Viridian Gym—also known as Evergreen Gym.
For a long time, it was considered the strongest Gym in Kanto, led by Giovanni, known as "Giovanni of the Earth."
Giovanni held great prestige in Kanto and was regarded as one of the most outstanding Gym Leaders of his time.
Dylan and Lillie stepped into Viridian Gym, finding themselves in a vast, grandly designed hall.
Straight ahead was a battlefield, built in a manner that perfectly suited Giovanni's expertise in Ground-type Pokémon.
"Gym Leader Dylan, welcome. I am Matori, Secretary to Giovanni. He has been expecting you."
A cool and elegant woman in business attire approached them, speaking in a calm and professional tone.
Dylan glanced at Matori—he recognized her as a member of Team Rocket.
"Please, follow me."
Matori gave a slight bow, gesturing for them to proceed.
The three of them walked into Giovanni's private office inside Viridian Gym.
There, seated on a leather sofa, was Giovanni, brewing tea in a composed manner.
"Dylan, it's been a while."
Giovanni stood up, a subtle smile appearing on his sharp, slightly gaunt face as he extended his hand.
"It has been a while indeed, Giovanni. Quite the refined taste you have."
Dylan shook Giovanni's hand, glancing at the tea kettle steaming gently on the table.
This wasn't their first meeting—they had met once before at Silph Co.
"Tea is not only a simple pleasure, but also a way to calm the mind and reflect on one's past actions."
Giovanni gave a faint chuckle before gesturing toward the seats.
"Please, have a seat."
"Thank you."
Dylan and Lillie took their seats across from Giovanni.
"Recently, you have become quite the center of attention in Kanto—capturing multiple high-ranking Team Rocket members and making Rota Gym more renowned than ever."
Matori poured tea for the three of them as Giovanni spoke in his deep, charismatic voice.
"A young hero indeed. At your age, I certainly wasn't as accomplished."
Giovanni's deep eyes studied Dylan closely.
If not for Dylan, Team Rocket wouldn't be in its current state.
Many of its Kanto executives had been captured by Dylan. While people like Proton, Petrel, and Archer weren't the strongest, their absence had severely disrupted Team Rocket's operations.
"You overestimate me, Giovanni. I was just lucky." Dylan remained modest.
"You're too humble. Luck is nothing more than an excuse for those without talent." Giovanni took a sip of tea, smiling faintly.
"Whether it's an individual or an event, success is never dictated by luck alone—that is merely an excuse used by the incompetent."
"Dylan, you are exceptional, and that excellence is undeniable."
Giovanni's evaluation of Dylan was incredibly high.
He was one of the few people who truly understood Dylan's strength.
And that's exactly why he sighed inwardly—as long as Dylan was around, Team Rocket's dreams of domination would be nearly impossible.
"No wonder people speak so highly of him."
Lillie had remained quietly listening, but she absorbed every word.
She had to admit—from the moment they arrived, Giovanni's speech, demeanor, and presence had been truly captivating.
It was no surprise that Viridian Gym had maintained such an outstanding reputation, even being ranked as the strongest Gym in Kanto.
Giovanni must be an immensely skilled Trainer.
"Dylan, I have met many brilliant young Trainers, even ones who left me in awe."
Giovanni's piercing gaze locked onto Dylan.
He had encountered all sorts of prodigies—people like Red and Blue, who he genuinely respected as monsters of talent.
But even they were overshadowed by Dylan.
"Yet, next to you, they pale in comparison. This era belongs to you, Dylan."
Giovanni concluded his thoughts with absolute certainty.
"You flatter me, Giovanni. I wouldn't dare make such a claim." Dylan remained humble.
"Haha…"
Giovanni let out a low chuckle.
"Dylan, I invited you here today to discuss something important. But before that… I'd like to battle you."
His deep, magnetic voice carried a serious intensity.
"I want to battle you at full power—as a Trainer, nothing held back. What do you say?"
A full-power battle?
Dylan raised an eyebrow. Was Giovanni being serious, or just testing the waters?
"Of course. It would be an honor to battle you, Giovanni." Dylan responded with a calm smile.
Even if Giovanni wasn't truly going all out, battling him was still an invaluable opportunity.
The two walked over to Viridian Gym's battlefield, standing across from each other.
As the scoreboard lit up, their half-body portraits appeared on either side of the screen.
"The match will now begin. The competitors are Trainer Giovanni and Trainer Dylan."
"The battle format is 6v6, with both sides allowed to switch Pokémon freely. The match ends when one side's entire team is defeated."
"Begin!"
Matori, acting as the referee, announced the start of the battle.
"A full battle, huh? It's been a while since I've had one of these."
Dylan chuckled softly.
This would be his first time engaging in a formal 6v6 battle.
Most of his previous battles had been Gym Matches, which came with rules and restrictions.
A full battle meant he could switch freely and use any Pokémon he wanted.
Giovanni stood tall and imposing, one hand in his pocket while casually tossing a Poké Ball in his other hand.
His black, high-end suit emphasized his broad, muscular frame, and his short, dark hair framed a face that remained calm and unreadable.
But something was shifting.
The atmosphere was changing.
The scoreboard's randomizer spun rapidly before finally stopping on Giovanni's side—meaning he would send out his Pokémon first.
"Dylan."
Giovanni looked up, his expression slowly twisting into a menacing smirk.
His deep voice dropped into a dangerous tone, his entire aura transforming.
Suddenly, the room felt heavy.
A dark, sinister pressure began to radiate from him.
Seated in the viewing area, Lillie's eyes widened in shock.
The difference was staggering.
In the office, Giovanni had been calm, charismatic, and dignified.
But now—he looked nothing like a respectable Gym Leader.
"This isn't right… why does he seem so different when he battles?"
Lillie shivered.
Even more bizarre…
Giovanni's earlier words had mocked Lance.
His tone and expression were filled with contempt.
He genuinely despised Lance.
But… why?
As far as Lillie knew, there was no major conflict between Giovanni and Lance.
So why was Giovanni acting like he had a deep grudge against him?
Lillie felt uneasy.
"Go, Golem!"
Giovanni threw his Poké Ball, summoning a massive, powerhouse Golem that crashed onto the battlefield.
Its rock-hard body resembled a giant boulder, with limbs and a head protruding from its core.
Beep—Scanning…
Golem, Rock/Ground Type, Megaton Pokémon
Ability: Rock Head
Moves: Stone Edge, Double-Edge, Explosion, Earthquake, Stealth Rock, Heavy Slam…
Description: Its body is as tough as stone—strong enough to withstand explosions. It sheds its rocky skin once a year.
"This Golem is insanely strong!"
This Golem was definitely top-tier!
Listening to the Rotom Pokédex's analysis, Lillie was more and more certain—this was one of Giovanni's main Pokémon.
But what really unsettled her was Giovanni himself.
His posture had changed, his face darkened, and his cold, piercing gaze was completely different from the calm, composed leader he had been in the office.
What's going on?
Did Giovanni always change this much when he battled?
And why had he made those comments about Lance?
Lillie had never heard of any major conflict between Giovanni and Lance, but judging by his tone, Giovanni clearly had some deep-seated hostility toward him.
Lillie frowned.
Something wasn't right.
Dylan's golden eyes flickered as he studied Golem.
A true main Pokémon, huh?
That meant Giovanni wasn't holding back at all.
"Well, Golem's weaknesses are pretty well-known," Dylan muttered, smirking slightly as he tossed his Poké Ball.
"Go—Toxapex!"
A small, deep-blue creature with spiny, violet tentacles emerged onto the battlefield.
It lifted its two front limbs, revealing the sinister face hidden beneath its shell.
"Toxapex, huh?"
Giovanni's dark smile didn't waver.
"This is my domain, Dylan. You move first."
His hands stayed tucked into his pockets, but his expression was eerily calm—almost too calm.
"Then I won't hold back—Toxapex, Toxic Spikes!"
Dylan's voice rang clear as his Toxapex swiftly unleashed a wave of toxic energy.
Dark purple spikes scattered across Giovanni's side of the field, embedding into the ground.
Giovanni's smirk widened slightly.
"Stealth Rock," he ordered.
Dylan's eyes narrowed.
Golem lifted its arms, summoning jagged, floating rocks that hovered ominously around Dylan's side of the field.
At the same time, Toxapex's Toxic Spikes exploded into the air, dispersing a sinister purple glow before settling back into the battlefield.
Both sides had successfully set up hazards.
"Your strategies are already widely known, Dylan," Giovanni remarked casually.
"Kanto's Trainers have improved dramatically thanks to you—this is your doing."
His voice wasn't mocking—it was simply stating a fact.
Dylan remained silent, letting him continue.
"As more and more Trainers challenged Rota Gym, your strategies became widely adopted. Many of those who suffered ended up learning from you."
The Toxic Spikes strategy was infamous at this point.
Poison-type Pokémon were rising in usage across Kanto, all because of Dylan's influence.
So Giovanni countered with Stealth Rock?
Dylan raised an eyebrow.
"Toxapex, use Scald!"
Toxapex extended its tentacles, shooting a boiling stream of water straight at Golem.
Water-type—quadruple effective against Rock/Ground Pokémon!
Even with Toxapex's mediocre Special Attack, this would be devastating.
"Rollout."
Giovanni's low, confident voice came right on cue.
Golem suddenly jerked sideways, rolling into a high-speed somersault, dodging the water blast at the last second.
In midair, its head and limbs retracted, turning it into a giant boulder as it slammed into the ground, landing smoothly.
Dylan narrowed his eyes.
As soon as Golem landed, the Toxic Spikes activated, releasing a burst of poisonous energy.
For a brief moment, Golem stiffened—a sign that it had been poisoned.
But then it kept moving.
"Excellent endurance," Dylan thought.
When poisoned, Pokémon typically flinched for a second, but Golem recovered almost instantly.
That meant Giovanni had specifically trained it to resist the initial poison delay.
And now, Golem was spinning toward Toxapex at full force.
10 meters…
5 meters…
3 meters…
1 meter…!
"Baneful Bunker!"
Dylan's voice rang out.
"Earthquake," Giovanni countered.
Toxapex's defensive barrier expanded, glowing dark purple, shielding itself completely.
But right before Golem made contact, it suddenly flipped backward, its massive body crashing into the ground.
And then a shockwave erupted across the battlefield.
Earthquake!
The powerful tremors shook the entire Gym, sending waves of force toward Toxapex's barrier.
But Baneful Bunker held firm, negating the damage.
Dylan's eyes narrowed slightly.
This wasn't just random movement—Giovanni had baited him.
He made it look like Golem would directly attack, but instead, it had feigned an approach and immediately counterattacked.
Dylan exhaled softly.
"Not bad."
He was right—this wasn't the first time Giovanni had pulled off this trick.
There was no way Golem could flip backward so precisely in such a short window unless it had practiced countless times.
If Dylan had ordered an attack instead of Baneful Bunker, Toxapex would have taken the full brunt of Earthquake.
Giovanni was as cunning as ever.
"Tch… this won't be easy."
Dylan smirked, eyes gleaming with excitement.
Giovanni simply chuckled.
"Did you think defeating my Golem would be simple?"
His deep voice carried amusement.
"If it was that easy, I wouldn't be the strongest man in Kanto."
He tilted his head slightly, his smirk widening.
"This battle isn't just about winning, Dylan."
His dark gaze bore into Dylan's.
"I want to see if you're worthy of standing at the very top."
"So don't disappoint me."
To be continued…