Dylan watched as Kiyo left with his sister and couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
"Let's go, sis. We're never coming back to this trash gym again!"
"There's absolutely no spirit of a true Trainer here! Pah, pah, pah! What bad luck!"
"Disgusting! Absolutely disgusting!!"
Kiyo cursed as he quickened his pace.
Luna turned back and gave Dylan an apologetic look, to which Dylan responded with a smile, signaling that it was fine.
"Pfft, haha! Gym Leader, that big guy just now looked like he was about to throw a punch."
The receptionist and Selene also approached from the spectator seats, with the receptionist grinning widely.
"You were amazing, Gym Leader!" Selene was in awe.
In fact, the Gym battle just now didn't end in the usual way. After Machamp was defeated, Kiyo simply broke down and refused to continue.
For a Trainer, winning without even fighting was definitely something to be proud of.
"It's nothing," Dylan chuckled, ruffling Selene's hair.
"Selene, make sure to watch and learn. Someday, you'll have to take down the Champion."
"Gym Leader!" Selene's fair cheeks puffed up as she heard Dylan bring this up again.
"Haha~, I'm heading to the backyard. If any challengers show up, just let me know."
Dylan smiled and left a note for the two girls before turning and heading towards the backyard.
Truth be told, Dylan was quite satisfied with the power of his Dark-type team in today's first experiment.
When it comes to messing with opponents' minds, Dark-types are really effective. It's a shame that as a Gym Leader, he can't switch Pokémon freely during battles.
Otherwise, he could have made a switch after Sableye's Parting Shot to bring Incineroar back with another Intimidate, making the opponent's Pokémon crumble under the pressure. That would be satisfying!
The cycle of life and death continues, but we find joy while they break.
"There's still room for improvement. I should consider adding Zoroark to the team—its Illusion ability has so much potential."
Dylan pondered as he thought about how to refine his team. Although Gym Leaders technically can't switch Pokémon at will, moves like Parting Shot that allow for tactical switches are fair game in official Gym battles, offering some strategic flexibility.
"Once the Dark-type team is fully assembled, maybe I should rotate the lineups?"
Dylan considered it and felt it could be done.
Monday could be the Poison team, Tuesday the Dark team, Wednesday back to Poison? Or maybe he could let challengers spin a wheel to decide which team he'd use.
As for whether this would cause challengers who came prepared for Poison-types to be crushed… well, that would be their bad luck.
Besides, as a Trainer, learning to adapt to any situation is part of growing up!
"I'll have to ask Dad to prepare the Pokémon for me."
Dylan reached the backyard and thought for a moment before making a video call to his dad.
**Ring... ring... ring...**
The video call was answered after just three rings, revealing the handsome face of a middle-aged man.
"Hey? Dylan, what made you call me today?"
In the video, his dad, dressed in a floral shirt and beach shorts, with sunglasses hanging from his collar, smiled and waved at Dylan.
His arms were also loaded with various shopping bags.
"I'm out shopping with your mom and your sister."
He turned the camera, showing a high-end clothing store where a mature woman and a blonde girl in a princess dress were picking out clothes.
Dylan's eyes flickered slightly when he saw the blonde girl's profile.
"Hey, honey, Lillie, Dylan is on a video call."
His dad called out to the two women.
Lillie?
Dylan raised an eyebrow—what a coincidence.
Lillie, the girl from Generation VII, the young lady of the Aether Foundation. She ran away from home to protect Nebby and escape her mother's control. Later, she traveled across the ruins to discover Nebby's origins.
In the game, Selene is considered Lillie's shining light. From the moment they first met, the two had a fateful encounter.
Later, when Lillie was in despair after Necrozma forcibly fused with Solgaleo (or Lunala), it was Selene who saved her.
"Oh? Dylan's calling?"
Upon hearing this, the mature woman happily walked over and quickly took the phone.
"Mom," Dylan greeted warmly.
Compared to his playful dad, Dylan was much more well-behaved in front of his mother, Amelia.
"Dylan, I've seen the news about Kanto recently. You've done an amazing job," Amelia smiled with pride and warmth.
"I even told the elders about your accomplishments, and they're very happy for you. Your father and I were planning to visit the Meteor Village in Hoenn after our trip to Alola, but we happened to run into Lillie."
"Oh, right, Dylan, this is your sister, Lillie. Isn't she adorable? She's such a sweet child."
Amelia waved to Lillie, who was standing obediently nearby, and Lillie stepped into the frame, her pure, wide eyes curiously observing Dylan.
He looked exactly like the photos and videos her foster parents had shown her—a very handsome and refined young man.
"Hello. I'm Lillie," she said softly, trying to suppress her nervousness.
This was truly surreal. Lillie could hardly believe it. She had fled Aether Paradise to escape her mother, Lusamine.
But when she left, she had very little food and money, and she wasn't skilled at anything. Although she could survive by eating wild berries, life was still very difficult, not to mention that Lusamine was still sending people to search for her.
Then she happened to run into Amelia and Dylan's father, Itto, who were enjoying the scenery in the wild. Seeing such a young girl in such a miserable state, Amelia's maternal instincts kicked in.
And after hearing Lillie's fabricated story of being kicked out by her family, Amelia was furious.
And that was that.
Amelia and Itto temporarily took Lillie in, and Amelia insisted on making Lillie her goddaughter. At first, Lillie refused, but she wasn't strong-willed, and under Amelia's gentle persuasion, she eventually agreed.
"Hello, Lillie. It's quite the surprise to meet you this way. When I get some time to visit Alola, I'll bring you a gift," Dylan said with a smile.
"No need, really," Lillie quickly replied.
"I insist. It's a token of affection from your big brother. Or are you saying you don't accept me as your brother?"
"That's not it…"
"Then you can't refuse, right? We're family now, and family can rely on each other. It's perfectly normal to give gifts among family, right?"
Dylan's gentle smile grew as he spoke.
"…" Lillie bit her lip in silence, but her eyes shimmered with emotion.
Since her biological father went missing, her mother had become increasingly obsessed with studying Ultra Beasts. Her mother's personality had become more and more self-centered and obsessive, making the once loving and dependable mother seem more and more distant and frightening.
She had rarely felt the warmth of family.
But over the past few days, with Amelia's meticulous care and Itto's reliability, and now the kindness from this brother she hadn't even met in person, Lillie's heart was deeply touched.
"Thank you, big brother…" Lillie lowered her head and whispered.
"You're welcome. We're family now," Dylan smiled and nodded.
"I've always wanted a little sister when I was younger, but my parents just couldn't do it, which was always a regret for me."
"Who would've thought I'd end up with a god-sister now? I guess that's good enough," Dylan joked lightly.
"You cheeky boy," his dad laughed and scolded him.
"When you get the chance, come to Alola. We need to have a proper meal together."
"I know, I know. I'll see when I can take some time off from the League."
Dylan sighed; Alola was quite a distance from Kanto.
"You'd better take a long vacation. Dylan, the elders said that Zinnia has officially become the Lorekeeper and left the Meteor Village. We should go bless Zinnia together," his mother, Amelia, added.
Lillie listened curiously. She knew her foster father was quite impressive since he had proudly told her that he was the wealthiest man in both Kanto and Johto…
Holding a 54% stake in Silph Co., one of the world's largest companies.
But it seemed that her foster mother's background wasn't simple either? Lorekeeper? Meteor Village? She had never heard of those…
But they sounded extraordinary.
However, Lillie remained obediently quiet, not asking any questions.
"…Alright."
Dylan was silent for a moment before nodding.
Meteor Village…