The strongest of her brother's "ordinary" legendaries?
Lillie's mind almost instinctively thought of Ogy—that little widow who loved binge-watching dramas. Though she looked harmless and adorable, often bawling her eyes out over soap operas…
When it came to battle, she was downright terrifying! Without question, the big sister type.
Lillie remembered clearly: once, when Zapdos and the Galarian Zapdos got into a fight, it was Ogy who strode in and smacked them both into obedience with her stick.
No wonder she had once taken down four in a row. Even though Ogy had never actually gone head-to-head with Dylan's other legendaries, Lillie believed wholeheartedly she was the strongest of his "ordinary" ones.
She even had reason to believe that Ogy's current strength might not be any weaker than Reshiram's.
"Ogy?"
Hearing Lillie's words, Wallace didn't fully understand, but it didn't matter—since Dylan had said so, they'd definitely see it in action eventually.
Meanwhile, the battle on the field had already lost all suspense. Even Steven's ace, his shiny Mega Metagross, had been taken down by Marshadow.
All that remained was his Skarmory. But really, how could Skarmory stand against Marshadow?
The fight continued only briefly, until Marshadow's Shadow Sneak felled Skarmory.
"Skarmory is unable to battle. Challenger Steven has lost all six of his Pokémon. Challenge failed."
Leaf announced the final result—an unsurprising outcome.
Hearing the referee's words, Steven shook his head helplessly. He really had given it everything.
In fact, this might have been one of the best battles he'd ever fought, and still he'd lost miserably.
"Not bad at all. I look forward to our next battle, Steven." Dylan stepped forward with a smile, offering his hand.
Yes, it was one of his habits—the post-battle handshake with challengers.
"Honestly, I don't really feel like fighting you again anytime soon."
Steven chuckled as he shook Dylan's hand, joking lightly.
This was his first crushing defeat, and he couldn't help but feel a little down. But he quickly adjusted.
After all, his opponent was Dylan. Losing to him wasn't shameful.
In fact… managing to take down even one of Dylan's Pokémon, given that he was using a legendary team, was already an achievement, wasn't it?
Who was Dylan? A recognized monster of a Trainer.
"Hah~ truth is, drawing a legendary in the first place isn't so easy." Dylan chuckled.
"If you're going to use your other specialized teams, I'd rather not face them either," Steven admitted directly.
He said he could take the loss lightly, but as one of the world's top Trainers…
To take down only one Pokémon in a full battle was hard to swallow.
He couldn't even imagine what Leon and Lance had felt when they'd been clean-swept.
"Well then, I do hope we get to face each other again at the World Championships." Dylan shrugged.
Steven's eyes suddenly sharpened. That's right—the later stages of the tournament used random matchups. What if he got matched against Dylan then? That'd be a nightmare.
Still, that was far off.
The two let go of their handshake, but Steven didn't retract his hand right away. Instead, he looked at Dylan with fiery eyes.
"?" Dylan tilted his head.
"The badge. I want the badge."
Steven wasn't polite about it. After all, even Wallace had a Rota Badge. How could he not?
Everyone knew the Rota Badge represented Dylan's recognition!
Whether in terms of actual value or symbolic meaning, it had become a mark of excellence for a Trainer.
Owning one meant you were strong, and Dylan's judgment was never wrong.
And owning two… well, nobody had ever managed that yet.
"Hmm…"
Dylan's expression turned a little odd before he produced a small spinner for Steven to draw from.
"Since you challenged my legendary team but failed to defeat me, I can't just hand you a Legendary Badge. You may randomly draw a type badge instead."
Dylan pushed the spinner toward him.
"I see." Steven nodded. He wasn't surprised—of course Dylan wouldn't hand out a Legendary Badge so easily.
The Rota Gym was an all-type gym now, but the most coveted badge was unquestionably the Legendary Badge. Rumor had it the Legendary Rota Badge bore a platinum Arceus sigil.
But who knew if that was true—no outsider had ever seen it.
Steven spun the dial, watching as it whirred before landing in a silvery-gray segment.
"A Steel Rota Badge. Take good care of it, Steven."
"It's beautiful. I really like it."
Steven accepted the steel-type badge with delight, turning it over again and again in his hand.
It gleamed with a refined silvery-gray finish, adorned with the image of a small steel axe. Beautiful craftsmanship.
His happiness was clear—not because it was worth millions, but because it was a Rota Badge. And not just that—it was Steel, his favorite type.
"I'll look forward to your second challenge, Steven. But if you want another Rota Badge, you'll have to do even better."
Dylan grinned. Seeing challengers treasure his badges gave him a real sense of accomplishment.
Without realizing it, the Rota Gym had become the most prestigious gym in the world.
Well, it was guarded by the Kanto Champion, after all.
"Ah~ I will! I do have a little collector's streak, you know."
Steven joked, though his eyes burned with genuine eagerness.
He really was a collector—of stones, once upon a time.
Now he thought collecting Rota Badges would be an equally great pursuit. Each one would represent both a challenge to the gym and to himself.
Though… would he ever live long enough to collect them all?
"Hah~ you're always welcome." Dylan chuckled.
The battle ended, and Wallace and the others walked over.
"As expected of my best friend! You actually managed to take down one of Dylan's mainstays. Too strong~!"
"???"
Hearing Wallace's loud teasing, Steven glared with dead fish eyes.
What kind of shady remark was that? Trying to imply his record was the same as Wallace's? As if those were comparable!
"Hehehe~!" Seeing Steven's expression, Wallace grinned even wider, flashing both rows of bright white teeth.
So satisfying!
He'd always been mocked online for being "retired by Dylan," taking only one of his Pokémon down in a full battle.
But now Steven was in the same boat, wasn't he?
What's that? Steven's win was against a legendary, so it was different? Forget quality—let's just count the numbers, shall we?
"By the way, Dylan, Lillie mentioned there's an old Trainer out there, so strong that even without using legendaries, you can't guarantee a win?"
Caitlin asked curiously. An old man? That implied advanced age.
But how many famous elderly Trainers were still out there?
"Could it be Professor Oak?"
She speculated. After all, Oak had once been Kanto's Champion. Then there was Mustard of Galar.
Those two were the most likely, though Oak had long since shifted fully to research. His current battling strength was questionable.
After all, no one had heard of him raising Pokémon in ages.
And normally, age meant a decline in both Trainer skill and Pokémon power.
"No, not Professor Oak," Dylan shook his head.
"The old man doesn't want exposure—not even in tournaments. If there's a chance after the World Championships, I might ask if he'll meet you. But fair warning, his strength is a little… broken."
Dylan smiled faintly.
Because Dylan knew—the old man's power was outright unfair. If he ever joined the Championships…
Aside from Dylan himself, it would be like a dimensional reduction strike.
Even Leon, Giovanni, or Lance would struggle to withstand him.
"Alright."
Caitlin and the others were stunned, but set aside their curiosity for now.
"Dylan, Red's issued a challenge." Leaf waved her phone.
"Red? He's Kanto's second Elite Four member now, right? Your Elite Four here are really lively."
Steven quipped.
Wasn't it true? It had only been a few days since Blue's challenge.
"Not surprising. Who's Red challenging?"
Dylan shrugged. Blue wanted to prove himself to the world, while Red longed for strong opponents.
Both had their reasons for challenging. Dylan wouldn't even be surprised if Giovanni did the same soon.
Now that he had Silver, Giovanni would want to show off for his son. After all, who wouldn't want their child to look up to them?
And Silver meant the world to Giovanni.
"No. 9—Miss Diantha."
"Diantha, huh. That'll be a fierce one."
Cynthia nodded. As a former Champion of Kalos, Diantha was surely still formidable.
And Red ranked above Blue among the Elite Four, which said plenty about his power.
"Not necessarily. Didn't Diantha just lose to Champion Selene? If Red really is stronger than Blue, then I think…"
Wallace spoke seriously, analyzing.
"Red will probably win—and not in a close fight."
As Blue's "victim," Wallace felt qualified to judge.
That Blue… had been monstrously strong!
Wallace was certain he'd given everything in that battle, yet he was still crushed utterly.
"Wallace, are you saying Diantha's at your level?"
Steven mused. If she was, then Wallace might be right.
But could the former Champion of Kalos really be that weak?
Steven wasn't so sure.
"Steven, are you thinking something rude?" Wallace muttered, knowing him too well.
"Of course not. I never thought you were weak. Trust me, Wallace."
"You are calling me weak, aren't you? Steven!"
"No, no, that's not what I meant—don't twist it."
"Unbelievable! Steven!!"
Wallace was furious. He'd treated Steven like a dear friend, and Steven dared call him weak?! Where was he weak?!
As the two bickered, Dylan thought that if Wallace put on a dress, the scene would be even more entertaining.
"Hm? Blue, someone's challenging you too."
Dylan glanced at his phone—the app had sent another push notification.
Great Ball Rank No. 26—Flint challenging Great Ball Rank No. 20—Blue.
"Flint, huh. He's pretty strong."
Cynthia noticed it too.
Of course she knew Flint—he was one of her Sinnoh Elite Four, ranked second.
Warm, straightforward, a Fire-type specialist.
"Looks like he thinks I'm an easy target. Ugh, what a pain."
Blue pouted. She'd been hoping to coast quietly, but suddenly she'd been dragged into the spotlight.
The Kanto Elite Four naturally drew attention. After all, Kanto had always been seen as the strongest region, and Dylan's fame as its Champion was overwhelming.
Blue had made a perfect debut, defeating former Hoenn Champion Wallace in her promotion match.
Giovanni had crushed Raihan easily. And now Red was going after Diantha.
Only Blue had slipped under the radar, so invisible that many didn't even realize there was a fourth member of the Kanto Elite Four.
But now that the challenge was out, everyone knew: turns out Kanto's Elite Four still had a "baby sister."
Fine then. If they wouldn't let her stay low-key… she'd show them!
She'd let the world see the "token of affection" Dylan had gifted her!
(End of Chapter)