After untying the rope, Natsui, Sabrina, and Rudy boarded the speedboat one by one.
Rudy served as both the driver of the speedboat and the supervisor of Natsui's performance, so naturally, he had to accompany them.
His subordinates had already left ahead of them to control the targets from various positions upriver.
After a short wait, a confirmation came through the walkie-talkie that everything was ready, and Rudy started the speedboat.
Vroom, vroom, vroom…
The speedboat's diesel engine billowed smoke as it carried the three of them up the river and into the forest of Pomelo Island's interior.
The boat sped along, creating ripples on the river's surface. Fortunately, the water here was calm, and the ride wasn't as bumpy as Natsui had anticipated.
The scenery on both banks flew by. After about a minute, Rudy, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke again: "The course I've elaborately prepared is a hundred meters ahead. How about it? Are you ready?"
Natsui nodded, thought for a moment, and opened a Poké Ball, releasing his Jolteon.
As soon as Jolteon appeared, it affectionately rubbed against Natsui. After Natsui explained the mission, it gave a light cry, turned around, and immediately entered a state of readiness, intently watching for any movement.
"So, it's a Jolteon," Rudy said, looking at the spiky-furred Pokémon with some surprise. "On the water, on a rocking boat, I thought you would use a Water-type Pokémon, like the other challengers before you."
"Don't worry," Natsui said with a blank expression. "This Jolteon of mine is very strong. It's more than enough to handle a small scene like this."
Although he said that, Natsui had indeed considered using Blastoise for the challenge just a moment ago.
Just as Rudy had said, Blastoise, having lived in the water for years, was long accustomed to the swaying of the water's surface. Its Water Gun was not only fast but also very stable, and most importantly, powerful enough to shatter a standard wooden target.
Unfortunately, its drawback was also very obvious. It was too large and bulky. If he were to summon it on the boat, it would undoubtedly sink the speedboat instantly.
Just then, a round target suddenly dropped down from the trunk of a large tree. Natsui immediately turned to look, and at the same time, Jolteon's stiff fur bristled. In an instant, a brilliant bolt of electricity shot out towards the target.
Bang!
The electric attack hit its mark perfectly. The target, unsurprisingly, was blown into countless fragments that fell into the water.
Looking at the debris, Natsui estimated the power, then knelt beside Jolteon and instructed, "Well done, but you need to conserve your energy from now on. The power of that last move was a bit excessive. Next time, try to weaken it a little."
Jolteon cried out again in acknowledgment. Just then, another target popped up from behind a large boulder. This time, without any need for Natsui to say a word, another bolt of electricity flashed, and the target shattered again.
This time, although the target was also destroyed, the extent of the damage was clearly less than before.
"Excellent!" Natsui patted Jolteon's head in satisfaction. "Keep it up just like that!"
The speedboat continued forward. The frequency of the targets began to increase. Not only were there moving targets, but sometimes two or three targets appeared at the same time!
Despite the increasing difficulty, Jolteon performed exceptionally well, methodically destroying all the targets with a flurry of electric bolts.
Bang! Bang! Bang-bang!
The sound of shattering echoed continuously over the quiet river.
At the stern of the boat, Rudy watched Jolteon's performance with great astonishment.
The sun had already set, but the sky was not yet completely dark. It was that hazy, twilight period when visibility was getting progressively worse.
Among the challengers he had faced in the past, their Pokémon varied in skill level, so he had set a passing rate. Generally, as long as the hit rate was above eighty percent, the test was considered a pass.
He knew that Natsui must have some skill to have defeated the previous two Gym Leaders. However, he had originally thought that in such weather, Natsui's Pokémon would surely be affected, or at the very least, underperform and miss a few targets, failing to live up to its usual standard.
Then, he could make a few sarcastic remarks and, while Natsui was embarrassed, 'make an exception' and graciously allow him the challenge, thus getting back at him for the earlier insults.
But he never expected Jolteon's performance to be so good!
It was utterly disappointing.
But on second thought, this must be Natsui's strongest Pokémon…
Yes, that has to be it!
Hmph, to think he'd reveal his trump card just to pass the test. How naive!
The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became of his guess.
After the speedboat completed a full circuit, it finally returned to its starting point.
When the boat came to a stop, Rudy, though somewhat disappointed, still acknowledged Natsui's skill.
"You pass," he said arrogantly, with an expression that screamed 'I've seen right through you.' "According to the rules, you can come to the gym tomorrow to challenge me. But, having exposed your ace so early, what will you do in the official match tomorrow?"
Huh?
Natsui looked completely baffled.
My ace?
Is he talking about Jolteon?
He had originally thought, hearing Rudy say this was his 'elaborately prepared course,' that it would be much more difficult. He never expected a full run to be so simple.
Perhaps this is just the result of a limited perspective…
Having never ventured into the outside world, he probably thinks all trainers are at the same level as those in the Orange League.
Seeing Natsui's dazed expression, Rudy thought he was flustered at having been found out.
Smiling, he continued, "For tomorrow's match, I will use Pokémon of the same type as yours. The battle rule will be three one-on-one rounds. As long as you win two of them, I will consider your challenge a success!"
With that, he walked over to Sabrina again, extended his hand in a gentlemanly manner, and, not giving up, said, "Well then, it's getting late. My beautiful lady, would you care to join me for dinner?"
Sabrina ignored him and looked at Natsui, tilting her head as if asking for permission to teach this arrogant man a lesson.
Natsui gave her a light smile and turned to leave. Seeing this, Sabrina completely ignored Rudy and followed behind Natsui.
Rudy was left standing there awkwardly, slowly lowering his outstretched right hand.
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