With all factors combined, before Whitney even realized it, her Miltank's Rollout had already reached a point where it was unsustainable.
Though visually it seemed unchanged, that was merely an illusion caused by human perception.
Not to mention that Silas had deliberately instructed Togekiss to subtly slow its evasive rhythm.
As a result, the battle appeared as steady as ever.
And that was precisely where the problem lay.
Logically, as time passed, the advantage should have shifted toward Whitney's Miltank.
After all, Togekiss's stamina couldn't possibly surpass a Miltank that constantly restored HP with Milk Drink.
Yet the reality was different.
So when Miltank later attempted to "launch" itself along the damaged terrain, its defeat had already been decided.
Norman sighed slightly.
"Still, this method wasn't easy for Togekiss to execute."
Silas nodded in agreement.
Among Togekiss's moves, only Tri Attack could remotely damage the battlefield from range without interfering with its own evasion while also serving as a distraction.
Originally, Shadow Ball could have worked as well.
But Whitney specializes in Normal-types.
That made things awkward.
Surely he couldn't treat Whitney like an idiot and use Shadow Ball against Miltank.
In truth, Silas hadn't thought of this tactic at first.
He only tried it as a desperate measure.
After all, he couldn't be sure whether Miltank itself would notice something was wrong.
Now it seemed that even Whitney's Miltank couldn't monitor its physical condition while maintaining high-speed continuous Rollout.
As for using Milk Drink mid-Rollout, that must have required endless training.
Whitney sniffed. "You tactical types, your hearts are filthy."
Silas and Norman coughed awkwardly.
That wasn't true at all.
"It's not just tactics," Norman said defensively. "It also depends on Togekiss's mastery of its moves. The precision of those Tri Attacks didn't happen by accident."
A Trainer's strategy couldn't be called dirty.
It should be called the bond between Trainer and Pokémon.
Otherwise, how would a Pokémon understand its Trainer's intent mid-battle?
Whitney rolled her eyes.
"But Whitney," Norman continued earnestly, "don't you think your command style is a bit too single-minded?"
This was one of the main reasons Whitney's grandfather Howard had invited Norman to guide her.
There was a clear mismatch between the strength of Whitney's main Pokémon, Miltank, and her command ability.
Normally, Trainers grow alongside their Pokémon.
This sort of imbalance was usually seen among wealthy heirs who lacked real skill.
In that sense, Whitney somewhat fit the profile.
Yet she was also different.
Her bond with Miltank was genuinely deep.
Her understanding of Pokémon wasn't shallow.
And yet, her battle commands felt strangely rigid.
Her strategy usually revolved around Miltank's overwhelming Rollout or Clefable's unpredictable Metronome.
As Norman said, that pattern was too simple.
The battle with Silas was proof.
Once the opponent found a counter, Whitney couldn't immediately adapt.
"Hahaha, I think it's fine! Togekiss can fly, after all~ Miltank didn't really have the advantage."
Whitney scratched her head and laughed.
Norman felt a headache coming on.
Sometimes he truly couldn't tell whether Whitney was pretending or genuinely oblivious.
She didn't seem to think her command style was flawed at all.
Thinking about how confidently Howard had entrusted Whitney to him, Norman felt deep regret.
He knew Howard could be unreliable.
Why had he believed him?
He sighed.
Well… he owed Howard a favor.
"Challenger, would you like to switch Pokémon?"
Norman smiled apologetically at Silas and resumed his duties.
"Yes, I'll switch."
Silas couldn't let Togekiss defeat three Pokémon in a row. That would embarrass Whitney too much.
Besides, Togekiss was already nearly exhausted.
Whitney brightened immediately.
With Norman's signal, she sent out her final Pokémon of the match, the Elite-level Wigglytuff Silas had seen earlier that afternoon.
"Then my second Pokémon will be you. Go, Blaziken."
With the intent to end things quickly, Silas released his ace.
Although Wigglytuff's true typing is Normal/Fairy, meaning Fighting-type moves wouldn't deal super-effective damage…
Whitney and Norman didn't know that.
The moment both Pokémon appeared on the field, Norman already considered the battle decided.
Maybe I should invite Silas over for dinner tonight…
"Wigglytuff, use Sing!"
Whitney remained energetic.
She genuinely seemed confident.
"Use Focus Energy," Silas commanded.
Wigglytuff's melodic voice echoed across the arena.
For Wigglytuff, Sing was practically etched into its soul.
"Wiggly?"
But soon, confusion crossed its face.
Blaziken's eyes were sharp and focused — not sleepy at all.
"So Focus Energy can be used like that?"
Norman's eyes lit up again.
He felt like he was learning a great deal from this battle.
The origins of this technique dated back to Silas's battle at Cinnabar Gym the previous year.
At its core, Focus Energy meant extreme concentration.
Beyond increasing critical-hit ratio, it allowed Blaziken to heighten its senses and resist the effects of moves like Sing.
Combined with its Aura sensitivity and personality, Blaziken had extraordinary resistance to sleep-inducing effects.
Whitney was startled.
But this time, perhaps because she wasn't using Miltank or Clefable, her reaction speed improved significantly.
"Wigglytuff, use Stockpile!"
"Blaziken, use Agility, close the distance — then Blaze Kick!"
Silas showed no mercy.
A fiery red blur crossed over half the battlefield in less than half a second.
Wigglytuff had only just begun inhaling to inflate itself.
"Wigg—!"
A sharp cry exploded beside it.
Pain surged through its body.
Looking down, it saw a leg wreathed in blazing fire striking its torso.
The next moment, Wigglytuff was sent flying.
During the collapse of the Goldenrod Radio Tower, the peculiar nature of Wigglytuff's body had already been shown.
Though it could inflate to large sizes, its weight was pitifully light.
At only around 12 kilograms, it was no match for Blaziken in sheer mass.
"Maintain rotation, use Gyro Ball!"
Whitney's command arrived just in time.
Norman was genuinely surprised this time.
Perhaps.
But battles don't pause for spectators' thoughts.
Midair, Wigglytuff struggled to spin.
A metallic silver glow enveloped it.
"Fire Spin," Silas said calmly.
No matter how it spun, Wigglytuff simply wasn't built for that kind of combat style.
Area control was the optimal answer.
Blaziken raised its head.
A towering column of flame formed at its mouth.
The scorching heat made all three humans instantly sweat.
With a flick of its head, a massive Fire Spin engulfed nearly one-third of the battlefield.
As Silas expected, Wigglytuff in its Gyro Ball state couldn't even find a path out.
Whitney, already sweating from the heat, grew anxious.
"Wigglytuff, use Dig!"
Norman unconsciously shook his head.
That was not a smart response.
Meanwhile, the Wigglytuff being constantly scorched heard the command like divine salvation.
Yes! If I go underground, you can't burn me!
Still spinning, it dove downward.
Soon, it disappeared from view inside the Fire Spin.
Without needing orders, Blaziken instinctively lowered the Fire Spin's altitude.
It didn't enter the hole, it simply hovered above it.
Whitney still hadn't realized.
After a short while, Blaziken even withdrew Fire Spin entirely.
"?"
Whitney looked at Silas in confusion.
"Are we… not continuing?"
Silas replied calmly.
"Wigglytuff has already lost the ability to battle."
"Ah?"
Whitney looked even more puzzled.
Without saying more, Silas instructed Blaziken to go down and carry Wigglytuff back up.
At this moment, Wigglytuff was extremely weak.
Its smooth fur was drenched in sweat and completely disheveled. Several patches were scorched black.
"Wigglytuff!"
Whitney cried out and jumped straight off the trainer's platform, rushing to Blaziken's side to take her Pokémon back.
"It's fine. It's just excessive stamina depletion. The injuries aren't serious—Blaziken controlled its power.
Recall it into its Poké Ball first. The internal recovery system will help it regain consciousness. After that, just take it to Nurse Joy for treatment."
Hearing Silas's explanation, Whitney quickly withdrew Wigglytuff.
"Dig can avoid many attacks, but for a Pokémon like Wigglytuff, it isn't like a Rock-type that can hold its breath for extended periods. Against Fire-type moves, that's not a wise choice."
Silas kindly explained.
Thankfully, it had been him.
If this had been a wild battle, Wigglytuff might not have survived or at the very least, would have suffered lasting damage.
Whitney blushed and bowed.
She knew Blaziken had shown mercy.
"Thank you, Blaziken."
"Blaze—"
Blaziken hurriedly waved its hands and darted back into its Poké Ball.
Silas raised an eyebrow.
It gets shy, too?
He felt like he'd discovered something remarkable.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on that.
Whitney took out a diamond-shaped Badge from her pocket.
It had four white edges with a yellow center.
This was the Plain Badge of the Goldenrod Gym.
"Congratulations! You've earned the Plain Badge!"
Whitney made an exaggerated gesture as if showering the sky with confetti.
Silas and Norman stared blankly.
Gym Leaders give Badges with, this kind of ceremony now?
Silas accepted the Badge and stored it carefully. The three of them chatted as they walked outside.
As for the battlefield in shambles, staff would naturally take care of it.
On the way, Norman extended an invitation at just the right time, he wanted Silas to visit his home.
"You're quite a bit younger than I am. You should have plenty in common with my two kids."
That was how Norman put it.
If anyone else had said it, Silas might have thought they were taking advantage of him.
But since it was Norman, it sounded genuine.
Silas readily agreed.
Meeting young May and Max? That was an opportunity not to be missed.
He was curious what May, later known as the "Princess of Hoenn Contests" had been like as a child.
"Senior Norman, are you not inviting me because you think I'm too old?"
Whitney teased.
Watching Norman hurriedly explain himself to her, Silas could only sigh inwardly.
A married man truly is experienced.
A short while later.
Under the moonlight.
Two shadowy figures slipped out of the back door of the Goldenrod Gym.
"Senior Norman… do we really have to do this?"
Silas asked helplessly.
Norman spread his hands. "Sorry. But I don't want my house being harassed every day."
It was Whitney who had reminded them.
Inviting Silas over at this hour, if word got out, it would definitely cause a stir.
Norman had patted his chest confidently and said it was no problem.
He had taken out two sets of black stealth outfits from his spatial backpack.
Why he brought those while serving as a referee was a mystery.
But they worked.
The two of them nearly blended into the night.
Under Norman's lead, Silas walked through winding alleys of Goldenrod City until they arrived at an unremarkable house in the northeastern part of town.
"We're here."
Norman let out a breath.
The whole way, he'd been nervous. Thankfully, nothing had happened.
"Senior Norman's house seems lively," Silas remarked, raising an eyebrow at the laughter coming from inside.
Norman scratched his head. "Caroline likes making friends. She often invites people over. Probably the same tonight. You don't mind?"
"Of course not," Silas replied immediately. "I enjoy making friends too."
Norman laughed. "That's great. Come on in."
He unlocked the door.
"Caroline! May! Max! I'm home~"
"Dad~!"
A familiar small figure rushed out.
Max threw himself into Norman's arms.
"Hey, you're… !"
He pointed at Silas behind Norman and shouted in surprise.
"You're the guy who got beaten flat by the League Champion, right? What a shame. If it were me, I'd definitely win."
Max curled his lip disdainfully.
"Max!"
Norman smacked his son's head. "That's rude!"
Silas smiled calmly.
Just a brat.
Shame about the mouth, though.
Norman smiled apologetically at Silas before turning back to Max.
"This is Daddy's guest. You should call him Big Brother Silas. By the way, does your mom have friends over today?"
Max moved his lips but chose to answer the second question instead.
"Yeah, Ryoko from the flower shop is here. And there's another big brother I don't know.
That big brother knows so much stuff. He knows about everything!"
As he spoke, Max glanced at Silas.
Norman smacked his head again.
The kid was getting more and more unruly.
"Sorry about that," Norman said to Silas.
"It's fine," Silas replied casually. "By the way, is he still in school? I worked as a teacher at a Pokémon Research School in Kanto for a while. Maybe I could give him some advice."
"Oh?"
Norman froze for a moment, then brightened. "That would be wonderful!"
He hurried inside with Silas, completely missing the stunned look on Max's face.
Silas let out a faint chuckle.
A little kid wants to challenge him?
"Ah, honey, you're back~"
Caroline, dressed like a typical housewife, waved at Norman while chatting with a young man and woman.
"Come here, I'll introduce you to two friends."
"Perfect. I also have a friend to introduce to you."
Norman happily embraced Caroline and kissed her without hesitation.
The three unmarried adults nearby clenched their fists. Were they lured in just to witness public displays of affection?
They exchanged glances and nodded silently.
Silas's heart stirred.
He recognized the "knowledgeable big brother" Max had mentioned.
But why… was he here?
...
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