Chapter 60: This Gym Isn't Suitable for 'Psychological Counseling'

Gym Group Chat:

Cerulean Gym—Daisy: Wow!! @Rota Gym—Dylan, Gym Leader Dylan, you're incredible! Are you really a newbie who just graduated from Pokémon School? (shocked_dog.gif)

Cerulean Gym—Lily: So strong! And you even faced that Red—he absolutely destroyed us back then! I can't believe you beat him.

Rota Gym: Just lucky, just lucky. (humble.gif)

Viridian Gym—Giovanni: No need to be modest, Gym Leader Dylan. Your Toxic Spikes strategy was truly an eye-opener.

Pewter Gym—Flint: What are you all talking about? (confused.gif)

Cerulean Gym—Daisy: It's a battle video! I'll send the link to the group. Gym Leader Dylan is seriously amazing~

Fuchsia Gym—Koga: Impressive use of Poison-type moves. We should spar sometime; I consider myself quite knowledgeable in Poison-types as well, @Rota Gym—Dylan.

Rota Gym—Dylan: You're too kind, Master Koga. I'll definitely visit Fuchsia City when I get the chance. (innocent.gif)

Dylan couldn't believe it—Koga, a middle-aged man, watching videos? Maybe his daughter sent it to him.

After all, Koga's whole family specializes in Poison-types.

Though it would be interesting to spar with Koga, even if there's a high chance that Koga is secretly a high-ranking member of Team Rocket.

But Koga is a decent person; his loyalty lies solely with Giovanni, not Team Rocket itself.

The night passed quietly, and soon it was the next day.

"Dear son, I've seen the progress you've made with the gym, and the incident on the S.S. Anne. As expected, my son is amazing!

"I knew long ago that my son Dylan had the potential to be a Champion! Haha~ Your dad won't reach Champion-level in this lifetime, but you must keep striving."

"Oh, and a few days ago, your mom and I found a girl who seemed to have been kicked out by her family. She looked quite pitiful, so we temporarily took her in."

"In short, son, you now have an step sister. Maybe you could video call her, or come visit her in Alola. Let me tell you, she's as pretty as a doll."

"Also, the Pokémon you requested are being prepared. Son, not to nag, but you already have quite a few Pokémon, right? Raising them takes energy, so don't overwork yourself."

"As I always say, if running the gym gets too tiring, just quit. We've got enough money to support you for ten lifetimes."

"Oh, and the stuff you mentioned, I've got people working on it. I heard they've already started on the first Rotom Dex. Heh~ As expected of my son, you've got great vision!"

Waking up early, Dylan saw a stream of messages from his dad.

Seeing the pride in every word, Dylan couldn't help but smile.

This is the love of family.

A warm feeling spread through Dylan's heart. If his dad was saying this, maybe it was time to get a Championship in Paldea and make him proud.

The World Championships would be held again eventually—winning the top spot there would be just as good, right? Dylan pondered.

And if he didn't win? Ever heard of cheating?

But what's with this adopted daughter?

Dylan was puzzled but didn't dwell on it. An extra daughter, and in Alola no less—he didn't have time to travel to other regions right now.

Maybe he could video call her to see what she looked like. But for now, it was time to check out the Pokémon his dad sent.

Thanks to the growth simulation system, Dylan's Pokémon grew at a rate unimaginable to others.

For instance, the Litten and Dratini he got just yesterday had already evolved into Torracat, though Dratini hadn't evolved yet.

In the growth simulation world, likely due to the game mechanics, Pokémon evolved at the exact levels they did in the game.

But in reality, evolution wasn't as strictly tied to levels—sometimes, a Pokémon's emotions or external factors could trigger evolution.

Like May's Magikarp and Ash's Charmander.

"The road to becoming a Champion is quite long."

Dylan muttered as he got up to wash up.

In the growth simulation, the Champion's path was indeed challenging, with many twists and turns. It would likely take longer than Dylan had anticipated.

But that wasn't a big deal; Dylan wasn't in a hurry.

After washing up, Dylan prepared breakfast for his Pokémon as usual. Since he had quite a few now, it took a bit longer.

But Dylan didn't mind—he genuinely enjoyed taking care of his Pokémon.

After preparing breakfast for the Meowscarada and the others, Dylan headed to the equipment room to check out the new Pokémon his dad sent overnight.

"Come on out."

Dylan enlarged the two Poké Balls, and two beams of white light flashed.

On the left was a small, dark purple Pokémon with sapphire-like eyes, with a red gem on its chest and back.

It was Sableye, a Ghost/Dark-type.

On the right was a purple-pink scorpion-like Pokémon with blue wings on the inside. Its two sharp fangs were visible, and its tail ended in a menacing stinger.

This was Gligar, a Ground/Flying-type.

"Gligar, Sableye, hello."

Dylan smiled as he bent down to greet the two Pokémon.

Gligar seemed outgoing, looking around curiously, while Sableye kept its gaze fixed on the ground, appearing more introverted.

Hearing Dylan's voice, both Pokémon looked up at him.

"From today on, I'll be your Trainer. I look forward to working with you."

Dylan's smile was warm, and his Verdant Aura gently flowed out.

Gligar tilted its head curiously at Dylan, while Sableye's gem-like eyes flickered slightly before it lowered its gaze again.

Beep~ Gligar, Ground/Flying-type, the FlyScorpion Pokémon.

Ability: Immunity

Moves: Slash, Quick Attack, Knock Off, Harden, Sand Attack, Poison Sting, Feint Attack (Egg Move)

Info: It quietly glides through the sky as if sliding. It grabs its prey's face with its large claws and stabs them with its poisonous stinger.

Beep~ Sableye, Dark/Ghost-type, the Darkness Pokémon.

Ability: Prankster

Moves: Leer, Mean Look, Fake Out, Shadow Sneak, Astonish, Scratch, Confuse Ray (Egg Move)

Info: It lives quietly in caves. People fear it, believing it steals souls when its eyes shine ominously in the dark.

Both have Hidden Abilities—Dylan was pleased.

Gligar's Immunity would become Poison Heal when it evolved into Gliscor, allowing it to heal from poisoning. Sableye's Prankster would let it use status moves first, both very useful Pokémon.

Dad always delivered.

"Let me introduce you to the others—they're all very friendly."

Dylan led the two new Pokémon to the backyard.

"If I'm building a Dark-type team, I'll need to add some strong members. As for a Ghost-type team..."

Dylan sat in the backyard, watching his Pokémon either playing or training, lost in thought.

Since he decided to be a Trainer, it made sense to specialize in various types. He planned to build multiple teams based on different types.

Once the teams were ready, he could set up a roulette in the gym. Challengers would spin the wheel to determine which type they'd face.

It would be unique and exciting, a perfect gym feature.

But for now, he was just starting out. His Poison-type team was sufficient for now, and he could gradually add to it. Dylan was leaning towards specializing in Dark or Ghost types.

Those two types were particularly "interesting."

"Gym Leader!"

Dylan looked up at the call and saw his receptionist waving at him.

"Gym Leader, we have challengers!"

"Alright."

Dylan nodded and headed to the gym.

Arriving at the gym, Dylan immediately noticed the two brothers standing there. They looked familiar.

Dylan raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

"Hello, I'm Dylan, the Gym Leader here."

Dylan approached them with a smile and introduced himself.

"Hello, I'm Reggie from Veilstone City in the Sinnoh region. This is my younger brother, Paul."

Reggie forced a smile as he introduced himself and his brother.

Paul silently stared at Dylan without speaking—a rather sullen kid.

"So, which of you is here to challenge the gym?"

Dylan glanced at Paul. So, this was Ash's rival in the Sinnoh arc—a rival considered one of the best-developed characters across all regions.

Gary may have been a classic rival, but he was more of a childhood friend and neighbor, while Paul was a true rival who challenged Ash's training philosophy.

Paul's character development was perfect—his harsh treatment of Pokémon and extreme views made him seem almost like a villain, yet he gradually changed, ultimately recognizing Ash's approach after their final battle.

Even in the Journeys arc, Paul returned to train with Ash, using a Gyarados, Metagross, and Garchomp in a sparring session. It was touching.

"I'm the one challenging."

Reggie hesitated before speaking up.

Dylan observed Reggie closely, easily noticing that something was off with him.

It wasn't physical, but mental.

Had Reggie just been defeated by Brandon? His confidence must be at rock bottom.

In the original series, during the time when Ash went to Sinnoh, Reggie was a very gentle and sunny big brother. But in reality, Reggie used to be someone who was also very extreme in his pursuit of strength and victory.

Yes, he once personally told Ash and the others that he used to be exactly like Paul.

"No problem, shall we start now?"

"Sure."

Reggie let out a long sigh, his expression turning indifferent. The devastating loss to Brandon had deeply impacted him, and Brandon's words had made him question his own beliefs as a Trainer.

But... should he really give up being a Trainer?

Reggie still couldn't make up his mind. Perhaps he needed one more battle to solidify his resolve.

"How should I put it, my gym is a bit unique, so I hope you can stay strong, Mr. Reggie."

Dylan pondered for a moment and decided it would be best to give Reggie a heads-up.

He had a pretty good idea of why Reggie would come to challenge the gym at this time, but to be blunt, Dylan's gym wasn't really the place for 'psychological counseling.'

Hopefully, Reggie wouldn't become more withdrawn after the battle.

"???"

Even though Reggie, who was already standing on the battlefield, was feeling a bit confused, he couldn't help but raise two question marks after hearing Dylan's words.

What did this Gym Leader mean by that?

(End of Chapter)