To be honest, Dylan was feeling quite conflicted. Personally, he preferred the Single Strike Style a bit more, but that glaring four-times weakness to Fairy-type attacks was a serious flaw.
The reason Mustard's Gigantamax Urshifu lost to Dynamax Iron Valiant earlier was precisely because of that fatal vulnerability.
The Rapid Strike Style was definitely more practical overall, mainly because it didn't have such a pronounced weakness.
"Let's let Kubfu choose for himself when the time comes. Which path he evolves down should be up to him."
Dylan rubbed Kubfu's head with a smile—he had to admit, the little guy had a great feel to him.
"Baah!" Kubfu's eyes lit up at that, sparkling with excitement.
This Trainer is so kind! He actually respects me!
"Hahaha~ Well said. Whether it's Rapid Strike or Single Strike, both are incredibly strong in their own right."
Mustard blinked for a moment, then chuckled in satisfaction.
He suddenly felt that handing Kubfu over to Dylan had been an incredibly wise decision. Absolutely the right call!
With the important matters settled, Honey went to prepare dinner, and Mustard naturally insisted on having Dylan and the others stay for the meal.
"Tch—got matched with that cheater again." Suddenly, Mustard started muttering in annoyance.
"Cheater?"
He was holding his phone. Dylan glanced over—it looked like he was playing a Go app.
Mustard, as it turned out, was actually quite fond of video games. His profile even mentioned it.
"I've been matched against this guy multiple times. He's definitely cheating. Who even cheats in Go of all games?"
He grumbled as he exited the app, clearly frustrated.
"And his username, too. 'The Lone King'—kids these days are seriously over the top."
Mustard shook his head in disapproval at the 'edgelord' tendencies of Galar's modern youth.
"What's wrong with you guys?" Mustard frowned at the weird looks from Dylan and the others.
Dylan looked… conflicted. Lillie and Leaf, having heard what Mustard said, had also gone stiff with awkward expressions.
Meanwhile, seated beside Dylan, Calyrex casually glanced at Mustard.
I am a king by nature. Even if I no longer rule Galar, I am still Calyrex. What part of that is "edgelord"?!
And I wasn't cheating! I wasn't!
Of course, Calyrex wasn't going to argue over something so petty. His pride wasn't that fragile.
"Master Mustard, the World Championship will be held next year. Are you planning to participate?"
Dylan deftly shifted the topic. After all, Calyrex was right there.
It was already the end of the year—Mustard had surely heard about the tournament. After all, Leon was his student.
This was Galar's big opportunity to make a splash on the world stage.
To be fair, Galar had plenty of Champion-tier trainers. Leon was especially strong.
Leon, Raihan, Mustard, Peony—four Champion-level trainers, not even counting Gloria.
If it weren't for the monster-level trainers in Kanto, Galar could very well be the strongest region.
But in reality, both Mustard and Peony had very low public visibility now.
Mustard had retired long ago, his dojo secluded. Most people outside a niche group didn't even know his name anymore.
Peony was even more obscure. Though he had once served as Galar Champion, he resigned shortly after Rose became Chairman, due to their personal conflict.
Peony's rise had been meteoric, but so was his retirement. It had been many years since then, and few even remembered him.
Aside from those four canon Champion-tier trainers, Gloria and Hop were both prodigies.
Gloria aside, Hop—Leon's younger brother—was basically born with a cheat code. Though in the early and mid-game of Sword and Shield, he constantly lost to Gloria and was even crushed by Bede to the point of losing confidence...
By the end, he rose rapidly, rekindling his fighting spirit. He even tamed the legendary Zamazenta, becoming one of the rare few acknowledged by a legendary Pokémon.
"World Championship, huh? Sigh… This old man's bones are getting up there, you know."
Mustard rested his chin in his hand. He had been thinking about it. He was tempted—but it also felt a bit out of place for an old-timer to be competing against youth for ranking.
"But your heart isn't old, Master." Dylan smiled.
"Hahaha~ You're smooth as ever, Dandan!" Mustard laughed heartily.
"With your strength, you'll probably be ranked number one when the tournament starts, won't you?"
"Mm, I should be." Dylan nodded with a trace of regret.
Given his current fame and the fact that he had just absolutely demolished Leon, there was no question—he'd be seeded number one from the start.
"You don't look happy about it though?" Mustard asked, puzzled.
"Being number one means I won't get to challenge anyone ranked below me. That takes a lot of the fun out of it."
Dylan sighed lightly. Honestly, if he were really entering the World Championship, he'd have preferred to fight his way up.
Climbing the ranks through battle—that was a sense of fulfillment. Being handed the top spot from the get-go wasn't his style.
Mainly, being ranked #1 meant he couldn't initiate challenges. He had all these teams ready, but no chance to give others a taste of the fun. He'd be stuck watching from the sidelines in the early stages while everyone else battled it out. It was unsatisfying.
"Huh?" Mustard blinked.
"But others can still challenge you, Dandan."
"Pfft~ Master, I don't think anyone will be challenging my brother." Lillie giggled.
She had traveled extensively with Dylan and met countless powerful trainers. At this point, the only region she hadn't been to was Kalos.
Most Champions across the world already knew of Dylan. With him sitting pretty at the top of the board, who would be crazy enough to go challenge him?
And since he couldn't challenge anyone ranked below him, it meant no matches. It was boring.
"Emmm… can't argue with that. If it were me, I wouldn't challenge Dylan either."
Mustard tilted his head and thought for a moment. Fair enough. If they hadn't agreed beforehand that Dylan wouldn't use any of his terrifying Dragon-type legends, Mustard wouldn't have wanted to battle him either.
Even Leon got obliterated—what chance did anyone else have?
After dinner, Dylan politely declined Mustard's offer to stay overnight at the dojo. He and the others rode Reshiram toward Hammerlocke City.
When they returned, it was already past 8 p.m.
Dylan picked up a fresh batch of Pokémon from the teleport room at the hotel, courtesy of Professor Rowan.
He headed out to the hotel's private training field.
"Come on out."
He opened three Poké Balls, releasing three Pokémon before him in a flash of light.
"Hello there. From today on, I'll be your Trainer."
Dylan crouched down, smiling warmly. A gentle wave of Viridian Force flowed out from him, instantly winning the three little ones over.
On the left was a small, light brown puppy with big blue eyes.
'Beep~ Rockruff. Rock-type. Puppy Pokémon.
Ability: Inner Focus
Moves: Rock Throw, Double Team, Sand Attack, Tackle, Sucker Punch (Egg Move)
Info: As it matures, its personality becomes more aggressive. Some Trainers abandon it when it becomes too much to handle.'
That's right—Rockruff. Though not the Own Tempo version Dylan had hoped for.
He had been aiming for the special Rockruff with Own Tempo, which could evolve into Dusk Form Lycanroc. But he wasn't too disappointed.
No rush. He wasn't planning to build just one Rock-type team. Rowan could keep looking for the right one.
Besides, both Midday and Midnight forms were solid with proper training. Dylan wasn't picky.
Next, he looked at the one in the middle. A deep gray, metallic body with stubby legs and a large round head. Pale blue eyes—clearly a little steel beast.
'Beep~ Aron. Steel/Rock-type. Iron Armor Pokémon.
Ability: Heavy Metal
Moves: Rock Tomb, Metal Claw, Harden, Tackle, Draco Meteor (Egg Move)
Info: A troublesome Pokémon. It eats iron ore to build its steel body, but sometimes chews on bridges or train tracks.'
Nice. A Heavy Metal Aron. Once it evolved into Aggron, it could dish out brutal Heavy Slams.
Dylan nodded in approval. He'd need to stock up on iron ore to feed this one. The more it ate, the better it'd grow.
And lastly, the Pokémon on the far right looked... bizarre. Just a dark blue chunk of rock with two little feet and a hexagonal hole in the center. But that hole wasn't its eye—it was its ear.
'Beep~ Roggenrola. Rock-type. Mantle Pokémon.
Ability: Weak Armor
Moves: Stealth Rock, Harden, Sand Attack, Tackle, Gravity (Egg Move)
Info: It reacts to sound. Its core emits heat, making it warm to the touch.'
A Roggenrola with Weak Armor, which would eventually evolve into a Gigalith with Sand Stream.
If he was building a Rock-type team, then Sand Stream was essential—even though his Tyranitar already had the ability.
But T-tar was the ace—he couldn't always be the lead. Having Gigalith around gave him options.
Honestly, Dylan already had quite a few Rock-types.
Iron Thorns, Iron Treads, Nihilego, Stonjourner, Tyranitar, Regirock—that was already six.
But Pokémon like Regirock were too strong for standard challengers.
The same went for most of his other teams. Most Pokémon had dual-types, so overlapping types were inevitable.
Like his Fairy-types. Dylan hadn't even tried to build a Fairy team, but he already could.
Gardevoir, Whimsicott, Sylveon, Mimikyu, Hatterene, Grimmsnarl—that was six already. Plus Scream Tail, Flutter Mane, Iron Valiant, and Enamorus.
It just worked out that way.
Just then, Dylan's phone rang.
"Hello? Chairman? What's wrong?"
It was Chairman Damalanthi.
"Dylan, it's bad."
"Lance attacked earlier today!"
"What?" Dylan was stunned.
Senior Lance already made his move? That was fast.
"This afternoon, Lance struck Mahogany Town in Johto. Reports say Team Rocket had been gathering there."
"The Slowpoke Well was destroyed in the process, and Dragonair's attacks harmed some innocent civilians. They're being treated now."
"Dylan, he's going too far."
Damalanthi sighed heavily. He knew Lance wouldn't stop after leaving the League, but he didn't think he'd act so quickly.
"I'm worried he might go after Vermilion and Fuchsia Gyms next."
Because the Gym Leaders there were Surge and Koga.
Damalanthi believed they had reformed, but Lance probably wouldn't care.
All he'd care about was that they were once Rocket executives.
Damalanthi genuinely feared Lance might go so far as to attack entire cities.
"I understand. I'll return as soon as possible," Dylan replied after a moment's thought.
He agreed—Lance probably wouldn't spare Surge or Koga.
"Dylan... You're the only one who can stop him."
Damalanthi let out a long breath. He didn't want to see Lance descend further into darkness.
"I'll do my best to wake him up." Dylan nodded.
After hanging up, he remained silent.
Lance was an extremist—almost to the point of madness. In Adventures, he had to be defeated to snap out of it.
For someone like that, only a crushing defeat could make him reflect.
But Dylan didn't believe that defeating Lance himself would be enough to change him.
Their relationship was… complicated. Even if Dylan won, it wouldn't force Lance to reflect.
But if he didn't step in, even Giovanni and the others probably couldn't stop a Zekrom-wielding Lance—let alone if he brought out a Lugia.
And Giovanni wasn't going to summon Mewtwo to fight. That would only provoke Lance further.
Maybe…
An idea formed in Dylan's mind. He knew what needed to be done.
It was time to return to Kanto and deal with Senior Lance.
(End of Chapter)