Graveler rolled to a stop.
Victory—again.
There was nothing flashy about it. No complicated tactics. No dazzling techniques.
Just one move.
Rollout.
Le Liangcai's second Pokémon had been crushed.
"Grave—ler!"
Graveler raised its rocky arms in triumph. Under the gym lights, its stone body seemed smoother than before, polished by battle.
"S-so strong…"
Le Liangcai's face went pale.
The first defeat could be explained away. Carelessness. Bad luck.
But this time?
He had been cautious. Completely focused.
And he still lost.
Thoroughly.
Silence fell over the Pewter University students.
The earlier excitement had vanished. The atmosphere turned stiff and awkward.
"T-the third round… I won't lose again."
Le Liangcai clenched his fists, unwilling to accept it.
He hadn't even been able to show half his strength.
Yet against Brock…
He felt completely powerless.
Every move he made seemed anticipated. Every opening exploited.
It was as if Brock always struck at the exact moment he was most vulnerable.
"Continue."
Brock stood calmly on the opposite side of the field.
Unmoved. Unhurried.
"Come out—Combusken."
A flash of light.
The fiery figure of Combusken appeared on the battlefield.
This was Le Liangcai's strongest Pokémon.
Level 33.
High-grade aptitude.
If he lost again—
The humiliation would be unbearable.
Frustration burned in Le Liangcai's chest.
In fact, a trace of resentment had already appeared.
He had clearly come here to show off.
Why couldn't Brock make things easier?
Why couldn't he just let him win a round?
Across the battlefield, Brock noticed the shift in the young man's expression.
He shook his head slightly.
A trainer like this…
If his mentality didn't improve—
His talent would never truly bloom.
At best, he would remain an Elite Trainer his entire life.
Meanwhile, in the audience—
"Gu Qiu. Didn't expect to see you here."
Yu Hao stared directly at him.
His gaze was filled with hostility.
He truly disliked Gu Qiu.
Why was it that wherever Gu Qiu went…
Beautiful girls always seemed to appear around him?
And him?
Since arriving here, he hadn't even spoken to a single girl.
"You are?"
Gu Qiu glanced at him.
The face looked somewhat familiar.
But he couldn't immediately remember.
"You—you are?"
Yu Hao froze.
Was Gu Qiu pretending?
There was no way he actually forgot.
After all—
He had been the class monitor.
"I'm Yu Hao!"
"Yu Hao?"
Gu Qiu paused.
Then it clicked.
"Oh—the class monitor. What are you doing here?"
Ten days ago, he had defeated this guy.
But after spending days training in Viridian Forest—
Those ten days had felt like months.
Someone like Yu Hao simply didn't leave much of an impression.
"The college entrance exams are coming up. I'm doing special training at Pewter Gym."
"College entrance exams? You're still in high school?"
Mei blinked in surprise.
"Yeah. Third year. Exams are soon."
Gu Qiu answered casually.
But Yu Hao's expression darkened instantly.
Seeing Gu Qiu chatting with Mei so naturally made his chest burn with jealousy.
He suddenly stepped forward.
"Gu Qiu, I challenge you."
His voice was loud and sharp.
"I'm not the same person I was ten days ago. My strength has improved tremendously."
He stared directly at Gu Qiu.
If he could defeat him here—
In front of everyone…
In front of Mei—
Then all the humiliation from before would disappear.
"No interest."
Gu Qiu barely spared him a glance.
He truly wasn't interested.
Yu Hao's face twisted.
"No interest? Or are you scared?"
He sneered.
"My Torchic is already Level 10."
"This time, I'll definitely crush your Froakie."
He refused to back down.
The surrounding students began to watch with interest.
But Gu Qiu's attention wasn't on Yu Hao at all.
His eyes were fixed on the battlefield.
The match was about to end.
Combusken was already on its last legs.
It would lose soon.
Which meant—
It would likely be his turn next.
Then suddenly—
A mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
[Ding!]
Detected that the Host is about to initiate a Gym Challenge.
Gym Mission Activated.
Mission Objective:
Defeat Pewter Gym Leader Brock.
The stronger the strength Brock displays, the greater the reward.
Phase Three Mission Unlocked:
During the upcoming Gym Challenge,
use Frogadier and achieve two consecutive victories.
Mission Reward:
• Sage Mode Naruto Template upgraded to Epic Quality
• Full access to all ninjutsu mastered by Naruto during Sage Mode
Gu Qiu's eyes narrowed slightly.
The Phase Two mission had already been completed earlier—after defeating the Team Rocket member.
The requirement had been simple:
Defeat a Pokémon above Level 30.
After that battle, Frogadier had unlocked its second state.
Partial Tailed Beast Mode.
However, after completing Phase Two, the system hadn't issued a new task.
Until now.
Unexpectedly—
Less than a day later—
Another mission had appeared.
And the reward…
"Sage Mode Naruto Template…"
A spark of battle intent ignited in Gu Qiu's eyes.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
"Gu Qiu, what did you say?"
Yu Hao stepped directly into his path, blocking him.
"What a joke. Won't even accept a challenge from a classmate?"
He sneered loudly.
"Earlier you were talking big about unnecessary movements and flashy techniques."
"Turns out you're just a keyboard warrior."
A few nearby students began to whisper.
"Yeah, all talk."
"Exactly."
Perhaps it was because Mei had spoken to Gu Qiu earlier.
Or perhaps they were still frustrated by Le Liangcai's humiliating defeat.
Either way—
The crowd had found a new target.
Yu Hao's eyes gleamed with satisfaction.
He knew it.
Gu Qiu was afraid.
Afraid of losing face.
Afraid of losing to him.
Mei looked at Gu Qiu with worry.
For a moment, she almost stepped forward herself.
If necessary—
She would battle Yu Hao in his place.
But before she could speak—
"Excuse me."
Gu Qiu's calm voice interrupted.
"Please move."
Yu Hao frowned.
"What?"
Gu Qiu glanced past him toward the battlefield.
Right on cue—
Combusken collapsed.
The referee raised a flag.
"Combusken is unable to battle! Graveler wins!"
Brock's Graveler still stood firmly in the center of the arena.
Barely scratched.
It had only been a warm-up.
Gu Qiu stepped forward slightly.
"It's almost my turn."
Yu Hao's expression darkened.
"What did you say?"
His voice turned cold.
"Trying to run away?"
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