"Squirtle!"
Robert knelt beside his fallen Pokémon, shaking its small blue body in desperation. His mind raced as he tried to comprehend what had just happened. His strongest Pokémon, the one he had trained tirelessly, had been taken down in a single hit.
A cold sweat formed on his brow. This wasn't how the battle was supposed to go.
"If I were you," Chihong's voice cut through Robert's panic, "I'd return Squirtle to its Poké Ball or use a medicine spray. Poké Balls have built-in healing systems that can stabilize Pokémon, and a medicine spray would help with its injuries."
Robert blinked. He had been so caught up in the shock of Squirtle's defeat that he had completely forgotten about proper post-battle care.
"Y-yeah… you're right." He quickly returned Squirtle to its Poké Ball, his hands shaking slightly. Unfortunately, he hadn't thought to bring healing items with him—he wasn't a full-fledged trainer yet.
A mixture of frustration and embarrassment burned inside him. He hated how Chihong was acting so casual, as if this battle was nothing more than an amusing distraction to him.
"Thanks for the advice," Robert said stiffly, "but don't think for a second that I'll let you win so easily. I will defeat you in this next round—not just for myself, but for Squirtle too!"
Chihong smirked. "Oh? I'm looking forward to it. Now, hurry up and send out your next Pokémon."
Robert took a deep breath, trying to push down his nerves. He grabbed another Poké Ball from his belt and threw it into the air.
"Come out, Nidoran♂!"
A bright red light flashed as a small, purple Pokémon materialized on the battlefield. Nidoran♂ stood on its short legs, its large ears twitching as it surveyed the area. A sharp, poisonous horn protruded from its forehead, gleaming slightly in the sunlight.
Pokédex Data:
Pokémon: Nidoran♂
Type: Poison
Species: Poison Needle Pokémon
Height: 0.50m
Weight: 9.00kg
Ability: Poison Point (May poison opponents on contact)
Moves: Leer, Focus Energy, Double Kick, Poison Sting, Horn Attack
Strength: Advanced Tier
Chihong studied the Nidoran♂ with mild interest. "Not bad," he said, nodding slightly. "But unfortunately…"
Robert frowned. "Unfortunately what?"
"Nothing."
Chihong simply shook his head, leaving Robert to stew in his frustration.
In truth, he had already analyzed Nidoran♂'s potential using his system. While it was decently trained, its individual values weren't anything special. It was comparable to a well-raised wild Pokémon, but not much more than that. Even if it evolved into Nidoking, its maximum strength would barely reach the Elite Primary level.
Simply put, it wasn't a threat.
Of course, Chihong wasn't about to say any of this out loud. There was no point in crushing Robert's spirit more than necessary.
Robert, on the other hand, had no idea what Chihong was thinking, but he could tell that his opponent wasn't taking this battle seriously.
It was infuriating.
"You're underestimating me," Robert snapped. "I don't know what's going through your head, but you're going to regret it! Nidoran♂, show him our strength!"
Nidoran♂ let out a determined cry, standing firm on the battlefield.
"Use Poison Sting!" Robert commanded.
Nidoran♂ opened its mouth and fired a barrage of small, transparent poison needles straight at Charmeleon. The projectiles zipped through the air, glinting under the sunlight as they homed in on their target.
Chihong let out a yawn.
"Charmeleon," he said lazily, "don't bother dodging. Just counterattack with Flamethrower and end it in one move."
Robert's eyes widened.
What?!
Charmeleon took a deep breath. A second later, a massive jet of fire erupted from its mouth, shooting straight toward the incoming Poison Sting attack.
BOOM!
The fire completely incinerated the poison needles, reducing them to nothing but ash before continuing forward at terrifying speed.
Robert barely had time to react.
"Nidoran♂, dodge it!" he yelled.
"Nido~!"
Nidoran♂ instinctively leaped to the side, narrowly avoiding the blast of flames.
Robert exhaled in relief—but only for a second.
Before Nidoran♂ could regain its balance, Charmeleon was already on the move.
With explosive speed, it charged toward Nidoran♂, its powerful legs propelling it forward like a blur.
Robert's heart stopped.
It's too fast!
"Charmeleon," Chihong said coolly, "Iron Tail."
A white light shrouded Charmeleon's tail as it leaped into the air, twisting its body mid-motion.
Then, with devastating force, it swung its glowing tail downward.
CRACK!
The impact was brutal.
Nidoran♂ let out a strangled cry as it was launched across the battlefield, tumbling helplessly through the air before crashing to the ground.
Silence.
For a few seconds, nobody spoke.
Then, Nidoran♂'s body twitched slightly—before its eyes turned into swirls, signaling unconsciousness.
The crowd erupted.
"NO WAY!"
"ONE HIT?! AGAIN?!"
"Iwaki's Nidoran♂ was taken down with just one move?!"
"This… this is insane! How the hell is that Charmeleon so strong?!"
Even Shirono, the temporary referee, was stunned.
He had expected Chihong to win, but… this quickly?
After snapping out of his daze, he raised his hand and declared, "Nidoran♂ is unable to battle! Charmeleon wins the round!"
Robert felt his stomach drop.
It had happened again.
He had barely even put up a fight.
He turned to look at Nidoran♂, still lying motionless on the battlefield. Slowly, he walked over and picked up his fallen Pokémon, cradling it in his arms.
"Nidoran♂..." he whispered.
The small Pokémon weakly opened its eyes, looking up at him.
"Johnny~"
It let out a faint sound before losing consciousness once again.
Robert clenched his fists. His arms trembled.
How…?
How could I lose so badly… again?!
Just minutes ago, he had been so confident. He had believed that he could at least put up a decent fight.
But Chihong's Charmeleon… was on a completely different level.
It was unbelievably strong.
The spectators, meanwhile, were still buzzing with excitement.
"Did you see that?! Iwaki-san lost with just one move again!"
"And it was Iron Tail! That's a high-level move—how did Charmeleon even learn that?!"
"Yeah! Iron Tail isn't something low-level Pokémon should be able to use so easily!"
"If Charmeleon can already do this, just imagine how strong it'll be when it evolves into Charizard…"
The students murmured among themselves, all of them staring at Charmeleon with a mixture of awe and fear.
As for Robert…
He felt completely defeated.
He had no confidence left.
His hands tightened around Nidoran♂'s Poké Ball.
What's the point? he thought bitterly. I don't stand a chance.
But before he could dwell on his loss any further—
Chihong's voice cut through the air once again.
"Well? That's two down. You've got one Pokémon left."
His smug expression was still there.
"So, Robert…"
"Are you still going to fight?"
---
To be continued…
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