Paldea from the Scarlet and Violet games. Victor had a very genial face, tanned and wrinkled from hours spent under the sun with a pair of calloused farm hands to match. 

His hair was still red, but unlike the picture that Nina saw, the current Victor had a balding head and rapidly receding hairline underneath his straw hat. In fact, Nina wouldn’t be surprised if the guy introduced himself as Victor’s dad instead.

“I erm… I’m sorry, I didn’t recognise you in your current getup.” Nina stuttered, followed by fervent nods from a red faced Kerry.

Victor laughed. “It’s fine. I don’t exactly look like a noble Gym Leader do I? Loser Victor they call me. Haha! Hilarious! Get it? ‘Cause my name is Victor but I keep losing?”

Both Nina and Kerry let out a wry smile but opted to stay silent, unsure of how to respond.

Victor laughed once more. “Oh cheer up, no need to be all uptight around me.” He then raised his hands to show his guest. “See these hands? My skin ain’t so thin that I’d get all pissy from a few Loudred mouths.”

“So Mr Victor,” Kerry chimed, eager to get away from the conversation. “How was the Indigo Conference this year? Will you be headed back again soon?”

“Oh, the conference? Didn’t go. Sent one of my boys instead.”

Nina nodded. “I see, are you grooming your successor? That’s very forward thinking of you.” 

The Conference was also where the Gym Leaders of Kanto and Johto gathered once a year to bump shoulders with one another and provide updates about their respective cities. There was even a closed tournament that was held in tandem with the Indigo Conference that enabled the Gym Leaders to vent their competitive spirit and clash egos with one another.

However, Victor just dismissed Nina’s words with a casual wave. “Nah, they don’t need me there. Ain’t like anyone listens to Loser Victor anyway. I was the first to jump to Erika’s support back when she first encountered issues with her city. Lil’ good that did. Erika even yelled at me for undermining her cause and whatnot. Haha!”

Nina sighed, feeling a little vexed by the character in front of her. Misty had her issues, but she knew when to switch on her charisma when the occasion called for it. Victor though, was a defeatist in every sense of the word. It was no wonder he hadn’t quit yet, there was not an iota of pride left in the man to offend.

“I don’t think you’re that bad, Mr Victor…” Kerry said, with a warm and gentle smile. “You’re still one of our region’s proud Gym Leaders. I mean strength is relative right? In the eyes of a greenhorn like me, you’re plenty strong already.”

Victor chuckled, letting out the first genuine smile since the start of their meeting. “You don’t need to comfort me, Miss Joy. I’m very well aware of my limits.” The man sighed, staring into his teacup with a pang of nostalgia.

“Y’know, ever since I was a kid, I admired Giovanni. To me, he was the strongest Pokemon Trainer in Kanto. I genuinely thought that one day, he might defeat Lance and bring back our region’s lost glory…” Victor scoffed. “But then, he betrayed us…”

The dejected Gym Leader said that no one was more disappointed than him when his hero was exposed as a lowlife scoundrel. But instead of losing hope, the flame of defiance ignited within him instead — Victor wanted to do what Giovanni never could and turn the Viridian Gym into the number one Gym in Kanto.

“When they sent out a call for a new Leader to take over, I immediately jumped on the application.” However, Victor was never the best Pokemon Trainer. And amongst a deluge of Ace Trainers and legacy trainers, backed by ancient families with hundreds of years of history, he didn't stand a chance.

“But I didn’t give up. I kept trying and trying, even pestering all the different Gym Leaders at the time for battles just to prove that I was better than them. Then finally, when another one of my many predecessors quit, I got the job.” It wasn’t a very noble win, since many people came to shun the bothersome baggage attached to the title by that point, and competition was thin. But Victor succeeded all the same and vowed to turn the Gym around.

Nina scoffed. “Running a Gym isn’t just about being a strong battler.” As a member of the Cerulean Gym herself, she would know.

The day to day operations of a Pokemon Gym in addition to the sheer number of Pokemon that they needed to train and handle on the regular required mind boggling finesse and thoughtful management from everyone involved.

Not to mention all the other duties associated with the running of their assigned territory and their obligations to other branches of the League like law enforcement and Pokemon Rangers. The Cerulean Gym’s mermaids, for example, were often asked to deal with oceanic threats in and around the region.

“Yeah, I only found out after going into the job. Haha!” The man laughed boisterously before turning to address Kerry. “You say I’m very strong, but in the end I’m just one man. My old man was a veteran who retired and became a farmer, my mom too. Compared to all these fancy Legacy Families and Great Clans with all their secret knowledge, I just couldn’t compete.”

Victor then gestured towards Nina. “Case in point; I’m sure that your friend here can easily eat my Star team for lunch. Maybe even sweep through them with just her Dragonite.” The man chuckled at Nina’s bewildered face. 

“Don’t look so surprised. Aquarium Girl, right? My little pumpkin is a huge fan. Speaking of which, I’d be happy to trade you a Star Badge for an autograph. You’d make me the best daddy in the world, just for a day, before she goes back to being all bratty again. Haha!”

Nina frowned, not liking the man’s proposal. “Thank you. But while I do value efficiency, it doesn’t feel right to earn a badge through such underhanded means. It’s either a battle, a suitable trial, or not at all.”

The girl then turned towards her companion with indignant eyes. “Thank you for the tea but I think we should be going now. C’mon Kerry, let’s go. We’ve taken up enough of Mr Victor’s time.”

Nina got up to leave, with a hesitant Kerry in tow, who turned back around and gave their host a deep bow. “I wish you all the best Mr Victor. I’m sure that if you don’t give up, you’ll be able to achieve your dreams one day.” 

Then, with another smile and another bow, Kerry followed the fuming Nina out of the door. Leaving behind a melancholic Victor, staring idly at the cup of lukewarm tea he was holding, all by his lonesome.

***

Author's note:

I'm gonna jump ahead of the criticism here. Since some of the Patreon members have already voiced their displeasure with this chapter.

I do have plans for Victor which will come into fruition around the middle of Part Three. (hopefully)

And actually, it's very subtle, but I did leave some breadcrumbs in this chapter if you want to guess at my intentions.

The disappointment you feel is normal. Just know that I didn't just create this character to use as some sort of fodder.

The reason why we're skipping the Viridian Gym is because I wanted every one of Nina's Gym battle to be meaningful and challenging in some way. And as Victor himself said, Nina could easily just steamroll him at the present.

I could have just skipped past the city, say that he was absent due to the conference or something. But I wanted to introduce the character now, because there won't be a chance later on.