Three more days passed.
"Reggie~ Reggie!"
Regirock panted heavily, staring in confusion at the Drapion-like figure in front of it.
Why is this guy so tough? Is my attack really that weak?
Regirock turned its gaze toward the shade of a tree nearby, where a chubby Clefairy was happily munching on canned fish with squinting eyes.
Regirock was speechless. It wasn't dumb; it knew that this chubby Clefairy was actually Mew in disguise.
But shouldn't Mew be helping it? After all, it was captured by this human to protect the Tree of Beginning!
Regirock suddenly felt like it had been sold out, although it had no proof.
"Regirock, you still need to work harder. Next up is special defense training."
"Reggie~!"
Regirock was confident. Its rock-hard, battle-hardened body was its pride and joy.
"Great! You've got spirit. Let's start with Drapion's Water-type attacks."
"First, try a physical Water-type move, and then switch to a special attack."
Dylan nodded in satisfaction. After being captured, Regirock didn't particularly resist him, which was a pleasant surprise.
"Once you're stronger, I'll take you back to the Tree of Beginning to show your brothers how powerful you've become!"
"Reggie~!!" Regirock felt even more motivated.
"Drapion, use Liquidation."
Water ripples surged around Drapion as it rushed toward Regirock.
Regirock mimicked Drapion's earlier stance, not using any special moves, but blocking with its arms, ready to take the hit head-on.
"Physical defense doesn't need much special training. Focus on special defense and reaction speed."
Dylan pondered Regirock's training plan. Even the sneaky strikes from Meowstic couldn't do much damage to Regirock, showing that its physical defense was exceptional.
But its reaction speed and special defense were average at best, and as for movement speed—well, that was a lost cause. Regirock was destined for a defensive counter-attacking strategy.
"Hello?"
The phone rang suddenly, and Dylan's eyes lit up as he answered.
He immediately went to the transport room, where six Pokéballs had just been delivered.
"I didn't expect so many," Dylan said, surprised as he looked at the six Pokéballs in his hand.
Returning to the backyard, he decided to open all six Pokéballs.
"Woo~"
"Gao~"
Soft, fox-like growls and sweet, youthful cries rang out as six Pokémon appeared in front of Dylan.
These were six fox-like Pokémon, five of which were small, white foxes with fluffy fur on their heads and tails. Their eyes were a gradient from blue to white, and the insides of their ears were deep blue, making them very cute and beautiful.
These were five Alolan Vulpix!
And standing before them was a large, ice-blue fox with long, flowing fur on its head and a fluffy, majestic tail. Its gem-like eyes were mesmerizing.
It was an Alolan Ninetales!
'Beep~ Ninetales (Alolan Form), Ice/Fairy-type, Fox Pokémon
Ability: Snow Warning
Moves: Dazzling Gleam, Ice Beam, Aurora Beam, Confuse Ray, Blizzard, Nasty Plot, Psychic, Aurora Veil...
Description: Gentle in nature, before people realized it was the regional form of Ninetales, they revered it as a deity. (Alolan Form)'
'Beep~ Vulpix (Alolan Form), Ice-type, Fox Pokémon
Ability: Snow Warning
Moves: Aurora Beam, Confuse Ray, Icy Wind, Ice Shard, Disable, Moonblast (Egg Move)
Description: If you approach it too casually because of its cuteness, the leader of the pack, Ninetales, will appear and freeze you solid. (Alolan Form)'
'Beep~ Vulpix (Alolan Form)...'
Dylan listened as Rotom Dex explained. Out of the five Alolan Vulpix, two had the Snow Warning ability, while three had the Snow Cloak ability. The Alolan Ninetales also had the Snow Warning ability.
That's right; Blue had directly sent over an entire Alolan Ninetales family!
At this moment, the Alolan Vulpix were huddled around the Alolan Ninetales, with expressions ranging from curiosity to fear. The Alolan Ninetales, on the other hand, watched Dylan warily.
"Don't be afraid. You must know, right? You were being harassed by poachers, and someone rescued you."
Dylan smiled warmly at the Alolan Ninetales, letting the power of his Viridian bond seep out, easing the lead Ninetales' wariness. Meanwhile, the more lively and outgoing Vulpix were already starting to edge toward Dylan curiously.
"This place is very safe. You don't need to worry. There will be no more danger here," Dylan spoke softly.
"Woo~?" Alolan Ninetales, being much more mature, let out a low, questioning cry toward Dylan.
"Don't worry, I know you like the cold. There's an 'artificial' snow mountain not far from here. Let me take you there."
Dylan smiled. Alolan Vulpix and Ninetales were Ice-type Pokémon that naturally loved the cold and usually lived in snowy mountains.
Dylan, of course, hadn't overlooked this. His backyard was huge, divided into several areas, and one of those areas was specially designed for Ice-type Pokémon. There was even an 'artificial' snow mountain—crafted by none other than Articuno itself.
"You can live here for now, and later I'll give you an even bigger snow mountain."
Dylan had already come up with a plan. He had spent a lot of money acquiring the land near the Tree of Beginning, and he didn't want it to go to waste. He could easily turn the area around the Tree of Beginning into a paradise for Pokémon.
Though the Tree of Beginning viewed humans as 'viruses,' it was much kinder to Pokémon, and its defense mechanisms didn't target them.
"Gao~!"
Clearly, the Alolan Vulpix were excited at the sight of the snow mountain, and the Alolan Ninetales looked at the children affectionately, giving a grateful cry to Dylan.
"No need to thank me," Dylan nodded with a smile.
"Blue, I've already got the team for our next battle. I hope you like the combination of Alolan Ninetales and Articuno."
Another day passed in the blink of an eye. There were quite a few challengers these past few days, though none of them were particularly impressive.
I wonder when Blue will challenge me for the second time. A strong challenger like that is interesting.
Though it's also fun to deal with the cute challengers, part of the enjoyment comes from the fact that Dylan was using a 'standard' lineup. Watching those challengers grit their teeth in frustration, their faces turning pale from the challenge, filled Dylan with a sense of satisfaction.
They were feeling his 'love,' which was amusing. Otherwise, if it were just regular battles, Dylan might get bored.
It's no wonder most Gym Leaders in the original story had side jobs. If they didn't, and just spent all their time dealing with challengers, who wouldn't get tired of it? A side job helps keep life exciting.
After all, the number of outstanding and powerful challengers who really impress is quite small. No wonder Volkner, the Sinnoh Gym Leader from Sunyshore City, got so burnt out. As a Gym Leader at an Elite Four level, facing weak challengers all the time must be incredibly boring.
'The handsome Dylan Gym Leader will be away for the next two days. Challengers, please return later to challenge the Gym...'
Dylan hung the sign up again, satisfied, and slung his backpack over his shoulder.
"Let's go."
Dylan called out to Leah and Lillie.
"Brother, are you sure this is okay? Can Gym Leaders really take time off?" Lillie asked, surprised as her image of Gym Leaders was reshaped once again.
"Of course. Your brother became a Gym Leader to enjoy life, not to be some corporate drone. Who works without any days off? No normal person would do that!"
Dylan replied with confidence, leaving Lillie unable to find a reason to refute him.
But it seemed there was really nothing to refute; Dylan was indeed a very responsible and good gym owner.
"Let's go, two beautiful ladies, I'll take you for a drive."
Dylan tossed his backpack into the luxury car, took his place in the driver's seat, and signaled for Leah and Lillie to get in.
"Hehe~ I really am benefitting from the young master's generosity."
"Leah, you're really cunning."
Leah stretched her long legs and sat in the passenger seat, while Lillie pouted; she also wanted to sit in the passenger seat with Dylan.
"Let's go~!"
With a press of the accelerator, the car sped away.
Pallet Town—a legendary place for those who loved Pokémon in their past life.
The starting point of the first generation, and so it was in the anime, while in reality, Pallet Town was an ordinary rural town, but not so ordinary because the famous Professor Oak's research lab was located there.
The name Pallet symbolizes the pure white color of a journey's beginning, which is quite meaningful.
And now, Dylan and the others had arrived at Pallet Town.
"Pallet Town~"
Looking at the town scenery along the way, Leah's usually bright and lively eyes held a hint of complexity. She should have grown up healthily in this town and set out to become a trainer.
But because of that incident, she lost her childhood, and after escaping from that organization, she found that her parents had already moved away from Pallet Town.
Soon, the car stopped at the iconic large windmill research lab.
Dylan parked the car and took Leah and Lillie to knock on the lab's door. In no time, a researcher in a white lab coat opened the door.
Unlike in the anime, Professor Oak's lab actually had some assistants.
"Hello, I'm Dylan; I have an appointment with Professor Oak to visit today." Dylan said politely.
"Oh~ Mr. Dylan, please come in." The assistant replied, gesturing for Dylan and the others to enter.
"The professor is giving the Pokémon a health check in the backyard; I'll take you there."
The assistant was quite welcoming. Professor Oak was well-known, and many visitors came, so the assistants were used to it.
Upon entering the backyard of Professor Oak's lab, although it was just a research lab, the backyard was quite spacious.
Professor Oak also took care of the Pokémon sent back by the trainers in Pallet Town, especially since this year, his two grandsons, Blue and Gary, had both set out on their journeys.
However, both Blue and Gary had captured many Pokémon, and normally a trainer would only carry six main Pokémon, so the extra Pokémon were left to Professor Oak for care.
Not long after entering the backyard, an elderly man with a stout build, gray-white short hair, and wearing a white lab coat appeared in front of them, currently conducting a health check on a Machoke.
"Professor, Mr. Dylan has come to visit you." The assistant said to Professor Oak.
"Dylan? Oh~ Liam, come over here and check Machoke."
Professor Oak paused at the mention of Dylan, then immediately remembered. He stood up, washed his hands in a nearby bucket, and spoke to the assistant.
"Hello, Professor Oak."
Dylan slightly bowed to show respect as Professor Oak approached, and Leah and Lillie quickly greeted him as well.
"Ah~ there's no need to be so polite; I'm just an ordinary old man." Professor Oak said with a hearty laugh, his demeanor very kind. Although he was not young anymore, he showed no signs of aging, but rather seemed full of energy.
"I've heard from Blue and Gary about you, Gym Leader Dylan; Blue has a very high opinion of you."
Professor Oak looked at Dylan with great interest. He knew his grandsons well; both Blue and Gary were quite arrogant.
Especially Blue; it was curious that a gym could make him face defeat while still holding him in high regard.
After all, Giovanni of the Viridian Gym was only rated "not bad" by Blue.
"Blue is a very strong challenger; I have a deep impression of him." Dylan chuckled lightly.
"Professor Oak, just call me Dylan; I'm actually a fan of yours."
"Hahaha~ Alright, Dylan." Professor Oak patted Dylan on the shoulder.
"That kid Blue's talent far exceeds mine when I was young, but his personality is too proud. I'm really worried; he's had to suffer a loss at your place, so I really have to thank you."
Professor Oak said with a hearty laugh. He wanted to correct Blue's overly arrogant nature, but there was no way. He originally expected Blue to possibly lose to Red in a crucial battle, and he truly worried that the proud Blue wouldn't be able to handle the result.
But now that another peer trainer had defeated Blue, Professor Oak sincerely believed this was a good thing for Blue.
"Come, come, come, let's go into the research lab. Dylan, I know your purpose for coming; I happen to have taken them in a while ago."
Professor Oak clapped his hands, leading Dylan and the others into the lab.
"In fact, I've always wanted to find a suitable trainer for them. If it's you, Dylan, I think it should be fine."
Professor Oak brought them to the guest room, then went to another room to retrieve two Poké Balls.
When the Poké Balls were opened by Professor Oak, two beams of white light flashed.
"Pikachu?"
"Eevee~"
Two adorable cries sounded as a Pikachu and an Eevee appeared on the table, curiously looking at Dylan and the others.
"Actually, I'm quite curious; how did you know I had these two Pokémon here?" Professor Oak looked at Dylan with curiosity.
"This Pikachu and this Eevee cannot evolve, and I've conducted professional tests showing that their strength is much higher than that of ordinary Pikachu and Eevee. This is quite difficult to understand."
Professor Oak rested his chin on his hand. He had been studying them for some time but still couldn't discover the reason behind this situation, as if this Pikachu and Eevee were simply unique individuals.
"Professor Oak, they don't need to evolve."
Dylan stood up and walked in front of Pikachu and Eevee, wearing a gentle smile. He gently rubbed the little creatures' heads with his fingers glowing with a bit of green light.
It felt very comfortable. Dylan placed two prepared small hats on Pikachu and Eevee's heads.
"They are the best partner Pokémon."
(End of Chapter)