"No matter how strong an opponent is, once they're poisoned by Toxic, they become nothing more than a flickering candle in the wind."
That was something Dylan had said himself in the past.
But he never expected someone to throw it back at him like this.
And of all people, it had to be Giovanni.
Well, it made some sense—Giovanni's ace Pokémon included Beedrill, which was Poison-type.
But still… something about this felt off.
"You seem troubled," Giovanni noted, catching Dylan's expression. His smirk deepened.
"You're not wrong, but, Giovanni—your Gliscor has to survive long enough to see my Salamence fall first," Dylan grinned.
"Salamence—Fire Spin!"
Dylan's voice rang out.
With Toxic taking effect, there was no time to waste.
Salamence let out a thunderous roar, a massive vortex of fire spiraling from its mouth, surging toward Gliscor.
"Quick Attack."
Giovanni reacted immediately.
A burst of white energy flared from Gliscor's body as it accelerated, narrowly avoiding the fiery tornado.
"If you think you can run forever—Heat Wave!"
Salamence flapped its wings hard, summoning a blazing red wind that spread across the battlefield.
This time, the area of effect was much larger than Fire Spin!
"Gliscor."
Giovanni's voice was low.
Gliscor dove downward, attempting to escape the searing gusts while also closing the gap between itself and Salamence.
Salamence hovered in place, Heat Wave still raging.
Then—
A dark purple glow flashed across its body.
Toxic's second wave of damage had kicked in.
Salamence winced, its wings faltering for just a second.
That moment was all Gliscor needed.
"Quick Attack!"
Gliscor accelerated, slamming into Salamence's side.
Salamence grunted, then furiously roared in retaliation.
"Scald!"
Dylan countered instantly—if Gliscor wanted to fight up close, then so be it.
A bright blue glow surged in Salamence's mouth.
"Protect!"
A green energy shield materialized just in time, blocking the powerful water blast.
Salamence's fierce eyes locked onto the shimmering barrier, waiting for it to fade.
The moment the shield dispersed—
"Dragon Claw!"
"Acrobatics!"
Salamence's sharp claws tore through the air, while Gliscor spun midair, its bat-like wings slicing downward.
The two Pokémon clashed fiercely, neither willing to back down.
But then—
A third wave of Toxic poison pulsed through Salamence's body.
Salamence stiffened in pain, its attack faltering.
Gliscor seized the opportunity, twisting midair and slamming its long scorpion tail against Salamence.
BAM!
Salamence's body lurched downward, barely managing to stay airborne.
"Ice Fang!"
Giovanni didn't hesitate.
Gliscor's fangs gleamed with a cold, blue frost as it lunged straight at Salamence's exposed neck.
"I won't let you—Flamethrower!"
Dylan called out urgently.
Salamence forced itself to endure the pain, opening its mouth and releasing a blazing inferno.
Giovanni's sharp eyes narrowed.
He had underestimated Salamence's sheer endurance.
BOOM!
The flames collided directly with Gliscor, engulfing it in a fiery explosion.
Gliscor shrieked as it was blown backward.
"Scald!"
A massive jet of scalding water followed immediately after.
"Quick Attack!"
Gliscor barely stabilized itself midair, dodging just in time.
Both Pokémon faced off once again, breathing heavily.
But now, they were in vastly different conditions.
Gliscor was severely weakened, barely able to keep itself steady.
But Salamence was now experiencing Toxic's fourth wave of damage.
Dylan could already see it—Salamence was at its limit.
Lillie, watching anxiously from the stands, clasped her hands together.
"Hold on, Salamence…!"
But then—
Gliscor burst forward, slamming into Salamence's neck with Quick Attack.
Salamence growled in pain.
The fourth Toxic pulse hit.
It was unbearable.
"Scald!"
"Ice Fang!"
Dylan and Giovanni commanded simultaneously.
Salamence launched one final Scald, its body shaking from the poison.
At the same time, Gliscor sank its frozen fangs into Salamence's neck, an icy mist spreading instantly.
The two Pokémon crashed to the ground simultaneously.
THUD.
A heavy silence filled the Gym.
Matori walked forward, adjusting her glasses.
"Salamence and Gliscor are both unable to battle."
She paused for a moment, then glanced sideways at Dylan.
This guy… is seriously strong.
She had heard plenty of rumors about Rota Gym and Dylan, especially since he was responsible for taking down so many Team Rocket officers.
But she never expected him to be able to go toe-to-toe with Giovanni.
"They actually tied…"
Lillie pursed her lips.
Her gaze shifted toward Giovanni.
She had always heard he was the strongest Gym Leader in Kanto, but this level of skill was something else.
Her brother, Dylan, had easily defeated Wallace, the Hoenn Champion.
But here, against Giovanni, he was locked in an all-out battle.
And his Salamence was even stronger than the Pokémon he used against Wallace.
Which meant…
"Would Giovanni be able to completely destroy Wallace?"
Lillie frowned slightly.
"How many Wallaces… would it take to match one Giovanni?"
If Giovanni could battle Dylan this evenly, and considering Dylan had easily swept Wallace, then…
Lillie's eyes widened as she did the math.
Would that mean Giovanni was as strong as five Wallaces?
Her mind reeled at the thought.
If that logic was correct, then Giovanni wasn't just a Gym Leader—he was a champion-level powerhouse!
And there was no flaw in that reasoning.
Across the battlefield, Giovanni recalled his fainted Gliscor, staring at the Poké Ball for a long moment.
His expression remained unreadable—was he thinking about something?
"...It seems I underestimated you, Dylan."
After a long silence, Giovanni let out a chuckle, lifting his head to meet Dylan's gaze.
"Shouldn't I be saying that to you?" Dylan smirked.
"Giovanni, with this level of strength, are you really just a Gym Leader?"
Dylan tilted his head slightly, studying the man in the black, custom-tailored suit standing across from him.
Even if Dylan didn't already know Giovanni's true identity from past events, his sheer battle presence was enough to make anyone question who he really was.
Dylan's Salamence was one of his top-tier Pokémon, ranked just below his legendary-tier team.
And yet, it had just fainted in a close fight.
"I've told you before—I am the strongest man in Kanto."
Giovanni, still with one hand in his pocket, let out a quiet laugh before retrieving his third Poké Ball.
"As for everything else… let's finish this battle first, shall we?"
"Of course."
Dylan nodded, locking eyes with Giovanni before tossing his next Poké Ball.
In a flash of white light, a massive, armored Pokémon slammed onto the battlefield, letting out a deep, rumbling growl.
Rhyperior.
Across from it, a sleek, feline Pokémon gracefully straightened its posture, raising its arms with a sense of elegant arrogance.
Its gem-like eyes glinted proudly—Meowscarada.
"Tch—lucky draw, huh?"
Dylan clicked his tongue.
Rhyperior was quadruple weak to both Water and Grass. Even with Solid Rock reducing super-effective damage, it was still a 3x weakness.
"Not switching?" Dylan smirked.
"Typing advantages are just numbers," Giovanni said smoothly, completely unfazed.
Ground-type Gym Leaders had spent their whole careers fighting against type disadvantages—this was nothing new.
Dylan narrowed his eyes.
"Not bad, Giovanni. Not bad at all."
"Dig."
Giovanni wasted no time.
Rhyperior lowered its head, burrowing into the battlefield with impressive speed.
With its naturally slow movement, it wouldn't be able to catch Meowscarada normally—but Dig allowed it to close the distance from underground.
"Sucker Punch!"
Meowscarada's eyes flashed darkly, and in an instant, its green, nimble body lunged forward, vanishing into a shadowy blur.
A priority move—Sucker Punch!
But—
Rhyperior was already underground.
Before Meowscarada could land the hit, its target had disappeared.
"...Fast."
Dylan's brows lifted slightly.
For such a massive Pokémon, that Dig execution was incredibly practiced.
Even Meowscarada's speed-based Sucker Punch couldn't catch it in time.
"Meowscarada, stay alert."
"Meow~!"
The feline Pokémon stood motionless, ears twitching, emerald eyes narrowing as it scanned the ground.
Then—
The earth shifted slightly beneath its feet.
Instantly, Meowscarada flipped backward, leaping away.
But—
That was a feint.
Dylan's eyes narrowed.
The real Dig strike was waiting just behind the landing spot.
"Arm Thrust!"
The ground exploded open, and Rhyperior burst upward, aiming a crushing double-fisted strike at the airborne Meowscarada.
"Energy Ball!"
Meowscarada twisted midair, stretching out a paw as a glowing green sphere materialized in its palm.
At point-blank range, the Energy Ball shot forward.
BOOM!
The two attacks collided—but Rhyperior's sheer power crushed through Energy Ball, its fists slamming into Meowscarada's body.
The feline Pokémon let out a pained cry, its light frame sent flying.
But mid-fall, it gracefully twisted its body, landing on one hand and sliding backward, regaining balance.
Meowscarada's gem-like eyes burned with cold determination as it locked onto Rhyperior.
It had taken the hit, but it wasn't down yet.
Dylan rubbed his chin.
Rhyperior's Attack is no joke.
Even with Energy Ball dampening the damage, Arm Thrust still hit like a truck.
This Rhyperior was clearly one of Giovanni's top-tier powerhouses.
Which made this battle even more exciting.
Dylan licked his lips slightly.
This… this was fun.