The moment Yozora's words fell, Ampharos unleashed a surge of electricity that struck Alakazam head-on.
Wrapped in searing lightning, Alakazam clenched its eyes shut in pain, letting out a guttural roar.
"So fast?!"
Shōshi's eyes widened. She shouted anxiously:"Quick, use Teleport to evade, Alakazam!"
Through the blinding light, Alakazam forced its eyes open. Its mind stirred, and with a shimmer, it escaped the thunderstorm with Teleport.
"Even though it barely avoided Ampharos's barrage of Thunderbolt, Alakazam's stamina has already been heavily drained. We need to end this quickly!"
His thoughts set, Shōshi called out:"Alakazam, Psychic!"
A spatial ripple tore through the air as Alakazam appeared ten meters to Ampharos's left. With a clang, its twin spoons struck together, releasing a wave of purple psychic power toward Ampharos.
"Cotton Guard!"
At the crucial moment, Ampharos wrapped itself in downy fluff. The psychic wave crashed into it—yet Ampharos emerged almost completely unharmed.
"A monster…" Shōshi muttered, his lips twitching. Psychic was enough to instantly defeat a Machamp, yet against Ampharos it didn't leave a scratch.
"Finish it, Ampharos—Thunderbolt!" Yozora commanded.
Boom!Lightning exploded across the battlefield, hurling Alakazam away with a piercing scream.
Round one ended with Yozora taking the lead.
Without pause, both trainers recalled their Pokémon, then simultaneously sent out their second contenders.
Eevee vs. Gyarados.
"Eevee? You're underestimating me, aren't you?" Shōshi blinked in disbelief at the small brown fox across the field—but then his heart skipped.
The aura surrounding that Eevee… it was far too strong. A Gym Leader-level Eevee?
Impossible. Eevee's battle prowess was notoriously low. They struggled in fights, making it difficult to gain experience, let alone reach such heights.
Most Pokémon at Gym Leader tier were final evolutions. To remain unevolved yet attain this level meant not just potential, but terrifying battle capability—and it spoke volumes of its trainer's skill.
"If it evolves, it'll only become stronger…"
Shōshi gritted his teeth, then shouted:"But in the end, it's still just an Eevee! This round is mine! Gyarados, Aqua Tail!"
Water swirled around Gyarados's massive tail before it whipped downward like a flood, crashing toward Eevee.
Yet Yozora only smiled, calm as ever. "Dodge—and counter with Thunderbolt."
Eevee's body blurred as it slipped aside with ease, the earth exploding in steam behind it.
In the same instant, light flared around its body—its form shifted, sleek and glowing with sparks. Jolteon now stood in its place, electricity crackling across its fur.
Zap!
A searing bolt blasted into Gyarados.
"ROOOAAR!" The sea serpent's anguished cries echoed as lightning ravaged its body.
The pain was unbearable. With Gyarados's quadruple weakness to Electric, Jolteon's Thunderbolt hit with overwhelming force—far beyond what it could withstand.
CRASH!
Gyarados slammed onto the ground, eyes spiraling, completely knocked out.
"Gyarados!" Shōshi's face went pale.
What happened just now? One moment it was Eevee… the next it had evolved mid-battle?!
"Well then," Yozora said as he recalled Jolteon with a smile, "do you still want to continue?"
By two-out-of-three rules, he had already won.
"Of course! Go—Dragonite!" Shōshi clenched his teeth. Even if she had already lost, she refused to end without proving herself.
"Dragonite, huh? Interesting. Then you go as well—Dragonite!"
A loud whoomph shook the arena as two Dragonite appeared—one massive and towering over 2.3 meters tall with a heavy, authoritative belly, the other not even two meters, looking almost like its younger brother.
Shōshi's face soured. She hadn't expected Yozora to own a Dragonite, much less one so imposing.
As a core heir of the Blackthorn Clan, she knew well how rare it was to raise such a creature without the clan's unique power of dragon kinship. His Dragonite was strong compared to most—but next to Yozora's, it was utterly outclassed.
"Does this mean… Yozora has the Power of Dragons as well?" Shōshi thought, shaken. "His Dragonite is even sturdier than Cousin Ryūnan's… even stronger than Uncle Lance's…"
But he wasn't Blackthorn Clan blood!
"No. Strength isn't judged by size alone!" Shōshi reassured himself. She shouted:"Dragonite, Dragon Pulse!"
His Dragonite roared, unleashing a violet beam of draconic power. It crashed into Yozora's Dragonite—yet the titan didn't even flinch.
"Completely ineffective?!" Shōshi's hope crumbled. Dragon vs. Dragon was supposed to deal double damage—if even that failed, nothing else would matter.
"Finish this. Dragon Claw!" Yozora commanded.
With a thunderous leap, his towering Dragonite lunged, claws glowing with emerald light. Shōshi's Dragonite shot skyward in panic, but Yozora's beast was faster—far faster.
In the blink of an eye, Dragon Claw struck.
BOOM!
The ground split apart as Shōshi's Dragonite was smashed into the earth, groaning in agony. Its body trembled as it tried to rise, fighting spirit flickering in its eyes—but its strength had failed.
It collapsed, defeated.
"You have good spirit. But this is where it ends." Yozora recalled his Dragonite, his tone like that of a senior acknowledging a junior.
To be fair, Shōshi was no weakling. With luck, she might even place in the upcoming Silver Conference.
"Don't despair," Yozora added with a smile. "It isn't that you're too weak. It's that your opponent is too strong."
Leaving only his tall silhouette behind, he turned away.
"Tch… show-off."
Shōshi bit his lip, hesitated, then jogged after him. "Senior… if you don't plan to capture that Machamp, would you let me have it?"
Perhaps out of respect—or simply yielding after defeat—she used the honorific sincerely.
"Go ahead," Yozora replied casually. "But first, it's leading me to the Scyther swarm."
By dusk, guided by Machamp, Yozora finally found the Scyther clan. Naturally, Shōshi trailed along.
This Machamp was exceptionally strong—Gym Leader level, an incredible feat for a wild Pokémon. Shōshi wasn't about to let the chance slip.
Had Yozora not already owned a Machamp, even he would've been tempted.
"Scyther!" The mantis Pokémon hissed, proud and unyielding.
Even facing two humans and Machamp, the swarm merely watched warily. Not one flinched, and none fled.
A field of green wings shimmered before them—thirty Scyther, a medium-sized tribe.
With his Aura, Yozora immediately sensed the strongest among them—the leader.
Its aura blazed. Though not quite Machamp's equal, it stood at the very peak of Lord-tier power.
[Scyther (Ability: Inner Focus) – Lord-tier Peak, Gym Leader Potential.]
Yozora's eyes lit up. Inner Focus was Scyther's rare hidden ability, possessed by fewer than one in ten. Only Scyther with this ability could evolve into Scizor with Light Metal—the so-called "Red Lightning."
Without it, Scizor's speed dropped drastically, making evolution a downgrade.
"To evolve strong, it must be Inner Focus… otherwise, power rises but speed falls. This one is perfect."
"The potential's a little low," Yozora mused, "but it's still the highest in the swarm."
His gaze locked on the leader. "Come, Scyther. Battle me!"
He knew a warrior like Scyther would never refuse. Strength would decide everything.
"Scyther!" The leader stepped forward proudly.
"Go, Growlithe!"
"Ruff!" Yozora's golden Growlithe growled deeply, its presence spreading like killing intent.
Intimidate!
Most of the Scyther trembled—but the leader only grew sharper, eyes flashing.
The effect of Inner Focus: immune to Intimidate. Instead, its speed rose by one stage. A golden glow flashed beneath its claws—thirty percent faster in an instant.
"A golden Growlithe…" Shōshi whispered in awe. For the first time, she felt a strange spark of admiration for Yozora.
"Scyther!" With blinding speed, the leader struck, its blades glowing—Slash!
"Speed means nothing. Growlithe—Flamethrower!"
Whoosh!
A torrent of fire roared forth. Halfway through, Scyther blurred into Double Team, splitting into ten phantoms.
BOOM! The flames struck one illusion—it dissolved. Nine more slashed forward.
Just as they closed in, Growlithe's flames flared again—this time catching the true Scyther. Fire engulfed it, blasting it back.
The super-effective flames left Scyther badly burned and weakened.
The swarm watched tensely, but none moved. Warriors of Scyther honor duels—they would not interfere. Even if their leader fell and was captured, tradition demanded they accept it.
"Scyther!"
Charred and trembling, the leader rolled across the dirt before staggering upright again. Its body was covered in wounds, breath ragged—but its spirit had not broken.
Yozora nodded faintly. "Strong will. But this ends now. Growlithe—Extreme Speed!"
Growlithe became a golden streak, slamming into Scyther before it could react.
The mantis collapsed once more, twitching feebly—this time unable to rise.
"Poké Ball—go!" Yozora cast it swiftly. After a few shakes, the capture succeeded.
"Congratulations, senior," Shōshi laughed awkwardly, then claimed Machamp for himself—and managed to catch a Scyther as well.
But his lacked Inner Focus.
Yozora shook his head silently, choosing not to say more.
After brief farewells, they parted ways. Night fell, and Yozora set up camp.
Time flowed like water. A month passed.
In that month of grueling training, Yozora deepened his Aura mastery while his partners all grew stronger.
Most notably, his Scyther had evolved with the Metal Coat into a gleaming Scizor.
Current Team:
Dragonite – Elite level (Advanced)
Eevee – Gym Leader Peak
Ampharos – Gym Leader Peak
Scizor – Gym Leader Peak
Crystal Steelix – Gym Leader Peak
Tangrowth – Gym Leader Mid-tier
Growlithe – Lord-tier Peak
…
…
(End of Chapter)