Though Reshiram knew its strength wasn't on par with its eldest brothers—Zekrom, Kyurem, and the rest—it still understood one thing clearly: its power was not something an ordinary human should be able to withstand.
Especially not a Delibird, who had casually breathed out a stream of frost and erected an ice wall that blocked its Blue Flare.
Something was off. Very off.
Reshiram shed its earlier arrogance and stared warily at the Delibird.
"Even Blue Flare couldn't break through?"
Dylan narrowed his eyes. Reshiram might have its quirks, but it was still a high-tier Legendary—top class. For its Blue Flare to be stopped by a Delibird's ice wall? That was absurd.
Even knowing from source material how terrifying this masked man's Delibird could be, facing it in reality was something else entirely.
This was the Delibird that once beat Ho-Oh in a type-disadvantage battle, and under remote command no less.
"This Delibird… it's beyond Champion-level."
Dylan turned his gaze to the masked man.
"You flatter me, Champion Dylan," the man replied, voice still altered and raspy.
"Then let's try this one."
Dylan wanted to see how far this Delibird could go.
"Reshiram—Blue Flare!"
Reshiram roared. Its tail turbine lit up red and began to spin rapidly, its "twin tails" flaring with crimson light.
Overdrive Mode—Reshiram's sign of going all-out.
Intense, high-temperature blue fire swelled in its mouth and blasted toward Delibird.
Blue Flare—Reshiram's signature move and its strongest attack.
"Blizzard," said the masked man calmly.
Delibird chirped, and icy-blue energy gathered in its mouth. In the next instant, a raging snowstorm howled out, the sheer cold of it biting deep.
An enormous Blizzard surged skyward, colliding head-on with the Blue Flare.
Boom!
Fire and ice clashed midair, violently grinding against each other.
Ripples of energy and shockwaves spread out in all directions.
Reshiram felt its Blue Flare being stalled and pushed more energy into the attack, feeding the flames from deep within.
But it was no use.
Even as it gave everything, Reshiram felt it—the Delibird's Blizzard was overwhelming it.
Down below, Dylan and Lorelei both watched clearly as the Delibird's Blizzard began to overpower the Blue Flare, slowly inching forward.
"This can't be happening…"
Lorelei's worldview was fracturing.
This is Reshiram! Even her own ace Lapras, even Lance's Dragonite, couldn't go head-to-head with Reshiram's moves—let alone suppress them like this.
As the storm bore down, Reshiram's pupils widened. It stopped charging and flapped its wings hard, retreating.
Boom!
The Blue Flare was consumed, and the Blizzard engulfed Reshiram.
Moments later, the white dragon forced its way out of the storm and crash-landed on the ground.
Its once-pristine white feathers were now crusted with frost and snow. Reshiram looked disheveled, but it wasn't the physical damage that stung—it was the mental blow.
Its icy blue eyes were full of wariness and disbelief as it stared at the Delibird.
What the hell is this thing?!
"Dylan! This bird's not normal!" Reshiram shouted via telepathy.
Group Chat:
Reshiram: "Guys… this bird's really strong… I might not be able to handle it… maybe one of you could take over? I'll cheer from the side. (sad.jpg)"
Shiny Necrozma: "…"
Necrozma: "…"
Terapagos: "…"
Kyurem: "Tch."
Rayquaza: "6."
The family chat fell into stunned silence.
"This Delibird really is something else. But Reshiram…"
Dylan nodded, then turned to look at his dragon—and saw it standing behind him.
"…Why are you behind me?"
Yes. Reshiram had crash-landed directly behind Dylan, essentially putting its Trainer between it and the Delibird.
"I can't beat it," said the white dragon, completely matter-of-fact.
No shame. No hesitation. It simply stated the truth. If it couldn't win, there was no point dragging things out. Time to let the big guns take over.
"You only fought one round… I see now—you really are the 'Truth' Dragon," Dylan muttered, face twitching.
Reshiram pretended not to hear. It raised its head regally and stared at Delibird with calm disdain, trying to salvage some pride.
You might win the battle, but you won't win the pose.
"Champion Dylan," the masked man said as Delibird landed. "What do you think?"
"It's a terrifying Delibird. That much is certain."
Dylan acknowledged it with no hesitation.
"But now I'm more interested in your identity. A Trainer like you, with that kind of power, yet completely unknown… intriguing."
He rolled a Luxury Ball between his fingers, a smirk playing on his lips.
"Identity is unimportant," the masked man said after a pause.
"No, no. Identity's very important. But it seems you don't want to take off that mask."
"Which is fine. I'll just take it off after I beat you."
Dylan grinned and tossed the ball into the air.
"That Delibird's great with Ice—let's see how it does against this."
"Kyurem! Get ready to battle!"
ROOOOAAAR!!
The Luxury Ball burst open with a bellowing roar as a massive, grey, menacing dragon slammed into the ground.
Kyurem!
"The Ice Dragon of Unova…"
The masked man's tone shifted as he felt the pressure Kyurem radiated.
The strongest land dragon. The embodiment of absolute cold.
"Kyurem—Dark Form," Dylan commanded.
"ROOOOAR!!"
Kyurem lifted its head as blue lightning coursed through its body. In the blink of an eye, it transformed—its body shrouded in darker, sleeker armor.
Black Kyurem. The power spiked even further.
Lorelei bit her lip hard. So this was Kyurem—stronger than both Reshiram and Zekrom.
Black Kyurem hovered slightly off the ground, glancing sideways at Reshiram.
'Show them the majesty of the True Dragon God,' huh? That's it?
Reshiram turned away as if whistling.
Hey, it didn't lose! It just… strategically retreated! Technically!
"Champion Dylan, I mean no hostility," the masked man said, brows furrowing beneath the mask.
"Sure. But if you want my help, what you've shown so far isn't enough."
Dylan tilted his head.
"Let me see your real power."
"…I understand."
The man went quiet for a few seconds, then slowly nodded.
"Then allow me to witness the true strength… of the Kanto Champion."
…
Dormant Volcano — Center of Cerise Island.
"Dragonair—Dragon Pulse!"
"Dragonite—Dragon Rush!"
Standing atop Aerodactyl, Lance gave commands as his cloak billowed in the storm winds.
Two Dragonair coiled in midair, releasing twinned Dragon Pulses that spiraled into a combined beam.
Dragonite dove down, its roar charging into a devastating Dragon Rush.
"Protect."
"High Horsepower."
Gliscor erected a shimmering shield, blocking the twin Dragon Pulses.
Meanwhile, Great Tusk's body glowed earthen brown as it leapt to intercept the diving Dragonite.
BOOM!
Dragon Rush and High Horsepower collided midair. Shockwaves burst out as the two Pokémon clashed violently.
But Dragonite's aura flared with fury. With a roar, it overpowered Great Tusk and slammed it into the ground.
CRASH.
Dust flew, and Great Tusk groaned, bearing several fresh wounds.
Dragonite hovered above the smoke, its cold eyes staring downward.
"See that? My Dragon Legion is not something a mere mortal like you can stand against."
Lance crossed his arms, crimson hair whipping in the wind. His eyes, darkened by shadow, gleamed with pride.
Just a Ground-type Gym Leader… so what if you became Elite Four head by luck?
You think you can stand against me?
"Don't rush, Lance."
Giovanni remained calm. The trio of dragons was indeed difficult, and Lance still hadn't brought out his massive trump card—his Giant Dragonite.
Giovanni knew he was at a disadvantage. Without Mega Beedrill or Mewtwo, he didn't have his usual aces.
He'd need to cultivate a new Ground-type ace—maybe even Tyranitar.
The sound of footsteps caught his ear.
He turned to see a red-eyed boy in a cap approaching, Charizard X by his side.
Red.
"You're here," Giovanni said, a rare smile tugging at his lips.
Red nodded silently and stepped up beside him, eyes locked on Lance.
Lance stared down coldly.
"Interesting. You've made it this far… did that mean Lorelei lost?"
He narrowed his gaze. The scratches on Charizard X were proof—Red had battled someone.
Red said nothing, but he reached for two more Poké Balls. Roaring Moon burst from one, and Lapras from the other.
He was ready.
"Didn't think we'd be fighting together someday," Giovanni said with a chuckle, glancing at the boy next to him.
From the moment he met Red, he'd known this boy was special.
He once tried to recruit him, but Red's moral compass was too strong.
And yet now… they stood side by side.
Against Lance.
The world is damn ironic.
Red: "…"
"Two versus one? Hmph."
Lance looked down coldly.
Didn't matter. So what if there were two of them?
His Dragon Legion… was invincible.