Time flew by, and half a month had already passed in the blink of an eye.
During this time, Dylan's Dragon-type team had begun to take shape, and Rota Gym's roulette now boasted a new type—Dragon!
Unsurprisingly, this addition gained significant popularity among challengers.
After all, the Kanto Champion, Lance, is known for his Dragon-type Pokémon, and many people in Kanto hold a special fascination for Dragons.
However, Kanto has very few native Dragon-type Pokémon, making it hard for many trainers to fulfill their desires.
With the new Dragon-type lineup at the Rota Gym, it became quite popular, as many people were eager to experience the power of Dragons firsthand!
But...
Well, the Dragon-type team had only been available for three days, and those lucky enough to face it claimed Dylan's methods were utterly ruthless.
After battling him, they didn't want to engage in Pokémon battles again for a while.
Today was Friday, at Rota Gym.
"In one more week, I'll reach the Necrozma storyline." Dylan sat in the backyard, a smile slowly spreading across his face.
Yes, his simulation in the Alola region was finally advancing to the Necrozma plot.
This also meant he was close to completing Alola's first storyline! He was about to get Necrozma!
"Once I get Necrozma, I'll head to the Unova region."
Dylan's eyes flickered. If N could take Zekrom from Dragonspiral Tower, then I, Dylan, can surely take Reshiram!
Dylan considered himself real enough—who in this world is more real than him?
"If my authenticity can't awaken the White Dragon, then I'll just physically force it to. With Necrozma, I won't need to worry about such things."
Dylan confirmed his plan. No matter what, he would head to Unova for Reshiram. Once he found it, things should go much smoother.
"Brother~"
"What's up, Lillie?"
Dylan looked toward Lillie, who was running toward him in a flowing white dress.
"Someone's here to see you. He said his name is Carsey." Lillie's smile was pure and sweet.
"Carsey?" Dylan raised his brow.
In the guest room...
"Ah~ I've heard so much about the famous Dylan! Now that I've seen you, you're just as impressive as they say—young, heroic, and full of potential!"
The chubby, trendy man with curly hair and sunglasses enthusiastically shook Dylan's hand. Or rather, he was overly enthusiastic, with no sense of personal space.
"You've taken down multiple high-ranking Rocket executives! Now, you're the hottest Gym Leader in Kanto! You've created various tactics and roulette challenges. My admiration for you is like a river, flowing endlessly, or…"
Carsey continued his excessive praise, possibly not even aware of what he was saying anymore.
Behind Dylan, both Ilene and Lillie had peculiar expressions on their faces.
"Stop, stop, any more praise and I'll blush. Carsey, just tell me—what do you need?"
Dylan interrupted with a laugh, gesturing for Carsey to sit down while he asked curiously.
"Hehe~ Dylan, your popularity in Kanto is soaring! Super high!"
Carsey grinned, lowering his sunglasses slightly to give Dylan a thumbs-up.
"I personally admire you a lot—seriously amazing!"
"But have you ever heard of the Battle Frontier?" Carsey asked, changing the subject.
"The Battle Frontier?" Lillie and Selene were both surprised.
"The Battle Frontier, also known as the Battle Zone, is a facility open only to elite trainers. It's similar to Gyms, but much more difficult to challenge," Dylan explained.
"The trainers in charge of these facilities are incredibly strong."
Dylan's explanation was spot-on. The Battle Frontier is indeed harder than regular Gyms.
In particular, the Battle Frontier in Kanto boasts top-tier trainers like Salon Maiden Anabel and Pyramid King Brandon. They are not opponents ordinary trainers can overcome.
Before Caitlin became a Unova Elite Four member, she was also one of the Frontier Brains in the Sinnoh region, though her butler often battled in her place since she couldn't control her psychic powers back then.
"Hehe~ Dylan, you're absolutely right." Carsey's grin widened, his tone full of pride.
"The Battle Frontier is a place for strong trainers, and if you defeat a Frontier Brain, you earn a 'Symbol,' a badge of honor!"
Carsey, who was responsible for recruiting strong trainers to serve as Frontier Brains, had every reason to be proud.
"That sounds impressive," Lillie remarked, clearly intrigued.
"It is. Some of the trainers in the Battle Frontier are extremely powerful," Dylan nodded.
"But I'm curious—why have you come to see me?"
Dylan was puzzled. Carsey, who should be traveling the world recruiting strong trainers for the Battle Frontier, had shown up here.
Could it be that he wanted Dylan to become a Frontier Brain?
"Hehe~ Would you be interested in becoming a Frontier Brain, Dylan?" Carsey rubbed his hands together with a sleazy grin.
Ah, so that's what this was about.
"Carsey, what makes you think I'd give up being a Gym Leader to become a Frontier Brain?" Dylan chuckled. He acknowledged that the Battle Frontier was prestigious, especially with trainers like Anabel and Brandon.
But the Battle Frontier was a privately-run facility, while Gym Leaders were backed by the Pokémon League, a much more secure position.
He'd have to be out of his mind to quit being a Gym Leader to become a Frontier Brain.
"Don't get me wrong, Dylan! That's not what I meant." Carsey quickly shook his head.
"What I'm suggesting is that you continue being a Gym Leader while also taking on a part-time role as a Frontier Brain. What do you think?"
"Oh?"
Dylan raised his brow.
"I can arrange for your Battle Facility to be scheduled later on. Given your strength, you definitely deserve it," Carsey said sincerely.
"You've got more to this plan, don't you?" Dylan glanced at Carsey. This guy didn't seem very serious, and he definitely had some tricks up his sleeve.
"Hehe~ You're sharp, Dylan. Since you know about the Battle Frontier, you probably realize that challengers are handpicked elite trainers—either chosen by me or recommended by the Frontier Brains."
"But we still don't have enough challengers," Carsey admitted, throwing up his hands helplessly. He wanted to maintain the Battle Frontier's high standards, which meant it was only open to top-tier trainers.
However, there weren't many trainers at that level, and it was even harder to find those willing to challenge the Frontier.
"So, you think I could make recommendations?" Dylan asked, raising his brow.
"Exactly! Everyone knows you're strict with challengers, so anyone you recommend would undoubtedly be qualified to challenge the Battle Frontier," Carsey said with a wide grin.
Lillie and Ilene both nodded in agreement. Dylan's standards for handing out badges were notoriously high, so anyone who earned his badge had either tremendous potential or excellent skills.
Carsey really knew how to pick his people.
"If you know me that well, you should also know it's been nearly three months, and I've only issued one new badge so far," Dylan remarked with interest.
"Doesn't this just prove that your standards are high, Gym Leader Dylan? I fully agree with that point, and I'm precisely looking for challengers capable of taking on all the battle facilities."
Carsey grinned mischievously. The Battle Frontier he had founded had yet to see anyone perfectly conquer all the challenges.
There was one trainer, Reggie, who was quite strong. Carsey even believed he could become a Frontier Brain, but in the end, he was defeated by Brandon.
The defeat broke Reggie's spirit, and he nearly abandoned his career as a Pokémon Trainer. When Carsey heard this, he sighed deeply. He had tried to console Reggie, but it didn't help.
However, later on, Reggie reached out to Carsey again, fully recovered, and expressed his intention to challenge the Battle Frontier once more, much to Carsey's surprise.
It was then that Carsey learned from Reggie about Dylan and the Rota Gym, and the rest was history. The Rota Gym had since become the most famous Gym in Kanto, without question.
Well, although not all of that fame was entirely positive.
"I'm not particularly interested in becoming a Frontier Brain," Dylan said, shaking his head.
Indeed, Dylan wasn't all that interested in the Battle Frontier, mainly because the roles of Gym Leader and Frontier Brain were somewhat redundant.
"But I think the role of Frontier Brain suits you, Gym Leader Dylan," Carsey responded, a bit unwilling to give up.
"Gym Leader Dylan, your strength is exceptional. Regular challengers can't provide you with a satisfying battle, but the elite trainers who challenge the Battle Frontier would be much more suitable opponents for you."
"Besides, you've created so many types of new badges, but isn't it a pity that you can't give them out? You could distribute them to the Battle Frontier challengers!"
Carsey tried to persuade him, genuinely believing that Dylan would make an excellent Frontier Brain.
"No, no, Mr. Carsey, if I became a Frontier Brain, the Battle Frontier would become almost impossible to beat."
Dylan chuckled. A Frontier Brain was different from a Gym Leader; Frontier Brains typically used their best teams to face challengers.
Even if they held back, they'd still use at least one or two of their top Pokémon!
"But..."
"However, I will consider your invitation, Mr. Carsey. And I'd be happy to help you find promising challengers. If I come across any outstanding ones, I'll recommend them to you."
Dylan interrupted with a smile.
"Well... alright, thank you very much, Gym Leader Dylan." Carsey sighed in slight frustration, clearly seeing that Dylan had little interest in becoming a Frontier Brain.
This truly disappointed him.
"Also, I'd like to ask a favor of you, Mr. Carsey."
"Please, go ahead, Gym Leader Dylan."
"I am interested in battling strong trainers. Recently, I've put together a pretty solid team, but I haven't found a suitable opponent to test its full strength against."
"Could you help me arrange a battle with Brandon?"
Dylan's eyes gleamed as he smiled at Carsey.
In truth, he had already completed his Dragon-type lineup, and although not all were pseudo-legendary dragons, he had added another powerful Dragon-type Pokémon to round out his team.
"You want to battle Brandon?" Carsey was a bit surprised. Dylan was asking him to set up a battle!
"That's right, I'd like to spar with him and test the strength of my new team."
"That's not impossible, but Gym Leader Dylan, Brandon recently found the legendary Registeel. If you want to battle him, you should be prepared," Carsey cautioned, wiping his nose. Brandon was a Champion-level trainer who had captured two Legendary Pokémon!
Even though Carsey had a rough idea of Dylan's strength, knowing that he had taken down several high-ranking Rocket executives, he still wasn't confident that Dylan would prevail.
"No worries. In fact, that makes it even more interesting. Please help me arrange it," Dylan responded with a deepened smile.
"Since it's your request, Gym Leader Dylan, I won't refuse."
Carsey pretended to be reluctant, but in truth, he was quite pleased. Dylan, who had recently made waves throughout Kanto, was going to use his newly formed team to challenge the Battle Pyramid King, Brandon!
This was great news for the Battle Frontier!
Well, hopefully, Brandon wouldn't go too hard on Dylan like he did with the last challenger, leaving them mentally shattered.
After all, Gym Leader Dylan was still quite young!
(End of chapter)
Note: Check out my new work "Pokemon: My Strange Pokemons".
If you enjoy gym leader fanfiction, I highly recommend it.