章節 156: Chapter 156: What does 'Golden' mean
Lacey covered her mouth with her small hands, staring in shock at the champion Alder, who was speaking confidently. At this moment, her idealized image of a champion cracked.
"Cough cough cough..."
Clay kept coughing, trying to interrupt Alder. He understood Alder, but this was still in front of the younger generation! Come on, Alder, pay attention to your image!
"Champion Alder, isn't that a bit inappropriate?" Dylan said with a laugh, looking at Alder, who was acting as if they were best buddies.
Though Alder seemed somewhat unprofessional, in reality, he was an extremely responsible and reliable senior.
The reason he had become this carefree was mainly due to what happened years ago—while protecting the Unova League, Alder's Pokémon partner overexerted itself and became critically weak, eventually passing away. This had been a huge blow to Alder.
Alder had since lost interest in battles. To fill the emptiness in his heart after losing his partner, he wandered across Unova, focusing on the bond between Trainers and Pokémon.
But when the Unova League faced a real crisis, Alder would undoubtedly step up to protect everyone.
In the original story, when N brought Zekrom to pursue his ideals, it was Alder who stood in his way, facing the legendary dragon of ideals and continually trying to persuade N to turn back.
But unfortunately, the outcome was tragic. In a battle where he staked his champion's will, the battle-rusty Alder was defeated by Zekrom, and his already weakened fighting spirit took another severe blow.
It wasn't until Black and White 2 that Iris ascended as the Unova Champion, giving Alder peace of mind to leave the Unova League.
Though Alder now seemed like a wanderer, Dylan still respected him. For a powerful Trainer with a sense of responsibility and a kind heart, Dylan always showed respect.
"Ah~ it's no big deal. I just handle the introductions. Whether it works out is up to you guys, right?"
Alder laughed heartily, unbothered. He felt that he was old now. If there were someone in Unova to take his place, he would have resigned long ago.
Now, traveling around Unova, he was also looking for a suitable successor.
He had already spotted some promising juniors—Lacey, Clay's daughter, had great talent and strength. But whether she could reach champion level in the future depended on her own luck.
But Dylan was different. Alder had specially investigated him. According to some rumors, Dylan had even defeated Lance! Though he wasn't sure if the rumor was true, it was confirmed that Dylan had beaten Ghetsis's Hydreigon so badly that it didn't dare resist.
Dylan was definitely talented!
Stare~!
Lillie widened her eyes, glaring at this Unova champion. This guy wasn't a good person! He was eyeing her brother!
"Thank you for your kindness, senior, but I currently have no plans to switch regions," Dylan said with a warm smile, politely declining. He liked Kanto; as the headquarters of the Pokémon League, it was more interesting than other regions.
"Hahaha~ that's fine. But no plans now doesn't mean never. Dylan, feel free to visit Unova more often. You're always welcome."
Alder wasn't forceful, knowing that this kind of thing ultimately depended on the person's will. However, Alder clearly hadn't given up on recruiting Dylan.
"Champion Alder, it's getting late. Why don't you invite Dylan and this young lady for a meal?" Clay couldn't hold back anymore. You're our Unova champion, for goodness' sake!
"Oh right, right, Dylan, and this lovely young lady, let's go eat," Alder said, patting his forehead and inviting Dylan and Lillie.
The five of them then headed to a famous restaurant in Opelucid City, where they booked a private room.
"Oh, by the way, Dylan, let me introduce you. This is Clay, Gym Leader of Opelucid City, and this is his daughter Lacey. Lacey is currently a second-year student at Blueberry Academy and is already one of the academy's Elite Four members."
Alder smiled as he introduced the two.
"Nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you. I'm Dylan, Gym Leader of Rota City in Kanto, and this is my sister, Lillie."
"Hello~" Lillie nodded and smiled politely, curiously sizing up the robust Clay and the cute, pretty Lacey.
These two... they didn't exactly look alike. It wasn't that they didn't resemble each other at all, but judging from appearances alone, they hardly seemed like father and daughter.
"Hahaha~ Do you think Clay and Lacey look nothing alike? I think so too! But it's fine; Lacey took after her mother entirely. If she looked like Clay, now that would be a disaster!" Alder laughed loudly.
Clay twitched at that comment but let it go. He's the champion; I won't argue with him.
"Champion Alder, I think that's not very nice of you!" Lacey said with a serious face, crossing her arms to make an "X."
"My dad has worked hard to grow like this! Champion Alder, you shouldn't say such things about him!"
Hmm, a daughter who defends her dad... but...
Clay lit a cigarette with a troubled look, not sure whether to feel touched or worried.
Dylan glanced at Clay and almost laughed. Then, with great interest, he looked at Lacey. So, this is the 'I think that's not very nice' type of person. Senior Lacey is just adorable.
"Ah~ it was just a joke, haha!" Alder scratched his head.
"Oh, Dylan, here's a gift from the Unova League."
Suddenly, Alder seemed to remember something and handed Dylan a shrunken Ultra Ball.
"We asked the Kanto League about it, and President Goodshow mentioned that you've always wanted a Deino. Haha~ it's quite a coincidence."
Alder chuckled. After all, one of the most famous Pokémon in Unova was Hydreigon.
As the pseudo-legendary of Unova, Hydreigon was very strong, one of the few pseudo-legendaries known for its special attack prowess.
"Thank you, Champion Alder." Dylan didn't hesitate, accepting the Ultra Ball.
Exchanging Ghetsis for a Deino was certainly worth it for Dylan—waste not, want not.
"But this afternoon, while Ghetsis was being transferred to Opelucid City's prison, he was rescued by a Dragon Trainer with a Black Dragon."
As Alder said this, his brow furrowed. He couldn't understand why Zekrom would follow the leader of an evil organization.
"Dylan, be careful. Ghetsis is an ambitious man who holds grudges. Since you captured him and sent him to jail, he won't let you off easily."
Alder warned Dylan, concerned that Team Plasma would retaliate. Ghetsis was N's adoptive father and held a high position in Team Plasma.
Lillie tilted her head, her expression strange. Ghetsis wants to take revenge on her brother?
Hmm... Lillie was already looking forward to the moment Ghetsis came knocking.
"Don't worry, Champion Alder. Team Plasma can't harm me," Dylan replied with a smile, not taking the news seriously.
Given N's admiration for Ghetsis, it wasn't surprising that he rescued him. As for Team Plasma seeking revenge...
Dylan could only say, bring it on!
"Hahaha~ The young people these days are really great!" Alder greatly admired Dylan's calm and composed words—this confidence was exactly what he appreciated!
The meal was already served, and as the five of them ate, they chatted about the cultural differences between Unova and Kanto.
Alder showed a lot of interest in Kanto. According to him, he had visited Kanto when he was younger, but it was just a brief trip before he returned to Unova to assume the role of Champion.
Once he found a suitable successor, Alder planned to step down as Champion of Unova and embark on a world tour to relax.
"I've heard, Dylan, that you are a multi-type Trainer and have already assembled five different teams for challengers?" Clay asked with curiosity. As fellow Gym Leaders, Clay and Dylan found they had plenty of topics in common.
"That's right. Currently, I offer five different types for challengers to face," Dylan nodded. Indeed, there were five types, including the Dragon team and the Golden Section.
Speaking of which, his Golden Section team was complete now, though he wondered if any challengers could defeat the first three Pokémon and push him to use Reshiram and the other two legendary Pokémon.
"Does each team correspond to a single type, or do you select a team randomly for each challenger?" Lacey asked curiously.
"It's not random. My brother's gym has a special spinning device. The challenger presses a button, and whichever type the spinner lands on, that's the team he use to battle them," Lillie answered in a soft and refined voice.
"Wow~ I think that setup is super fun!" Lacey's eyes lit up. That way, every time someone challenged the Rota Gym, there could be a different surprise!
"If you find it interesting, why don't you give it a try yourself, Lacey?" Alder stroked his chin and encouraged her.
Lacey was quite tempted. Although Blueberry Academy had a ranking system that fostered competition among students, challenging a gym still held great appeal to her.
Especially a gym in the Kanto region.
"Huh? But isn't Gym Leader Dylan on vacation right now?" Lacey was intrigued but also hesitant, not wanting to inconvenience anyone.
"It's no trouble at all. If you're interested, Miss Lacey, consider it a bit of post-dinner exercise," Dylan said with a smile.
"Then, please guide me, Gym Leader Dylan!" Lacey stood up, smiling brightly. She was thrilled at the opportunity to battle such a renowned Gym Leader from Kanto, believing it would be a valuable learning experience.
"Hahaha~ I didn't expect to witness a battle between Dylan and Lacey today. What a treat!" Alder laughed heartily, enjoying the idea of watching the younger generation engage in a passionate Pokémon battle.
Though in truth, it had been a long, long time since Alder himself had battled.
"Dylan, you better be careful. Lacey is one of the Four Elites of Blueberry Academy now, and her strength has even surpassed Clay's," Alder added with a chuckle.
"Understood, I'll take this battle with Miss Lacey seriously," Dylan responded with a light laugh and a nod.
Blueberry Academy was a sister school to Orange Academy, but unlike the long-established Orange Academy, Blueberry Academy was a more recent institution, focused on Pokémon battle education.
Blueberry Academy even had its own internal Elite Four and Champion system. Though these titles were only recognized within the academy, standing out among so many students to become one of the Elite Four was indeed impressive, and Lacey's skills were certainly formidable.
"But there's no spinner here. Gym Leader Dylan, how will I randomly select the type I'll battle against?" Lacey asked, tapping her chin. She was eager to experience the thrill of random selection.
"It's simple."
Lillie tore a piece of paper into four parts, wrote down the types, and crumpled them into balls, shaking them in her hand.
"Please choose one, Miss Lacey," Dylan gestured toward the paper balls.
"Gym Leader Dylan, isn't something off here?" Lacey looked at the four paper balls. "Didn't you say there were five teams?"
Lacey tilted her head, puzzled. Was he intentionally leaving out a team? There was no need for that—she didn't mind at all.
"Emmm..." Lillie's face turned slightly red as she hastily wrote "Golden" on a fifth slip and mixed the papers again before laying them on the table.
Clay and Alder, intrigued, leaned in to watch.
Lacey stared at the five paper balls, deep in thought, unsure which one to pick.
"Lacey, trust me! Pick this one in the middle! It's definitely the easiest team to battle!" Alder, acting like an experienced elder, immediately persuaded Lacey to choose the middle paper ball.
"Alright, I'll trust you, Champion Alder." Lacey sighed helplessly but gave in. After all, a Champion's advice had to count for something.
She picked up the paper ball, opened it, and froze.
"Well? What type is it?" Alder asked eagerly.
"Gym Leader Dylan, I'm a bit confused. What does 'Golden' mean?" Lacey blinked, staring at the slip of paper in her hand.
(End of chapter)
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