Behind the polished glass of the referee's booth, Daisy scrolled through the League's challenger registry. Her eyes widened at the name.
"This Ethan Carter… only one badge?"
She had checked the tattooed man's record earlier—six badges, respectable wins. A request to challenge her Gym's main force had made sense. But now, another trainer barely into his journey wanted the same?
Daisy shook her head. Ignorant of heaven and earth. Overconfidence in its purest form.
One badge didn't qualify a trainer to face her Starmie, the ace she'd cultivated for years. Even strong contenders had fallen before it. A rookie had no chance.
Then something caught her eye. She skimmed Brock's evaluation report. "S-rank…"
Her lips parted. Brock wasn't generous with praise. And yet, three months ago, he had recorded an S-rank for this very challenger—back when Ethan's Charmeleon had toppled his quasi-king Onix in Pewter.
So he's the same boy… That explains the arrogance. But three months from rookie to main-force challenger? Impossible.
Daisy set her jaw. Confidence is good. Too much is poison. I'll remind him where he stands.
Her hand brushed the cool surface of Starmie's ball. Two, maybe three attacks would be enough.
When she returned to the arena, Ethan was already waiting, arms tucked casually into his jacket pockets, eyes sparkling with amusement.
The crowd buzzed when Daisy lobbed her Poké Ball, releasing Starmie onto the polished floor. Its gem core pulsed, radiating psychic heat.
Ethan raised a brow. "Didn't even let it rest, huh?"
Daisy's reply was cool. "No need. I checked your record. One badge. Starmie doesn't require recovery to deal with you."
The declaration spread through the stands like wildfire.
"One badge?!""He's insane!""Challenging the main force without even clearing half the Kanto Gyms—what's he thinking?"
Ethan smirked. There it is. The chorus of doubt. My favorite soundtrack.
In the corner, the tattooed challenger bristled. He slapped his brother's head again. "You lied to me! Said he was strong—one badge? And I wasted time watching this?"
The brute stammered. "But… his Annihilape—"
"Useless!" the man barked, storming toward the exit.
Ethan's ears caught the exchange. His lips curled. "So I'm being looked down on again? Cute."
He unclipped a Poké Ball. "Fine. Charizard—let's educate them."
The air trembled as his Shiny Charizard erupted in a swirl of black scales and fire. The dragon flipped mid-air, wings slicing the arena's lights, drawing gasps from the crowd. Shiny Charizards were already rare enough to be whispered about.
Daisy blinked. Brock's report said Charmeleon… three months ago. And now…
The tattooed man froze at the exit, sneer half-formed. A shiny? So what. My Blastoise would flatten it. He started walking again—until the arena lit with radiant color.
Ethan's hand brushed the Keystone on his chest. It pulsed, igniting with a kaleidoscope glow.
"Charizard," Ethan commanded softly, "unleash it."
The Key resonated with the blazing Y-shaped stone embedded in Charizard's tail. Flames roared, wings spread wider, and before the audience's stunned eyes, the dragon reshaped itself into Mega Charizard Y.
The roar that followed shook the rafters.
Gasps erupted like fireworks.
"It evolved again?!""What kind of power is that?!""Impossible—Charizard can't—"
The tattooed man staggered back to the stands, dragging his brother. "Forget the train. Change the ticket. I don't care if we never make Saffron. This fight—we watch!"
Even Daisy's composure cracked. Her lips parted. "Super… evolution?"
"That's right," Ethan said, voice carrying. "A way to tap the deeper power within my partner. Call it what you want. I call it insurance."
As if to punctuate, the sun itself seemed to flare. Mega Charizard Y's Drought ability seized the sky, turning the mild afternoon into a blistering glare. Heat waves rippled across the battlefield.
Daisy shielded her eyes. The spectators murmured in awe and fear.
"The weather—did it just change?""It's like the sun itself obeys him…"
Ethan tilted his head, half-smile curling. "So, Daisy. Planning to attack? Or should I start and evaporate every drop of water in this Gym?"
He jabbed a finger forward. "Charizard—Flamethrower."
The dragon inhaled, chest glowing like molten stone, and then exhaled a torrent of fire that turned the arena floor into liquid light.