Dylan was completely unaware of what was happening at the Indigo Plateau.
Outside of Celadon City, Dylan was bidding farewell to two friends, Leah and Red.
"See you later, Dylan. I'll come visit your Gym when I have time."
"Always welcome. Call me if you need anything."
"Got it."
Leah, full of energy even in disguise, waved enthusiastically at Dylan before walking away cheerfully into the distance.
And then...
Dylan and Red stood there, staring at each other.
"Don't look at me like that. I have to get back to the Gym. Let's have a battle when you come to Rota," Dylan said helplessly after a while.
He could guess that Red really wanted to battle him right now.
Red: (︵)
"Don't make that face. By the way, Red, are you missing any particular type of Pokémon?" Dylan asked, amused by Red's disappointed look.
He wanted to prepare some gifts for Leah and Red. As trainers, their main Pokémon would undoubtedly be the best gift.
After all, Leah and Red had credited him for their achievements in the two Team Rocket incidents. He had to return the favor somehow.
After these two events, Dylan felt he had gained too much with two exceptionally gifted pseudo-legendary Pokémon and an unknown shiny Pokémon.
"No need…"
Red, though shy, wasn't foolish and politely declined with a shake of his head.
"Don't be so polite. I'll pick something for you. Though exceptionally talented pseudo-legendaries are indeed rare, with my dad's connections, we can still find some relatively rare Pokémon."
"..."
Red stared at Dylan's face with his red eyes, hesitated for a while, and then nodded.
"I already have an idea for Leah. What about you, Red?"
"Speaking of which, you're planning to challenge Lance this year, right? If you're going to fight Lance, then a certain type of Pokémon is indispensable!" Dylan thought for a moment and decided to get an Ice-type Pokémon for Red.
Red's battle against Lance at the end of the year would definitely be exciting.
After all, Lance in this world wasn't like the Lance from the first generation of games. Whether Red, who had only trained for a year, could defeat Lance was actually uncertain.
"Let me tell you, although Lance keeps boasting about his invincible Dragon army, his team is actually very weak against Ice types. Trust me."
"If Lance's main lineup hasn't changed much over the past few years, you could sweep through at least two of his Pokémon with a strong Ice-type!" Dylan enthusiastically shared his insights on battling Lance.
Well, although Dylan himself hadn't fought Lance yet.
He wasn't sure about Lance's current main team configuration, but he didn't need to think much. Adding two Ice-types to the team against Lance was definitely a good idea.
"I already have a Lapras."
Red was silent for a moment and then replied.
"Emmm…" Dylan was stunned. True, Red did have a Lapras in the games.
"Then how about a Fairy-type? If you're not planning on a hail team, Alolan Ninetales might not be very suitable for you."
"..." Red blinked, feeling that Dylan's enthusiasm was a bit unusual.
"I have an idea now, Red. Come to Rota Gym when you have time, and we'll have a good battle."
Dylan thought for a moment, and his mind was made up. He smiled at Red.
"Okay." Red nodded.
He wasn't good at socializing and had few people he could truly call friends, but he felt very comfortable spending time with Dylan and Leah.
Leah was outgoing and enthusiastic, while Dylan was gentle and sincere, and a strong rival. Much better than his childhood friend, who couldn't stop complaining the moment they met.
Indeed, childhood friends were just a coincidence.
After saying goodbye to Red, Dylan rode Articuno back to Rota.
Back at the Gym, Dylan contacted Charles Goodshow, who then sent two Pokémon over.
"Dylan, did you receive them?"
"Yes, thank you, President."
Dylan looked at the two shrunken Poké Balls in his hand and smiled.
"No need to thank me. You deserve this, Dylan…" Charles Goodshow's voice on the phone sounded tired and hesitant.
"What's the matter, President?"
"Never mind, it's nothing. Just take a look at those two little ones first." After a moment of silence, Charles Goodshow chuckled.
Is it something troubling? Because Archer and Proton were rescued by Giovanni?
Dylan was curious. As the president of the Kanto League, anything that truly troubled Charles Goodshow wouldn't be simple.
But since Charles Goodshow didn't want to talk about it, there was nothing Dylan could do.
After hanging up with Charles Goodshow, Dylan went to the backyard and released the two Poké Balls.
"You"
"Gha"
Two different cries sounded, and Dylan's gaze first fell on the Pokémon on the ground.
It wasn't very big, only about 0.6 meters tall, looking like a small dinosaur with gray-green skin, a long blunt horn on its head, red eyes, and short arms.
It was Larvitar.
"You?" This Larvitar seemed unafraid of strangers, tilting its head curiously at Dylan.
"Cute little guy." Dylan bent down and patted Larvitar's head, offering it an energy cube.
"You" Larvitar's eyes lit up and it began to munch on the cube.
"Gha" Seeing Larvitar eating so happily, the other Pokémon floated over.
This one had a very strange appearance, with a purple spherical core, large white eyes, and a mouth with fangs. Its body was surrounded by a ring of gray gas.
It was Gastly! And a shiny one at that, as normal Gastly had a black core.
"Didn't expect a shiny Gastly. Did President Goodshow get this from Grandma Agatha?"
Dylan curiously observed the lively shiny Gastly. Agatha had more than one Gengar.
It's possible that one of Agatha's main Gengar's descendants turned out to be a shiny Gastly, and if Charles Goodshow asked for it, he could probably get it.
"Gastly, you have your own food. Don't snatch from Larvitar."
Seeing the shiny Gastly bite into Larvitar's energy cube, and Larvitar glaring at it, Dylan couldn't help but laugh, calming the two little ones.
He took out two more boxes of energy cubes and snacks and placed them in front of them. The shiny Gastly and Larvitar immediately started eating heartily.
With the affinity of his Viridian power and the food, it didn't take long for these two little ones to become close to Dylan.
'Beep~ Gastly, Ghost/Poison type, Gas Pokémon
Ability: Levitate
Moves: Payback, Mean Look, Hypnosis, Lick, Confuse Ray, Perish Song (Egg Move)
Description: Said to be born from gases emitted by graves, Gastly is formed from cursed energies.'
Looking at the shiny Gastly's Pokédex entry, Dylan nodded in satisfaction. It had inherited Perish Song, a move that could be very useful in certain situations.
Dylan then aimed the Pokédex at Larvitar.
'Beep~ Larvitar, Rock/Ground type, Rock Skin Pokémon
Ability: Guts
Moves: Rock Slide, Scary Face, Bite, Payback, Stomp, Dragon Dance (Egg Move)
Description: Larvitar feeds on soil. After eating a large mountain, it will sleep to grow.'
It had inherited Dragon Dance, which was great.
Dylan raised an eyebrow. For Larvitar, which would evolve into Tyranitar, Dragon Dance was an excellent inherited move.
After all, Dragon Dance boosts attack and speed, and since Tyranitar isn't very fast, Dragon Dance is perfect for boosting both speed and attack.
"Excellent, you both have bright futures ahead."
Dylan was very pleased with the two little ones in front of him. A shiny Gengar, especially a Mega Evolved one, could be a top-tier Ghost and Poison-type, and the shiny Mega Gengar was a stunning white, very cool.
And Tyranitar didn't need much explanation. Properly trained, a future Mega Tyranitar would be a dominant Rock-type, a true powerhouse.
It could even rival Darkrai for the top Dark-type spot in his team.
Everyone has a bright future.
(End of Chapter)