Blue, full name Blue Oak, is the grandson of the renowned and authoritative Professor Samuel Oak.
Professor Oak takes great pride in Blue, and for good reason. Blue is exceptionally talented, especially in Pokémon training and breeding, to the point where even Professor Oak is amazed.
Professor Oak is thoroughly convinced that his extraordinarily gifted grandson will surpass even his own peak strength in his younger days. Blue simply has that kind of potential.
Coincidentally, Blue's dream is to become the strongest Pokémon Trainer!
However, the one thing that gives Professor Oak a headache is Blue's excessive arrogance, likely stemming from his exceptional talent and intelligence.
Professor Oak has always tried to "correct" Blue's overly conceited personality but has naturally been unsuccessful because, in Blue's eyes, he is special!
"I am the chosen one!"
Among his peers, aside from that annoying childhood friend, no one can match him.
After setting out on his journey, Blue became even more convinced of this!
Forget peers—even trainers from the previous generation are nothing special in Blue's eyes. With just a little effort, he can surpass them all.
With this being the case, why shouldn't he be proud?
Blue firmly believes that this era belongs to him! This year, he will undoubtedly ascend to the top of the Kanto region with his carefully selected strongest team!
He wants the whole world to remember his name: Blue Oak!
But even someone as outstanding as Blue has his own troubles—for example, his little brother who never seems to let him rest easy.
He and that annoying Red have been childhood friends and rivals who can't stand each other, and Blue wants to surpass Red.
Not only himself, but even his little brother should naturally be better than Red's little brother.
But what about now? His stupid little brother has been "stuck" at a gym for over a month!
Damn it, he himself has already breezed through and collected all eight gym badges, and yet his dumb little brother is still lingering here!
Even Ash probably has more than three badges by now, right? Blue decided to personally set an example and teach this dumb little brother the correct way to earn badges.
At the Rota Street bulletin board.
"Bro~ over here!"
Gary keenly spotted Blue, who was riding on a majestic Pidgeot.
As for his cheerleader girlfriends, naturally, he couldn't let Blue see them; otherwise, he'd definitely get a scolding.
The heroic and robust Pidgeot descended from the sky, landing gracefully in front of Gary. Blue jumped down stylishly.
"Yo~ Gary, long time no see. You've grown taller," Blue said, walking up to Gary and patting his shoulder in his usual lazy tone.
Though arrogant and conceited, Blue isn't entirely unreasonable. He cares deeply about his family; he's just often exasperated by his disappointing little brother.
"Bro, long time no see. Have you eaten yet?" Gary asked.
"Not yet. Got any recommendations?" Blue replied casually, his gaze falling on the bulletin board, raising an eyebrow.
"Tsk~ interesting. It's my first time seeing a gym advertise itself on a bulletin board," Blue smirked.
"Let's go, Gary. We'll grab a bite first, then you can take me to that gym."
With one hand casually in his pocket, Blue walked into Rota Street with a confident stride.
"Very sorry, but you didn't defeat me. During the battle, you became too anxious when you fell behind and made some wrong decisions. This is quite unqualified," Dylan said, walking up to the young girl in the miniskirt and offering his regretful advice.
"Hope you can overcome this next time and come back for another challenge."
"Yes, thank you so much for your guidance," the miniskirt girl replied, her face flushed red, clearly embarrassed by such direct criticism. She bowed formally to Dylan.
"Your strength is quite good. I'm looking forward to your next challenge. Keep it up," Dylan smiled warmly.
"Yes!" the girl responded loudly and energetically. If only her face wasn't so red.
The miniskirt girl ran off but then quickly ran back.
"Gym Leader Dylan! I believe you're the best gym leader! What they say online is totally wrong! I'll always support you!" she declared, blushing fiercely but mustering all her courage.
"Thank you for your support," Dylan was taken aback for a moment, then smiled gently.
Woo~ I actually said it!
Covering her face, the miniskirt girl ran away, but she was clearly very happy, skipping like a joyful fawn, her skirt fluttering.
Watching her leave, Dylan took the water cup handed to him by Selene and took a sip.
"Another loyal fangirl added to your list, huh gym leader? Such a sinful charm," Selene teased, her clear, bright eyes blinking playfully.
Well, it makes sense. After all, the gym leader is handsome and gentle—the perfect ideal type for most girls.
"Looks like someone needs some discipline. Today, I'll have Incineroar train with you properly," Dylan said, pinching Selene's fair cheek.
"Ah~ no, big brother gym leader!"
"No 'no.' It's been almost two weeks, and your Litten hasn't even evolved yet. Selene, seriously," Dylan said, feeling perhaps he'd been too gentle lately.
"You aspire to surpass Lance someday and take his place. Even if you're not an official trainer yet, you can't be so unambitious."
"I never said I had that goal..." Selene replied cautiously, rubbing her cheek with a bitter expression.
And isn't it normal for Litten not to evolve in less than half a month? Not everyone is as monstrous as you, big brother!
"Didn't you want to become a champion?"
"Yes, but I feel Lance is a bit dangerous. Once my strength matures, I'll challenge the Hoenn League! That flashy champion Wallace seems pretty weak," Selene declared, puffing out her chest confidently.
Dylan felt something was off. Why did Selene seem different from when she first arrived? She shouldn't be so opportunistic and petty! Could it be his usual education methods? No, he never taught her that.
"Selene, I think..."
Dylan pondered seriously, deciding to have a proper talk with his first apprentice.
But before he could finish, the gym doors were pushed open.
"So this is the Rota Gym? Quite impressive," said a young man leading the way, wearing a black shirt, purple pants, and sunglasses—looking very cool and arrogant.
Behind him was Gary, looking like an obedient little brother.
"Mr. Gary, are you here for another challenge?" Dylan raised an eyebrow, his gaze lingering on Gary before settling on the young man in the black shirt.
With spiky orange hair and a handsome face similar to Gary's, this was undoubtedly Blue.
Upon seeing Dylan, Gary instinctively pouted.
"Not Gary; I'm here to challenge," Blue said, eyeing Dylan with interest, exuding arrogance from head to toe.
"I'm Blue. Blue Oak. I heard that your gym made Gary fail twice. Tsk~"
With one hand in his pocket, Blue took two steps forward, a lazy yet provocative smile on his lips.
"Interesting. Let me give it a try too."
Upon hearing this, Selene and the receptionist both frowned slightly. This guy is even more annoying than Gary!
That naturally superior and arrogant attitude is utterly infuriating!
"I see," Dylan didn't mind. After all, Blue who hadn't been humbled by Red was like this.
Blue's arrogance comes from his bones; in the games, his taunts and sarcasm toward Red were even more impressive.
This is a boy who can say, "I am the world's strongest! Stronger than anyone!"
Of course, Blue does have the capital to say such things. In the first generation, besides the protagonist Red, no one could match him.
It wasn't until he became champion and was defeated by Red that Blue reflected on himself, slightly restraining his arrogance and becoming the Viridian Gym Leader.
"As the gym leader, I won't refuse any challenges. Mr. Blue, please come this way," Dylan replied with his usual gentle smile, gesturing toward the large roulette wheel.
Arriving before the roulette, Blue examined the device with great interest.
Gary was also a bit puzzled. What is this? It wasn't here during his previous challenges.
"This is a new feature our gym introduced two days ago. Please spin it, Mr. Blue. Whatever type it lands on will be the type of team you'll face," Dylan explained.
"Tsk~ interesting."
It was Blue's first time encountering such a system. With a grin, he pressed the button. Poison and Dark types? And what's this golden section?
But it didn't matter. No matter what type, it made no difference because he is Blue!
How hard can it be to earn a gym badge?
The roulette quickly stopped on the black section, indicating that Dylan would use a Dark-type team for this gym battle.
"Is that all?" Blue asked casually. Dark type? He hadn't really battled many trainers who specialized in Dark types, so it was a good chance to experience it.
"Of course."
Dylan and Blue made their way to the battlefield, standing in their respective positions.
Meanwhile, Selene and Gary headed to the spectator seats.
The big screen lit up, displaying the half-body portraits of Dylan and Blue.
"Now, we begin the battle for the Rota Badge. The challenger is Blue from Pallet Town."
"The battle rules are 4 vs. 4. The Gym Leader, Dylan, will send out the first Pokémon and cannot switch Pokémon during the battle. The match is over when all four Pokémon of one side are unable to continue."
"Let the battle begin!"
After announcing the rules, the referee exited the battlefield.
"4 vs. 4, huh."
With one hand in his pocket, Blue glanced at the scoreboard on the big screen. This gym leader seemed pretty confident, huh?
So far, he had challenged eight official gyms, and only Blaine and Giovanni had given him any pressure.
And in these two gyms, Cinnabar Gym was also a 4 vs. 4 battle, while Viridian Gym was 5 vs. 5. Generally speaking, the more Pokémon allowed in the battle, the stronger the gym leader's strength and the higher the difficulty.
Tsk~ It's all because of how strong I am!
"Before we start the battle, Mr. Blue, allow me to formally introduce myself," Dylan habitually loosened his shirt collar before a battle, smiling as he spoke.
"I am Dylan, the leader of this Rota Gym. This time, I'll be using a Dark-type team to battle you, Mr. Blue."
"Mr. Blue, do you understand Dark types?"
Dylan's lips slowly curved into a sly smile.
"Their battle styles are strange and unpredictable, powerful and wild. They're truly exceptional Pokémon."
"I hope you can deeply appreciate their charm, Mr. Blue."
Hearing Dylan's words, Blue raised an eyebrow. Indeed, there weren't many Dark-type Pokémon in Kanto. As a highly skilled trainer with excellent breeding abilities, Blue was quite interested.
"Well then, let's officially begin our battle, Mr. Blue."
Dylan enlarged the Poké Ball in his hand and tossed it behind him.
"My first Pokémon will be this one."
"Incineroar, get ready for battle!"
Accompanied by a deep growl, the menacing and fierce-looking Incineroar landed and stood tall, roaring at Blue.
"An Incineroar from Alola," Blue mused, quickly recognizing the Pokémon.
Although he had never seen one in person, the official website's Pokédex had basic information on Pokémon from various regions. Though it lacked detailed descriptions, at least the types were marked.
"Rhyperior!"
Blue didn't hesitate long before stylishly throwing out his first Pokémon.
A flash of white light revealed a large Pokémon landing heavily in front of Blue.
Its primary body colors were black and orange-red, with a sharp horn in the center of its face, black voids in the middle of its claws, and a tail resembling a flail.
It was the final evolution of Rhydon!
'Beep~ Rhyperior, Ground and Rock type, Drill Pokémon
Ability: Solid Rock
Moves: Stone Edge, Earthquake, Megahorn, Drill Run, Rock Wrecker, Hammer Arm, Heavy Slam, Outrage (Inherited)…
Description: When encountering a volcanic eruption, it uses its sturdy armor to protect itself and shoots circular rocks from its hands.'
What a powerful Rhyperior!
Selene was astonished as she looked at the information on her Pokédex. This guy named Blue, though arrogant, was indeed incredibly strong.
"His strength is really impressive; no wonder he's so confident," Selene remarked.
"Hmph~ Of course! He's my brother!" Gary, sitting not far from the two girls, proudly lifted his chin at their words.
"This time, Dylan's out of luck. Blue has already earned eight gym badges. Even Dylan can't be a match for him."
Gary snorted twice, full of confidence in his older brother.
"Tch~ That's not certain," Selene rolled her eyes. Getting eight badges is impressive, huh?
"Let's wait and see," Gary shrugged.
On the battlefield.
"Gym Leader, I'm coming!" Blue grinned. This was the advantage of being a challenger.
The gym leader would send out their Pokémon first, and the challenger could counter with a Pokémon that had a type advantage.
Blue was proud, but he wasn't about to ignore a useful rule. That's why he always thought that challenging a gym wasn't difficult, as the rules were designed to favor the challenger.
Like now—Fire and Dark-type Incineroar against his Rhyperior?
That's a joke. How could he lose?
A simple gym challenge—he'd win with ease.
End of Chapter