"What do you mean, 'I want them all'?!
Dylan's eye twitched. The hell do you mean, all of them? You trying to get a rainbow-colored black or something?
"Let's start with black first. We can switch colors later," Dylan decided after a moment.
Riding a black Rayquaza was something he had always wanted to do. Even if he couldn't ride the real thing yet, at least he could get a painted version to enjoy for now.
Besides, in Dylan's mind, he was bound to capture a Rayquaza sooner or later anyway.
"Got it!" Jack nodded.
"Rayquaza, stay here and work with them."
Rayquaza was huge, and giving it a full-body color treatment was no small project. Even at full speed, Jack's team would need two to three days to complete the process.
Dylan had demanded perfection, after all.
"Go ahead, Heir of the Sky!" Rayquaza was beyond excited to begin.
Leaving the dye workshop behind, Dylan returned to Rota Gym.
"Ahhh, I'm so exhausted. I need to rest for a bit."
Leaf stretched her shoulders as she headed toward her room. She had already picked a room in Rota Gym, since she was practically an employee at this point.
"Oh, right, Dylan. If someone comes looking for me in the next few days, can you take care of them?" She suddenly turned back.
"A friend of yours?" Dylan asked, raising an eyebrow.
"A little brother, actually. He escaped from the same organization as me. I finally got back in touch with him yesterday and told him to come to Rota Gym."
Leaf yawned cutely.
"His name is Silver. He looks scary and cold, but he's a good kid."
She suddenly became serious.
"He's a year younger than me. Dylan, if possible, I'd like you to take him as your student."
"My apprentices don't have it easy," Dylan joked.
Not just anyone could become his apprentice. But truthfully, he was only teasing Leaf.
Silver's potential was undeniable.
The Pokémon Adventures protagonists—Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, Gold, Silver, and Crystal—were all legendary figures in their own right.
"Hehe~ I know! But Silver is really talented—way more than me."
Leaf's bright blue eyes sparkled with confidence in her younger brother.
"Got it. I'll see what he's capable of," Dylan nodded. An unexpected bonus, huh?
Leaf and Lillie both went to rest. After traveling by plane for so long, it was only natural to feel exhausted.
Dylan, however, headed to the backyard.
As soon as he stepped outside, he spotted Yellow playing with a Pikachu.
"Oh? You're back, Gym Leader Dylan!"
Yellow's golden eyes lit up as she ran over excitedly, hugging Pikachu in her arms.
"Yellow, how've you been?"
Dylan ruffled the little girl's soft cheeks with a smile.
Her eyes were so pure and innocent—looking at her made him feel strangely at peace.
Dylan loved kids like Yellow.
Yeah… Yellow was his true successor.
Selene? She had gone rogue.
Dylan was 100% certain that Selene calling everyone "Boss" or "Old Man" had absolutely nothing to do with him.
He was a bright, sunny Gym Leader!
Certified by the League and his fans!
It was even written in bold letters on the official site!
"Mm~ I'm doing great! Selene took me out for a trip! Oh, and look, Gym Leader Dylan—this Pikachu followed me from Viridian Forest!"
Yellow's smile was as pure as a sunbeam as she proudly held up the electric mouse.
"Pika?" Pikachu blinked its big eyes, staring at Dylan with curiosity.
"Very cute. So, does this little one want to stay with you?"
Dylan gently rubbed Pikachu's chin.
Yellow had even attached a small flower to Pikachu's left ear, making it look even cuter.
"I think so! It really likes me, and I really like it too!"
Yellow looked down at Pikachu with a shy smile, her eyes filled with warmth.
"Pika~ Chu!" Pikachu rubbed its cheek against Yellow's, showing its affection.
"Good. That's your bond forming."
Dylan smiled.
With her Viridian powers, Yellow naturally attracted Pokémon. This Pikachu choosing to follow her was a perfect example of that connection.
"As your teacher, I still haven't officially given you a Pokémon… Speaking of which, you seem to get along well with that Screamtail, don't you?"
Dylan pondered.
When he took on Selene as an apprentice, he had given her a Litten.
He couldn't treat Yellow unfairly.
Yellow often helped take care of the Pokémon in the backyard. Dylan actually had a lot of Pokémon—some that he wasn't actively training.
Lillie and Yellow would often assist in looking after them.
If he remembered correctly, Yellow had a particularly strong bond with a Screamtail.
That Screamtail had great potential, and since it was still young, its strength wasn't too overwhelming.
More importantly, Yellow's pure heart made her the perfect match for it.
"Eh?" Yellow blinked in surprise.
"I'm entrusting that Pokémon to you. Make sure to take good care of it, alright?" Dylan smiled warmly.
"But, Gym Leader Dylan… I'm not even a Trainer yet…"
Yellow looked happy, but also a bit hesitant.
"Doesn't matter. Look at Selene—she wasn't a Trainer when I gave her Litten, but that didn't stop her from running around challenging people every day."
Dylan waved it off.
Sure, the official League rules said you had to be 16 years old to get a Trainer license and start a journey.
But in reality, plenty of kids owned Pokémon before that.
This was called getting a head start.
Look at Paldea—their Elite Four had a 9-year-old.
In Pokémon Scarlet & Violet: The Indigo Disk, it was revealed that Poppy was already 9 years old.
Despite being an Elite Four member, she still wanted to enroll in Blueberry Academy the following year.
That was wild.
A 9-year-old Elite Four member!
Poppy was the definition of "age doesn't matter."
Some people spend a lifetime training Pokémon and never reach Elite status.
Meanwhile, some kids hadn't even started their journey and were already destroying the competition.
Dylan hoped his apprentices would get that same head start.
After all, his goal was for Yellow to become one of Kanto's Elite Four.
If she could start early, that would be ideal.
"Thank you, Gym Leader Dylan~!"
Yellow's bright, innocent smile was heartwarming.
"Do your best, Yellow. I know you won't lose to Blue."
Dylan ruffled her golden hair with a grin.
Leaving Rota Gym, Yellow was bound to draw attention.
With Rota Gym's fame skyrocketing, and Selene being the first apprentice to leave, low-profile wasn't an option.
By the time Yellow set off on her journey, people would definitely compare her to Selene.
But Dylan had a feeling…
Yellow wouldn't care one bit.
"Mm-mm!! I won't embarrass you, Gym Leader Dylan!"
Yellow tightened her grip on the Pikachu in her arms, her small face filled with determination.
"Good! That's the spirit! I believe in you."
Dylan patted Yellow's shoulder, pleased with his student's resolve.
Afterward, he released all his Pokémon and walked over to the small pond in the backyard.
"Keep growing strong, okay?"
Dylan spoke gently, looking down at the fish Pokémon floating lifelessly in the water.
The fish tilted its head slightly, staring blankly at Dylan, as if it wasn't sure what was happening.
Its fins were gray, and its body was a dull lavender color. Its eyes were completely lifeless, and it had a pair of pink lips—yeah, this thing was ugly as hell.
It was a Feebas—one of Wallace's Milotic's offspring.
But what Dylan hadn't expected was that this Feebas was shiny!
That's right—this was a shiny Feebas. And yet, Wallace had handed it over to Dylan without hesitation.
Man… Wallace was actually a great guy.
As thanks, Dylan had gifted Wallace a Iron Bundle—a Paradox Pokémon from the future that was both powerful and extremely rare.
A fair trade for Wallace's trust.
Beep—Scanning…
Feebas, Water Type, Fish PokémonAbility: Swift SwimMoves: Splash, Tackle, Haze (Egg Move)
Description: Due to its naturally ragged fins and unappealing appearance, no one ever pays attention to it. It can survive in both the ocean and freshwater lakes.
Once this shiny Feebas evolved into a shiny Milotic, though… it would be absolutely gorgeous.
Dylan's water-type team was already forming in his mind.
"Rain teams are a must… and then…"
If he was going to build a water team, then having rain support was essential.
There were only three Pokémon with the Drizzle ability: Politoed, Pelipper, and Kyogre.
Politoed and Pelipper were both solid choices, so he'd definitely need them.
"Swampert is a must, and I'll also need a Palafin."
Swampert was one of Dylan's favorite Pokémon, so of course, he had to train one. It would also serve as his team's Mega Evolution user.
Dylan already had a few strong water-types on hand—Toxapex, Iron Bundle, and Wave Crash.
But those were already too powerful to use against rookie challengers.
"Too many good choices…"
Dylan sighed. There were so many amazing water-types, making it hard to decide.
But he wasn't in a rush.
Meanwhile, news spread quickly—Rota Gym had officially reopened, and within a day, the announcement had spread all across Kanto.
The moment Dylan resumed accepting challenges, a flood of trainers arrived at his doorstep.
By the second day, the number of challengers was insane—with 30% of them coming from outside Kanto.
And then, three days later…
Dylan finally got his "Shiny" Rayquaza.
He had to admit—Jack and his team had done a flawless job. This artificial shiny Rayquaza was so perfectly painted that it was indistinguishable from the real thing.
Even its scales reflected light just like an actual shiny Rayquaza!
Rayquaza was thrilled with its new look. It couldn't stop admiring itself in the clear pond—turning left and right, checking every angle.
Five days passed in the blink of an eye.
During this time, Leaf had already left, and her little brother, Silver, had never shown up.
According to Leaf, Silver was "shy" and probably just "too nervous" to visit.
And now…
It was time for Dylan's day off.
Dylan and Lillie left Rota Street and headed for Viridian City.
Viridian wasn't far from Rota, and with Rayquaza as a ride, they got there in no time.
But one thing was clear.
Yeah, White Dragon was still the more comfortable ride.
"Viridian Gym… Brother, are you going to meet Giovanni?"
Lillie asked curiously as she looked at the majestic Viridian Gym in front of them.
"Yeah. We already made an appointment."
Dylan's golden eyes flickered as he gazed at Viridian Gym.
Then, he took a step forward, leading Lillie toward the entrance.
Giovanni! I'm here to challenge you!