18. Sylas

"Flying King Sylas."

"Two Gym Leaders, I came as soon as I received your message." Sylas had a standard square face, a tall figure, and was dressed in casual clothes. He looked at the three of them with a serious expression. "Where is Dante?"

He had clearly noticed the tragic scene on the ground. Three Pokémon killed in battle—evidence of how brutal the confrontation had been.

"He just escaped," Rory said with difficulty. "We were no match for him. His Tyranitar is incredibly powerful."

"I suspected as much." Sylas sighed, then asked in a more serious tone, "I need you to tell me everything about the battle. Don't omit any details."

"Of course."

...

Rory described the incident in detail, explaining that Dante had come specifically for the Grass Z-Crystal. Though they had tried their best to stop him, they simply couldn't match Dante's strength. The three Pokémon corpses on the ground were testament to this fact.

As Sylas listened, his expression grew increasingly grave. It wasn't difficult to conclude from Rory's account that Dante had now reached the rank of King-level trainer. Although he had only one King-level Tyranitar, it didn't diminish Dante's overall power in the slightest.

"It was the Grass Z-Crystal?"

Sylas felt intense regret over the lost Z-Crystal. Since the development of Z-Moves, Z-Crystals had always been strategic assets for various regions. A powerful Z-Move could turn the tide of battle and break a stalemate. If they could have stopped Dante and secured the Grass Z-Crystal, it would have been a tremendous achievement. The Pokémon Association might even have rewarded the Rory family with a pseudo-legendary Pokémon. What a shame.

Though Sylas felt profound disappointment, he didn't show it. Instead, he offered words of comfort to Rory and Asher. He understood that with their strength, stopping Dante had been impossible. Some less dedicated Gym Leaders might not have confronted Dante at all. Such courage deserved recognition.

"You did everything possible. This isn't your fault. The Pokémon Association won't forget your efforts. For the Pokémon that perished in battle, the Association will provide compensation and allow you to select Pokémon eggs."

"Thank you, Flying King Sylas." Rory felt relieved after hearing Sylas's words. He had feared that despite the Rory family's sacrifices, the Pokémon Association might still hold them accountable, which would have created additional problems.

"This is simply the Association's responsibility. The Pokémon Association is sending personnel to secure this secret realm. You should go home and rest. It may take several days for this area to stabilize. Although the Grass Z-Crystal is lost, the value of the secret realm itself remains significant. You've performed admirably. After the Association evaluates the realm's worth, you'll receive appropriate compensation," Sylas reassured them. "For now, you should return home and recover."

...

After returning home, Asher went straight to his room, locked the door, and isolated himself.

Witnessing this, Rory wasn't sure how to comfort his eldest son. He could only sigh and retreat to his study.

The Rory family had suffered severe losses during this secret realm expedition. Having lost his two ace Pokémon, Asher undoubtedly no longer possessed the strength to serve as the Fire Gym Leader in Olivine City. The Pokémon Association would likely soon announce his removal from the position, which would be devastating for the high-spirited Asher.

Even with compensation from the Pokémon Association, it would take at least one or two years for Asher to train a new Gym Leader-level Pokémon, assuming ideal conditions.

The coming year or two would be the most challenging period for the Rory family.

Fortunately, Rory's own Shiny Scizor had survived; otherwise, he too might have lost his position as the Bug Gym Leader. Once such a position was lost, all the rivals who had long been eyeing the Rory family would emerge to tear them apart and divide their assets completely.

"Ah, I forgot to ask Jacob how he appeared in the secret realm, that kid."

Compared to his worried father and devastated brother, Jacob's journey to the secret realm had been undeniably fruitful.

Not only had he tamed the Treecko, but he'd also obtained the Sceptile Mega Evolution Stone—one of the few positive outcomes from this ordeal.

Jacob lay on his bed, staring absentmindedly at the ceiling. The Treecko beside him was using exercise equipment to build its strength, while the Noibat flew carefree through the air, playing like a child.

The personalities of Treecko and Noibat were completely different. Noibat was innocent and naive; even with the ferocity of dragon blood in its veins, it had been born not long ago and behaved childishly around Jacob, showing extreme affection toward its trainer.

In contrast, separation from its Sceptile parents, coupled with their expectations, had made Treecko like a child emerging from the wilderness—tenacious and persevering. Its determination to grow stronger exceeded anyone else's, and it harbored its own dreams and aspirations. It had immediately begun training after Jacob released it from its Poké Ball.

"Noibat, you should learn from Treecko and train alongside it," Jacob said, rubbing Noibat's head.

"Noi!" The Noibat responded cheerfully to Jacob's words. It flapped its wings and flew to Treecko's side, attempting to mimic its training methods.

Jacob's thoughts drifted back to his elder brother. He felt deeply concerned about him. Having been given a second chance at life, Jacob valued his family more than anything. True family meant selfless dedication—they celebrated your happiness and took pride in your accomplishments.

Usually, it was his brother and parents who silently supported everyone, but this time Jacob decided to take action.

He made up his mind, retrieving the box containing the S-level Thunder Stone. He held it silently in his hand and walked to his brother's door.

Because of the Dragon-type Pokémon Master quest, Jacob would likely only capture Dragon-type Pokémon, meaning he probably wouldn't have use for this S-level Thunder Stone. It would be better to give it to his brother.

Jacob knocked on Asher's door.

"Who is it?" Asher's tired voice came from inside.

"Brother, it's me."

"Click!" The door opened, revealing an exhausted-looking Asher.

"What's wrong, Jacob? What do you need?"

Looking at Asher forcing a smile, Jacob felt a lump in his throat. No matter how much pain he was experiencing, Asher always showed his best side to his family.

"Brother, the Pokémon Association will compensate you and allow you to choose new Pokémon. I want to go with you," Jacob said, looking earnestly at Asher.

"We'll discuss it later. We can go together then," Asher replied indifferently. His mind was clearly elsewhere.

"Brother," Jacob said with unusual seriousness, his tone sincere and his expression solemn. "You must choose an Electric-type Pokémon this time. This is a treasure I found in the underground black market last night. I'm giving it to you. I hope it helps you feel better, brother."

Seeing the box Jacob was handing him and hearing his words, even without knowing its contents, Asher was slightly moved. He couldn't help but ruffle Jacob's hair. "Jacob, I'm fine. I just need some time to process everything. And brother has plenty of resources. Since this is a treasure you found, you should keep it for yourself. You don't need to give it to me."

"Brother, open it and look first," Jacob said mysteriously. "This is something special. I'm reluctant to part with it."

"What is it? Why all the mystery?" Asher was somewhat curious about the item Jacob was so excited about and couldn't resist opening the box.

The box slowly opened to reveal the S-level Thunder Stone.

"A Thunder Stone?" Asher examined it carefully. "The quality is very good, at least above Grade B. The specific grade would need to be assessed. It's nice, thank you for your kindness, Jacob."

A Thunder Stone of this quality wasn't inexpensive. It seemed Jacob had truly found a valuable item.

"Brother!" Jacob was exasperated, looking at Asher with a knowing smile. "This Thunder Stone is an S-level item."

"S-level?!" Asher, who had been in low spirits, immediately perked up upon hearing Jacob's words. If this Thunder Stone was genuinely S-level, then it was truly a rare treasure.

S-level Thunder Stones had a chance of improving the innate potential of Electric-type Pokémon!

"Really?"