"Tsk, your luck is really unbelievable."
Both Brock and Nobuhiko couldn't hide their envy.
Although participating in the Dragon Ascension Ceremony didn't guarantee entry into Blackthorn City's Dragon's Den, considering Silas's strength and potential, neither of them believed he would fail to place in the top ten and earn a spot.
That remained true despite the overwhelming allure of Dragon-type Pokémon, which attracted countless Trainers to the ceremony every year.
Moreover, obtaining a participation token alone eliminated a large portion of applicants.
Champion-level Pokémon weren't exactly common, and Silas's team was undeniably powerful.
And once inside the Dragon's Den, gaining the recognition of those proud and powerful Dragon-type Pokémon required more than just strength. The Dragon Fang and Dragon Scale would undoubtedly provide significant assistance.
Neither Brock nor Nobuhiko had much interest in entering the Dragon's Den themselves.
Given their backgrounds and abilities, obtaining a quality Dragon-type Pokémon wouldn't be easy, but it certainly wouldn't be difficult either.
Silas remembered clearly that the breeding facility of Pewter Gym housed eggs from two Pokémon whose final evolutions possessed the Dragon type: Trapinch and Jangmo-o.
Especially the latter.
Jangmo-o, which had currently only been discovered in the Alola region, evolved into Kommo-o, a Pokémon considered to be on the same level as Kanto's Dragonite and Johto's Tyranitar, a so-called pseudo-legendary Pokémon.
If Pewter Gym hadn't been one of Kanto's long-established official Gyms with extensive connections and business relationships, such a Pokémon would never have appeared in its breeding facility.
After all, Kommo-o's Dragon/Fighting typing wasn't particularly compatible with a Rock-type Gym.
In Kanto, an Alolan Kommo-o might even be more valuable than a Dragonite.
Yet despite having access to Dragon-type Pokémon, Brock had never intended to raise a Kommo-o himself.
"I'm only moderately interested in being a Trainer, and honestly, I'm not especially talented at it. If anyone should raise it, Forrest would probably be more suitable than me."
That was Brock's opinion.
Silas couldn't help feeling that the family resemblance was remarkably strong.
Sometimes Brock really did show signs of becoming a little too much like his father, Flint.
He hadn't even officially taken over the Gym yet, and he was already thinking about handing responsibilities off to his younger brother.
In a certain sense, that was brotherly affection.
"Forrest really is talented."
Silas agreed wholeheartedly.
During the period when Brock was undergoing special training under his grandfather, Silas had spent a great deal of time interacting with Forrest.
From every perspective, Forrest's talent as a Trainer was exceptional.
Even before officially earning the right to raise Pokémon independently, his performance while helping care for the Gym's Pokémon had been outstanding.
No wonder Flint always seemed so cheerful.
His eldest son possessed remarkable talent as a Pokémon Breeder, comfortably ranking among Kanto's top young Breeders and maintaining a friendship with an even more promising young Trainer.
Meanwhile, his second son displayed tremendous talent as a Trainer and was the perfect candidate to inherit the Gym.
Countless people throughout Kanto secretly complained about Pewter Gym's absurd good fortune.
If they knew that Forrest would someday be able to exchange blows with Nurse Joy's Latias, they would probably become even more jealous.
As for Nobuhiko, as a genuine Elite Four-level Trainer, if he personally requested access, the Dragon Clan of Blackthorn City would be more than willing to open the Dragon's Den for him.
There was no conflict between them.
In fact, Chuck's Cianwood Gym maintained a fairly good relationship with Blackthorn City's Dragon Clan.
Naturally, Nobuhiko would still need to pay an appropriate price, such as helping with certain tasks.
But as someone devoted almost exclusively to Fighting-type Pokémon, Nobuhiko clearly wasn't particularly interested in Dragon-types.
After all, one of his idols, Bruno, had repeatedly used Fighting-type Pokémon to thoroughly beat Dragon Master Lance's Pokémon.
Though admittedly, Bruno never actually won in the end.
What Nobuhiko seemed to forget was that Lance's team wasn't actually composed mostly of Dragon-types.
And Bruno had never been able to defeat Lance's absolute ace, Dragonite, in a one-on-one battle.
From that perspective, Dragon-type Pokémon truly possessed extraordinary natural advantages.
The price for that power was their extremely long growth periods and the exceptionally high levels required to reach their final forms.
Even Lance himself had relied primarily on Charizard, one of Kanto's starter Pokémon as his ace before Dragonite fully matured.
The food on the table disappeared at an astonishing speed amid the conversation.
Brock didn't eat much.
Silas and Nobuhiko, however, were both bottomless pits.
Clack.
Nobuhiko set down his empty bowl with considerable flair.
"Not bad. About seventy percent full. I've still got training this afternoon, so I can't eat too much."
Brock's eyelid twitched.
If he remembered correctly, Nobuhiko had just eaten at least five times as much as he had.
Are all martial artists this terrifying when it comes to eating?
Looking at Silas, whose appetite was no less impressive, Brock found himself questioning reality.
"Your cooking is seriously amazing, Brock."
Following his principle of wasting nothing, Silas finished the final bite of food before happily sinking back into his chair.
As expected of someone who had spent his entire life taking care of younger siblings.
His life skills were impeccable.
It had been a very long time since Silas had enjoyed such a rich meal while traveling in the wilderness.
"Well then, Nobuhiko, we won't interrupt your training any longer."
Before long, after packing everything up, Silas bid farewell.
Nobuhiko looked surprised.
"You're not planning to stay here and train for a while? Gallade seemed perfectly suited for this environment."
"Time's a little tight."
Silas shrugged.
"I plan to participate in the Dragon Ascension Ceremony first. After that, I'll come back and bother you."
Nobuhiko nodded in understanding.
"That makes sense."
Given the speed at which Silas challenged Gyms, collecting badges was hardly a problem.
Compared to Kanto, where countless obligations constantly demanded his attention, his journey through Johto focused much more heavily on improving his partners' strength.
The training in Wind Valley had been one example. Future training at Mt. Mortar would be another.
"See you next time, Nobuhiko."
"See you later, Senior Nobuhiko."
Brock and Silas waved goodbye before disappearing into the dark tunnel with their Pokémon.
After watching them leave, Nobuhiko rolled his neck and stretched his legs.
"Alright then."
"Let's begin our own special training."
"ROAR!"
The Pokémon surrounding him responded enthusiastically.
Four Days Later
"Ahhh~"
Near Exit Number Two of Mt. Mortar, close to Mahogany Town, two young men emerged from the cave and stretched lazily beneath the bright sun.
Their brief underground lifestyle had clearly left both Silas and Brock somewhat uncomfortable.
Brock was relatively fine.
His grandfather frequently brought him underground for training.
Silas, however, wasn't nearly as accustomed.
Having grown up surrounded by the fresh air of Viridian Forest, spending five full days in darkness had left him feeling depressed.
If they hadn't gotten lost yesterday, they would have emerged much earlier.
The Trainers nearby cast them friendly and somewhat envious, glances.
As expected, Blaziken and Piplup beside Silas immediately attracted plenty of attention.
Compared to them, Brock's Golem wasn't nearly as eye-catching.
After all, information regarding trade evolutions was gradually becoming widespread, so seeing a Golem was no longer particularly unusual.
"Let's go."
Silas stretched once more.
"I wonder if we'll be able to finish challenging the Gym this afternoon."
Long accustomed to such attention, Silas casually recalled Blaziken to its Poké Ball, leaving only Piplup at his side, and motioned for Brock to follow.
"Senior Pryce is actually quite responsible. Most of the time, he accepts challengers personally. The bigger problem is whether you'll be able to get an appointment this afternoon."
Brock glanced through his guidebook before answering with his usual seriousness.
Unlike most Gyms, Pryce, the Gym Leader of Mahogany Gym, hadn't taken on Gym apprentices to help conduct Gym battles during the winter season.
Anyone who challenged Mahogany Gym would face the powerful old man himself.
Even though Gym battles had strict limitations regarding Pokémon strength, Pryce's own Trainer level and experience were legendary.
As a result, the vast majority of challengers failed to defeat him.
Even Trainers who earned his recognition and received a Badge were relatively rare.
The title "Winter Pryce" wasn't merely a reflection of his mastery over Ice-type Pokémon.
It was also a reflection of his personality.
"Don't worry. I'll figure something out."
Silas remained confident.
He had met Pryce before and didn't find the elderly Trainer nearly as difficult to approach as the rumors suggested.
Of course, that might have had something to do with the influence of Professor Oak, Professor Rowan, and Mr. Pokémon.
Those individuals, including Agatha of the Kanto Elite Four had all been close friends in their youth.
"Oh right."
As they headed toward Mahogany Town, Silas's curiosity got the better of him.
"Is it true that Pryce and Blaine have a grudge against each other?"
Although Silas had a good relationship with Kajiyama, one of Blaine's students, Kajiyama naturally wasn't about to gossip about his own teacher.
Blaine might appear eccentric and humorous, but he was actually quite hot-tempered.
According to Kajiyama, he had been beaten up by Blaine more than once during training.
The explosive nature of Fire-types was perfectly embodied by Blaine.
Just as the harshness of Ice-types was embodied by Pryce.
Brock didn't share Kajiyama's reservations.
As the eldest son of Pewter Gym, he knew quite a bit about the history between the two veteran Trainers.
"It should be true."
Under Silas's expectant gaze, Brock slowly nodded.
"But it happened a long time ago. The two met at a League Conference, not during an Elite Four challenge or anything particularly significant."
He paused before continuing.
"Blaine won that battle. Apparently one of Pryce's main Pokémon suffered serious injuries, and that's where the bad blood started."
For Trainers, becoming enemies because of a battle was actually rather uncommon.
After all, everyone understood that Pokémon battles could change in an instant.
You couldn't expect your opponent to hold back for the sake of your Pokémon.
Doing so would only invite disaster.
More often than not, Trainers were rivals on the battlefield and friends off it.
Silas raised an eyebrow.
He hadn't expected Pryce to have been weaker than Blaine when they were younger.
Based on what Kajiyama had secretly told him, Blaine's strength hadn't been particularly outstanding among his generation.
Things were different now, however.
After witnessing Pryce's Pokémon in action, Silas simply couldn't imagine Blaine currently being stronger.
The mastery of Ice-type energy displayed by Pryce's Delibird remained deeply engraved in his memory.
The two continued walking along the League-maintained road.
As they traveled farther from Mt. Mortar toward Mahogany Town, the number of people steadily decreased.
An atmosphere of unease gradually spread around them.
Despite the summer weather and the midday sun, both of them felt an inexplicable chill.
The conversation faded away.
They exchanged silent glances.
"This Ninja Town reputation really isn't exaggerated."
Brock forced a bitter smile.
He almost felt as though someone was watching him from every shadow.
He knew it was just his imagination.
Yet the sensation still made the hairs on his neck stand up.
Silas agreed and unconsciously quickened his pace.
Even at the Pokémon Ninja Academy, he had never experienced anything quite like this.
It truly deserved its reputation as the birthplace of ninja culture in the Pokémon world.
The atmosphere of Mahogany Town alone was enough to discourage many Trainers from traveling here.
Located near the northern reaches of Johto, Mahogany Town might have faded into obscurity long ago if not for attractions such as Mahogany Gym, the Lake of Rage, and its famous RageCandyBars.
Fuchsia City served as a perfect comparison.
Koga and Janine's ninja clan had originally come from Mahogany Town before eventually relocating to Fuchsia City.
One of the primary reasons had been the pursuit of greater opportunities and development.
After increasing their pace, the two soon caught sight of Mahogany Town's outskirts.
In many ways, it wasn't all that different from Azalea Town.
Both were among the rare cases where one of a region's eight official Gyms was located in a town rather than a city.
The moment they entered the town proper, much of the oppressive atmosphere disappeared.
The residents going about their daily lives looked perfectly normal, aside from the various strange tools hanging from their belts.
"Let's stop by the Gym first."
Silas made the suggestion.
Brock thought for a moment before nodding.
Thanks to the variety of healing techniques possessed by Silas's Pokémon, as well as the ample supplies they carried, their exploration of Mt. Mortar's underground caverns hadn't left their Pokémon in poor condition.
Even the mysterious bear-like Pokémon they had encountered had fully recovered.
The two quickly disappeared into the streets.
"Report to the captain. Two targets from the watch list have been spotted in Mahogany Town. Codename No. 4 and Codename No. 28."
Hidden from their view, a young man dressed in a Team Rocket uniform raised his communicator.
Bzzzt...
Static crackled through the device.
"Understood. Do not alert them. They are most likely just passing through. Maintain surveillance only. Keep a distance of at least one kilometer."
"Understood."
The Team Rocket grunt responded respectfully.
He had no idea why they were required to stay that far away.
But that wasn't his concern.
His job was simply to report and obey orders.
Nothing more.
"Gym Challenges and the Regional Conference..."
Watching the direction Silas and Brock had gone, a trace of envy flashed across his eyes.
...
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