Pokemon: Gym Leader

"Is there something wrong with those two people?" Dylan asked with a feigned look of confusion, turning to Leah.

"We should keep our distance from them," Leah said.

At this moment, Leah had calmed down a bit, but she still hid behind Dylan, pulling at his clothes as she cautiously moved backwards.

Lillie was equally puzzled, but she still followed the two of them.

Once they reached the riverside, Leah let out a sigh of relief.

"Leah, do you know those two people?" Dylan handed Leah a bottle of water. Leah thanked him, opened it, and took a sip, her gaze drifting blankly over the river.

It seemed like Leah had never looked like this before.

Lillie looked at Leah's melancholic and downcast expression, and a thought suddenly popped into her mind.

It seemed true—Leah always had an energetic and lively personality, exuding a sense of joy and freedom.

"If you trust me, you can tell me about it. Maybe I can help," Dylan said softly, giving her shoulder a comforting pat. His voice was gentle and reassuring.

Leah bit her lip, her soft lips parting as if to speak, but she quickly pressed them together again, as if hesitating.

"If you're worried about some strong enemy, you don't have to be afraid. I'm strong now—very strong."

Dylan spoke again in a soothing tone. He wasn't one to meddle in others' business, but whether it was because of sympathy for Leah's past, his connection to her in reality, or some other reason, he wouldn't refuse to help if Leah asked.

But it had to come from her. She had a lot of mental pressure, and she needed an outlet.

"They... are former colleagues from the same organization," Leah said after a long silence.

Yes, Karen and Will were once her colleagues.

"But I've already left that organization... and I betrayed them."

"So, are they here to capture you, Leah?" Lillie asked, surprised.

"I don't know." Leah shook her head. She truly didn't know, as Karen and Will had always been active around Johto and had rarely been in Kanto.

But now, they had come to Kanto, which confused Leah.

"Do you need me to take care of them for you?" Dylan asked after a moment's thought.

Will was a powerful psychic-type trainer—probably on the level of a king. Karen's strength should be much higher, and she seemed to be of champion-level strength as well. In fact, she had even beaten Bruno in a special episode.

But that didn't matter much; taking down a champion-level dark-type trainer and a psychic-type king wouldn't be too difficult for Dylan.

"No need. We still don't know their purpose."

Leah blinked and looked at Dylan, then suddenly smiled, shaking her head.

She placed a hand on her chest and felt a warm, comforting sensation.

Yes, she realized, this boy really made her feel safe.

"Let's figure out their purpose for coming to Kanto first. If I really need help, I won't hold back from asking you, Dylan."

Leah seemed to regain some of her energy, smiling brightly at Dylan.

After all, Karen and Will were loyal subordinates of the Masked Man. If they caught them now, it could very well lead to trouble with the Masked Man.

Leah wasn't ready for that yet because the Masked Man was far too terrifying.

"Alright," Dylan nodded.

In truth, Leah had hidden a lot, like how she was originally from New Bark Town and had been captured by the Masked Man's controlled Ho-oh before being brought to Johto.

But these were her secrets. Perhaps... she was afraid of getting too involved with the Masked Man's organization, as no one knew better than Leah how terrifying the Masked Man was. The legendary Ho-oh and Lugia of Johto were nothing more than toys to the Masked Man.

"Pryce..."

The Masked Man was none other than the leader of the Kanto Mahogany Gym, Pryce. In his youth, he had been friends with many famous trainers, including Professor Oak and others, but one event completely changed him.

For his own desires, Pryce had sealed his heart, distanced himself from everyone, and focused solely on waiting for the moment in his gym.

It could be said that Pryce embodied the powerful bond between humans and Pokémon. The stronger the belief, the greater the response from the Pokémon.

In the history of Pokémon, very few trainers have defeated Legendary Pokémon. While characters like Red from Pokémon Origins and May from Pokémon Evolutions were among the few to accomplish this, the only other trainer to actually beat a Legendary Pokémon outside of the main characters was Pryce from a special episode.

Though in his youth Pryce might not have been as powerful as others like Professor Oak, after losing his Dragonite, his unwavering belief and willpower resonated with his Pokémon. After years of training, his mastery over Ice-types reached a terrifying level that could be described as "unprecedented"!

This was no exaggeration, as Pryce's achievements were indeed monstrous.

But there was no need to deal with Pryce for now. Besides his own desires, Pryce had no other ambitions, and Leah's emotional struggles would probably have to be resolved by herself.

Abandoned Power Plant

This was an old, abandoned power plant in Kanto, with some machinery still running on autopilot.

"So, their target is here?" Dylan and the others arrived at the abandoned power plant.

"Should be. I've heard rumors—it's part of the 'Divine Bird' plan."

Leah nodded in confirmation, though she hadn't been able to find out their exact objective here.

"Divine Bird plan? Sounds like one of the Legendary Birds. Let's go in and see," Dylan led the way into the plant. Since Team Rocket had begun their plan, it was clear that the bird they were after was definitely inside this plant.

The power plant was large but had been long abandoned. While some equipment was still operational, it had turned into a haven for Electric-type Pokémon.

However, Dylan and the others were not interested in them.

Golden light flashed repeatedly in the depths of the power plant, and it was already visible.

"What is that?" Lillie asked curiously, looking into the distance. Since the view was blocked by a wall, she couldn't see clearly, but the flashing golden light was still noticeable.

"You'll know if you go see it," Dylan said.

Dylan quickened his pace, and the three of them continued deeper into the plant, finally arriving at the very depths. After turning a corner, they saw everything clearly.

A huge generator was still operating, but that wasn't the main focus. The main focus was a golden bird with feather-like spikes, resembling needles, in front of the generator, absorbing the electricity from it.

The bird had an orange, sharp, long beak, with black ring-shaped feathers around its eyes. Its feathers were very sharp, like lightning.

"The legendary Zapdos?" Leah looked at the yellow bird-like Pokémon in surprise, her eyes suddenly widening, and her body began to tremble slightly.

She had a severe fear of birds, and now seeing Zapdos triggered her fear.

"Don't be scared. It's just a Zapdos. The fear in your heart is meant to be overcome. Lillie, help Leah," Dylan gently patted Leah's back to comfort her. He could feel how tense Leah's body was.

But this was something she had to face. Her fear of birds was too severe, and she needed to overcome it.

"Leah, are you okay?" Lillie also noticed Leah's strange behavior and gently comforted her while holding her.

"I'm fine... I'm fine... I..."

Leah gritted her teeth, looking down and refusing to look at Zapdos. She knew she had to overcome her fear of birds, but it was still incredibly hard for her.

"Chirp~!"

At that moment, Zapdos noticed the three humans. Its sharp cry rang out as it flapped its wings and flew up, its piercing gaze looking down on them.

Golden electric sparks flickered all around Zapdos, its presence imposing, a strong pressure filling the air.

"Looking at it this way, it's not so bad," Dylan raised an eyebrow and assessed Zapdos carefully, commenting.

Although Zapdos' feathers were chaotic and sharp, from the front, its lightning-shaped feathers actually looked quite good.

"Ding~ Zapdos, Electric/Flying type, Electric Pokémon

Ability: Pressure

Signature Moves: Thunder, Rain Dance, Discharge, Agility, Peck, Charge, Thunderbolt, Quick Attack, Light Screen, Thunder Wave…

Pokédex: When the sky is dark, and lightning strikes constantly, this legendary Pokémon will appear."

"Chirp~!!"

Zapdos' expression turned increasingly cold with anger. These humans had already been warned, yet they still refused to leave?

What did that mean? A provocation? How dare they provoke me, this bird? They must be tired of living!

The electricity around Zapdos sparked more frequently, its golden electric light almost blinding Dylan's eyes.

"Angry? There's no need for that. I just wanted to ask if you'd like to become my Pokémon. What do you think?" Dylan took out a valuable Pokéball.

"Chirp!!"

In response, Zapdos released a powerful bolt of lightning, an Electric-type Thunder attack!

A beautiful blue figure floated in front of Dylan, firing an Ice Beam in retaliation—it was Articuno.

"??"

Zapdos stared at Articuno in astonishment. As another legendary bird Pokémon, it naturally recognized Articuno, though it didn't know this particular Articuno.

But soon, Zapdos began to laugh. How weak was this Articuno? It had actually been captured by a human? That was laughable.

However...

The Ice Beam collided directly with the Thunder, and after only a brief moment, the Thunder was shattered by the Ice Beam.

In Zapdos' shocked and incredulous shriek, the Ice Beam hit it directly.

Crack! Crack!

Ice crystals rapidly formed, and Zapdos cried out in pain as it fell to the ground, weakened and unable to fly due to the Ice-type's effect on Flying-types.

The cold air quickly invaded its body, causing Zapdos immense suffering.

"Looks like this Zapdos isn't very strong," Dylan shook his head as he observed.

"Yiao~ (Such a weak, scruffy bird~)"

Articuno gently fluttered its magnificent wings, casting a side glance at Zapdos and calling out lazily.

"???"

Zapdos immediately widened its eyes, glaring fiercely at Articuno.

"Chirp Chirp Chirp! (What are you chirping about, you ugly Pidgey-headed fool!)"

"Yiao~ (You're so weak.)"

"(You're a Pidgey-head that's been captured by a human! Who are you to insult me?!)"

"(You scruffy bird! You're weaker than a Pidgey!)"

Zapdos instantly broke down, turning red with anger.

"Brother, what are they saying?" Lillie asked curiously, looking at the two birds, one high and one low, seemingly exchanging words, and turned to Dylan with a puzzled look.

She knew her brother had the power of Viridian and could understand Pokémon speech.

"Emmm..."

Dylan looked somewhat strange and puzzled, then paused for a moment.

"Zapdos is greeting Articuno's mother, and Articuno is greeting Zapdos itself. Something like that?"

(End of chapter)