Pokemon: Gym Leader

Indigo Plateau, Pokémon League Headquarters—Executive Meeting Room.

Chairman Goodshow sat at the head of the long table. To his left were the Kanto Elite Four, led by Lance, and to his right sat the League's council members.

"Another one! Another one! Just what does Team Rocket take our Kanto League for?!"

A middle-aged councilman, August, slammed the table in fury, his sharp gaze sweeping across the room, scanning the faces of his fellow council members.

"First Lt. Surge, then Koga—who's next? Huh? Will it be Sabrina of Saffron City?!"

His rage was genuine—these were official Gym Leaders!

Cerulean Gym was struggling with successors, Pewter Gym was relatively weak, Cinnabar Gym's Blaine was a stubborn old man, and Erika of Celadon Gym was… average at best.

The League's reputation had long been upheld by only four solid Gyms—Viridian, Fuchsia, Saffron, and Vermilion.

And now? Two of those four Gym Leaders had been exposed as Team Rocket executives.

"Councilman August, please control yourself. We are all furious, but losing composure won't solve the problem."

An older councilman, Rok, frowned in disapproval. And what was with that look August had just given him? Was he implying something?

"Hah— Councilman Rok, if I recall correctly, you were the one who supported Koga becoming the Fuchsia Gym Leader, weren't you?"

August sneered.

"August! What are you insinuating?"

Rok's expression instantly darkened.

Lorelei, arms crossed, cast a cold glance at Rok before curling her lips into a mocking smirk.

"Mr. Chairman, now that Koga has admitted to being a Team Rocket executive, I believe further interrogation is necessary. Even if he refuses to reveal the identity of Team Rocket's leader, we must continue investigating."

"I highly suspect that there are still Team Rocket spies among the Gym Leaders… and even within our League."

August's tone grew heavier as he turned to Goodshow.

But everyone in the room knew exactly what he meant.

Rok was so furious that his breathing grew ragged.

"Permission granted for continued interrogation and investigation."

Goodshow nodded.

The meeting dragged on for hours, filled with discussions on how to combat Team Rocket and how to handle the vacant positions at Vermilion and Fuchsia Gyms.

Several council members proposed their own ideal candidates—after all, official Gyms were prestigious and influential, far superior to independent ones. The benefits and power associated with them were obvious.

But Goodshow wasn't going to decide lightly. These Gyms were too important. He needed to ensure the right candidates took over.

After the Meeting—Elite Four Office.

"Lance."

August approached Lance from behind.

Standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, Lance silently overlooked Indigo Plateau below, not bothering to turn around.

"This is the information I've gathered."

August handed over a file.

Lance finally turned, taking the file and flipping through it. His sharp eyes narrowed slightly.

August gave a slight bow to the Elite Four before leaving.

"A bold kid. I like that."

Agatha, leaning on her cane while absentmindedly stroking her Arbok, chuckled in her raspy voice.

"He came to us instead of the Chairman… That guy…"

Lorelei moved to stand beside Lance, taking the file and skimming through it. Her eyes gleamed with cold fury.

The file was filled with records of illegal dealings among League council members—some even had direct ties to Team Rocket.

"Goodshow is old. And when people grow old, they grow soft. He doesn't have the same resolve he once did. August realized this."

Agatha smiled faintly.

"Even if you threw this file in Goodshow's face, he wouldn't immediately act. The League needs these people to function properly. And he has to maintain the League's public image."

Agatha sighed, flipping open an ancient book she had been reading.

"The League has started to rot."

Lorelei scoffed after a brief silence, then turned to Lance.

"Lance?"

"..."

Lance gazed out the window in silence.

His once-bright eyes were now dimming, shrouded in growing darkness—like a candle flickering in the wind, barely holding onto its last remnants of light.

The League… Team Rocket…

Rota Town.

Dylan had returned.

After leaving Mt. Tensei, he had dropped Ash and the others off in Vermilion City before heading back to Rota with Leaf and Lillie.

Leaf planned to stay at the Rota Gym for a while—after wandering around for so long, she decided she deserved a break.

Rota Gym's Backyard.

"Come out."

Dylan tossed three Poké Balls into the air.

Three white flashes of light landed before him, revealing three Pokémon.

These were Pokémon he had recently acquired—two from Professor Oak and one from Goodshow himself.

The first was a Pokémon composed of geometric shapes, its body covered in blue and red polygons.

Porygon.

The second was a tiny pink Pokémon with stubby arms and legs, resembling a baby wearing pants.

Happiny.

And finally, the third—a white-furred canine with a long, paintbrush-like tail.

Smeargle.

Dylan grinned. Smeargle wasn't strong stat-wise, but its potential was insane—thanks to its Sketch move.

In the games, Sketch permanently copied the target's last-used move. Even Legendary Pokémon's signature moves weren't off-limits—though some had been patched out due to balancing issues.

But how would this work in real life?

"I'm Dylan. From today on, I'll be your Trainer. We're partners now."

Dylan spoke warmly to his new Pokémon, radiating a calming aura through his Viridian Power.

In no time, he had bonded with them. Then, he turned to Smeargle.

"Let's test something."

Dylan walked onto the open field.

"Reshiram, come out."

A brilliant white dragon landed gracefully, blinking groggily.

"Reshiram, use Blue Flare into the sky."

"Smeargle, use Sketch to copy it."

Reshiram, still a bit drowsy, obeyed. A roaring fireball swirled into the sky—its flames twisting like living serpents.

Meanwhile, Smeargle's tail glowed as it attempted to copy the move.

But suddenly—

CRACK!

The energy pencil manifested by Sketch shattered. Smeargle flinched, stumbling backward.

"Are you okay?"

Dylan crouched beside it. Smeargle shook its head but lowered its tail in disappointment.

It failed.

"Looks like Sketch can't copy Tier-1 Legendary signature moves."

Dylan wasn't too surprised. The games had their limits, but reality followed its own logic.

But what about ordinary Legendaries?

"Marshadow."

Dylan called out.

"Ma?"

"Although I don't restrict what you eat, Marshadow..."

Dylan's eyelid twitched as he looked at the bag of potato chips in Marshadow's hand.

"You're not actually planning to turn into Clefairy, are you?"

"..."

Marshadow suddenly fell silent.

And that deafening silence made Dylan fall silent as well.

"You can eat, but you'll have to train for four hours every day."

"Ma?!?!"

Marshadow's pupils widened in shock.

"Four hours is already on the low end. Zapdos is training seven hours a day now, and that's of its own volition. If you gain too much weight next month, I'll add another hour."

"I'm doing this for your own good, Marshadow. Clefairy can barely even walk properly now."

Dylan tried to reason with it. If Marshadow ended up like Clefairy, he wasn't sure he could handle it.

Marshadow: (﹏)

"Oh, right, almost forgot—Marshadow, use Spectral Thief."

Dylan suddenly remembered something.

Spectral Thief was Marshadow's signature move.

Marshadow carefully placed the bag of chips back into its shadow, then emerged from the darkness, landing in front of Dylan.

"Smeargle, use Sketch."

Dylan pondered. Signature moves of Mythical Pokémon couldn't be copied—so what about those of standard Legendary Pokémon?

Marshadow's body slowly sank into the shadows. The next moment, a massive pillar of ghostly energy shot skyward, its eerie darkness nearly swallowing the light in Dylan's eyes.

At the same time, countless enormous, hollow, orange pupils surfaced on the pillar of energy, densely packed and unsettling to behold.

A true Ghost-type Spectral Thief!

Smeargle's Sketch had already activated as well, and its floating pencil circled the energy pillar, tracing its essence.

Before long, the energy of Spectral Thief dissipated. Marshadow re-emerged from the shadows, tilting its head as it looked at Dylan and Smeargle.

The energy-infused pencil returned to Smeargle's tail, and Smeargle turned to Dylan with excitement.

Success!

"Now this is getting interesting."

Dylan raised an eyebrow as he looked at his Smeargle. So, a standard Legendary's signature move could still be sketched.

Hmm... but Smeargle's attack power was honestly pitiful. He'd have to properly train and develop it.

Yes, he would craft a one-of-a-kind Smeargle!

Now, he wondered if Darkrai's Dark Void could be sketched. In the games, it had been banned from Sketch due to how overpowered it was, but in reality, who knew? If it worked, that would be incredible.

Then he could find other Legendary Pokémon and have Smeargle copy their moves too.

Left hand, Dark Void. Right hand, Doom Desire. Throw in a Burning Jealousy in between. Finish off with Spectral Thief.

The world's strongest Smeargle would be born!

You think copying moves with Sketch is broken? Pfft, go ahead and try it yourself if you can.