"Could it be me?"
Compared to Gloria and Giovanni, Yellow felt differently.
Rather than running into Giovanni or Gloria, she actually wanted to face Dylan. Even though she had already defeated Lance, Yellow understood something very clearly—
The further the tournament went, the stronger the opponents would become.
The pressure would only keep rising. And if she could be matched with her Gym Leader brother right here, then this would be the best possible outcome.
Finally, under everyone's gaze, the second portrait on the giant screen slowly came to a stop.
A girl wearing a straw hat appeared before everyone's eyes.
It was Yellow.
The stadium instantly filled with a mix of groans and relieved sighs.
"Huh? It's Yellow?"
Lillie cried out in surprise. She was quite close to Yellow and had hoped Yellow could achieve an even better result.
But if she ran into her brother here… then this was as far as Yellow could go.
"What a shame."
Leaf sighed as well. Yellow's "cheat-level" victory over Lance had already been shocking enough.
Honestly, Leaf had loved watching that match. If she could see Yellow defeat Giovanni or Gloria too, that would've been even better.
"It's okay~ Being able to battle Gym Leader brother is really wonderful!"
Yellow, however, was beaming. Her pure little face lit up with a bright smile, her big eyes curving into crescents—she was clearly very satisfied with this result.
Satisfied didn't even begin to cover it.
Seeing this, Dylan couldn't help but smile helplessly.
That child really was something else…
Then again, Yellow had never cared much about honor or rankings in the first place.
"So that means Uncle Giovanni is up against Gloria, huh? Feeling confident?" Leaf asked, glancing toward Giovanni.
"Hehe~ That child is very talented, but I believe my chances are still a bit better," Giovanni replied calmly and modestly.
Not being matched with Dylan instantly put his heart at ease.
"Oho~ Uncle's starting to put on airs now. Still, with your ability, we do trust you," Leaf teased.
"Well then, doesn't that mean Kanto's Champion and Elite Four have all made the semifinals? Impressive~!"
Leaf clicked her tongue in amazement, then casually glanced at someone sitting nearby with one leg crossed, munching on sunflower seeds.
Giovanni and Red also cast subtle looks in the same direction.
"Hey, hey, hey! Why are you all looking at me?!"
Blue exploded.
Damn it! He was already miserable enough—did they really have to rub salt in the wound?!
Pfft—
Lillie couldn't hold back her laughter.
"All right! Both trainers are ready. Let us welcome them to the field with a round of enthusiastic applause!"
The slick-haired host's voice rang out powerfully.
"Dylan!"
"Yellow!"
As the names were called, thunderous applause and cheers swept across the stadium.
From the player tunnels on both sides, two figures slowly stepped out. Only when they reached their positions did the cheers gradually subside.
"Dylan versus Yellow—wow, this is going to be good," Rosa said, fully in spectator mode.
After all, this was a master-and-student showdown!
Everyone knew Yellow was Dylan's apprentice, and like him, she possessed the mysterious Viridian Power.
In earlier matches, Yellow had already demonstrated her uniqueness—her Pokémon's strength skyrocketed during battle!
Anyone who had experienced it would vouch for how terrifying it was. Rosa herself included.
"Exactly. I'm really curious what kind of Pokémon Champion Dylan will use today," Hilda said thoughtfully.
Aside from his legends, Dylan was most famous for one thing—
He could use any type lineup.
The man had trained eighteen mono-type teams, each with a first and second squad.
Was he even human?
Hilda seriously suspected Dylan wasn't normal. A person's energy should have limits.
Even trainers like them, who used multi-type teams, already invested far more effort than specialists. But multi-type didn't mean mastering every type—that was an entirely different level.
On the field, the host continued reading from the data card.
"Champion Dylan needs little introduction. Since taking over the Rota Gym from his father last year, he has led it to unprecedented heights, becoming the strongest Champion Kanto has ever seen."
"Champion Dylan's rise can only be described as legendary."
The host smiled.
Most of the audience strongly agreed. Champions like Lance, Steven, Cynthia, and Leon all had stories that could be written as legends.
They were born prodigies.
But Dylan's journey was even more dramatic—and far more inspiring.
"Right after graduating from Pokémon School, he took over the Rota Gym from his father. Many people don't know this, but—"
"When Champion Dylan first assumed control, the gym's reputation was actually quite poor. At the time, his strength was still weak, and Rota Gym was once… uh…"
The host paused mid-sentence.
After all, this was a global broadcast. He couldn't just casually drag another gym into it.
Rota Gym was fine—it was now recognized as the strongest gym in the world, without question.
But that other gym… not so much.
The audience immediately buzzed.
"Seriously? Rota Gym used to be the weakest in Kanto?"
"It's true. I challenged it early last year—Gym Leader Dylan was really inexperienced back then…"
"We still don't know what happened later that caused such a huge change."
"Wasn't it when he started with Poison-types? From that point on, the gym's reputation completely flipped—insanely so."
"I went in with a Dark-type team at first—absolute nightmare! Completely unorthodox!"
The livestream chat filled in the details all on its own.
"Huh? The host said 'Hua—what'?" Ash scratched his head in confusion.
"..."
Brock glanced at Misty, who was rolling her eyes, and sighed.
"He meant Cerulean Gym. The sisters weren't really suited to being trainers, so Cerulean Gym and Rota Gym were both called the weakest in Kanto back then," Misty said, rubbing her forehead.
She wasn't angry—it was simply true.
And she had grown much stronger now. After returning to Cerulean City, she planned to officially take over the gym.
She might not be an elite trainer yet, but she was confident she could change Cerulean Gym's reputation—at the very least, it would be better than when her sisters were in charge.
She had even asked her sisters to look for Gyarados's Mega Stone.
Once she got Mega Gyarados—
She'd show challengers what true Water-type weight really meant!
Dylan had rewritten Rota Gym's reputation. Misty knew she couldn't compare to him—
But she could at least pull Cerulean Gym out of its current embarrassment.
"Ah… right," Ash chuckled awkwardly.
Low emotional intelligence aside, even he knew this was an awkward situation.
Misty didn't mind. She knew Ash too well by now.
The host continued speaking as the referee announced the battle rules.
On the big screen, the indicator stopped on Dylan.
Dylan would move first.
"How unexpected."
Dylan remained unhurried. He calmly loosened his collar, then pulled a black glove from his pocket and slowly put it on.
"Yellow… I didn't expect us to meet here so soon."
He smiled gently at her.
"Gym Leader brother."
Yellow's face flushed slightly, shy yet determined as she met his gaze.
"What you told me back then—I've never forgotten it!"
She gathered her courage.
"I want to stand in front of you. I won't disappoint you—no matter what!"
Yellow knew exactly how her life had changed.
That afternoon, Leaf and Selene had brought her before this man.
Before that, she had been just an ordinary girl—so ordinary she didn't even qualify as a Bug Catcher.
But after meeting this big brother, everything changed.
He took her in, accepted her as a gym apprentice, taught her patiently and gently—and trusted her completely.
Yellow didn't know how to repay him.
All she could do was give everything she had, especially for the scene he hoped to see one day.
Dylan froze.
After a brief pause, he smiled.
"You really are a delightful child."
He looked at the girl opposite him with genuine warmth. Compared to Selene and Silver, Yellow was simply far too well-behaved.
Yellow's smile bloomed even brighter.
"Then let me see what you've gained this past year," Dylan said.
He had many things he wanted to say—but standing here, on this stage, Yellow's words had left him momentarily speechless.
Perhaps the most important thing now was to personally experience her strength.
"Yes!" Yellow answered seriously.
"Then my first Pokémon will be this one."
Dylan took out an Ultra Ball and flicked it forward.
"Drapion—battle ready!"
"Drrra—!"
With a low, menacing roar, the massive scorpion slammed onto the field. Its pincers swung as it fixed Yellow with a predatory glare.
Drapion.
The instant Drapion appeared, Red's eyes sharpened.
"Whoa! It's that Drapion!"
Ash and Misty lit up, memories flooding back to last year.
Ash, in particular, remembered all too well how this Drapion had dealt with Red's Pikachu.
"That Drapion…" Brock sighed, equally nostalgic.
"This was one of my earliest core Pokémon," Dylan said, extending his right hand toward Yellow in an inviting gesture.
"Come, Yellow. Let your teacher see the strength you have now."