"I caught Mewtwo."
Dylan turned the crimson Master Ball in his hand, the one that now contained the Dark Mewtwo.
He hadn't expected to end up with another Mewtwo.
His expression was complicated — the system had once given him a Shiny Mewtwo, and now he'd captured a Dark one.
And somewhere out there, there was still that wild Mewtwo…
According to Giovanni, after the battle in Saffron City, that Mewtwo had left on its own, searching for a way to grow stronger. The Shiny Mewtwo's Mega Evolution had given it inspiration.
But to this day, it hadn't been seen again.
He couldn't help wondering — after all this time, had it managed to create its own Mega Stone?
That Mewtwo had always viewed the Shiny Mewtwo as its only kin… and it seemed to like it quite a bit.
Now there was a Dark Mewtwo from another world. Dylan had no idea what kind of reaction that wild one would have if they ever met again.
He shook off the thought, glancing at the setting sun.
"Reshiram."
With a flash, the vast white dragon emerged, and Dylan climbed onto its back, soaring home toward Rota Street.
Rota Gym
"Welcome home, big brother gym leader!"
The receptionist called out cheerfully as Dylan stepped inside.
"What are you two up to?" Dylan asked, seeing the receptionist and Yellow huddled over a tablet together.
"We're helping Yellow pick her starter Pokémon!" the receptionist explained brightly. "Because of Professor Oak's special permission, she can choose any starter she likes — from any region!"
"Professor Oak's preparing them himself," she added, grinning.
"Professor Oak's really thoughtful," Dylan chuckled, now understanding.
Normally, Samuel Oak wouldn't bend the rules like this — but Dylan had provided him with so much research on legendary Pokémon.
And besides, both Silver and Yellow weren't ordinary newcomers. It wasn't surprising the professor made an exception.
"Have you decided on a favorite, Yellow?"
Dylan sat beside her, glancing at the tablet screen — and blinked in surprise.
A very cute green cat stared back.
"I really like this one," Yellow said shyly, smiling.
"Sprigatito, huh? A great choice," Dylan said, patting her head. "It suits you perfectly."
"Mhm! I'll do my best!" Yellow said earnestly, eyes shining.
She had agonized over the choice — every starter looked adorable.
In the end, she'd chosen Sprigatito because her teacher's first partner had also been one.
"I'll be waiting for you," Dylan said warmly. "If you make it to the second half of the World Championship at the end of the year, we might even face each other in battle."
"Battle… with my teacher?" Yellow froze, blinking.
Reaching the second half of the Championship meant climbing through the toughest brackets. Could she really do that?
"You're my student, Yellow — and we share the same gift," Dylan said softly. "I've been watching your progress. You and your Pokémon have worked hard — I've seen it all."
"Trust yourself. And trust your partners. If you keep moving forward together, I believe—no, I know—you'll stand before me one day."
The warmth and conviction in his voice left no doubt: he truly believed in her.
Of course, he did. Yellow was special.
Both Silver and Yellow were geniuses — but between the two, Yellow's gift was rarer still.
Her Viridian Power responded to her emotions, temporarily amplifying her Pokémon's strength.
A power-up mid-battle — basically a cheat code!
But could it really be called cheating when it was her own innate ability?
In official tournaments, ability users weren't banned — and that was why.
"Big brother gym leader…" Yellow's eyes shimmered with tears.
"I'll do my best!" she declared, determination blazing.
The receptionist clapped her hands. "Yeah! You can do it, Yellow! Make it to the Championship — and beat Selene and Silver while you're at it!"
"I-I won't! Selene's amazing… I'm nowhere near her!" Yellow blushed furiously.
Dylan chuckled to himself. The Championship's later rounds would definitely include Selene, Yellow, and Silver — meaning there might even be some friendly fire.
That would be interesting to watch.
"A true Trainer never gives up before the battle even starts," he reminded her, ruffling her hair again.
Later, Dylan stepped into the backyard.
"Back already? How'd it go?"
Indigo and Lillie were tending to Blastoise and the others, checking their condition.
Before Dylan could answer, a large, round "Clefairy" floated lazily toward him.
"Peppa… I'd say you've officially reached the point where walking isn't an option anymore, huh?"
He sighed, looking at the chubby, puffed-up creature — it had somehow gotten even rounder since last year.
"Dylan, you're so mean! I'm not that fat, mew!" it protested, cheeks puffed.
"I can still walk a few steps, mew!"
"So, just a few steps now? How tragic," Dylan teased.
"Dylan's bullying me! Dylan's the worst!"
"I'm just stating facts. I told you to take it easy, didn't I? And don't sit on my shoulder — I'm afraid you'll crush it."
He sighed again, carrying the sulky Clefairy toward Indigo and Lillie.
"You've been disliking me more and more lately, mew…"
"That's not true. I still like you, Peppa — but being round and squishy might be cute, it's just not healthy."
He sat down on the picnic mat, setting the Pokémon down with relief — it really was heavy now.
"Brother's right," Lillie agreed, nodding seriously. "You have to control yourself. Sneaking into the storage room at night to raid the fridge isn't okay. The receptionist thought the gym had a food-stealing ghost!"
Clefairy looked away, lips pursed.
"Dylan, there's a smell on you," it suddenly said, floating closer and sniffing. "It's familiar, but… different."
It circled him suspiciously. The aura reminded it of a certain "unfilial son" who refused to acknowledge his origins — but not quite.
"Mewtwo, huh?"
Normally, at this hour, Clefairy would be napping before dinner.
"You could say that. It's a Mewtwo from another world — but not a normal one."
"Oh… another world? Boring."
Clefairy's interest evaporated immediately. It had thought it was that Mewtwo — the one it could spar with for a warm-up.
"Did you catch everyone?" Indigo asked.
"Almost," Dylan said. "There's one left — I'll head to Sinnoh tomorrow and wrap it up. After that, we won't have to worry about them anymore."
That last one was Rainbow Cyrus — who had split off from Rainbow Giovanni and gone to Sinnoh.
Once Dylan captured him, the Rainbow Rocket leadership would be completely dismantled.
"Seriously, trying to invade our world with that level of skill…" Indigo rolled her eyes.
"They probably never expected to meet a monster like you," she added, smiling faintly.
She knew how dangerous the Rainbow Rocket leaders were — each one a boss with legendary Pokémon. Without Dylan, any single one of them would have been nearly impossible to defeat.
"Brother's a world-saving hero now," Lillie said with a proud, radiant smile.
Indigo gave her a sideways glance. Compared to last year, Lillie had grown up quite a bit — even her figure had changed.
To be honest, Indigo thought that among Dylan's many admirers, Lillie was the most dangerous rival — not that childhood friend Aileen.
Everyone knew — childhood friends always lost to the "miracle girl" who dropped in from above.
But Lillie was different. She wasn't just his little sister — she was his adopted sister.
And she followed him everywhere. Practically inseparable, day and night.
"Ahem, let's keep it humble," Dylan said modestly, waving a hand. "Just doing my job."
"By the way," Indigo added, "Giovanni's starting his Master-tier challenge."
"Finally. Let's see…" Dylan's eyes flicked to the screen. "Against Iris, ranked eighth, huh?"
He wasn't surprised. It was only a matter of time before Giovanni reached the Master Class.
"Iris really can't catch a break," Indigo sighed. "First she got crushed by Leon, now Giovanni's coming for her. Poor girl."
Unless Giovanni decided to go easy, Iris wouldn't even take down one of his main Pokémon.
(End of Chapter)