Natsui nodded, then glanced at the single clay pigeon machine in the corner and asked, "So, who goes first?"
"Does that even need to be said?" Cissy said with her arms crossed. "I'm the Gym Leader, so naturally, I must do the honors of the host and perform first!"
With that, she gestured to Tad. Tad acknowledged, walked over to the machine, and began to make adjustments. When he pressed the switch, three frisbees shot out simultaneously!
Seadra's eyes were fixed on the targets. When they reached the appropriate height, its long mouth pulsed, and it fired three consecutive jets of water, like a burst fire, accurately hitting all three!
Pop! Pop! Pop!
The frisbees shattered on impact, the fragments raining down from the sky.
"Alright!"
Tad clapped his hands excitedly, as if he had already won the match. Seeing Seadra perform perfectly as always, Cissy also gave Natsui a rather smug look.
So what if you're skilled in battle? This is a competition I specialize in. There's no way I'm going to lose!
After Seadra moved back, Blastoise stepped forward to take its place.
From a distance, by the machine, Tad saw that Blastoise was ready. A mischievous idea popped into his head, and he secretly used his finger to increase the frisbee's speed by one notch.
Hmph, that's what you get for messing with me earlier! Let's see how you handle this!
Although it was only a one-notch increase in power, the launch speed of the frisbees was significantly faster, more than enough to affect the outcome of the match!
Natsui's attention was fully focused on the competition, so he naturally didn't notice Tad's little trick.
However, he didn't have just one pair of eyes on his body. The moment Tad's hand left the machine, the Haunter at his feet had already keenly sensed the problem.
As a prankster itself, it was extremely sensitive to the malicious intent of others, as well as to traps and tricks!
As such, Tad's little scheme couldn't possibly escape its notice.
Floating out of his shadow, it whispered a few words in Natsui's ear.
Natsui nodded slightly and gave Tad a blank look.
Tad, in turn, gave him a smug smile.
It was as if to say, I'm cheating in plain sight, what are you going to do about it!?
Natsui sighed softly.
It seems the lesson from earlier wasn't enough. What an unrepentant brat...
Blastoise already lacked Seadra's precision, and now with Tad's tampering, the difficulty of the competition would undoubtedly increase significantly!
In that case...
After a moment of thought, he waved his hand, called Blastoise to his side, and whispered a few instructions.
"Blas?"
After listening, Blastoise looked at its trainer in surprise. Seeing that Natsui wasn't joking, it couldn't help but nod.
"Blastoise!"
On the other side, Cissy thought Natsui was simply laying out a strategy. Because she was too far away, she couldn't hear what he said. Once he was done, she asked, "Well? Can we begin?"
"Let's begin."
To Cissy's surprise, at Natsui's calm voice, before the frisbees were even launched, the two cannons on Blastoise's back had already begun to charge up.
Hm?
Cissy stared at Blastoise's every move, puzzled. She knew that charging up a Water Gun now would increase its power, but as the pressure built, it would also become difficult to control and very unstable!
She was sure that Natsui, as the Indigo Conference Champion, couldn't possibly be unaware of this.
So what on earth is he planning?
Compared to her, Tad, by the machine, hadn't thought that far ahead. Seeing that Natsui hadn't questioned the setup, he thought his plan had succeeded. He excitedly pressed the switch, his eyes already envisioning the scene of Blastoise's Water Gun missing and its subsequent failure!
However, the instant the frisbees were launched, two thick streams of water had already shot out. But their target was not the predicted peak of the frisbees' trajectory; instead, they flew straight towards the machine in front of Tad!
The two massive jets of water practically converged, and the three frisbees, having just left the machine and not even had time to separate, were all destroyed!
The scattered water also sprayed all over Tad's face, soaking the clothes he had just changed into, and many of the frisbee fragments were carried by the water and landed on him!
"Agh!"
Tad scrambled to get out of the way, but it was too late!
Only then did Cissy understand. So that was Natsui's method!
She knew that the initial launch speed was too fast, making it easy to miss the frisbee. The optimal time to shoot was actually when the frisbee slowed down, just as it was about to reach its peak or just as it began to fall!
Wiping the water from his face, Tad shouted, "That doesn't count! It doesn't count! Sister, he aimed at me on purpose!"
"I think you're the one who did something on purpose!"
At Natsui's signal, Haunter flashed in front of Tad, forcefully pulled the machine, which had been bolted to the ground, up from its base, and presented it to Cissy.
"Miss Cissy," Natsui said, his eyes narrowed. "Take a good look. I never knew the Tangelo Gym had such... 'special features'!"
Cissy was stunned at first. After a close look, she instantly understood what had happened, and her face changed dramatically!
"Tad! You!"
Right in front of her, the Gym Leader, and the Indigo Conference Champion, she couldn't believe her own brother would resort to such a lowly trick!
Although Tad probably didn't have any truly malicious intent and was simply trying to play a prank, if word of this got out and other trainers or the general public found out, it would undoubtedly be a huge blow to the reputation of not just the Tangelo Gym, but the entire Orange League!
Anger almost completely took over her mind. Cissy shouted furiously, strode over to Tad, and gave him a sharp knock on the head with her fist!
"Ow, that hurts! Sister..."
"Get out!"
"Sister..."
"I said, get out!!"
Cissy's terrifying voice echoed through the Gym. Having never seen his sister so angry, Tad trembled with fear. Not daring to disobey her, he could only leave the Gym dejectedly through a side door.
Seeing Tad disappear, Cissy let out a long breath to calm herself, then forced an awkward smile.
"I'm so sorry, you had to see that. It's all my fault for being too lenient with him, which is why he's developed such a mischievous personality. But this was not my intention, so I beg you, Mr. Natsui, please don't let this get out!"
Hearing her say this, Natsui didn't pursue the matter further, but his tone was slightly stern. "I've told you before that your brother needs to be disciplined. I can't believe he would make such a mistake on such an important occasion. I don't think this is just being mischievous anymore; it's a malicious incident showing a complete lack of character!"
Cissy's face turned from pale to red. She nodded in embarrassment, her words now more sincere. "You're right. Please rest assured, I guarantee that this situation will never happen again!"
------------------------
Support my projects and get immediate access to hundreds of chapters of Bleach, Naruto, Pokémon, and more! ✨ Key Benefit: Your favorite novels, with my quality, and always up-to-date.
Featured Novels (with hundreds of chapters available NOW!):
The Heroine Wants to Join My Harem (1050 caps)
Goddess Training Manual (800 caps)
I Have Caught a Pokémon (700 caps)
Bleach Getting Stronger (330 caps)
Naruto: Saving the Uchiha (300 caps)
And many more!
Why subscribe?
🔥 Immediate Access: Read my new chapters before anyone else.
📚 Huge Library: Access my complete catalog instantly.
⭐️ High Quality: Enjoy the novels with a professional and well-crafted text written by me.