Chapter 128: Ready For The Challenge

 A Dragon That Matured Early! Dylan, Where Did This Trend Come From?

Searching for Gimmighoul Coins was out of the question; Dylan didn't have the time to go hunting wild Gimmighoul in the wilderness to take their coins.

Moreover, Gimmighoul were primarily found in the Paldea region, where they were considered rare Pokémon.

So, there was only one solution—money!

As the saying goes, if money can solve the problem, then it's not really a problem at all! Dylan went straight to the Paldea League's official website and posted an offer, offering a high price to buy Gimmighoul Coins!

That should do the trick. As long as the money was right, there would definitely be people willing to sell Gimmighoul Coins. After all, trainers who went on adventures in the wild often stumbled upon Gimmighoul Coins.

"Once Dreepy arrives, I'll have four Dragon-type Pokémon," Dylan thought as he took the two young Pokémon to the backyard and pondered his team for the future.

According to the league president, Dreepy would arrive tomorrow. With Dreepy's addition, he would have four Dragon-type Pokémon, all of which were pseudo-legendary dragons.

In terms of strength and prestige, that was already quite impressive. Typically, four Dragon-type Pokémon would be enough to handle challengers since not every challenger needed a full-team battle.

However, the key issue was that Dragon-type Pokémon were quite powerful, especially Goodra and Dragonite, which were already well-trained.

Meanwhile, Dreepy had hardly any combat ability yet; it was a typical late-bloomer, weaker than even a Goomy in its current stage.

"A Duraludon would also be a good addition," Dylan contemplated.

Though the evolved form of Duraludon, Archaludon, wasn't classified as a pseudo-legendary, if Dreepy could be considered a late-bloomer among dragons, then Archaludon was a classic example of early maturity.

Duraludon's base strength was already decent, serving as Raihan's ace in Sword and Shield. In Scarlet and Violet, it gained an evolution into Archaludon, solidifying its standing.

With a Dragon/Steel typing, base stats equivalent to pseudo-legendaries (600 points), and an ability like Endurance that made it grow stronger the longer the battle lasted, Archaludon's strength in reality often surpassed many pseudo-legendaries.

"No problem. I'll ask Dad to help find one. Duraludon is definitely worth raising," Dylan murmured, feeling quite satisfied.

…

The peaceful night passed quickly, and it was now 8 a.m. as usual.

"Good morning, big brother~"

When Dylan arrived in the backyard, he found Lillie, wearing a white nightdress, already up and preparing breakfast for the Meowscarada and the others.

"Why didn't you sleep a bit more?"

Dylan walked over and gently ruffled his adorable little sister's golden hair, smiling as he asked.

"Sister Ilene aid that a beautiful girl needs to go to bed early and wake up early so her skin can stay healthy and full of energy," Lillie replied, her pretty smile a bit shy.

This young lady was naturally reserved and modest, coming from a wealthy and influential family. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that in the Alola region, Lillie, as the heiress of the Aether Foundation, was akin to a princess.

"And... I also wanted to help big brother with the Gym," Lillie added, her voice growing softer. She felt that she had been too idle staying here every day.

"Is that so? Then I'll leave the task of preparing food for Meowscarada and the others to you," Dylan agreed, realizing that while he had been taking care of Lillie, she did indeed seem to have too much free time.

"Yes! Don't worry, big brother!" Lillie exclaimed happily.

"Could I also occasionally help welcome challengers with the receptionist?" she asked, looking at Dylan expectantly.

Back at the Aether Foundation, Lusamine hadn't allowed her to take on such front-line tasks. But Lillie thought this could help her feel more like a part of the Gym.

"Of course you can. You don't need to ask me about everything. Lillie, you're my little sister and practically a co-owner of this Gym. You can do whatever you like," Dylan chuckled.

It was evident that after the events of the past couple of days, Lillie had opened up a lot to him and wasn't as timid as before.

"Thank you, big brother~! I'll go back to preparing breakfast for Dragonite and the others," Lillie said, her delicate face beaming with joy as she ran over to the waiting Pokémon, her white skirt fluttering.

"She's such a sweet sister," Dylan thought, feeling uplifted by Lillie's cheerful demeanor.

"Mo~ Mo~"

"Alright, come here."

Nebby floated over sleepily, still drowsy, and settled in Dylan's arms.

Dylan's hands glowed with a green light as he gently stroked Nebby's face, calming the little one back into a peaceful sleep.

It was Monday, and the Rota Gym had reopened for business. By the morning, five challengers had already arrived.

Unfortunately, none of them stood out, but after the battles, Dylan responsibly pointed out their weaknesses.

At noon, a few special visitors arrived at the Gym.

"Wow~ The Gym is huge!" exclaimed the blue-haired girl, the middle of the Cerulean sisters, Violet.

"It looks like Dylan comes from a wealthy family," remarked Flint, the current Pewter City Gym Leader, whose tanned skin and squinty eyes bore a striking resemblance to Brock's.

Although constructing a Gym could receive subsidies from the League, building one this grand and spacious certainly required a significant personal investment.

Their attention soon fell on the rotating attraction that had been causing a buzz online, filled with curiosity.

"Hello~ Are you here to challenge the Gym?"

Lillie and the receptionist approached with sweet smiles, asking the visitors.

"Are all of Dylan's staff such beautiful young ladies?" Daisy, with her soft yellow hair and gentle features, admired Lillie and the receptionist, especially Lillie, whose fair skin and delicate face sparked envy.

"Hello, we're here to see Dylan. We've already arranged a meeting," said Erika, the black-haired Gym Leader, her calm and elegant voice matching her modern attire.

"You're Gym Leader Erika, aren't you?" Lillie and the receptionist exchanged a glance.

"Yes, that would be me."

"Oh, the Gym Leader is already expecting you. Please follow me," the receptionist said, having been informed by Dylan that other Gym Leaders would be visiting today.

Lillie then headed to the backyard to find Dylan while the visitors were escorted to the reception room.

"Sorry, I was just in the backyard giving some special training to the Pokémon. Miss Erika, why didn't you notify me when you arrived so I could come and greet you?"

Dylan hurried over and apologized to the group.

"No need to be so formal, Gym Leader Dylan. We're not important people or anything," Daisy waved her hand with a cheerful smile.

"Hahaha~ Daisy is right. We're all Gym Leaders here, just visiting each other," Flint laughed. Since Pewter City and Cerulean City weren't far from Rota, when they learned from the Gym Leader chat that Erika planned to visit Dylan, he and Daisy decided to join the visit.

After all, being fellow Gym Leaders and neighbors, it was only natural to stay in touch.

"Please have some tea." The receptionist brought over some tea.

"Lately, Gym Leader Dylan, you've been quite famous. Your Rota Gym is the hottest topic online."

"That's right~ It's been over two months, and no one has earned your badge yet."

"It's been tough for us! Challengers are already hard to handle, and now there are so many Poison-type trainers."

"Oh, so you're dealing with it too? Lately, challengers have been relentless. Several have started with Toxic Spikes, and my Onix and Graveler have been using a lot of antidotes every day."

Daisy, Violet, Lily, and Flint donned pained expressions, venting their frustrations about the recent challengers.

Dylan's smile was a bit awkward. He sipped some tea to ease the tension.

"It feels like my Dewgong's resistance to poison has increased. But the worst are those ghost-obsessed challengers. I haven't been able to sleep well lately," Violet said, cupping her cheeks in despair.

"They start with a Gastly using Curse, then just stall for time. Poor Dewgong suffers so much; it's truly unnecessary!"

"Our Pokémon are already struggling! Even in a fair fight, we wouldn't stand a chance," Lily and Violet grumbled. Who could understand their pain?

Ever since Rota Gym's rise, everyone knew Cerulean Gym was considered the weakest. Yet challengers still used such dirty tactics against them.

Didn't they feel even a little guilty?

"You're dealing with this too?" Flint exclaimed in surprise.

"There have been a lot more Poison-type trainers challenging my gym recently as well," Erika said with a sigh. Fortunately, she had plenty of Grass/Poison Pokémon on her team.

Lillie, sitting beside Dylan, struggled to hold back her laughter because Erika and the others were all giving Dylan the same look.

"Gym Leader Dylan, who do you think is responsible for starting this trend?"

Violet teased. They were all supposed to take it easy, yet Dylan not only stepped up his game but did so in a devious way, and now challengers were following suit.

"Cough, cough~ Have some tea. This tea is a rare collection from my father; give it a try," Dylan feigned ignorance and lifted his cup, gesturing to the others.

Who started this trend? It had nothing to do with him; he was just an ordinary Gym Leader responsible for testing challengers.

"This tea is delightful." Erika gracefully lifted her cup, taking a sip and expressing her admiration. She loved flower arranging and tea tasting, so she was quite the expert.

"If you like it, Miss Erika, you can take some with you later. The same goes for you, Miss Daisy and Mr. Flint," Dylan offered with a smile.

"You're too kind, Gym Leader Dylan."

"No need to refuse. It's not often that you all come by; you should at least take some local specialties back with you," Dylan said generously. It was, after all, the first time other Gym Leaders had come to visit.

It made Dylan quite happy, as it showed recognition of his status as a Gym Leader!

"Then I won't stand on ceremony," Erika said modestly. In front of others, she was always the perfect, elegant young lady, although she acted very differently in the chat group.

"Thank you, Gym Leader Dylan~"

"You're so generous, Gym Leader Dylan!"

Daisy, and Flint no longer declined. Although they had been complaining earlier, it was all in good fun.

Besides, Cerulean Gym would soon be handed over to Misty, and it was the same for Flint. Brock wanted to focus on being a Pokémon Breeder, and Flint had already begun training his second son, Forrest, who showed even more potential as a trainer.

After some chatting, Erika got straight to the point.

"Gym Leader Dylan, do you have time for a match? I'd love for you to give me some pointers."

Erika smiled softly as she requested the battle, showing her eagerness to improve.

Challengers were getting increasingly challenging, with more and more Poison-type trainers appearing around Kanto due to Dylan's influence.

The number of people using Poison-type teams was growing, making it especially tough for a Grass-type specialist like Erika.

Though there were plenty of Grass/Poison Pokémon in Kanto, Erika felt the need to strengthen herself further.

And she saw Dylan as the perfect opponent; she was well aware of his strength.

"I wouldn't call it giving pointers, but how about we have a standard Gym battle? Let's improve together," Dylan didn't refuse.

Once the battle was agreed upon, Dylan and Erika moved to the arena.

"Would you like to use the spinning wheel?" Dylan asked, pointing to the device.

"I'll give it a try," Erika tilted her head cutely. She didn't want to waste the opportunity, as she was now in the role of the challenger.

Erika walked up to the spinning wheel and placed her hand on it curiously. The pointer spun quickly, finally landing on the blue area—Ghost-type!

Erika furrowed her brows slightly, but then her expression relaxed. This would be fine.

"The battle for the Rota Badge will now begin. The competitors are Gym Leader Dylan and Miss Erika."

"The rules are 4vs4. Gym Leader Dylan will send out his Pokémon first, and he cannot switch during the battle. The winner will be decided when one side's four Pokémon are unable to continue."

"Let the battle begin!"

Violet eagerly volunteered to act as the referee, announcing the rules and adding the Rota Badge as the prize, making it an official Gym battle.

"A match between my brother and Gym Leader Erika~"

In the audience, Lillie watched with great interest as the elegant black-haired Gym Leader Erika prepared for battle.

"This is intriguing. A Gym Leader challenging another's Gym; such a thing could go viral," Flint said with amusement, having never heard of such an occurrence.

"It does imply that Gym Leader Erika thinks of Dylan as the stronger one, which is why she took on the role of a challenger," Daisy commented.

After all, Erika was different from the Cerulean sisters. She had real talent as a trainer and was keen on improving herself.

On the field.

"Since you're the challenger, Miss Erika, I don't need to introduce myself."

"Miss Erika, I'll be using a Ghost-type team for this battle. Are you ready?"

Dylan adjusted his black shirt's collar and took out a Poké Ball, speaking to Erika calmly.

If he was going to battle Erika, he had to show some skill, as she was no pushover.

"Please guide me, Gym Leader Dylan!" Erika took a deep breath, her expression becoming serious as she responded to Dylan.

Gym Leader Erika from Celadon City, ready for the challenge!