"That was a beautiful match—excellent work, Selene."
After the battle, Dylan smiled approvingly as Selene returned to the locker room.
He had to admit, her performance against Mustard had been utterly dominant—she'd won using only four Pokémon, and her Incineroar had barely even broken a sweat.
Dylan was more than satisfied.
"Hehe~ Of course! I'm going all the way to Masters rank!"
Selene tilted her chin up proudly, hands on her hips and a wide grin on her face.
('I'm the best.jpg')
Bonk!
"Ow~ that hurt!"
Selene clutched her forehead, tears in her eyes as she looked pitifully up at her mentor.
"Say that again—you're a girl, stop calling yourself 'the boss.' It sounds awful," Dylan scolded, rolling his eyes.
"And don't get cocky. You're only ranked fifteenth right now."
Selene nodded rapidly, like a pecking Pidgey.
"Anyway, who's next on your list?" Dylan asked with a sigh. This girl just never changed.
"Definitely Mr. Wallace! I've been wanting to battle him for ages!" she said without hesitation.
Wallace wasn't just a former Champion—he was also the world's top Coordinator.
Selene didn't care much about Contests, but battling someone that stylish sounded fun.
"Wallace doesn't seem too eager to battle you."
"Eh?! That's impossible! He told me I could challenge him anytime!"
Selene blinked, baffled. How could any senior turn down the challenge of such a cute, hardworking junior?
Wallace had to be looking forward to it—right?
"After seeing your match with Mustard? He'd have to be crazy to still want to fight you," Dylan said, laughing.
Wallace had learned his lesson the hard way. His poor Milotic still hadn't emotionally recovered from that "friendly" spar last year.
"Emm… what? I didn't do anything wrong today!" Selene pouted, tilting her head in confusion.
She really didn't see the issue. Wasn't that how Pokémon battles were supposed to go?
She'd even been merciful—she'd let Mustard take down her Mega Gengar at the end!
Otherwise, he'd have been swept clean.
"Don't give me that look. If you must challenge Wallace, fine—but try to make the match… enjoyable for him," Dylan said dryly.
In other words: please don't psychologically destroy the man.
"Hehe~ Got it, Master! I'll be gentle!" Selene stuck out her tongue playfully and saluted.
Dylan nodded, somewhat reassured.
That very night, Selene wasted no time. She immediately filed for her next ranking challenge—against Rank 12: Wallace.
The sheer pace of her climb was terrifying. She was either battling or preparing to battle every waking moment.
Three days later, in Lilycove City's grand arena, the match took place as scheduled.
Selene stayed true to her word. This time, she used no tricky "nightmare" tactics.
She opened with her Mega Gengar—but instead of the usual sadistic control play, it turned into a pure damage-dealing machine.
Wallace's Pelipper barely managed to set up the rain before a single Thunder from Mega Gengar fried it on the spot.
His Mega Gyarados? Two Thunders and a Thunderbolt—gone.
His shiny Greninja? Thunderbolt followed by Thunder—gone.
His Swampert? A four-times-weak Energy Ball sent it straight to heaven.
No traps. No stalling. Just obliteration.
Wallace's elegant smile twitched as his team fell one by one.
"Good heavens~ The girl's on fire today," Mustard laughed from the stands, having brought his family to watch.
The sheer cleanliness of the battle was shocking—so clean that people almost couldn't believe this was the same cheerful girl who'd toyed with him earlier that week.
It was like watching an entirely different person.
"Amazing… That's the true power of her Mega Gengar," Mustard murmured, eyes narrowing as the grinning ghost dominated the field.
"She's incredible," said his wife, Miele, resting her chin in her hand.
"Indeed. Stronger than Leon ever was at her age," Mustard admitted seriously. Then, after a pause, he added with a smirk, "In every way."
Her tactics, instincts, and Pokémon strength—flawless.
And though her previous "cursed" style had been downright cruel, Mustard couldn't deny—it worked extremely well.
He'd learned that firsthand.
"She might just be the one who challenges Dylan," he mused.
"Wait, you think she can beat Leon?" Miele blinked in surprise.
To most people, Leon was the obvious No. 2—if anyone would reach the finals, it'd be him.
Mustard chuckled. "You have no idea how scary this new generation is, dear. Leon's strong, sure—but he's not untouchable. Even Gloria might be able to beat him by year's end."
He thought back to his other student—the one who'd taken a Kubfu from his dojo. Her talent had been jaw-dropping, but now? Selene was no less terrifying—perhaps even more so.
Truly, this era was overflowing with monsters.
Miele nodded. "I suppose that's true… though I'd love to see Gloria and Selene battle one day."
"Oh, it'll happen," Mustard said confidently. "It has to happen."
He could already picture it—Kanto's prodigy vs. Galar's prodigy.
Whose "monster" would stand taller?
Selene's battle with Wallace was, of course, one-sided. Her Mega Gengar's Special Attack was monstrous, leaving no room for suspense.
By the fifth round, Gengar and Milotic took each other down—
—and Wallace's final Pokémon, his Dhelmise, was swiftly defeated by Selene's Iron Valiant.
Wallace, KO'd.
The crowd erupted. Selene had crushed the former Champion using only two Pokémon.
Sure, most of Wallace's team happened to be weak to Electric and Grass—but dominance was dominance.
The result silenced any doubters about her status as Kanto's newest Elite Four member.
Some even argued she deserved a higher seat.
Selene basked in the cheers with a bright smile, while Wallace, ever the gentleman, calmly returned his Dhelmise.
Another crushing loss—but this time, he didn't mind.
He'd already achieved enlightenment: if you can't win, just vibe.
At least she hadn't tortured him psychologically—he could live with that.
Besides, she was Dylan's student. Losing to her was basically expected.
"Well done. That girl really is something," Blue said from the viewing box, resting his chin on his hand.
He took great pride in his Elite Four, and seeing Selene—his youngest member—shine like this filled him with satisfaction.
"Looks like you've got a tiger on your tail, Blue. Better guard that seat of yours," Giovanni chuckled lowly, his sharp eyes glinting as he watched Selene.
What a terrifying kid.
He knew her, of course—she'd passed through Viridian Gym at the very start of her journey last year.
Even then, Giovanni had been impressed by her natural talent.
But now? In just half a year, she'd grown to this level?!
At this rate… she'd be a serious threat by year's end.
"Ha? Don't be ridiculous, old man!" Blue scoffed. "I'm the one who's gonna surpass both you and Red!"
He smirked confidently. "Other than Dylan, there's no one I'll ever lose to!"
Red shot him a wordless glance.
"Heh… we'll see," Giovanni said, amused.
Blue was prideful, sure—but that pride was part of his charm.
And truthfully, Giovanni respected his strength. Red might have the greater raw potential, but Blue's drive and willpower made him no less extraordinary.
Still… with Red, Blue, and now Selene—his entire Elite Four lineup were absolute monsters.
Giovanni rubbed his temples. His position as Kanto Champion was looking more and more precarious.
But then he smirked.
Well… that just made things interesting.
"I'll have to get stronger myself," he murmured. "If I don't, by year's end I'll really be in trouble."
He'd promised Silver that once Dylan retired, he'd take the Champion's throne—and he meant it.
He couldn't let his son down.
And once he did claim that title… his prestige would surpass even Lance's in Johto.
But to make that ambition a reality, he needed more power.
Mega Kangaskhan was strong, yes—but not enough.
He should've accepted those offers back then… Darkrai, Moltres—any of them could've made the difference.
He frowned thoughtfully.
Then, remembering something Dylan had mentioned earlier, Giovanni turned his gaze toward a group across the hall—Alder, N, and the Unova delegation.
After a moment of contemplation, he stood up and walked toward them.
"Champion Giovanni?" Alder greeted, raising a brow.
"Mr. Alder, Champion Iris, everyone—good evening." Giovanni smiled politely.
Iris' smile twitched nervously as old memories resurfaced—Giovanni's smile tended to bring those out.
"Can we help you with something, Champion?" Alder asked curiously.
"Yes," Giovanni said smoothly. "I'd like to ask Mr. N about something."
N blinked in surprise, but nodded kindly. "Of course. If it's something I can help with, I'll do my best."
He didn't recognize Giovanni as the former head of Team Rocket—he'd long since chosen to forget that part of Unova's past.
"I won't waste words, then," Giovanni said. "I understand you're the hero of the Ideal Dragon, correct?"
N tilted his head slightly. "You mean Zekrom? Yes, that's true."
"Then you must know quite a lot about Unova's legendary Pokémon."
"That depends on what you're asking," N said warily.
Giovanni's smile deepened. "Suppose I wanted to find a certain Pokémon…?"
N froze. "...Find one?"
Giovanni nodded slowly, eyes glinting with ambition.
(End of Chapter)