“Wartortle, use Water Gun!”

At Gary’s command, his Pokémon shot a thick stream of water toward the golden Pidgeotto.

“Use Wing Attack.”

Pidgeotto’s wings glowed white as it flew directly into the oncoming torrent. Under Gary and Wartortle’s stunned gazes, it effortlessly sliced the Water Gun in half, the powerful jet of water dissipating into harmless mist.

“What kind of power is that?” Gary muttered, his cocky smirk vanishing. “To slice a pressurized water stream with just its wings…”

“Red’s Pidgeotto must have undergone special training to strengthen its wing muscles!” Professor Oak immediately deduced the reason. As a Pokémon Professor with extensive experience, he could tell at a glance that this Pidgeotto’s wings were far more powerful than those of its peers. Even for a Shiny Pokémon, this level of development was exceptional.

“As expected of Professor Oak,” Red confirmed. “Pidgeotto has been wearing a weighted Pokémon Enhancer since we were at Bill’s lighthouse, doing extensive training to restrict and strengthen its wings.”

The explanation clarified why Wartortle’s attack had been so easily nullified. “I still underestimated you, Red,” Gary sighed, his initial probing attack having ended in complete failure. “But a shame… Wartortle is much stronger than just that! Wartortle, use Rapid Spin to kick up sand!”

Wartortle quickly spun its body, intending to obscure Pidgeotto’s vision with a cloud of sand.

“Please wait a moment!”

A melodious female voice cut through the tense atmosphere. Gary, his battle focus broken, turned with a flicker of annoyance, wondering who would be so tactless as to interrupt his long-awaited match with Red.

“It’s you!” Red said, slightly surprised. The girl who had appeared was none other than Giselle, the top student from Pokémon Tech who had decided to embark on her own journey.

“What? Are you surprised to see me?” Giselle’s striking makeup and confident air drew the attention of nearly every man on the beach. Even Gary found himself glancing over, curious about her relationship with Red.

(This one is trouble,) Leaf thought, her instincts on high alert. As a girl, she immediately recognized the look in Giselle’s eyes as she gazed at Red. It was a look she knew all too well.

(How many girls’ hearts has this boy captivated?) Delia wondered, a mixture of pride and amusement on her face. If Red were as dense as Ash, she’d genuinely worry about him ever finding a girlfriend.

Giselle was also wearing a swimsuit, but her style was unexpectedly bold—a black lace two-piece that made it difficult for most of the men in the crowd to look away.

“So, why did you interrupt my battle with Red!” Gary demanded, his patience wearing thin.

“Because I also consider Red my rival!” Giselle declared, her eyes fixed on Red. “This guy did that to me back at Pokémon Tech. I will absolutely not forgive him so easily!”

A collective, gossipy “Ooooh~” rippled through the audience, who were now far more interested in this budding drama than the Pokémon battle.

“Hey, hey, hey, don’t make the story of me defeating you sound so misleading!” Red quickly corrected her, not wanting Delia to misunderstand him as some kind of irresponsible playboy.

“How boring!” Giselle pouted, then turned her sharp gaze to Leaf. “You’re Red’s traveling companion? You don’t look like much.”

“Oh, really? And who doesn’t know the ‘reputation’ of your Pokémon Tech?” Leaf retorted, refusing to back down.

(My judgment was right,) Leaf thought. (She’s interested in Red. No wonder she’s targeting me!)

“So, you want to challenge Red again? Sorry, but I’m the one battling him right now,” Gary said, trying to wave her off. “You can wait until we’re finished!” He had finally gotten his chance for a rematch, and he wasn’t about to let this girl ruin it.

“Isn’t this perfect? I’m very interested to see the strength of someone who could be Red’s traveling companion!” Giselle provoked, clearly not willing to miss this opportunity.

“Are you suggesting…” Red began.

“A Double Battle!” Leaf finished, surprised.

“Exactly. I’ll team up with this guy,” Giselle said, gesturing to Gary, “and you and Red can try to defeat us.” She signaled for Gary to let his Wartortle recover.

“Alright. It’s a good chance for me to see Leaf’s strength,” Gary said with a smirk. Since he couldn’t stop her, he might as well let the battle escalate.

“A Double Battle? How interesting!” Professor Oak stepped forward, positioning himself in the center of the sand-swept arena. “Allow me to be the referee for this match!”

“Thank you, Professor Oak!” the three of them replied.

“Grandpa, I’ll let you see my current strength!” Gary declared.

“Let me be clear,” Leaf said, unable to stand Giselle’s constant hostility any longer. “I’m not Red’s traveling companion. I’m just traveling alongside him temporarily. Like you, I also consider Red my rival!”

“It seems I misunderstood,” Giselle breathed a sigh of relief, though her competitive gaze toward Leaf didn’t soften.

(If I don’t thoroughly defeat this girl, I’ll never be able to quell this frustration!) Leaf thought angrily. Even after she’d conceded so much, Giselle still wouldn’t give her an ounce of respect.

“Now then!” Professor Oak announced, raising two small flags. “The Red Team, Red and Leaf, will face the Green Team, Gary and Giselle! Both sides may use three Pokémon. The match is over when one side’s Pokémon are all unable to battle. Trainers may substitute Pokémon at any time, and there is no time limit! Let the battle begin!”

“Go, Ivysaur!”

“Go, Cubone!”

Leaf and Giselle threw their Poké Balls in unison.

“Yes! I didn’t expect it to be a Ground-type!” Leaf said happily. In terms of typing, her Ivysaur had the clear advantage. She had originally intended to use it to counter Gary’s Wartortle, but was pleasantly surprised that Giselle’s first choice was also weak to Grass.

“Don’t get too ahead of yourself. Pokémon battles are about more than just type advantage,” Giselle said calmly, her lack of panic earning a sliver of respect from her new teammate, Gary.

(It seems Pokémon Tech isn’t entirely useless,) he thought.

“Cubone, use Screech!”

A piercing shriek filled the air, aimed at lowering the defenses of Pidgeotto and Ivysaur. Ivysaur cried out, covering its ears in pain. Above, Pidgeotto just looked annoyed.

“Strange, why is Pidgeotto’s reaction so muted?” Giselle wondered aloud.

“Big Pecks,” Gary explained, analyzing the situation coolly. “Its ability prevents its Defense from being lowered.”

Professor Oak nodded in satisfaction from the sidelines, pleased with his grandson’s sharp eye and battle knowledge.

“What a troublesome ability. It seems ordinary tactics won’t work,” Giselle said regretfully.

“Ivysaur, use Razor Leaf!” Leaf commanded. “We don’t have time to wait for you to come up with a plan!”

Countless sharp leaves shot from the bulb on Ivysaur’s back, flying toward Cubone and Wartortle.

“Wartortle, use Rapid Spin!”

Wartortle retracted into its shell and spun furiously, creating a vortex that easily deflected the Razor Leaf barrage.

“It broke through so easily!” Leaf said in disbelief, though she wasn’t disappointed. Her opponent was Gary, after all. If he had been defeated that simply, she would have been suspicious.

“Aerial Ace.”

A calm, quiet command came from Red. The moment the words left his mouth, Gary and Giselle both braced themselves, their expressions turning deadly serious. This was an attack ordered by Red. It was not one that could be easily blocked.

***

(End of Chapter)

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