The dojo was packed with spectators who had rushed over after hearing the news.
After finally finding two newly vacated seats, May pulled Riku over.
However, the people in front were all standing, so the two didn't sit down, worried their view would be blocked.
Two ordinary-looking young people didn't attract much attention.
On the contrary, the moment Riku walked into the Gym, the two Pokémon that had been battling suddenly froze.
A short-legged Gengar, emitting black mist all over its body.
A stern Alakazam with two long yellow whiskers.
They had been evenly matched, and no one expected that during such an intense battle, the two Pokémon would suddenly stand still, frozen in place in the middle of the dojo.
Gengar is a dual-type Pokémon—Ghost and Poison—proficient in various Dark-type moves.
Alakazam is a pure Psychic-type, a swift Special Attacker.
Ghost-type is super effective against Psychic-type, and Psychic-type is super effective against Poison-type.
Gengar and Alakazam's types countered each other, and the audience had been looking forward to a fierce showdown.
But the sudden standstill sparked a lot of discussion among the crowd.
"Gengar, what's wrong? Move!"
Drake, wearing a black vest with a Poké Ball hanging around his neck, looked anxious.
So far in the battle, he had already sensed he was at a disadvantage.
The other Trainer, with purple hair, a purplish-red suit, and a black eye patch, said nothing.
Instead, he observed the surroundings calmly—his gaze paused on Riku for a brief moment before quickly turning away.
The audience's confusion and the Trainers' anxiety didn't affect Riku at all.
Instead, he was filled with envy and jealousy.
Touching the shrunken Poké Ball hanging at his waist, Riku silently resolved that he had to get a Pokémon as soon as possible.
The scene remained still for nearly a minute.
Then suddenly, Gengar and Alakazam seemed to go wild.
The two swift Special Attackers started fighting hand-to-hand—something totally unexpected.
The atmosphere reignited as the two Pokémon engaged in a fierce, chaotic brawl.
Drake and the Trainer named Koga both frowned, clueless as to what was happening.
They knew their own Pokémon well—calm, obedient, focused.
Today's wild behavior… it wasn't much different from how Pokémon acted when dueling in front of females of their own species.
Were they showing off for someone—or something?
Finally, Drake won.
But it was a narrow victory. Gengar could no longer continue the battle.
The match wasn't over yet.
As the referee's flag waved again, Drake and Koga sent out their next Pokémon.
This time, Drake removed the Poké Ball from around his neck.
Everyone in the Orange Archipelago knew—that Poké Ball held Drake's strongest Pokémon.
A Pseudo-Legendary: Dragonite!
The Pokémon that Koga sent out shocked the crowd, then puzzled them.
A green-haired, snow-white Pokémon that looked like it was wearing an elegant evening gown—Gardevoir.
Only Riku's eyes lit up.
"May, what is that Pokémon? It's so beautiful!"
May replied enviously, "It's the Psychic Queen—Gardevoir.
I've heard Gardevoir can sense the emotions of humans and other Pokémon. The powerful ones can even briefly see the future.
Known as the Psychic Queen, she has psychokinetic powers, can distort space, or even create a black hole to protect her Trainer.
Gardevoir isn't affected by gravity because she uses psychic energy to support her body.
With proper training, she can even teleport."
"Sigh…"
"If only I could have a powerful Gardevoir too," May murmured.
At that moment, the two Pokémon in the dojo had also calmed down.
Just like Gengar and Alakazam before them, they seemed stunned and uneasy.
However, Gardevoir quickly composed herself.
"Dragonite, don't just stand there! Use Agility!"
Drake knew—now was the moment. This battle would decide everything.
Unlike the spectators who thought Gardevoir couldn't match Dragonite based on her smaller size, Gardevoir was a dual-type Psychic and Fairy Pokémon.
Fairy-type is super effective against Dragon-type.
Right now, Dragonite had the type disadvantage.
Unfortunately, Drake's nervousness caused him to misjudge the situation from the start.
"Gardevoir, attack directly! Ignore Agility—hit Dragonite hard with Moonblast!"
Moonblast—the ultimate Fairy-type move.
If it landed, Dragonite could be taken out instantly!
"Dragonite, quickly use Dragon Tail! You must interrupt Moonblast!"
"Trying to interrupt now? Too late."
Koga smirked at Drake's panic.
Despite "speed" being in its name, Dragonite's actual Speed stat ranked low among Dragon-types.
Even with Agility's boost, it couldn't match Gardevoir's speed.
Boom—!
A brilliant Moonblast collided with Dragonite, who was charging up Dragon Tail.
With Fairy being super effective against Dragon, and a significant level difference…
Dragonite was instantly defeated.
"Impossible!"
Drake clutched his head in disbelief, staring at his fallen partner.
"Sigh…" May sighed.
"Drake was too cautious at the start. If he'd gone on the offensive right away, he might've had a chance."
"Riku, let's go."
Riku nodded silently.
But as they reached the entrance of the Gym, he suddenly turned around and looked back toward the dojo.
He noticed Gardevoir's gaze—
It seemed… fixed on his back.
---
Time passed quickly in the Gym. By the time they exited, it was already dark without them even realizing it.
Riku, eager to get home and cook for his three dumb birds and the Red Shrimp, had just climbed onto May's Blastoise when he sensed something was off.
A Pokémon was floating mid-air, blocking their path.
"Gardevoir? Why are you here?"
Riku was stunned.
He finally understood—
Why Gardevoir had been staring at him earlier.
---
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