"Ogerpon, prepare for battle!"
"Ogy~"
The Luxury Ball opened, and Ogerpon landed in front of Dylan, taking out the Teal Mask and placing it on her face.
"Ogerpon!"
Kieran instinctively clenched his fists, excitement and anticipation lighting up his eyes as he stared at Ogerpon.
The legendary "evil spirit" of Kitakami, the one said to have defeated the Loyal Three in ancient times.
Although the villagers of Mossui Town feared and shunned this "ghost," Kieran was different. He admired the power it represented.
Unfortunately, Ogerpon had been captured by Mr. Dylan. Still, Kieran didn't mind. Dylan was so powerful—Kieran might envy him, but he didn't feel jealous.
And now, he was finally going to experience Ogerpon's strength firsthand!
"Mr. Dylan, please don't hold back!" Kieran said seriously.
"Oh? I see." Dylan paused, then smiled in understanding.
"Then let's go all out, Ogy."
"Ogy~!"
Ogerpon let out a low cry. To the astonishment of Carmine and the others, her entire body began to shine with dazzling crystal light—Terastallization!
"What?" Carmine gasped, covering her mouth in shock.
She wasn't surprised that Ogerpon could Terastallize—after all, any Pokémon could do that.
What stunned her was that Dylan hadn't used a Tera Orb at all!
"Auto-Terastallization?" Lacey blinked her big eyes.
"That's right. Ogerpon doesn't need my brother to use a Tera Orb—she can Terastallize on her own," Lillie said, her smile radiant.
The Terastallization didn't last long. With a crisp sound of crystal shattering, a massive, ornate, and radiant mask appeared. Behind it stood Ogerpon's body, glowing with Tera light.
Bathed in the mask's brilliance, Ogerpon's speed increased!
"This is a unique Terastallization exclusive to Ogy. Kieran, come—let me see how you plan to deal with it."
Dylan raised his arm and gestured for Kieran to make his move.
"Hydrapple! Dragon Pulse!"
Kieran's chest rose and fell rapidly, his emotions surging. But he forced himself to stay calm and called out loudly to Hydrapple.
Hydrapple roared. Several Applins emerged from the apple, combining with the main body to build up energy. The enhanced Dragon Pulse shot toward Ogerpon at high speed.
"Barbed Vine Staff," Dylan said with a faint smile.
Ogerpon raised her right hand, and a thorny staff entwined with green vines appeared. With a sweep of her left arm, the massive Teal Mask shifted aside.
Boom!
Ogerpon brought the vine staff down hard on the incoming Dragon Pulse, unleashing a thunderous explosion.
The Dragon Pulse was completely shattered by the vine staff, its scattered energy dispersing in a violent shockwave.
"Quick Attack."
A flash of white light burst behind Ogerpon—she shot toward Hydrapple like lightning.
Trick Room was nearly over, but still in effect, so Ogerpon had to use a priority move like Quick Attack to close the gap.
"Hydrapple!"
Bang!
Before Kieran could finish his warning, Ogerpon had already slammed into Hydrapple.
"Play Rough!"
"Pollen Puff!"
Pink Fairy energy wrapped around Ogerpon's limbs as she pounced on Hydrapple and launched a relentless assault—Fairy-type Play Rough!
Under the barrage, Hydrapple howled in pain. The Pollen Puff gathering in its mouth completely dissipated.
Bang!
With one final punch, Ogerpon sent Hydrapple flying. It crashed heavily to the ground.
When they looked again, Hydrapple's main body—the Applin—was clearly unable to battle, and its Terastallization faded.
Fighting Tera Hydrapple was weak to Fairy. That Play Rough from Ogerpon was too much for it to handle.
"Hydrapple is unable to battle. Ogerpon wins!"
Lan announced the result.
The match had ended almost shockingly fast.
"So strong…"
Carmine stared in disbelief at the crystal-clear Ogerpon. So this was the power of the legendary "ghost"?
Kieran's ace Hydrapple had been defeated so easily.
"Ogy's power is second only to a certain tier. Among my brother's main team, she's still at the top," Lillie said without surprise.
Aside from the highest-level legends, Ogerpon was Dylan's strongest Pokémon—without a doubt.
Even Darkrai or Zapdos couldn't compare.
That tier... which tier exactly?
Carmine wanted to ask but decided not to.
Lacey, however, seemed to understand. She remembered those Pokémon that once made her Brute Bonnet tremble—and went quiet.
On the battlefield—
After defeating Hydrapple, Ogerpon waved her arm. The crystal Teal Mask floated back in front of her, pulsing like a living thing.
"Return, Hydrapple. You did great."
Even though Hydrapple had been defeated easily, Kieran didn't blame it. He took a deep breath.
"I expected this, but still… it's really strong."
Kieran stared at that glowing, green evil mask and took out another Poké Ball.
"Porygon-Z!"
He sent out Porygon-Z once again.
By now, the strange spatial distortion on the field had ended—Trick Room was over.
"Ice Beam."
Kieran immediately gave the order.
Porygon-Z began charging a pale blue energy orb in front of it.
"Power Whip."
Ogerpon stomped the ground and growled. Vines burst from beneath and wove into a massive whip, lashing downward at Porygon-Z.
Ice Beam clashed with the whip, but only for a moment—Power Whip shattered the beam and kept going.
Boom!
The massive vine struck Porygon-Z hard, slamming it into the battlefield.
The entire ground trembled violently, dust and debris billowing up.
Kieran's heart skipped. His Porygon-Z had incredible special attack, but it had been overpowered just like that…
Ogerpon waved her hand, and the crystal Teal Mask stirred up a strong gust that blew the dust away.
"Porygon-Z is unable to battle. Ogerpon wins."
Lan announced again.
"They're not even on the same level."
Lacey let out a sigh. From that exchange alone, it was clear—there was a massive gap in strength.
"Even if Ogerpon had appeared back then, Kieran wouldn't have been able to capture her," Carmine said quietly after a pause.
The stories from Kitakami had always suggested Ogerpon was powerful—but no one imagined she was this overwhelming.
"Emmm… that's true," Lillie said thoughtfully, tapping her chin. "Even though Ogy hadn't been caught by my brother back then, if today's Kieran had tried to catch her back then, he still wouldn't stand a chance."
She remembered it vividly—Ogerpon entering Terastallization on her own and obliterating Peachy and the others in a one-vs-four like a war god.
Her power had been staggering.
Lacey: (—)
Carmine: "..."
Back on the battlefield, Kieran still hadn't given up—even though the gap in power was now painfully clear.
But this was his promise with Dylan. If they hadn't made that agreement, he might not even have gotten the chance to battle Ogerpon.
Even if he couldn't win, Kieran wouldn't surrender.
His sixth Pokémon was Dragonite—but it didn't make a difference. Ogerpon's single Play Rough took Dragonite down instantly.
And as for the frozen Politoed? That was even worse. Ogerpon used Power Whip once—the ice broke, sure, but Politoed ended up with spinning eyes.
"Politoed is unable to battle. Ogerpon wins. Challenger Kieran's six Pokémon are all unable to battle. The challenge is over."
Lan declared the final result.
"Phew~"
Kieran recalled Politoed and let out a long sigh. Looking at the Poké Ball in his hand, he felt a bit down—but also strangely at peace.
"Well done, Kieran."
A gentle voice brought him back to his senses.
"Mr. Dylan."
Kieran looked up to see Dylan approaching, Ogerpon beside him, her Terastallization now gone.
"That was a great battle. I've said it before, but I'll say it again—you've really grown. You're a true man now."
Dylan patted Kieran's shoulder with a warm smile.
"Thank you, Mr. Dylan! It's all thanks to your encouragement back then!" Kieran bit his lip, then stepped back and bowed respectfully.
"No, Kieran—the most important thing is your own heart."
Dylan chuckled softly.
"You had the will to persevere and grow. You unlocked your own potential. You've always been outstanding—I merely gave a bit of guidance."
"If you didn't already have the talent, you wouldn't have come this far."
Dylan looked at Kieran as he spoke. Yes, it might sound harsh, but it was the truth.
Kieran had become a Champion-level trainer in such a short time because of his talent and potential. For someone of average talent, it simply wouldn't have been possible.
"Without you, Mr. Dylan, I might still be that timid Kieran." But Kieran shook his head.
He knew his strength came from his own hard training, but without the determination to grow stronger, he wouldn't have come so far.
"Then I'll accept your thanks—and give you this."
Dylan didn't argue further. He took out a small ornate box and opened it in front of Kieran.
"This is the Ice-type Rota Badge. Kieran, you've earned it."
Kieran's eyes lit up at the sight of the badge.
It was carved from icy blue gemstone in the shape of a snowflake, delicate and beautiful, almost glowing faintly.
"Wow! It's so pretty!" Lacey came over and gasped at the badge's beauty.
That snowflake design really was stunning.
"Mr. Dylan, I…" Kieran had instantly fallen in love with the badge, but he still hesitated.
"Don't refuse. Take it—you deserve it. It's my recognition of you," Dylan said with a smile, placing the box in Kieran's hands.
"Take it, Kieran. Mr. Dylan doesn't give out badges lightly," Lacey urged him as well.
"All right… Thank you, Mr. Dylan." Kieran bowed again with sincere gratitude.
"You earned my approval. No thanks necessary," Dylan shook his head.
A simple 'thank you' wouldn't earn his badge. Kieran truly had what it took.
The battle was over. Dylan gave the three of them a quick tour of the Rota Gym before bringing them to the lounge.
"The year's almost over—soon it'll be a new year. Kieran, Miss Lacey, do you have any plans for next year?" Dylan asked, sipping tea.
"I haven't graduated yet. But I plan to travel around Unova for a bit and try challenging the Unova League."
Lacey tilted her head, thinking it over. She was currently a second-year at Blueberry Academy. Next year, she'd be a third-year.
But staying at school too long didn't feel right. There were strong classmates to battle, sure—but not enough.
She wasn't as gifted as Kieran, after all.
"Traveling is a good choice. You'll gain perspective, experience, and new partners."
Dylan fully supported the idea.
"What about you, Kieran?"
"I'm… not sure yet," Kieran replied after a moment.
He truly didn't know what to do next year. He was already Champion-level—staying at Blueberry Academy wasn't an option anymore.
After all, it was just a school—his starting point, not his destination. Even though it had the Blueberry League, that wasn't the same as a regional league.
"In that case, how about I make a recommendation?"
"Please do, Mr. Dylan."
"Go to the Alola region. You might just become Champion."
Dylan smiled at Kieran.
Yes, the Alola League was still new—and it needed a Champion-level trainer like Kieran.