Pokemon: Gym Leader

Dylan prepared food and Pokeblocks for Floragato and all his other Pokémon, then sat down to eat breakfast himself.

Today's weather was great, with the morning sunlight shining down warmly.

Dylan took out his phone and browsed the Kanto League's official website, navigating to the list of gyms and clicking on Rota Gym.

'A very challenging gym, Gym Leader Dylan's skills are quite impressive. Next time, I, the young master, will definitely win!'

Reading this new comment posted last night, Dylan couldn't help but smile.

It was obviously from Gary; the style was unmistakable.

However, the comment had garnered a couple of skeptical responses.

'Really? Are you a shill hired by Rota Gym?'

'Laughable. Someone couldn't beat this trashy gym? What's your level? Did you challenge it with a Magikarp?'

'Reply: Get lost. If you don't believe me, leave your info and we'll have a match. I, Gary Oak, never lie on this.'

Clearly, Gary wasn't one to take insults lightly. Even in the original series, Gary had a similar attitude.

When he first started, he was quite arrogant, always feeling superior. His early defeat in the Indigo League, where he was eliminated quickly, humbled him significantly.

Gary's loss at the Indigo League led to a notable change in his personality when he reached the Johto region. Though he remained proud deep down, this was evident especially in his interactions with Ash.

"Internet tough guys are everywhere."

After Gary's strong response, those two skeptics didn't reply further. Dylan chuckled softly.

In this world, technology is advanced, and social networking is no exception. Everyone has their share of detractors, like Raihan from Hammerlocke Gym in the Galar region.

Raihan is a Champion-level trainer. With the previous Galar Champions Mustard and Peony having retired or resigned, Raihan is the only one in the Galar region, aside from current Champion Leon, capable of defeating him.

It can be said that Raihan is the second strongest in the Galar region.

Raihan is outgoing and often posts selfies on social media, but he still has plenty of haters.

Why?

Because he has never beaten Leon. Raihan's League Card states he's lost to Leon ten times in a row. Each loss brings a barrage of mocking comments online.

This is the reality of the internet now; online critics don't care that Raihan is Galar's strongest gym leader or that he's the one who's taken down the most of Leon's Pokémon in battle.

All they know is that Raihan is a complete failure against Leon because he's never won.

But is this a reason to mock Raihan?

Raihan is a Champion-level trainer, without a doubt. There are maybe a dozen Champion-level trainers across all nine regions.

But even so, Raihan gets ridiculed online. So, it's no surprise that online trolls are everywhere.

"I wonder if there will be challengers today."

Dylan, feeling a bit bored, browsed through the latest reviews of other gyms, muttering to himself.

"And Gary said he'd challenge me again. When will that be?"

Dylan thought about Gary. As the first real challenger, Dylan had a deep impression of him.

Yes, next time Gary comes for a challenge, Dylan would welcome him warmly!

"And it'd be great if Ash could come too."

Dylan thought of Ash. Before he crossed over, the Pokémon anime had reached the "Horizons" series.

In "Journeys," Ash won the World Coronation Series, defeating Leon and becoming the new world champion.

But even after becoming the strongest, Ash still felt he hadn't achieved his dream of becoming a Pokémon Master, so his journey continued.

Only… this time, there was no "us" accompanying him on his new journey.

Dylan had watched "Horizons" and felt that while "Journeys" had a good ending, its production was subpar. Despite Ash winning the championship, it didn't change that fact.

But "Horizons" was well-made, and the new protagonist Liko was quite endearing.

He was getting sidetracked. The important thing now was whether Ash would challenge his gym.

"If we follow the storyline… Ash should challenge the Battle Frontier after his Hoenn travels, and that's when he'd come to Rota Street."

Dylan recalled the storyline. According to it, if Ash followed his one-year-per-region adventure timeline, he might come to Rota Street in three years.

Because Rota appears in the movie "Lucario and the Mystery of Mew."

"Maybe I should go out and explore." Dylan thought. Now that he was here, the storyline might change subtly.

Moreover, Dylan genuinely wanted to meet Ash. Although he was a gym leader, he could still travel.

As a gym leader, he had responsibilities, but gym leaders are people too, and they need breaks, right?

"Dylan~"

Suddenly, a melodious voice called out.

Dylan turned around and saw Ilene approaching in a white dress.

Even the loose dress couldn't hide her alluring curves. Her delicate, gentle face had light makeup, and her golden wavy hair flowed freely. She was stunning.

"Ilene, you're here early today?" Dylan greeted with a smile.

"Mm~ A guest visited the castle yesterday, so I didn't come to the gym." Ilene explained why she hadn't been at the gym the day before.

"So I came early today. But I just heard from the receptionist that you defeated a challenger yesterday? And it was Professor Oak's grandson."

Ilene's bright eyes sparkled with joy as she asked Dylan.

She was genuinely happy that Dylan finally wasn't giving away badges!

"Yes, Mareanie performed really well."

"That's great~ Your hard work these past few days paid off. But it's a shame I wasn't there to see it."

Ilene was sincerely happy for Dylan but also a bit regretful. This was Dylan's first victory against a challenger! And she missed it.

"It's okay, there will be more opportunities." Dylan smiled slightly. Giving away badges?

No more! From now on, challengers would only get badges if they earned his approval!

"Mm-hmm~" Ilene's beautiful face blossomed into a radiant smile, her eyes curving delightfully.

"Eh? Did Sprigatito evolve?" Suddenly, Ilene noticed the Floragato nearby eating its food.

"Yes, it's been working hard too. Hm?"

Dylan nodded, just about to say more when his phone buzzed.

The receptionist messaged him: there's another challenger at the gym!

(End of Chapter)