"Mew?"
In front of the abandoned Power Plant, the mythical Pokémon, now disguised as a 'Jigglypuff,' sat comfortably in Dylan's arms. It suddenly turned its head, gazing into the distance as if it had sensed something.
"What's wrong, little one?" Dylan asked, looking down at 'Jigglypuff.'
"It's strange, Mew. Just now, I seemed to feel a very familiar presence," the Pokémon murmured, nibbling on its tiny paws and tilting its head in confusion. It had sensed something strikingly familiar for a fleeting moment but couldn't quite pinpoint what it was.
"Never mind, Mew. Forget it. Dylan, I want twenty boxes of canned food when we get back!"
"What?! How do you dare to demand that?" Dylan exclaimed.
"I transformed into Zapdos for you, Mew!" Jigglypuff puffed up its chest proudly.
"All I asked for was a transformation! Why does that warrant wholesale groceries? Besides, your Zapdos form wasn't even convincing! It didn't even have a neck!" Dylan retorted, recalling the incident. When Jigglypuff had transformed into Zapdos, not only had it looked bizarre, but even Leah, who had a bird phobia, couldn't stop laughing.
The most absurd part was Zapdos itself, whose bug-eyed, horrified expression had perfectly turned it into a living meme.
"I don't care, Mew! I transformed, so you owe me the canned food!"
"Pig-Mew, you really can't keep eating like this..." Dylan sighed.
"Don't call me Pig-Mew! Dylan, you've changed! I even took a hit for you once, Mew!" Jigglypuff pouted dramatically.
"Are you planning to hold that over me forever?" Dylan twitched at the corner of his mouth, helpless against this demanding little Pokémon.
"Fine, fine, I owe you," he relented.
"Yay~ Dylan is the best, Mew~" Jigglypuff beamed, its eyes squinting in delight.
"I'm going to sleep now, Mew. Wake me up when we're home. Goodnight, Dylan~" With that, Jigglypuff's body began to glow faintly as it floated into Dylan's backpack. Before disappearing completely, it politely said, "Goodnight."
Dylan glanced at the bright, sunny sky but decided to let it go.
"Pfft~ Dylan, where did you even find such a perfect Mew?" Leah burst into laughter, holding her stomach. Watching Dylan and Jigglypuff haggling like an old married couple had thoroughly amused her.
Lillie covered her mouth, chuckling softly as well.
"Picked it up in the yard—fate works in mysterious ways," Dylan said helplessly. Despite its quirks—like being gluttonous, lazy, and greedy—Mew had no major flaws. Well, aside from being a bit overweight.
More importantly, when it really mattered, Mew was always reliable and never hesitated to help.
"I'm so envious! It feels like something straight out of a novel. Plus, you're progressing so quickly!" Leah exclaimed as she walked in front of Dylan, hands clasped behind her back. She bent slightly, inspecting him with wide eyes full of admiration.
From the moment she met Dylan on the S.S. Anne, Leah had decided to stick with him and Red. Looking back now, she realized she wasn't just clinging to big opportunities—these were monumental opportunities!
"That's because my brother is amazing~" Lillie chimed in with a proud smile.
"Stop it, stop it. Keep complimenting me, and I'll get cocky," Dylan joked, waving his hand modestly.
"Hmph, I think you deserve to be cocky. You've tamed Unova's Dragon God! Even Lance might not be a match for you now, right?" Leah's bright eyes sparkled as she leaned closer in curiosity.
Dylan rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Without using legendary Pokémon, I'd say it's hard to tell. I might not be able to beat him."
The last time Dylan sparred with Lance didn't count; Lance hadn't used his full main lineup. Only his last Dragonite could be considered part of his A-team, and even then, it wasn't his ace Dragonite. Despite that, it had easily suppressed Dylan's Dragonite in a direct clash.
Considering that Dylan's Dragon team was his strongest, it spoke volumes about Lance's prowess as a top-tier Champion.
"The Champion of Dragon Masters sure lives up to his title," Leah mused with a tilt of her head.
"But Dylan, does that mean if you used your legendary Pokémon, you could beat Lance?"
"More like, if I used my legendary team, the real question is how Lance could avoid losing too badly," Dylan quipped with a raised eyebrow.
"Wow~ Such confidence!" Leah blinked in surprise. "Are legendary Pokémon really that strong?"
"Who do you think you're underestimating here? I'm the man who has Reshiram, Kyurem, Lunala, Necrozma, and a gluttonous Mew," Dylan said with a shrug.
Leah's face filled with awe. She didn't even need to understand all the names to know they were incredible.
"Then... could you beat Ho-Oh and Lugia?" Leah asked, her voice tinged with anticipation.
"To be modest, they're decent opponents," Dylan replied humbly.
"And if you're not modest?"
"Merely grains of sand." Dylan spread his hands nonchalantly.
Leah's eyes sparkled with admiration. If Dylan could easily handle Ho-Oh and Lugia, did that mean he was on par with the Masked Man?
But then a thought struck her. Dylan's strength was his own achievement; he had no obligation to face the Masked Man for her sake. She bit her lip, hesitant.
"Dylan, does your Gym need more staff?" she asked suddenly.
"What's this? Is the great beauty applying for a job at my Gym?" Dylan chuckled.
Leah met his gaze seriously. "If I ever need help, I'll tell you directly. For now, I just need a place to crash and freeload for a few days. What do you say? Not welcome?"
"Fine, fine. You can take over as the referee for now," Dylan agreed, amused.
"Yay! I'm great at being a referee!" Leah cheered, her bright smile lighting up the atmosphere.
Dylan's phone suddenly rang. A glance revealed that it was President Charles Goodshow calling.
"President," Dylan answered the call.
"Dylan, I've received word. You've captured three Rocket Team executives, haven't you?"
Charles Goodshow's voice carried a somber tone.
"That's correct. I apprehended them near Lavender Town."
"You've done well. Now… one of them is really Lt. Surge?"
"Yes, it's indeed Lt. Surge."
"Phew… good, Dylan. I must trouble you. Could you personally escort Lt. Surge and the others to Indigo Plateau? I can't trust anyone else with this."
Charles took a deep breath before speaking, his voice hoarse. Clearly, this information was distressing for him.
And understandably so—Lt. Surge was the Gym Leader of Vermilion City, Kanto's largest port city. The Vermilion Gym was one of the region's official eight gyms!
For the Gym Leader to be revealed as a Rocket Team infiltrator, it was news that would undoubtedly become a laughingstock if leaked.
"I understand." Dylan raised his brow. It was evident that Charles was concerned about Rocket Team attempting to rescue Lt. Surge and the others. After all, they had seen this happen before with Apollo.
"Thank you, Dylan. I'll contact you later regarding the rewards for this operation."
"No problem, President. Please take care."
Dylan nodded. It seemed the Kanto League was about to take some significant action.
"That was President Charles Goodshow on the phone. We have some work to do," Dylan remarked.
Dylan wasn't overly concerned about whether Lt. Surge and the others would be rescued; after all, they had already been captured. But since Charles personally requested it, Dylan didn't mind lending a hand.
"Reshiram."
Dylan released Reshiram from its Poké Ball. The elegant white dragon carried Dylan and his team as they flew towards Lavender Town.
However, before reaching Lavender Town, Dylan spotted several police cars parked on the roadside.
"What's going on here?"
The white dragon landed, and Dylan saw Officer Jenny and her team treating their injured Arcanine and other Pokémon.
"Gym Leader Dylan, we were just attacked by a Pokémon, and Lt. Surge and the other two were rescued," a young Officer Jenny reported, biting her lip in frustration.
"Sorry, it's our fault for being incompetent."
"As long as no one is hurt. Do you know what kind of Pokémon it was? Which direction did they go?"
Dylan frowned. Rocket Team had acted quickly.
"It was a strange Pokémon with an armor-like device on its body. Its psychic powers were overwhelming and defeated our Pokémon in an instant," Officer Jenny explained rapidly.
"After rescuing Lt. Surge and stealing their Poké Balls, it used teleportation to escape. It's definitely a Psychic-type Pokémon."
"Armored… Armored Mewtwo."
Dylan raised an eyebrow, immediately suspecting Armored Mewtwo. There was no doubt—it must have awakened.
And with Giovanni's charisma and capabilities, persuading Mewtwo to temporarily follow him wasn't surprising.
"Alright, I'll search the surrounding area. You focus on your safety and head back to Lavender Town," Dylan instructed Officer Jenny and her team before taking off again on the white dragon.
"Rocket Team acted faster than expected," Dylan muttered.
"They sure did," Leah agreed, frowning. "I can't believe we couldn't even get Surge and the others locked up properly."
"It seems they secretly called for reinforcements, but the rescuers didn't act immediately, waiting instead to ambush during the police transfer," Dylan analyzed.
"But how are we supposed to track them now?" Lillie asked in confusion. "They used teleportation. We don't even have a direction to search."
"Let's scan the nearby area first," Dylan decided, directing Reshiram to circle around.
Just then, Dylan's phone buzzed with a new message.
Gym Leaders Group Chat
Officer Jenny: @Everyone, URGENT NOTICE! Lt. Surge is a Rocket Team executive! URGENT NOTICE! Lt. Surge is a Rocket Team executive!
Officer Jenny pinged the group three times in quick succession, then tagged Lt. Surge directly—only for him to leave the group immediately after.
The chat exploded.
Cerulean Gym—Daisy: What???
Pewter Gym—Flint: This…
Celadon Gym—Erika: I can't believe it. Lt. Surge… a Rocket Team spy?
Saffron Gym—Sabrina: (shocked.gif)
Fuchsia Gym—Koga: Truly… an appalling revelation. (embarrassed.jpg)
Cinnabar Gym—Blaine: Frightening. Rocket Team's infiltration runs deep.
Officer Jenny: I never thought it could be true. If there are other spies in this group, confess now! (angry.jpg)
Officer Jenny: The League is taking this matter extremely seriously. Everyone will be closely monitored. If misunderstandings arise, please bear with us. The impact of this incident is enormous.
Celadon Gym—Erika: Understood.
Pewter Gym—Flint: Ah… I'm semi-retired and too weak to be of interest, right? Okay, okay, I get it.
Cerulean Gym—Daisy: We sisters are definitely not Rocket Team spies! We only cheer others on. (cute.jpg)
Viridian Gym—Giovanni: I believe everyone here is a staunch supporter of the League's justice. If there are still spies among us, I won't tolerate it and will personally ensure their capture! Evil must not be allowed to flourish!
Viridian Gym—Giovanni: As Gym Leaders of the League, we must always oppose the evil of Rocket Team!
Saffron Gym—Sabrina: (suspicious.gif)
Rota Gym—Dylan: Well said, Giovanni! Bravo! (applause.gif)
(To be continued)