"Gym Leader, I punched a hole through your roof. Let me patch it up." Reiji looked at the black smoke still drifting from the broken roof and could only laugh awkwardly.
He really had not meant to do it. The move had already been fired. What else was he supposed to do?
"Leave it. The steward will call someone." Cissy's father waved it off and led him back into the Gym.
The steward was already waiting by the entrance with several documents in hand.
After the steward left, only Reiji and Cissy's father remained by the door. Cissy's father handed the documents over.
"Gym Leader, what are these?"
"The land deed and the hot spring development permit," Cissy's father said. "Want to go take a look? The road's already under construction, and our families' hot spring inns are almost finished."
"I'll go when I have time." Reiji took the waterproof folder but did not open it.
He trusted Cissy's father not to cheat him. He carefully tucked the documents into his backpack and decided to check the site later.
"That's everything for now. Are you staying for dinner?" Cissy's father asked, hands tucked into his sleeves.
"I want to head back first. If I'm coming back for dinner, I'll return later."
By "back," Reiji meant the lakeside cabins.
"Do as you like." Cissy's father looked him over. "Rest properly these next few days. Don't train yourself into the ground. The tournament is close. When the time comes, we'll go to Mandarin Island together."
Then he raised a hand and patted Reiji's shoulder.
"Don't rush. With your potential, this isn't where you stop. I have high hopes for you. So does the old man."
"I understand, Gym Leader."
His hand was broad and heavy, the kind of hand that made the words feel more serious than they sounded. Reiji hesitated, then asked anyway.
"Gym Leader, can I battle you?"
"Me?" Cissy's father pointed at himself, genuinely caught off guard.
Was this kid getting full of himself after winning a few matches? Challenging him now? Had he never heard the stories?
"Kid, don't try to swallow the whole meal in one bite. Some things come later. Much later."
"I'm serious." Reiji scratched his head. "I'm not trying to prove anything. I caught a Pokémon recently, and I need a strong opponent to help me get used to fighting with it."
He knew exactly what Cissy's father was worried about. This was not pride talking.
On Mikan Island, the only Elite Four-tier opponents available were Cissy's father and the old man.
Between those two, he would rather pick Cissy's father.
The old man was the kind of opponent who could turn a lesson into a disaster.
"All right." Cissy's father studied him for a moment, then nodded. "If you insist, I'll show you what a stronger opponent feels like."
It was not a bad idea. Letting Reiji experience the pressure of a veteran Elite Four-tier Trainer now might keep him from freezing later if he ran into one during the tournament.
Of course, there was no need to bring out his main team. Against Rai, one of his regular Elite Four-tier Pokémon would be enough.
The gap between Elite Four tier and everything below it was not something grit alone could cross.
"Let's move farther out," Reiji said. "I don't want to wreck the Gym again."
He headed toward the open plain along the coast. There were no buildings out there, only a wide stretch of grass beyond the beach, with coconut trees scattered along the edge. Perfect for a rough outdoor battle.
As the two of them walked off, Cissy and Senta came outside and saw them heading away from the Gym.
"Where are they going?" Senta asked.
"No idea. Maybe Dad has something to tell him." Cissy shook her head.
The more she saw of Reiji, the harder he was to figure out. Every time she thought she understood him, he revealed another layer she had never even noticed.
He felt like a person wrapped in fog. She could not see through him, could not guess what was inside. The only thing she could clearly see was the tiredness in his eyes.
How much was he hiding?
How much was he carrying?
And what was he trying to do?
"Then let's go see." Senta had barely taken one step before Cissy caught his arm.
"Don't. If it's something we're allowed to know, they'll tell us."
She was older than him and understood this much at least. Those two clearly wanted privacy. Following them would only make things awkward.
If the adults wanted them to know, they would not have walked away. If they did not want to say it, chasing after them would not help.
Senta immediately lost interest and turned to go back inside.
Then two roars rolled across the field.
Both siblings froze.
The sound hit them in the chest, making their hearts jump. They turned sharply toward the direction Reiji and their father had gone.
At the same time, in the back hills, Cissy's grandfather and Slowking heard the roars from the Gym's side.
The old man's hand paused on his fishing rod.
Slowking's eyes snapped open, bright blue light flaring in them.
"Yaa… Elite Four-tier auras. Two Pokémon. One feels familiar. The other is new… and very wild."
"Slowking, take us over." Cissy's grandfather looked toward the Gym. "That brat must be battling. I'm curious who the other one is."
An Elite Four-tier battle.
He had not seen one in quite a while.
Not far from the Gym, Reiji had released Electivire. Cissy's father stood opposite him with Walrein.
The two Pokémon faced each other across the grass.
"Rrrraah!"
Electivire came out beating its chest with both hands, as if shaking the cramped feeling of the Poké Ball out of its body. Its muscles loosened, electricity crackling faintly around it.
"You hid this one deep, brat." Cissy's father stared at Electivire, and for once his surprise showed.
That aura was unmistakable.
Elite Four tier.
He had thought Reiji was aiming too high. Turns out the Pokémon he wanted to practice with was already Elite Four tier. The boy had not been bragging. Cissy's father had simply underestimated him.
The tournament suddenly looked very different.
At first, he had only wanted the three kids to test the waters. Compete, learn, lose if they had to. He had not expected any of them to take the championship. His plan had been to let them settle for another two or three years.
But now?
Now an Elite Four seat was no longer impossible.
The old man had been right about him. Even Cissy's father had missed the mark.
This boy kept surprising him.
And this son-in-law candidate absolutely could not be allowed to slip away.
He would have to ask his wife to talk to Cissy later. If she liked someone, she should be braver. Shying around and pretending not to care was how chances disappeared.
"Gym Leader, be careful," Reiji called when Cissy's father stayed quiet too long.
Electivire had the type advantage over Walrein.
"Don't look down on old Trainers, brat." Cissy's father laughed and scolded him, but his tone was warmer than before.
"Electivire," Reiji said, looking at its back. "This is your first Elite Four-tier battle. Don't chase the win. We're here to learn each other's rhythm."
He said it seriously because he was worried Electivire would get carried away.
After spending time with it, Reiji had learned that Electivire loved fighting. In that way, it was a lot like Scizor. The only ones that could wrestle with it were Rhydon and Golurk, both of whom were not bothered by electricity.
Rhydon could not match Electivire anymore. Only Golurk, after releasing its full size, could still challenge it in raw strength.
"Rrr." Electivire glanced back and nodded.
It had Elite Four-tier power, but it still listened. No attitude, no rebellion, no nonsense.
Much better than Gyarados.
"Electivire, Rain Dance!"
"You think I'll give you the weather that easily? Walrein, Blizzard!"
Cissy's father understood the plan the moment he heard Rain Dance. He took the weather first.
Walrein's Ice typing gave it a natural edge there. A freezing gale swept across the field, snowflakes whipping through the grass almost immediately.
"Raaah."
Walrein called the blizzard and then simply watched Electivire. Without another order, it did not attack.
Reiji appreciated that.
This battle was partly a lesson, partly a chance to sync with Electivire. Cissy's father was giving him room to think, and Reiji was not about to waste it.
"Electivire, Thunder. Fire it into the sky."
"Rrrraah!"
Golden light surged over Electivire's body. Its antennae snapped and sparked, the electric charge building until a thick bolt of lightning shot upward and tore into the clouds.
The howling wind weakened.
The falling snow vanished.
A moment later, the sky cleared and sunlight spilled back over the field.
If he could not win the weather, he would break the weather.
Once the blizzard was gone, Reiji breathed out and called the next move.
"Thunderbolt!"
"Rrr!"
Electivire's antennae lit up again. A stream of golden lightning ripped toward Walrein.
"Ice Beam."
"Raaah!"
Walrein opened its mouth and fired a freezing beam straight into the Thunderbolt.
Boom, boom, boom!
Electricity and ice smashed together between them. The explosion tore open the grass and threw up a wall of dust. The shockwave rolled outward, snapping Reiji's clothes hard against his body.
Without Slowking shielding him, he might have been blown off his feet.
Reiji raised one arm to protect his eyes from the sand, then released Pidgeot to clear the smoke.
When the dust scattered, a crater lay between the two Pokémon. Electivire and Walrein still faced each other across it, neither one backing down. The air between them seemed to crackle from the pressure alone.
Reiji let out a slow breath.
So long-range attacks would not settle this.
Gengar's senses told him Walrein was also Elite Four tier, though not a seasoned one. In other words, it was exactly the kind of opponent Reiji needed right now.
"Electivire, Quick Attack. Get in close. Thunder Punch!"
"Walrein, Earthquake."
The moment Reiji chose close combat, Cissy's father moved to cut off the approach.
"Raaah!"
Walrein swung its heavy body around and slammed its tail into the ground. Tremors surged through the grass in waves, rolling toward Electivire.
"Electivire, Ice Punch. Hit the ground!"
"Rrr!"
Electivire changed gears instantly. Frost wrapped around its huge fist, and it slammed a punch into the ground.
Ice spread from the impact point, racing forward until it met the incoming tremors.
Boom, boom, boom!
The Earthquake waves kept coming. Electivire hammered the ground again and again, building the ice thicker with every blow. The tremors could no longer punch through. They only cracked the frozen layer.
"Rrrraah!"
Once the Earthquake faded, Electivire shattered the ice wall with one punch. Shards flew toward Walrein.
Walrein froze them midair with Ice Beam, dropping them harmlessly onto the grass.
While Walrein handled the ice fragments, Electivire grabbed a huge chunk of broken ice and hurled it like a boulder.
The block was three or four meters wide. Walrein had no choice but to turn, its tail shining metallic as Iron Tail smashed the ice apart.
"Electivire, Rock Tomb!"
"Rrr!"
Electivire stomped the ground. Stone pillars burst up around Walrein, locking it inside a ring of rock just as it shattered the ice block.
"Electivire, Electroweb!"
"Rrr!"
Electricity rushed into Electivire's twin tails. The current wove into a wide net, crackling as it flew toward the Rock Tomb.
At that exact moment, Walrein smashed through the stone pillars with Iron Head and broke out—only to find the Electroweb falling over it.
"Iron Tail. Knock the rubble into the net."
Cissy's father did not sound rushed at all. His command came clean and steady, as if this was exactly what he expected.
"Rrr!"
Electivire ignored the rocks flying through the air. It was already moving with Quick Attack, closing the distance as fast as it could.
That was the opening Reiji wanted.
Cissy's father had been avoiding close combat. If that was the weak point, then Reiji would keep pushing there until something cracked.
Walrein used the broken stones to tear through the Electroweb, but another net followed right behind it. This one was smaller and rougher.
Electivire was sprinting now. It could not weave the net carefully, so it simply charged its tails and snapped the electricity forward to buy time.
"Not bad. You're almost there." Cissy's father smiled. "Walrein, Defense Curl into Rollout."
He really had been avoiding close combat. Walrein's body was terrible for running on land. If it let Electivire force a brawl, it would not hold up for long.
But Walrein did not need to run.
It could roll.
"You've got to be kidding me. It can do that too?" Reiji watched Walrein ignore the Electroweb, curl into a ball, and roll out of the net's range at high speed.
In one breath, the huge walrus had become a surprisingly agile ball.
Fine.
"Electivire, Electric Terrain. If it wants to roll, let's give it a cage."
"Rrrraah!"
Golden electricity burst out of Electivire's body. A thick bolt shot upward, then spread into a dome of crackling current centered on Electivire.
The Electric Terrain closed around the battlefield like an electric cage, trapping the rolling Walrein inside it.
Cissy's father's eyes sharpened with interest.
"Not bad at all," he said. "Using Electric Terrain like that really does pin Walrein down…"
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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