Although Grant had steeled himself for it, Grovyle's monstrous move still left him shaken.
The corner of his mouth twitched as a thought crossed his mind.
Not a single one of this kid's Pokémon is ordinary!!
…
On the battlefield, the thick smoke gradually cleared.
Two figures slowly emerged.
Grovyle stood tall on the grass, composed and unyielding.
Blastoise, meanwhile, lay sprawled on the ground, eyes spinning, completely unable to continue.
"Blastoise has lost the ability to battle!!"
"Please send out your next Pokémon!"
The referee swallowed hard, waved his flag, and called out loudly.
"Return… Blastoise!"
Kieran's expression darkened as he recalled it. Without hesitation, he pulled out another Poké Ball and threw it forward.
"Come out… Charizard!!"
A burst of light flared across the field.
A fiery-red Pokémon with broad wings and a blazing tail flame descended—the ever-popular Charizard.
[Name: Charizard]
[Gender: Male]
[Nature: Jolly]
[Type: Fire Flying]
[Ability: Blaze]
[Base Stats Total: 534]
[Level: Peak Advanced Stage]
[Pokémon Potential: Champion Level]
[Known Moves: Ember (Proficient), Heat Wave (Proficient), Dragon Claw (Proficient), Smokescreen (Proficient), Dragon Breath (Proficient), Flamethrower (Proficient), Fire Fang (Basic), Air Slash (Basic), Thunder Punch...]
[Description: Charizard, the Flame Pokémon and evolved form of Charmeleon. The more battles it fights, the hotter its flames burn...]
...
Another starter Pokémon.
Is the last one going to be Venusaur?
Aaron couldn't help but grumble inwardly.
Still, this one was genuinely troublesome.
Charizard's Fire typing completely suppressed Grovyle, and its Level had already reached Advanced (Peak Stage).
Grovyle simply didn't have enough trump cards yet.
If it could master Sage Mode, Aaron was confident it could go toe-to-toe with this Charizard.
"Return… Grovyle!"
Aaron recalled it without hesitation and immediately threw out another Poké Ball.
"Come out… Greninja!!"
A burst of light flared as a black Greninja appeared on the field, half-lidded eyes calmly locked onto Charizard.
"A Shiny Greninja…"
"Tch. What ridiculous luck."
A flicker of jealousy passed through Kieran's eyes.
He liked Greninja too—especially one this cool.
"The battle begins!!"
The referee waved his flag, signaling the start of the second match.
"Charizard… Flamethrower!!"
This time, Kieran seized the initiative.
"Roar—!"
Charizard tilted its head back and unleashed a torrent of searing flames, blasting them toward Greninja, who stood poised atop a tree branch.
"Greninja… Water Pulse!!"
With Frog Boss on the field, there was no need to dodge.
Aaron chose to meet the attack head-on.
"Grenin!"
A low cry escaped its throat as blue energy surged around its body. A sphere of water-blue power rapidly condensed in its palm before it was hurled straight into the incoming flames.
Blue met red.
Water collided with fire in a violent clash.
BOOM—
A thunderous explosion detonated midair. Thick steam billowed outward, and a fine drizzle began to fall across the battlefield.
Droplets scattered over the Grassy Terrain.
"Tch…"
"Charizard… Thunder Punch!!"
Seeing Flamethrower neutralized, Kieran clicked his tongue and immediately issued another command.
"ROAR—!"
Electricity crackled around Charizard's right claw, gathering into a dazzling sphere of lightning.
With a powerful beat of its wings, Charizard dove, its lightning-wreathed fist crashing down toward Greninja.
On the ground, Greninja didn't move—almost as if it had frozen in place.
A surge of excitement flashed through Kieran.
He thought Aaron had slipped up.
Thunder Punch came slamming down.
Bang—
But just as Kieran's smile began to spread—
Greninja's figure abruptly shifted, leaving nothing behind but a wooden log.
The smile on his face stiffened.
"W-What?! Where's the frog!?"
"Greninja… Smack Down."
Aaron's calm voice cut through the chaos.
Behind Charizard, perched atop a tree, Greninja reappeared.
Yellow energy gathered in its palm as it hurled a rock with explosive force toward Charizard.
"Charizard—dodge!!"
Kieran's pupils shrank as he shouted in alarm.
But with Greninja striking from behind—
and launching a concealed projectile—
how could Charizard's heavy frame possibly avoid it?
Greninja's Smack Down had already reached Mastery level.
BOOM—
The rock wasn't large, but the force behind it was brutal.
It struck Charizard dead-on.
"ROAAR—!!"
Its eyes bulged as it let out a pained roar.
The impact blasted it through the air before it crashed heavily into the ground.
Debris flew in every direction.
Charizard struggled weakly—then went still.
Unable to continue.
A fourfold weakness to Rock-type moves was simply fatal.
Combined with Greninja's Smack Down and Protean, the blow was devastating—practically a direct counterstrike.
One hit.
Instant knockout.
The second match ended just like that.
Kieran's second Pokémon had fallen.
"Charizard has lost the ability to battle!"
"Please send out your next Pokémon!"
The referee waved his flag and called out loudly.
Kieran's expression darkened completely.
It felt like he'd just been publicly humiliated.
He had once scoffed at the idea that a smaller city could produce any real genius.
He had looked down on Aaron.
But now, reality had hit him head-on—shattering his pride in an instant.