"It looks like Dragonite really likes you."
While Silas was interacting with Dragonite, Clair's voice came from nearby.
There was a hint of surprise in her eyes.
"It normally doesn't get close to people so easily."
Gentle by nature though it was, Dragonite lacked none of the pride that all Dragon-type Pokémon possessed.
The only way to earn its affection was to gain its recognition through strength.
Obviously, Silas, whom it had just met for the first time, shouldn't have met that requirement.
"Maybe it's because Pokémon naturally like me," Silas replied with a smile.
Clair nodded in agreement.
People with an unusually high affinity for Pokémon weren't that rare. She had met quite a few.
Some were so gifted that even violent wild Pokémon would give up their desire to attack.
Compared to those, Silas's case was relatively ordinary.
"That guy Lance told me he had found a Trainer with extraordinary talent, someone who wasn't inferior to him. I thought he was exaggerating, but it seems he was telling the truth."
She looked Silas up and down, nodding repeatedly.
Wearing gloves and long boots, Clair carried a regal, queen-like aura, and there wasn't even the slightest trace of respect in her tone when talking about her older brother.
Not surprising.
After all, she was the Gym Leader known as the 'Blessed User of Dragon Pokémon,' and her strength was extraordinary.
She had publicly declared more than once that she was the strongest Dragon-type Pokémon Trainer.
Strictly speaking, that wasn't entirely wrong.
According to the available data, her main Pokémon were:
Kingdra
Dragonite
Altaria
Salamence
Druddigon
Garchomp
Charizard
Gyarados
The number of her main Pokémon might seem relatively small compared to some Trainers, but the individual strength of each one more than made up for it.
The sheer power of Dragon-type Pokémon was beyond question.
Moreover, only someone backed by the Dragon Clan and the Dragon's Den like Clair had the resources and ability to raise so many Dragon-types.
Three pseudo-legendary Pokémon among eight main partners, most people wouldn't even dare dream of something like that.
Not to mention the time and resources required to raise them to their final forms, their value alone was astronomical.
"You two came here to participate in the Rising Dragon Ceremony, right?"
As they walked through the courtyard of the Blackthorn Gym, casually feeding Dragonite some snacks, Clair asked.
Silas smiled.
"At this time of year, most Trainers who come to Blackthorn City are here for that.
But Brock isn't. He just happened to be traveling with me."
Clair neither agreed nor disagreed.
"How are Mr. Flint and Mr. Brock's grandfather doing?"
She finally looked toward Brock, who had practically been forgotten for a while.
Although they belonged to the same generation by seniority, in terms of strength and position, Clair was more comparable to Brock's grandfather.
She didn't mind showing goodwill toward Silas because he was someone her unreliable brother valued.
And the battle on the street earlier had also proven that Silas possessed considerable strength.
As for Brock, however, the deeply prideful Clair didn't treat him with quite the same enthusiasm.
Having trained Dragon-type Pokémon for so long, her personality had gradually become more like theirs.
Or perhaps it was because of that personality that so many Dragon-types followed her in the first place.
Brock didn't mind.
He had always been a kind-hearted person, even though he had been raised from childhood to inherit the Pewter Gym.
In the past, he had tried hard to act like a qualified successor for the sake of his family.
But ever since his younger brother Forrest had shown good potential as a Trainer, Brock had more or less given up that role.
Or rather, he had simply returned to his true nature.
"My father and grandfather are both doing well," Brock replied calmly.
Clair curled her lips.
"You didn't end up raising that Jangmo-o, did you? I'd be worried you'd ruin it."
"Of course not. It was prepared for my younger brother, Forrest."
Brock's expression remained unchanged.
"That's good. A personality like yours doesn't suit a Kommo-o at all."
Clair looked somewhat dissatisfied.
After holding it in for a few seconds, she finally couldn't help herself.
"Can you stop acting like those old people? You're so lifeless that it's no fun at all."
Silas quickly stepped in.
"Gym Leader Clair, from the sound of it, the Jangmo-o Egg at the Pewter Gym came from the Blackthorn Gym?"
"That's right."
Clair was immediately distracted by the new topic.
"It was the offspring of a Kommo-o living in the Dragon's Den. I think it was given as a gift when Mr. Flint became Gym Leader.
Back then, it even had a proper battle with Mr. Flint's Tyranitar."
Though it was called a gift, Mr. Flint still had to personally earn its recognition before taking it away.
That had been the Dragon's Den's tradition for a very long time.
If he hadn't been recognized, the Dragon Clan and Blackthorn Gym would simply have apologized and offered something else as compensation.
Silas had naturally heard of this tradition before.
"Who won?" he asked instinctively.
"Naturally, Kommo-o did."
A proud smile appeared on Clair's face.
"That guy is incredibly strong."
Being recognized didn't necessarily mean you had to win, much like earning a Gym Badge.
Mr. Flint had still obtained the Jangmo-o Egg because his and his Tyranitar's strength had earned Kommo-o's respect.
It believed that such a powerful Trainer or his descendants, wouldn't do a bad job raising its child.
"It couldn't be helped. Tyranitar's typing is simply too disadvantaged against Kommo-o."
Brock spoke up in defense of his father.
Clair didn't deny it.
The Rock/Dark typing was naturally four times weak to Fighting.
On top of that, the Fighting/Dragon-type Kommo-o resisted both Rock and Dark.
Under those circumstances, even if Tyranitar had been somewhat stronger, Kommo-o still had the higher chance of winning.
Not to mention that Kommo-o's hidden Ability, Overcoat, perfectly countered Tyranitar's Sand Stream Ability.
Even so, Kommo-o had only narrowly defeated Tyranitar after suffering heavy injuries itself, which showed just how powerful Mr. Flint had been.
"Dragonite…"
As all three fell into their own thoughts, Dragonite lowered its head and nudged Clair.
Clair snapped back to reality.
"You only arrived in Blackthorn City today, so I assume you haven't obtained a token for the Rising Dragon Ceremony yet. Let's have a battle. If you win, I'll give you both the Rising Badge and a ceremony token."
Her eyes were filled with fighting spirit and anticipation.
Even if her opponent wasn't particularly strong, she could always use her second or third team.
The important thing was that she enjoyed the thrill of battle.
Ordinary Trainers couldn't satisfy her.
"No, no, no."
Silas quickly waved his hands.
"I already have a ceremony token, and Blaziken just finished a battle."
"Can that even be called a battle? It was barely a warm-up."
Clair rolled her eyes.
"By the way, where did you get the token?"
"I helped an older man before. He gave it to me."
Silas explained casually.
The Blackthorn Gym didn't care who ended up with the ceremony tokens. It was only responsible for distributing them.
Each token had its own serial number, so there was no possibility of someone receiving multiple.
"I see…"
Clair looked disappointed.
If the battle was only for a Gym Badge, she wouldn't have an excuse to use stronger Pokémon.
An Elite-level battle simply couldn't interest her very much.
"However…"
Silas thought for a moment before continuing.
"One of my partners, who's at the quasi-Elite level, recently underwent a tremendous breakthrough, and I'd like to see its current condition. If you don't mind, how about a three-on-three battle? Two matches will follow the normal Gym rules, and the third can be against it."
The Pokémon he was referring to was Ampharos.
Its battle against Cynthia last night had been completely one-sided, so there had been nothing to learn from it.
Right now, he urgently needed an evenly matched opponent.
"Sounds great!"
Clair's eyes, which had just dimmed, immediately lit up again.
One exciting battle was still better than none.
"Wait here! I'll go get Grandpa to serve as the referee!"
Without another word, she ran off in another direction.
"Dragonite!"
Dragonite awkwardly reached out a claw and shook Silas's hand.
My Trainer can be a little impulsive. Please bear with her.
Its large eyes blinked innocently.
Generally speaking, Dragonite's intelligence was no lower than that of an ordinary human, and the stronger it became, the more obvious this was.
So, its actions weren't strange at all.
What was surprising was how practiced it seemed at doing this, which left Silas somewhat speechless.
Not long afterward, Clair returned, dragging an elderly man with a head full of silver hair.
"This is Grandpa Kabu. He's been refereeing battles at Blackthorn Gym since my grandfather's generation."
She introduced him cheerfully.
"Hello, Grandpa Kabu. Sorry to trouble you."
Both Brock and Silas greeted him politely.
Kabu smiled in return.
"Hello, young men. It's good to see such energetic youngsters. Clair hasn't done anything rude, has she?"
"No, not at all."
"Oh, Grandpa Kabu! How could I possibly be rude? Battle, battle! We're having a battle!"
Clair pushed Kabu straight toward the battlefield.
"Dragonite!"
Dragonite swallowed the last bite of its snack and flapped its tiny wings as it followed behind, not forgetting to beckon Silas and Brock along.
The group quickly arrived at Blackthorn Gym's battlefield.
"A basic dirt field, huh," Silas remarked.
A dirt field could be considered a simplified version of a rocky field. It only contained soil and sand, without rocks, pillars, or other obstacles.
This kind of field was suitable for the vast majority of Pokémon battles and didn't favor either side, making it a very fair battlefield.
"That's right."
Clair smiled.
"The strength of Dragon-type Pokémon doesn't require outside assistance. The environment means very little to them."
As she spoke, she stepped onto the command platform.
A highly technological platform, completely out of place with the surrounding scenery, slowly rose into the air.
"Tell me which Pokémon you're using."
After a brief moment of surprise, Silas immediately handed three Poké Balls to Kabu.
Besides Ampharos, the other two were naturally Alolan Vulpix and Prinplup.
Escavalier and Gallade were currently in a period of rapid growth and didn't need battles to test or improve themselves for the time being.
Despite his age, Kabu moved swiftly.
He quickly uploaded the data.
"Oh! They're all fine Pokémon. And an Alolan Vulpix too, this is my first time seeing one."
On the other side, Clair muttered to herself while looking at the information displayed on the platform.
Three Poké Balls slowly rose from one corner of the platform.
"Then these three will be my representatives."
Picking up the Poké Balls, Clair's face was full of excitement.
As Silas took his place, Kabu waved his flags.
"Now beginning the Gym Battle between Trainer Silas of Viridian City and Blackthorn Gym Leader Clair!
Each side will use three Pokémon. There is no time limit.
The match ends when all Pokémon on one side are unable to battle.
The challenger may freely switch Pokémon during the battle, while the Gym Leader may not.
Clair will send out the first Pokémon and move second.
Now—begin!"
"Go! Show them the power of Dragon-type Pokémon! I choose you, Altaria!"
"Altaria!"
Accompanied by a clear, melodious cry, a sky-blue Pokémon appeared in the air.
Its fluffy wings resembled clouds of cotton.
It was the Dragon/Flying-type Altaria, evolved from Swablu at Level 35.
And this particular Altaria possessed quasi-Elite level strength.
Silas instantly understood what Clair intended.
"Then I'm counting on you, Ampharos."
Without hesitation, he threw a Poké Ball.
"Starting off this intensely already?"
Watching from the sidelines, Brock unconsciously sat up straight.
A Dragon-type Pokémon battling an Ampharos that had fused with legendary energy, this was definitely worth observing.
Although Altaria wasn't considered one of the stronger Dragon-type Pokémon, that was only relative.
Against most Pokémon, it was still extremely powerful thanks to its typing.
"Ampharos, use Charge!"
Silas didn't relax in the slightest, immediately having Ampharos boost itself.
Brilliant electricity instantly covered its pink body.
"Altaria, use Disarming Voice!"
Clair immediately countered.
Altaria's greatest specialty was its voice.
Its beautiful singing could use sound waves to inflict various conditions and deal damage.
Disarming Voice was one such move.
A beautiful melody rang out.
To Silas, it sounded enchanting, like being immersed in a dream.
But for Ampharos on the battlefield, it was a completely different story.
"Amph…"
Ampharos frowned painfully. The electricity around its body flickered and nearly disappeared.
"Follow it up with Sing!"
At Clair's command, the melody became even more soothing, making one feel drowsy without realizing it.
Ampharos's eyes struggled to stay open.
"Snap out of it! Use Thunder Wave!"
In its dazed state, Ampharos heard Silas's voice.
Its body's instincts unconsciously followed the command.
"Zzzzt—"
In an instant, Altaria's snow-white feathers stood on end, arcs of electricity occasionally flashing across them.
Its hypnotic song became intermittent.
This rapid exchange of offense and defense not only surprised Brock watching nearby, but also caused both Trainers to become even more focused.
...
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