Golbat's gaping mouth opened wide, the four fangs—two on top and two below—bursting with a deep purple glow. Poison-type energy surged, forming a jagged, saw-like arc of power in front of it.
Dragonair was still sliding forward at high speed, and Golbat took the initiative, swooping right in.
The energy fangs snapped open and shut, trying to chew Dragonair to pieces!
"Brave but brainless, and your strength isn't there."
Grey judged the power of that move at a glance. He didn't know where this guy got the confidence to think he could beat him. "Dragonair, use Aqua Tail."
Perfect chance to test the new move and see how strong Dragonair's output was. Might as well let the challenger "contribute" something.
"Draa~"
While sliding, water shot out from the pearl at the tip of Dragonair's tail, wrapping the entire tail in a rushing torrent in an instant.
Facing Golbat—fangs bared, killing intent spilling out—Dragonair struck first!
It powered its tail and swept sideways, the surging water smashing in from the flank and hitting Golbat dead-on!
Golbat didn't even have time to scream before it was slammed straight into the ground by that brutal hit!
Even the Poison Fang energy it had finally gathered collapsed under the sheer force, scattering into purple sparks!
One hit.
That was all it took for Golbat to end up like this.
If someone didn't know better, they'd think it was faking an injury for money.
"..."
Not just Grey—everyone in the dojo, and the viewers in the stream—were completely stunned by that single blow.
"Still want to continue?"
Grey pointed at the Golbat struggling to crawl back up and asked Mandi.
If they kept going, even one Twister might take it out.
"No…"
Mandi's confidence was completely shattered. He'd thought that with six badges, he already had the qualifications to start challenging the eight major Gyms. Instead, he couldn't even clear the first checkpoint.
"Can you give me an evaluation?"
He recalled Golbat and asked Grey for a comment.
"Do you want it polite, or do you want it harsh?"
Grey didn't answer immediately—he asked what kind Mandi wanted.
If Grey tore into him and crushed his spirit, what then?
"Then… polite."
Mandi didn't dare imagine what the harsh version would sound like.
"You've got a lot of room to improve."
Grey's evaluation was short.
If he gave the "harsh" version, writing a few hundred words wouldn't be a problem.
But for "polite," those six words said everything.
Too weak. Go train for a month or two and come back.
"Alright. Thanks."
Mandi left without looking back.
He came in looking so glorious—he left looking that miserable.
[Salute as the brave warrior departs!]
[Not gonna lie, this is the first challenger who came in with such an aggressive tone. Watching him leave… I don't know why, but it feels really good.]
[Honestly, this battle ended fast. Compared to the earlier ones, it was kind of satisfying to watch.]
[Gym Leader Grey, this is Reggie. I've already finished battling the Battle Pyramid's boss. Thanks for your guidance a few days ago. If it's convenient, can I request a call-in?]
Suddenly, a highlighted message appeared.
Grey walked over, glanced at it, and raised an eyebrow.
In the original timeline, after getting crushed at the Battle Pyramid, Reggie should've fallen apart, then eventually quit being a Trainer and become a Pokémon Breeder instead.
But the words on the screen now carried a rare calmness—there was even a hint of excitement.
As expected…
Grey rubbed his chin and chuckled.
After that crushing battle against Zapdos, Reggie's worldview had probably been forcibly rewritten.
Once you've experienced the terror of a Legendary Pokémon, facing Brandon's Regirock afterward would just feel… normal.
[Sinnoh Trainer Reggie has sent a call-in request.]
[Accept][Decline]
Grey hit Accept.
The livestream screen instantly split in two.
On one side was the Fighting Dojo.
On the other side was a spacious battle arena as well.
Because the Battle Frontier was so niche—and because the Battle Pyramid loved flying around everywhere—most people didn't even know a place like this existed.
But Grey did know where Reggie was.
He was inside the Battle Pyramid.
"Hey—Gym Leader Grey, everyone watching, can you hear me?"
Reggie adjusted the camera, framing his face fully.
But what drew even more attention was the man standing beside him.
A man wearing dark green expedition gear stood with arms crossed, neat brown hair cut short and sharp.
His chiseled face held no expression at all, yet just standing there, he gave off an invisible pressure that seemed to pierce through the screen!
This was the Battle Pyramid's Frontier Brain—Brandon.
And he was also one of the few Trainers officially registered with the League who wielded a Legendary Pokémon.
As for which one he had caught…
Grey looked at the gray-brown Pokémon behind the screen and already knew the answer.
A Legendary titan Pokémon—
Regirock!
"Rio?" (Little Rock? Oh—no, not that one. I thought we got robbed.)
Riolu noticed the Pokémon behind the screen. At first glance, it thought someone had snatched its own pillar while it wasn't home.
But after looking closer, this Regirock wasn't even as big as the little rock back home—so it clearly wasn't the same one.
"I can hear you. Reggie, long time no see. And the one next to you should be the Battle Pyramid's Frontier Brain, Brandon, right?"
Grey nodded and greeted them both.
"You know me?"
Brandon spoke, and the weight in his voice felt overwhelming.
"Of course. I've heard a little about both the Battle Pyramid and you."
Grey smiled. "After I caught Articuno and Zapdos, there was a time when I actually wanted to find you and discuss training Legendary Pokémon, but I never found the right opportunity."
That wasn't Grey making things up.
Right now, there weren't many Trainers in the League who owned Legendary Pokémon—so few you could count them on two hands.
In that situation, finding someone on the same path was genuinely difficult.
At first, Grey tried to see if he could get in contact with Brandon, but the Pyramid flew around too much. It was a nightmare to track down.
Later, Grey just stopped worrying about it.
"Hahaha. Perfect timing, then. I recently came to Saffron City to handle something. The Battle Pyramid has landed outside the city—if you want to exchange Legendary training experience, and you don't mind my place, you can come sit for a while."
Brandon invited Grey into the Battle Pyramid.
As a fellow Legendary Trainer, he also wanted to see what kind of understanding this young man had when it came to raising Legendary Pokémon.
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