The New Year arrived in the blink of an eye.
Dylan and his family gathered together for a hearty New Year's Eve dinner, and Itto and his wife were positively beaming.
After all, their child had become the Champion of Kanto this year—what could bring more pride and joy?
Itto was already patting himself on the back for his foresight. Thank goodness he'd handed down the Rota Gym to Dylan!
For many Trainers, the end of the year held special meaning.
Regardless of whether they achieved results or not, the past year was now behind them—and a brand-new journey would begin tomorrow.
At the start of the new year, the Rota Gym was unsurprisingly quiet. Few challengers showed up—which was to be expected.
But on the fifth day, a rather unusual group of guests arrived at the gym.
"They're here, they're here~!"
Lillie, dressed in a lovely white dress, ran to the door and swung it open.
"Actually, there's no need to ring the bell—you can just come right in… huh?"
She looked up mid-sentence and froze at the sight before her.
"Hahaha~ Lillie! Long time no see!"
Leading the group was the boisterous Alder, who greeted her with a hearty laugh.
"Long time no see, Alder… uh, wait—you're not Champion anymore, right?" Lillie blinked, glancing at the people behind him.
There stood the handsome green-haired N, and a young girl in a pink-and-white dress.
"Not Champion anymore," Alder chuckled. "Just here to visit Dylan. I'm not unwelcome, am I?"
"Of course not! Big brother's in the backyard—please, come in."
Lillie welcomed them in warmly and quickly pulled out her comm device.
"Big bro, Alder's here to see you."
Visitors had been dropping by frequently over the past few days, so she wasn't surprised anymore—but someone like Alder, coming all the way from Unova? That was a first.
"Whoa~ so this is the famous roulette, huh? I've finally seen it in person," Alder muttered as he surveyed the gym and laid eyes on the signature spinning wheel.
"You're welcome to try it out. Want to give it a spin?" Lillie asked sweetly.
"No thanks, no thanks—I'm too old for that nonsense. I'd never survive against that Dylan guy," Alder waved her off immediately.
Even Leon, Champion of Galar, had been wrecked by Dylan. A retired geezer like him wouldn't stand a chance.
"You're such a coward," muttered the girl beside him, rolling her eyes.
That was Iris—the young girl who had succeeded him as Unova Champion.
"Hehe, don't worry, this is just a gym battle. Big brother doesn't go all out for those," Lillie giggled.
"That's what you say—but what if I spin and land on the 'gold tier' with all the legendary Pokémon?" Alder scratched his wild hair nervously.
He still remembered how that other girl, Lacey, had been scared to tears by Dylan's Kyurem.
"Uhh… it's been a while since anyone landed on a legendary team," Lillie replied, a little uncertain.
Seeing her face, Alder burst into laughter.
"Alder, what brings you to Kanto all of a sudden?" Dylan asked, stepping in with a smile.
"N, long time no see. And this must be Iris—the new Unova Champion. A pleasure to meet you."
He greeted N and Iris warmly, already well aware that N had renounced his former ideals and joined the Unova League.
"Dylan." N's eyes brightened as he looked at him.
Iris curiously sized up the man who had become something of a legend even in Unova.
"Let's just say someone insisted on coming to see you," Alder shrugged helplessly. "And it's been a while since I visited Kanto anyway."
"Oh?" Dylan raised a brow and turned his gaze to N. Clearly, he was the one.
"Zekrom has returned to me. It told me that Lance has fallen."
N's demeanor was very different from before. After leaving Lance, Zekrom had returned to N and informed him of everything that had happened on Cinnabar.
"That's right. Lance's ideals were misguided."
"But you didn't step in."
N's eyes locked onto Dylan.
"In a way, I did," Dylan replied. "I restricted Lance's two legendary Pokémon."
If Lance had been free to command Zekrom and Lugia in battle, Giovanni and the others would never have stood a chance.
"It's not the same."
N shook his head.
"Dylan, I want to battle you—under the name of a hero."
His tone was solemn as he issued the challenge.
"You're serious?" Dylan blinked in surprise.
N's ideals had changed—yet he still wanted to battle?
Wait… come to think of it, they'd never truly fought before.
Though they'd crossed paths and clashed, Dylan realized they'd never had a proper battle.
"Yes. I want to see your truth through battle, Dylan."
N's voice was calm but resolute.
Neither Alder nor Iris was surprised—they clearly knew this was coming.
"I see…"
Dylan arched a brow.
"In that case, I have no reason to say no," he replied after a moment of thought.
So N wanted to understand him through combat, huh?
"Hahaha~ this is gonna be good. A battle between Dylan and N? I'm all for it," Alder grinned.
He didn't expect N to win—Dylan was too strong—but he was excited all the same.
After all, N wasn't weak. And now that Zekrom had returned to him…
They took their places on the battlefield, facing off.
"I'll be the referee!" Alder volunteered before Lillie could open her mouth.
"…Fine." She pouted slightly.
"The match between Trainer Dylan and Trainer N is about to begin! Format: 6 vs. 6, full battle!"
"When all six Pokémon on one side are unable to battle, the other side wins!"
"Battle—start!"
The scoreboard lit up. Dylan and N's portraits appeared, and the pointer began to spin.
It slowed… and stopped on Dylan.
He'd go first.
"Never thought my first match of the year would be with you, N."
Dylan drew a Poké Ball and smiled.
"I've been thinking for a while now—what team should I use against you? But in the end… since you want to understand my truth…"
"…Then I'll use the one that represents where I truly began as a Trainer. N, see for yourself."
Hearing that, N's eyes lit up. Dylan's original team?
"I'll give it my all!" he declared.
"That's what I want to hear. Let's go—Glimmora, to the field!"
Dylan tossed the ball, and a shimmering Pokémon floated out. Its body slowly unfolded like a blooming crystal flower—it was Glimmora.
"Glimmora, huh? That means… Dylan's going with a Poison-type team?" Alder scratched his chin.
Beep~ Glimmora. Rock/Poison-type. The Ore Pokémon.
Ability: Toxic Debris
Moves: Mortal Spin, Sludge Wave, Power Gem, Spiky Shield, Toxic, Stealth Rock…
Description: When sensing danger, it opens its crystalline petals and fires energy beams from its conical body.
Rotom floated beside Lillie, reading off the data.
"That's right. If we're talking about Dylan's first team, no doubt—it was Poison-types," came a graceful female voice.
"Ilene! You're here!" Lillie turned to see a woman in a pink dress walk in.
"Mm~ Didn't expect Dylan to be battling today," Ilene smiled. They'd originally planned a camping trip.
Still, watching Dylan battle N wasn't a bad way to spend the day.
"Glimmora, huh… in that case…"
N considered carefully before tossing out his own Poké Ball.
"Klinklang! I'm counting on you!"
With a flash, the Steel-type Pokémon floated into position.
Beep~ Klinklang. Steel-type. The Gear Pokémon.
Ability: Plus
Moves: Electric Terrain, Zap Cannon, Lock-On, Gear Grind, Gear Up, Shift Gear…
Description: The red core acts as an energy tank, releasing stored power through its spiked tips.
A solid counter—Steel-types couldn't be poisoned.
N had clearly come prepared.
"You're using Poké Balls now?" Dylan asked curiously.
In the past, N refused to use them, believing they shackled a Pokémon's freedom.
"I was too narrow-minded before," N said with a shake of his head.
"Poké Balls are a bridge of friendship between humans and Pokémon. Freedom isn't limited by a Poké Ball alone."
Though he still believed some used them poorly, he no longer saw them as inherently bad.
They were symbols of trust—proof that a Pokémon chose to stand beside its Trainer.
Besides, without them, carrying his closest friends around wasn't exactly practical.
"Well said. I can feel it—N, you really have changed."
Dylan was genuinely impressed.
"Then show me. You, recognized by Zekrom—how strong are you now?"
His smile curled with challenge.
"I will. I'll show you my ideals!"
N's expression turned serious. He would fight with everything he had—to uncover Dylan's truth.
Though they'd clashed before, Zekrom had fled from Kyurem without fighting Dylan's Reshiram.
But today—he hoped Dylan would use it.
Zekrom wanted to face Reshiram head-on.
He just didn't know if Dylan would grant that wish.
(End of Chapter 378)