Chapter 135:Power is everything

Carsey had left; he needed to get in touch with Brandon, who often traveled around in his pyramid "spaceship." Who knows where Brandon might be now?

"Brother, is it really okay to use your new lineup against Mr. Brandon?"

Lillie trusted her brother completely, convinced he could defeat Brandon! But using a new lineup—wasn't that pushing it a bit?

"Don't worry, my Dragon-type lineup is no pushover," Dylan said with a smile, pinching Lillie's soft cheeks.

In terms of strength, his Dragon-type team was second only to his golden legendary lineup, and it would likely remain that way in the future.

"By the way, Lillie, your face looks a bit chubbier. Have you been snacking at night?"

"Huh? Really?" Lillie was startled, quickly touching her cheeks and then pinching her belly. Oh no, there was a little bit of softness!

"My little sis too. I believe girls shouldn't starve themselves for their figure, but if you want to maintain your physique, you need to watch your diet a bit," Dylan gently advised both girls.

He was genuinely a bit scared by "Clefairy." Just thinking of his cute sister and the lovely Asha becoming round like a ball was terrifying!

"Clefairy" was probably a lost cause. It didn't even need to transform to cosplay as a Snorlax anymore—just dye it the right color, and it would be 90% there.

"Okay, I get it, brother," Lillie whimpered, staring nervously at her little belly. Oh no!

"I'm not fat, am I?" Asha asked, a bit unsure.

But eating less... was so hard! Her favorite time of the day was munching on chips and sipping soda while watching dramas every night.

"Oh, Gym Leader, I heard there's a wish-granting star called Jirachi in the Hoenn region. Can you catch it for me?" Her eyes sparkled with hope.

"???" Dylan was puzzled.

"If I had Jirachi, couldn't I just wish to become slim? Then I wouldn't need to manage my figure!" Asha's excitement was contagious.

"Wait, is that even possible?" Lillie exclaimed, surprised. Eating whatever she wanted every day—could it really work like that?

"Ha ha ha!" Dylan laughed. Oh wow! Was that really how they planned to use Jirachi's wish? Jirachi might just deduct 6 points for that wish!

The next day was Saturday.

Dylan had originally planned to go shopping in Cerulean City with Ilene and Lillie, but Carsey came back after just leaving the day before. He said he had arranged a battle between Dylan and Brandon.

Brandon happened to be in Kanto and wasn't far from Rota, making this a great opportunity.

After discussing with Ilene and Lillie, both agreed, and Dylan drove them to the location Carsey had sent.

The Battle Pyramid was Brandon's battle facility in the Battle Frontier.

As its name implied, it was a pyramid-shaped structure, but it was a black mechanical pyramid.

"Wow~ So magnificent!" Lillie exclaimed as they approached the massive black pyramid in the wilderness. It was truly grand and majestic.

"Hey~ Gym Leader Dylan, and two lovely ladies," Carsey greeted them as he approached.

"Mr. Carsey," Dylan responded with a smile.

"Come on, Mr. Brandon is already waiting for us inside."

Carsey led the way into the Battle Pyramid. They entered through a small door, and inside was a vast space with a battle arena at the center.

In front of the arena stood a tall, slender girl in a black women's suit and a middle-aged man in a green explorer's outfit, looking serious.

"Huh? Anabel, you're here too?" Carsey asked, surprised to see the purple-haired girl.

Dylan was also taken aback. Her fair complexion, delicate features, and long purple hair tied with a black ribbon—it was Anabel, the Salon Maiden of the Battle Tower.

If Dylan remembered correctly, this long-haired version of Anabel, dressed in a women's suit, was her international police officer persona from the seventh generation.

During her Battle Tower days, Anabel had short hair and looked much younger. This must be due to the world merging.

"Ah, I was just visiting Mr. Brandon," Anabel replied with a bright smile, looking curiously at Dylan.

"This must be the famous Gym Leader Dylan, right? I've heard many Officer Jennys mention you."

Anabel confidently extended her hand.

"Dylan, Gym Leader of Rota. Pleased to meet you, Miss Anabel." Dylan shook her hand.

"Mr. Brandon, I'll be counting on your guidance today."

Dylan then turned to the stern-looking Brandon with a warm smile.

"No need to be formal. If it's a challenge, I'll gladly accept." Brandon's stoic face softened into a faint smile as he looked appreciatively at the polite young Gym Leader.

Although Brandon was technically a trainer from Hoenn, he was a kind-hearted person, always willing to mentor younger trainers.

Well, except for incidents like the one with Reggie, where his battle had crushed the challenger's spirit. But that was unavoidable; Reggie's willpower just wasn't strong enough, and he fell into self-doubt.

Brandon had heard from Carsey about Dylan's achievements, and his opinion of the brave young man who fought against evil organizations was quite high.

Brandon even considered going easy today. Since the Reggie incident, he had been more lenient with challengers to avoid another situation like that. He was supposed to be mentoring young trainers!

But after battling him, Reggie gave up being a trainer entirely. That was bad for Brandon's reputation. People might think he bullied young trainers in battle!

"It's a rare chance to witness a battle with Mr. Brandon. How about I act as the referee?" Anabel asked eagerly. This was going to be an exciting match—Kanto's hottest Gym Leader against Brandon!

"If Anabel's willing to referee, that would be perfect," Carsey chuckled.

After a brief discussion to confirm the rules, Dylan and Brandon stepped onto the battlefield, each taking their respective positions.

"Now, the battle between Gym Leader Dylan and Mr. Brandon will begin!" Anabel raised her arm to announce the rules, then slowly stepped off the battlefield.

"Good luck, big brother!"

"Do your best, Dylan~!"

"Momo"

From the spectator stands, Lillie and Ilene cheered for Dylan, joined by Nebby with its melodic calls.

Dylan waved to Ilene and Lillie, then turned his attention to Brandon.

The Pyramid King, Brandon—the man who had captured the three legendary titans: Regirock, Registeel, and Regice.

"Dylan, come at me with everything you've got. I'll be watching closely!" Brandon, with his arms crossed, was calm and steady, his deep voice full of authority.

"Rest assured, Mr. Brandon, that's exactly my plan."

Dylan gracefully adjusted the collar of his black shirt before taking out a Poké Ball.

"By the way, Brandon, have you ever experienced the power of dragons?"

"?"

Brandon raised an eyebrow. Dragons? So, Dylan is a Dragon-type Trainer? Truth be told, Brandon hadn't really learned much about Dylan. He was always busy with archaeology and exploring, searching for Regice—who had time to focus on anything else?

He had only heard from Carsey that Dylan was an outstanding Gym Leader and had even captured several high-ranking members of the evil organization Team Rocket. So far, Dylan had apprehended five of them!

Three in Celadon City, two in Saffron City! What an impressive junior!

"Dragons are sacred beings. Though they are difficult to train, once fully raised, their fangs and claws can tear any opponent apart! Their power is unparalleled!"

Dylan tilted his head slightly, his lips curling into a wild smile, showing his white teeth.

Hmm, this was a line from a certain senior who wished to remain anonymous—Dylan was borrowing it, and he figured they wouldn't mind.

"Oh?" Brandon grew intrigued. Bold words, but Brandon wasn't a young man anymore.

In his eyes, arrogance in youth was natural; it was their privilege. If the young aren't bold now, when will they be?

What piqued Brandon's interest was how strong Dylan's Dragon-type Pokémon really were.

Brandon was familiar with Hoenn's Dragon-type Elite Four member, Drake. Unfortunately, even Drake wasn't his match.

"Well then, Brandon, I'll let you fully experience my dragons!"

Dylan raised his head slightly, tossing his Poké Ball in a stylish reverse throw. He had no intention of letting Brandon go first.

This was Dylan's confidence! He never minded what strategies his opponents employed!

"Salamence! Get ready for battle!"

"Roar~!"

A mighty and violent roar echoed throughout the Battle Pyramid. A pair of blood-red wings spread wide as Salamence descended from the sky, landing heavily in front of Dylan. Its fierce dragon eyes glared menacingly at Brandon.

A pseudo-legendary Salamence!

"Oh~ opening with Salamence?" Carsey lowered his sunglasses slightly, looking in astonishment at the intimidating Salamence.

Was he falling behind the times? No matter whose hands it was in, Salamence was always a powerful Pokémon. Even if it wasn't the ace, it could absolutely be a mainstay.

But to use it as the lead?

"Emmm..." Seeing Carsey's surprise, Lillie tilted her head. Should she say, "Actually, my brother has four pseudo-legendary Dragon-type Pokémon?"

"That Salamence is incredibly strong!"

Anabel's eyes sparkled. Dylan actually had a Salamence?

'Beep~ Salamence, Dragon/Flying-type, Dragon Pokémon

Ability: Intimidate

Moves: Dragon Rush, Draco Meteor, Outrage, Double-Edge, Dragon Dance, Hurricane, Earthquake, Hydro Pump, Flamethrower...

Description: Once enraged, it will go on a rampage, flying through the sky and burning mountains and fields to ash.'

Indeed, it was incredibly powerful!

Listening to the description from Carsey's Pokédex, Anabel thought that this Salamence was all about offense. The list of its aggressive moves went on for a while.

"Salamence, huh?"

Brandon furrowed his brow slightly. He wasn't an ordinary Trainer; he could feel the immense power emanating from this Salamence.

It was even stronger than Drake's ace Salamence! Champion level?

Brandon quickly adjusted his mindset—there was something off about Dylan.

"Dusclops!"

After pondering for a moment, Brandon decided to play it safe and sent out his Dusclops for a test.

A Pokémon wrapped in bandages appeared in front of Brandon, with a giant eye in the center of its face.

It was Dusclops.

'Beep~ Dusclops, Ghost-type, Beckon Pokémon

Ability: Pressure

Moves: Future Sight, Shadow Ball, Curse, Will-O-Wisp, Confuse Ray, Imprison, Hex, Trick Room, Ice Punch...

Description: Its body is hollow. Legend has it that anything that goes inside is sucked into a void and never returns.'

"One offense, one defense? Dusclops is known for its excellent defense," Anabel observed with interest as she watched the standoff between Salamence and Dusclops.

"Haha~ Brandon's Dusclops looks quite impressive too, but it's a pity that Dylan didn't go with a Dark-type lineup this time," Carsey laughed.

"But I didn't expect Dylan to actually use a Dragon-type team to face Brandon."

Under his sunglasses, Carsey's eyes carried a hint of curiosity. Dragon-type Pokémon had only recently been added to Rota Gym's roster.

Carsey didn't believe Dylan was unaware of Brandon's strength. Could Dylan really be that confident?

After all, Brandon had captured two Legendary Pokémon and was a Champion-level Trainer.

"Dragons are the most unique among all the types my brother is skilled with."

Lillie looked at Salamence, whose aura was overwhelmingly violent, and spoke softly.

"My brother loves using status-changing moves to face challengers, but dragons are the exception. For dragons, my brother's only goal is offense!"

According to her brother, this is what dragons should embody! Power is everything!

(End of chapter)