Volkner (anime)

Volkner is a Gym Leader appearing in Pokémon: DP Sinnoh League Victors.

Biography
Young Volkner was a lot like Ash in personality. Also, like Ash, he probably got a Pikachu instead of the three usual starters for his first Pokémon and had a rival that later became his friend, Flint. These things are shown in flashbacks.

Volkner was first referred to by Tower Tycoon Palmer in Challenging a Towering Figure!, saying that, after seeing his battling skills, Ash would be able to give Volkner "a shock." Volkner first appeared in person in Flint Sparks the Fire!. It was revealed in the episode that he had met up with Flint when they were younger and had become rivals and eventually good friends.

After Volkner became a Gym Leader, he designed the walkways of Sunyshore City and other technological advancements for the city.

He also designed the Sunyshore Tower which supplies electricity to the city. However, he soon became bored with battling and resorted to giving free badges to Trainers. After witnessing Ash's battle with Flint, he became interested in battling again and decided to accept Ash's challenge for a Gym battle.

Volkner appeared again in The Fleeing Tower of Sunyshore!, where he and Ash began their Gym battle. However, it was quickly interrupted as Team Rocket stole the Sunyshore Tower, causing a city-wide blackout. After Ash defeated Team Rocket with the help of his newly evolved Torterra, Volkner returned the tower back to its original place. However, as both the tower and Gym were badly damaged, Volkner told Ash that he had to repair them before they could have a rematch.

Ash agreed to the terms, saying that he'll spend that time for more training. Ash challenged him once again in The Eighth Wonder of the Sinnoh World! During the last battle between Infernape and Luxray, Infernape's Blaze was activated once again, but now, Infernape was able to take control of its ability, and by using the powers it gained, it won the match. This earned Ash the Beacon Badge, thus allowing him to enter the Sinnoh League.