Pokemon: Gym Leader

Roar—!

A wild and ferocious roar echoed through the entire Rota Gym.

A massive, dragon-like Pokémon floated in midair, its savage eyes locked onto Flutter Mane with a menacing glare.

Ancient Roaring Moon!

Its appearance bore some resemblance to Salamence, yet it was distinctively different. The crescent-shaped, blood-red wings, vast and wild, were even larger than its body.

"This is Roaring Moon? Wait… Did big brother Gym Leader give it to him?"

Lillie was surprised. As far as she knew, only her older brother, the Gym Leader, should have a Roaring Moon at this point.

But just now, it seemed that Red had mentioned this was a Pokémon gifted to him by Dylan.

— Beep! Roaring Moon, Dragon/Dark type, the Paradox Pokémon.

— Ability: Protosynthesis.

— Moves: Abyssal Thrust, Dragon Rush, Dragon Dance, Throat Chop, Flamethrower, Zen Headbutt, Scale Shot…

— Description: It could possibly be the very creature documented in the mysterious exploration records under the name Roaring Moon.

What a well-trained Roaring Moon.

Leaf studied the Rotom Pokédex's entry. Compared to her own Flutter Mane, this Roaring Moon that Red had was clearly far more imposing.

"Roaring Moon is certainly powerful, but it has a glaring 4× weakness to Fairy. As long as we find an opening, we can exploit it."

"Still, I think I prefer Flutter Mane over Roaring Moon."

Selene blinked her beautiful eyes. As Dylan's apprentice and employee, the girls had a fair understanding of Paradox Pokémon.

Aside from the six unique ones that belonged to Wave Surge Water, the strongest among the Paradox Pokémon were undeniably Roaring Moon and Flutter Mane, their strength on par with pseudo-legendaries.

But between the two, Selene had a clear favorite—she adored the cold and stylish Flutter Mane. The image of it wielding its crimson energy blades was just way too cool for her tastes!

Absolutely badass!

—

On the Battlefield

The lingering sunlight from Harsh Sunlight continued to bathe the arena, casting a faint red glow over Roaring Moon's body.

Protosynthesis activated!

Roaring Moon's aura became even more ferocious and overwhelming. Under the effects of Protosynthesis, its Attack power increased!

"You've raised it well. Giving it to you was definitely the right choice."

Dylan observed Roaring Moon with interest before nodding in satisfaction.

"It looks like you've made it one of your core Pokémon, Red."

"Roaring Moon is strong."

Red adjusted his cap slightly. He wasn't a Trainer who cared solely about a Pokémon's inherent strength—otherwise, he wouldn't have put so much effort into raising Pikachu.

In reality, Pikachu wasn't that powerful.

But even Red had to admit that Roaring Moon was a monster. With his meticulous training, its power had grown at an astonishing rate.

In terms of raw strength, Roaring Moon was already approaching the level of his ace, Charizard. Whether in terms of innate talent or base stats, Roaring Moon was undeniably exceptional.

Since Dylan had given him this Pokémon, Red had dedicated himself to raising it—not just out of gratitude but because it was now part of his team.

"No need to thank me, Red. I already have my own main Roaring Moon, so rather than keeping this one, I figured it should shine under your command."

Dylan smiled. He could tell Red was about to say something appreciative, but he didn't need to hear it.

Red was someone he recognized as a friend, and besides, he still owed Red a favor.

Red remained silent.

"Alright then, show me how strong your Roaring Moon has become." Dylan smirked.

Though he was using a Fire-type team for this battle, Roaring Moon still benefited from Harsh Sunlight due to its ability. That was going to be a problem.

Glancing at the sunlit battlefield, Dylan noted that Harsh Sunlight would soon fade.

"Roaring Moon, Scale Shot!"

Red immediately focused, his crimson eyes gleaming as he gave his command.

Roaring Moon let out a fierce roar, its two massive wings slicing through the air. A barrage of glowing azure scales shot forth like bullets.

A Dragon-type Scale Shot!

"Fiery Dance!"

Iron Moth's metallic wings shimmered with embers, the motion of its flapping releasing a wave of flames to counter the incoming Scale Shot.

Flames and scales clashed violently, culminating in a sudden explosion.

But before the smoke could fully clear—

A massive shadow loomed overhead!

"Dragon Rush!"

Roaring Moon let out an earth-shaking roar. Pure Dragon energy surged through its body, transforming it into a devastating force of destruction. It tore through the flames, surging forward with overwhelming killing intent.

"Fire Blast!"

Dylan raised an eyebrow—this battle was getting intense.

Iron Moth swiftly flapped backward, releasing a massive, '大'-shaped burst of scorching flames to intercept the incoming Dragon Rush.

BOOM!

Flames and dragon collided, light and shadows intertwining. The spectral dragon form of Dragon Rush roared silently, pressing against Fire Blast with relentless force.

It was clear—Fire Blast couldn't fully hold off the attack!

In the next instant, Fire Blast exploded, its remnants dispersing into a shockwave. But to everyone's shock—

Roaring Moon charged straight through the explosion!

BANG!

Dragon Rush slammed into Iron Moth before it could retreat, sending it crashing to the ground with a painful screech.

"That dragon is insane!"

"This thing is a beast! Roaring Moon? I've never even heard of this Pokémon!"

A Bird Keeper was stunned. Even Blastoise's Hydro Pump couldn't overpower Iron Moth's Fire Blast—yet Roaring Moon had crushed it!

"Unbelievable! This kid is even stronger than that Blue guy from before!"

An older female Trainer sighed in admiration. Comparing oneself to others was just infuriating.

She had thought that the last challenger, Blue, was already an unbeatable prodigy among his generation. But now, here was another one—possibly even stronger!

Is this kid even human?!

—

Back on the Battlefield

Iron Moth lay motionless on the ground, pain coursing through its body as it struggled to rise.

Dragon-type moves weren't super effective against it, but Roaring Moon's Attack stat was simply too high—and Iron Moth's physical defense was quite low.

"Scale Shot!"

Roaring Moon flapped its mighty wings, releasing another storm of azure scales, bombarding Iron Moth and creating a chain of explosions.

A thick cloud of dust billowed into the air. As it cleared, Iron Moth was revealed—collapsed on the ground.

"Iron Moth is unable to battle. Roaring Moon wins."

Leaf announced the result.

"That was a strong Roaring Moon."

Dylan's usual gentle smile remained unchanged as he acknowledged its power.

This Roaring Moon was indeed a force to be reckoned with—especially under Harsh Sunlight.

Before dealing with Roaring Moon, he couldn't afford to set up Sunny Day again.

Otherwise, the boost it provided was just too overwhelming.

Red didn't say anything, but a faint smile appeared on his face.

Harsh Sunlight had now faded, and Protosynthesis had deactivated.

"But what about this?" Dylan tossed out his next Poké Ball.

"Incineroar, enter the battle!"

Red immediately frowned.

Not this damn thing again!

After a brief moment of thought, Red recalled Roaring Moon.

If Roaring Moon stayed in, it would get hit with Intimidate and suffer an Attack drop. That would cripple its offensive power.

Instead, Red tossed out Pikachu's Poké Ball.

Let Pikachu take the 'triple debuff package' from Incineroar.

"So you finally stopped being stubborn, huh?" Dylan chuckled.

No further words were needed. The usual triple Intimidate cycle played out, and then—

Dylan recalled Incineroar.

This time, instead of sending out Ninetales to restart Harsh Sunlight, Dylan reached for his fifth Poké Ball.

"Entei! Enter the battle!"

A flash of white light—

A thunderous, regal roar shook the battlefield as Entei landed with an imposing presence before Dylan.

One of Ho-Oh's legendary guardians—

ENTEI!

"Whoa—! It's Entei!"

The audience erupted into excited exclamations.

Many people in Kanto were well aware that the Rota Gym Leader, Dylan, had captured several Legendary Pokémon.

After all, his "Golden Legend" team was no longer a secret. However, beyond that famous team, other types of Pokémon teams he used also occasionally included Legendary Pokémon.

Of course, for challengers to face a Legendary Pokémon, they needed to be strong enough—and it also depended on which team Dylan chose to use for the battle.

But still…

"Entei is only his fifth Pokémon?"

A Psychic-type Trainer watched the majestic and awe-inspiring Entei, curious about what Dylan's final Fire-type Pokémon would be.

As for Ninetales and Incineroar, their roles in the team were clearly support-based. However, while Ninetales was mostly a setup Pokémon, Incineroar was an entirely different story—it was actually very strong.

Dylan's apprentice, Selene, had already proven this, and Incineroar was one of Dylan's veteran Pokémon—a reliable old guard. While it served as a support Pokémon in this battle, it was by no means weak.

In fact, no one had ever pushed Dylan to the point where he needed to rely on Incineroar for offense.

So by that logic, Entei was Dylan's third battle-focused Pokémon.

But what about the final one?

Dylan had a habit—the later he sent out a Pokémon, the harder it was to deal with!

This time, though, there was finally a chance to see it!

"This kid might actually force Dylan to send out his sixth Pokémon!" A Bird Keeper marveled. Red still had four Pokémon left!

Entei was powerful, but who said that a Legendary Pokémon was unbeatable?

"Could it be Gouging Fire? Or maybe Reshiram?" Selene and the others speculated eagerly.

"It's not Gouging Fire—I saw earlier that its Poké Ball wasn't added to the team. And as for the White Dragon… Big Brother wouldn't use Reshiram in a Gym Battle that doesn't involve the Legendary Badge."

Lillie shook her head. Entei was a recent capture, and while powerful, it still wasn't as strong as Gouging Fire.

But Lillie was certain—Gouging Fire wasn't in this battle.

"Then it must be that one."

Leaf and the others immediately guessed which Fire-type Pokémon Dylan was saving as his final trump card.

After all, Dylan had always been fond of that Pokémon—and ever since acquiring it, he had spent a great deal of time raising it.

Moreover…

Considering the recent rumors, Lillie realized that now was the perfect time for Dylan to finally use that Pokémon in battle.

"Entei…!"

Red's crimson eyes blazed with excitement as he stared at the regal and imposing Entei.

A Legendary Pokémon—Entei!

This kind of opponent—!

"Well then, Red~"

Dylan smiled, extending his hand as he spoke.

"How will you handle my Entei?"

"Come back, Pikachu."

Without hesitation, Red recalled his weakened Pikachu and threw Roaring Moon's Poké Ball back onto the field.

The ancient, savage dragon loomed over Entei, its piercing gaze locked onto the Legendary Beast.

But Entei stood firm, unshaken, its majestic, commanding eyes meeting Roaring Moon's challenge head-on.

Red lowered his cap, his eyes burning with battle spirit.

He could even feel his own heartbeat pounding with exhilaration.

This battle… felt amazing!

Defeating a Legendary Pokémon—

That achievement would be his—

TODAY!