Being able to defeat Sabrina meant his strength could not be underestimated.
And that wasn't just empty talk.
Sabrina's strength was obvious to everyone. Among the eight Kanto Gyms, she could easily rank in the top ten, maybe even had the potential to fight for a top-three spot.
Under those circumstances, she had still been defeated.
What did that mean?
It meant the other party's strength was on the level of a top Gym Leader, maybe even brushing against a weaker Elite Four member!
Someone that strong had actually come to the Fighting Dojo?
Had he been drawn here by Grey's own words?
"Around a year or two ago, my level back then was pretty bad. But that guy really did have something going for him."
After Sabrina finished explaining things to Grey, her gaze fell on the front doors. "He's improved a bit since then. If you end up facing him, make sure you keep an eye on the bigger picture."
"Alright, got it."
After hearing Sabrina's reminder, Grey said a brief goodbye to the viewers in his stream and headed to the entrance to welcome the challenger.
Fighting Dojo, at the front doors.
A young man and a teenage boy were standing there.
The two looked somewhat alike, giving off the impression that they were brothers.
"Big bro, weren't you going to challenge the Battle Pyramid? Why did we come here instead?"
The purple-haired boy, holding a small green turtle Pokémon in his arms, wore a puzzled expression.
According to what his brother had said, today was the day he would obtain his last Frontier Symbol.
He'd even dragged his little brother along to watch the upcoming battle.
And the result?
It looked like his brother had seen some livestream, then immediately changed course in a rush and come straight here.
"Paul, the Trainer I just saw on that stream has an Articuno. So before I challenge Brandon, I want to have a battle with the Trainer here first."
The young man's name was Reggie. He had challenged Gyms across many regions, and had already collected six Battle Frontier Symbols.
Now, he was only missing the last one—the Brave Symbol held by Brandon of the Battle Pyramid.
Reggie had challenged many Gyms, and had even won the Pokémon League a few times.
But when he thought about facing Brandon, he still felt a bit nervous, lacking confidence.
After all, Brandon was the Trainer who had successfully captured Regirock, the Rock Titan among the trio of Legendary Titans!
Facing a man like Brandon, whom he was about to challenge, Reggie felt that he needed to adjust his mindset.
Then, as luck would have it, he happened to stumble upon a livestream.
And that was how he noticed Grey.
The scrolling chat messages on screen said that Grey possessed the legendary bird Pokémon Articuno.
That piqued Reggie's interest a little.
On top of that, he had come to Saffron City last year and challenged the local Saffron Gym, winning beautifully.
He didn't know why the Saffron Gym had become a ruin now, but Reggie figured that if the Fighting Dojo had been completely suppressed by Sabrina last year, its current strength couldn't be that impressive either.
If he could put on a beautiful performance here just like last year, then by the time he challenged Brandon, his confidence would surely be maxed out.
Creak…
Still happily imagining how he would challenge Articuno, Reggie heard the doors open and looked toward the sound.
A young man about his age opened the door, his brows filled with quiet confidence.
This guy was tough.
From the very first glance, Reggie could tell Grey was anything but ordinary!
"Young gentlemen, may I ask who is here to challenge the Fighting Dojo today?"
Grey's gaze moved between Reggie and Paul.
"I am."
Reggie stepped forward, letting his eyes run over the Poké Balls at Grey's waist, then said:
"I'm Reggie from Veilstone City in the Sinnoh region. I'd like to challenge this Gym. I hope you'll give me a good battle, so I won't have any regrets."
When Reggie finished, Paul quickly added, "Um… my brother doesn't mean anything bad by that…"
Hearing this, Grey's eyebrows rose slightly.
Hoh, this kid was kind of cocky.
Compared to the two he knew in his original memories, in this timeline Reggie and Paul's personalities were reversed.
Reggie was a bit rebellious and sharp-tongued, while Paul was actually shy.
"Since you've come to challenge the Fighting Dojo, as the Dojo Master I naturally won't turn you away. Come with me, the battlefield is inside."
Grey led the two of them into the dojo.
Reggie glanced around from top to bottom and found the layout somewhat similar to the Veilstone Gym.
As expected, Fighting-type Gyms were all more or less the same—plain and unadorned.
"We're here. You don't mind if I start a stream, right?"
As Grey took his position, his entire aura changed in an instant.
Reggie was deeply drawn in by that transformation, and he felt more and more that coming here was absolutely the right choice.
As expected, battling a strong Trainer really did make his blood boil with excitement!
"Of course I don't mind, but I have one small request."
Reggie pointed at the unusual Poké Ball hanging at Grey's waist, his voice brimming with excitement. "I want to battle Articuno!"
Afraid that Grey might refuse, he immediately sent out his first Pokémon.
"Drapion, I'm counting on you!"
A huge scorpion-like Pokémon rose up on the field. Its whole body was covered in a solid layer of armor-like shell, patterned with bands of dark and light purple.
The massive pincers attached directly to its head snapped open and closed with a sharp, clacking sound, while the terrifying claw on its tail gouged deep furrows into the ground.
The pair of upward-curving fangs along its jaws quivered ever so slightly, as though they were building up to unleash some deadly technique.
You could say that every part of this ferocious beast's body looked like a weapon made purely for killing…
[Pokémon: Drapion]
[Type: Poison / Dark]
[Level: 57]
[Ability: Keen Eye]
[Moves: (omitted)]
This was a Drapion that hadn't quite reached Elite Four level yet, but was only a few steps away from it.
"Dojo Master Grey, does my Drapion meet your standards?"
Judging by his tone, Reggie clearly had absolute confidence in his Drapion.
"It's so-so. Normally, I'd have Riolu deal with a Pokémon like that."
Grey picked up the Ultra Ball at his waist, gently rubbing it between his fingers before pointing it toward Reggie. "However, since you're so intent on fighting a legendary, I just happen to have another one here that's only a bit below Articuno. I might as well use it to grant your little wish."
[???]
[What's the streamer talking about?]
[There's another legendary?!]
[I thought normal people spend their whole lives without even seeing one legendary—how come the streamer has caught two?!]
[Uuugh, I'm so jealous! Dojo Master Grey, why do you get to run into so many legendary Pokémon?!]
The viewers in the stream were all completely stunned by Grey's words.
One person, owning two legendary Pokémon?
Seriously, how the hell was that even possible?!
"Oh? All the better then—let me see for myself what a legendary's true power is!"
Reggie's eyebrows shot up, his expression bright with excitement.
Even shy Paul couldn't help looking forward to seeing what kind of legendary Pokémon Grey was going to use.
"Before we start the battle, please allow me to introduce myself properly."
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