Nidorino stomped its foot, its fighting spirit rekindled. Encouraged by its trainer, it overcame its inner fear and once again stared up at the Golden Pidgeot, its eyes burning with renewed determination.

(This little guy isn’t half bad!)

Pidgeot looked down at Nidorino with a flicker of approval. Finally, a decent opponent.

“It seems Nidorino has gained Pidgeot’s approval!” Gary said with a slight smile. He had seen Pidgeot’s disdainful reaction to Gabite and Golem earlier and was happy for his own Pokémon’s talent.

“Don’t get distracted during a battle!” Red’s eyes instantly sharpened. “Pidgeot, use Hurricane!”

Pidgeot let out a piercing eagle cry, flapping its wings to create a fierce gale that swept across the beach. Some of the lighter spectators had to lie flat on the ground, fearing they would be blown away.

“What a powerful Hurricane! Worthy of Red’s Pidgeot!” Gary exclaimed. He felt a faint, protective psychic power envelop him and looked at Red gratefully. He knew it was Red’s doing, preventing Pidgeot’s attack from affecting him. The other spectators were also shielded. Red didn’t want a simple Pokémon battle to accidentally harm anyone.

(I will not give up! For…)

Nidorino struggled, digging its feet into the sand to keep from being blown away.

“Just mastering close-combat moves isn’t enough. Once you encounter an opponent like Pidgeot, your Nidorino has no way to counterattack,” Red reminded him kindly. “You should teach it a long-range move, like Thunderbolt.”

“I didn’t think it through,” Gary said shamefully. He had forgotten something so basic; it was his own negligence.

“This boy Gary only ever listens to Red!” Professor Oak said with satisfaction, then wondered why the words of a friend his own age were more effective than his own words as a grandfather.

“Sorry, Nidorino!” Gary apologetically took out a Poké Ball. “Continuing like this is useless. I don’t want you to fight a fruitless battle. Please forgive me.”

Nidorino, who still wanted to fight, froze upon seeing the tears in Gary’s eyes. It finally relented and voluntarily returned to its Poké Ball.

“Red, do you think I have the talent to be a Pokémon Trainer?” Gary took a deep breath, forcing a smile.

“Yes, and exceptional talent at that,” Red said seriously, his tone losing its usual flatness. “Your choice to voluntarily recall Nidorino just now proves you can become a powerful Pokémon Trainer. You understand your Pokémon’s feelings, you won’t blindly make them do useless things, and you know when to retreat from difficulties. As a rookie trainer who is only ten years old, you are already far more excellent than many others.”

“Red… I didn’t expect you to…” Gary said, moved. To be so recognized by his rival, the slight hesitation he felt before completely vanished.

“This is brotherly affection! This is the mutual appreciation between rivals!” Professor Oak was so moved that he began wiping away tears that kept flowing, completely unaware that no one was looking at him, purely entertaining himself.

“Finally, I’ll leave it to you, my sweetheart!”

To forget the awkward moment, Gary playfully kissed a Poké Ball, then threw it violently into the air. A well-developed Arcanine appeared.

“What Pokémon is this?” Leaf took out her Pokédex. “Arcanine, the Legendary Pokémon. A beautiful Pokémon that has captured many hearts since ancient times. It is capable of running as lightly as if flying.”

“He’s bringing it out specifically for Pidgeot’s speed,” Giselle analyzed.

“You all should just quietly watch Red and Gary’s match. After all, this is a very rare sight,” Delia said with a smile.

“He’s a good opponent too. Don’t underestimate him, kid,” Red looked up at Pidgeot and warned. Continuous victories would inevitably make Pidgeot a little arrogant, so a timely reminder was necessary. Arcanine was a Pokémon with a very strong base stat distribution, and all three of its potential abilities were excellent.

Upon hearing Red’s warning, Pidgeot quickly nodded and bowed, indicating that it would never make a mistake. The scene stunned everyone present. Was this still the spirited, proud Golden Pidgeot from before?!

“Let the battle begin!” Professor Oak waved his hands, anticipating the duel.

“Use Flamethrower!”

“Agility!”

A scorching pillar of fire shot toward Pidgeot, who easily dodged with a speed difficult to track with the naked eye. It then used the blinding sun as cover to deliver an Aerial Ace before Arcanine could even react.

“So fast!” Gary exclaimed. He had been staring at Pidgeot the whole time, but it hadn’t helped.

“Twister!”

Pidgeot flew circles around Arcanine, creating a fierce vortex. Onlookers could only see faint golden lightning flashing within the storm.

“Don’t underestimate us! Arcanine, use Extreme Speed!”

In terms of raw movement speed, Arcanine was just as fast. It instantly shot out of its spot, breaking through the Twister’s restraint and crashing into Pidgeot’s body.

“Seize this opportunity! Use Flame Wheel!” Gary shouted excitedly, not wanting to miss the chance.

Arcanine spat out a ball of fire that enveloped its body, charging toward Pidgeot like a fiery war chariot.

“Feather Dance!”

Pidgeot shook its wings, elegantly scattering a cloud of golden feathers that disturbed Arcanine’s vision, preventing the attack from landing.

“Wing Attack!”

Seeing that Arcanine was still disoriented, Red decisively commanded an attack. Pidgeot’s wings, emitting a white light, continuously battered Arcanine’s body.

“Use Fire Fang to bite Pidgeot’s wing!” Gary remained calm, giving the order without showing any tension.

Arcanine, being relentlessly attacked by Pidgeot, grew angry. It decisively opened its flame-wreathed mouth and desperately bit down on Pidgeot’s wing.

“Pidgeot—!”

Pidgeot cried out instinctively, then continuously used Air Slash with its other wing to make Arcanine let go.

“Arcanine, hold on! This is our chance to win! Use Fire Spin in place!” Gary shouted excitedly, as if he saw the light of victory.

Pidgeot had no idea Arcanine would be so stubborn, enduring multiple Air Slashes head-on without letting go. A scorching pillar of fire engulfed both of them. Arcanine showed no signs of injury, instead actively absorbing the surrounding flames.

“Flash Fire ability,” Red said calmly. “I told you not to get careless, and yet you still made a mistake.”

If Pidgeot hadn’t gotten carried away with its assault, Gary wouldn’t have had the chance to counterattack. It had brought this upon itself.

(My bad, my bad!)

Pidgeot quickly cried out several times, telling Red it knew it was wrong.

“Use Mud-Slap!”

Pidgeot instantly understood. It quickly grabbed a handful of sand and threw it violently into Arcanine’s eyes. The stinging sensation caused Arcanine to lose its vision and flinch, making it release its bite.

“Close-range Brave Bird!”

Pidgeot’s body erupted with an astonishing blue aura, knocking Arcanine back several meters before it flew back into the sky, regaining the aerial advantage.

“It’s okay, Arcanine!” Seeing his Pokémon’s head lowered in disappointment, Gary spoke to comfort it.

“Gary, let’s have the final showdown!” Red’s fighting spirit doubled. Both Pidgeot and Arcanine were panting heavily; their stamina was giving out.

“No problem! Arcanine, use Flare Blitz!”

“Can you still take it?” Red looked up at Pidgeot. Seeing his partner nod, he then commanded, “Final Brave Bird!”

A blue aura once again covered Pidgeot’s entire body. To enhance the move’s power, it flew high into the sky, intending to use the falling momentum to increase the damage. Arcanine, seeing this, showed no weakness. High-temperature flames covered its body as it charged toward the rapidly approaching Pidgeot.

The two Pokémon collided violently, flames and aura continuously devouring each other. Their eyes revealed a fierce determination to defeat one another. The collision of the two moves converged into a single energy body, which exploded with a bang amidst everyone’s exclamations, shattering everything around. The beach was now marked by a deep pit, and the smoke rising from the explosion made it impossible to know the outcome.

Red and Gary nervously looked at the deep pit. Upon hearing a sound, they stared intently ahead, wanting to know which Pokémon had won.

The smoke was dispersed by another gust of air, revealing Pidgeot slowly flapping its wings. Its talons still gripped the unconscious Arcanine.

“Arcanine is unable to battle, so the winner of this match is Red!” Professor Oak waved his flag down, announcing the final result.

***

(End of Chapter)

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