While the Gym Leaders and Elites were discussing their next steps, Daniel shook hands with Drayden. Even with his strategies and aura, he had to work to get a clean victory. If the man had a stronger aura and a couple of ‘battle gimmicks’ it would have been much closer.

“Good fight,” Drayden said, animosity slowly replaced by respect.

“Yeah. You almost made a run for my money.” Daniel chuckled. “Some aura training, a couple of battle evolutions and you’re ready for the World circuit.”

“Was that why you never said your commands out loud? Aura?”

Daniel nodded. “High-level fights are always silent. There's always the chance your Pokemon doesn’t hear you or your opponent gets a read on your strategy.”

“But you were screaming your moves when you came here.” Iris narrowed her eyes at him.

“Do you know how many hours I was fighting before that? I got knocked out 3 times in the last hour before coming here. It was a miracle I still had anything in the tank.”

“Would you…” Iris’ tone shifted slightly. He could see her fidgeting with her dress and looking at the battlefield.

“Teach you?” He lifted his eyebrow. “I don’t see why not. It’s not hard, just takes time.”

“Perfect!” Iris bounced with too much energy for him, reminding him of her young age.

“By the way, how’s everything going with the information?”

“It’s complicated.” Iris deflated. “Revealing just enough and not too much is exhausting. Alola still hasn’t gone back to us. Kalos outright cut off communications…”

“A mess.” Drayden sighed.

“Sometimes I want to give back the chair to Alder.” She groaned, furiously rubbing her face. “At least Paldea is on board with us. That fancy school they’re building here is helping a lot.”

“How about we go for a change of pace?” Daniel suggested, feeling bad for Iris. “What if our dragons get to know each other? Sure, they’re tired but I think it’s better to strike while the iron’s hot.”

He imagined she already had a lot on her plate with Plasma, and now she had to deal with him and the knowledge he shared with them. Even if he only briefly dealt with that level of politics, he understood how the teen felt.

The young girl smiled weakly at him and nodded.

“I think your Dragapult left an… impression on my team. Cesar wants to meet her again.” Drayden nodded.

“Well, I can tell that she’s also quite eager to meet him too,” Daniel said with a wry smile, feeling Casper’s Pokeball slightly shaking in his bracer. “Should we get them looked over and head to your place?”

“Great!” Iris regained her energy quickly enough, making both men chuckle. That quickly died down when her Xtransceiver rang. “Give me a moment.”

She walked away and received the call while both men stood in silence over the field. Daniel tried to break the ice, but he couldn’t find words to do so. He didn’t want to ruin their tenuous peace with an annoying question or joke.

“Sorry guys, I need to do more champion stuff…” Iris walked back and said, defeated. “Champion Leon just took office and wants to establish relations. And declared himself the strongest trainer in the world.”

“Like my dad used to say, the grind never stops.” Daniel chuckled and shrugged. “Another day will be.”

“Don’t let it get in the way!” She shoved them both toward the exit. “Go! I’ll have my turn later!”

Both men looked at each other, shrugged, and nodded at the young girl. After exchanging pleasantries with the other Leaders, Daniel trying his hardest not to look directly at Marshal, they left for the League’s Pokemon center.

It was much smaller than regular centers, yet it compensated for aesthetics. The furniture inside was comfortable. A giant flat-screen TV mounted on the wall. Soft music played over the intercom. There was even a snack bar with berries, bread, cheeses, and even some cuts of meat.

“It reminds me of home,” Daniel whispered as both gave their Pokemon to the nurse Joy manning the place. “Atmosphere is the same.” He went to the snack bar and picked up a couple of berries. “Even the berry selection didn’t change.”

He stealthily wiped his eyes and ate the small Oran berry.

“Taste is different, though.”

“…Why?”

“Genetic engineering, mostly.” He shrugged. “Lost a lot of arable land over the years, so we needed food with extra calories.”

“How…” Drayden worked his jaw, looking for words. “How was Opelucid…”

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Daniel looked over the place, and after making sure they were alone he sat back down.

“The rebels opened a portal directly on top of the Gym. You can imagine the rest. We still have training to deal with something similar, even if that happened over a century ago.”

Drayden looked conflicted. The man knew it wasn’t a fight he would partake in, or even his grandson. Still, knowing the city would be destroyed in the future was a heavy blow. Even after reading the reports, he still didn’t fully believe it.

“Can we prevent it?” He asked after a lengthy silence.

“I don’t think so.” Daniel shook his head. “It’s not simply ‘kill the Leader of the revolution before he’s born.’ Tensions were too high after the unification, and not everyone was happy. If Zacharias didn’t light the fuse, somebody else would have done it.”

“Arceus damn it.” The older man grunted.

Minutes passed by in silence while the older man processed everything. In the meantime, Daniel let Mothra out. She had been sulking for not having her chance to shine. That sadness quickly morphed into ‘anger’ as she bit him and demanded to be pampered. With a soft sigh, he began stroking her fur and scratching her chin. That was enough for her to relax, her wings buzzing to the tune of the music.

“Voool?”

“Yes, you’re going first in the next fight.”

“Ca! Volca!”

“It won’t happen again, silly girl.” He rubbed her just under the mandibles.

“Vooool~”

She let out a cheerful noise and buzzed her wings. Daniel wondered if all members of her species were like that, or if he committed a mistake when she was younger. ‘Looking back on it, I babied her for too long.’ Volcaronas, especially the Kalosian ones, were late bloomers. In the end, he chalked it up to inexperience from his younger self.

“Is she young?” Drayden’s voice drew his attention. The man was looking at them with a curious expression.

“She’s…almost 31,” Daniel said with a wry smile.

Drayden scoffed and shook his head. This time, however, there was no pride or venom in his expression. Just a trainer looking at an equal.

“She reminds me of some of my Altarias.”

“Oh yeah? Are they as needy as this silly thing?” Daniel said with a smile, scratching her abdomen. The Volcarona cooed and tapped her legs on the ground.

“Some of them, at least, were.” He nodded and looked upwards. “They would pile up when I came by their enclosure.”

“Oh Arceus, I can hardly deal with one Mothra. Can’t imagine a flock of Pokemon like her.”

Both men laughed out loud while the Pokemon in question looked at them confused. They exchanged stories about their younger days with their teams. The challenges of dealing with baby Pokemon, especially dragons. Some stories about family and the League itself.

The Nurse interrupted them, returning their teams. After getting their Pokeballs back, and with Mothra back in hers, both left. At least now, Daniel didn’t feel on edge around the Gym Leader, so it was a comfortable silence.

“Now that I think about it. It’s always like this with dragon trainers.”

He chuckled while thinking about his friendships in the future. He always clashed with dragon trainers because of their opposing auras. After some fights, and some bonding time, they would die for you. Daniel didn’t know if it was because of their aura or just coincidence, but it was funny to think about.

“What’s so funny?” Drayden eyed him from the side with some suspicion.

“Nothing important.” He dismissed.

Since Drayden was told not to overdo it for a while, they took the train to Opelucid. As before, it was an empty cart. He used the time to show him some pictures of New Opelucid and the Dragon Gym. Some were personal, from his trips to the city itself, others from the database.

“Why is it so…”

“Vertical? To let ecosystems recover. Don’t want to intrude in those while they sort themselves out.”

The city was a stark difference from its ‘modern’ counterpart. Instead of a sprawling metropolis, a giant pyramidal structure stood. It had openings filled with plant life and roosting Pokemon. The ‘houses’ were just glorified apartments inside, spacious, but nothing like they had in the past. Thankfully, technology made the insides bigger than the outside, so people didn’t feel as claustrophobic.

The Gym was at the very top of the structure. Statues of golden legendary dragons surrounded the entrance, while the interior looked like an ancient marble temple. The walls and ceilings of the Gym were etched with paintings detailing important historical events surrounding the city. Images of its founding. The great heights of Old Opelucid. The attack by Team Plasma… The destruction during the Great Incursions.

What stood out to Drayden was that the current Gym Leader resembled his daughter a lot.

“Oh, yeah.” Daniel chimed in. “The city is still under your family. There were some black Wooloo here and there, but overall, your descendants took great care of it.”

Drayden silently looked at one photo. It had a painting with him on it and his Haxorus by his side. He defiantly looked at a giant ship approaching the city. The very next painting was Drayton. He could recognize his purple streak anywhere in the world.

He looked much older and more mature. A metallic dragon stood beside him as he stood confidently. Seeing him carrying that pride and confidence in his stance… warmed his heart.

‘He’ll be fine.’ The man thought to himself. He feared Drayton wouldn’t be able to carry on the legacy and become a great man. His laid-back attitude made him fear the worst. But at least this gave him some hope for the future.

When the train arrived at Opelucid, they made their way to the Gym’s ranch. It was a short 10-minute walk from the Gym’s property. It was enormous, in Daniel’s opinion. Rolling hills, a great ravine filled with caves, and a small river passing through the middle. He could spot some young Swablu flying and some Horsea by the water. Draconic aura rolled from hidden crevasses and caves as he got nearer.

By the looks they were giving him, they weren’t particularly happy about meeting him. Yet none of them attacked them as both men entered.

“It looks beautiful,” Daniel commented, grabbing Casper’s Pokeball. “There’s enough space for a Dragapult flock. Just remember not to let it get out of hand. They’re quite the menace.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Drayden nodded and grabbed Cesar’s Pokeball. “Ready?”

“As I will ever be.”

As both dragons hit the field, the atmosphere suddenly shifted. The air stilled and the chatter silenced. Casper eyed Cesar as she floated. Her young floating a couple of meters behind.

Salamence narrowed his eyes at first. Yet he lowered his head, slowly closing his eyes.

“Draaa.”

“Mence.”

Casper floated closer, examining Cesar meticulously. The male stood perfectly still while being looked over as if looking for approval. When she finished a couple of rounds, she nodded.

“Dragapult.”

She flew towards the ravine, Salamence closely following behind.

“I think that was a success,” Daniel said, arms crossed. “You’ll be hearing from me in a couple of days to give you good news.”

“I’ll be waiting for them.”

Both stood on the field, arms crossed, looking towards the ravine. Distant roars and explosions rang for a couple of seconds before the stillness returned. Then a different kind of roar boomed out of the area. The trainers quietly let them go at it, leaving the premises with a pair of confused Dreepy. Both were looking unsure if they needed to help their mother.