The arena still shimmered with heat when the smoke cleared. Where moments ago a pool had stretched across Cerulean Gym's battlefield, there was now only cracked stone, bone-dry and steaming.
Starmie lay toppled, gem dimmed, fainted beyond recovery.
Mega Charizard Y hovered above, wings fanning away the last of the mist, sunlight blazing down at its command.
The crowd erupted.
"That's insane!""A fire-type just crushed a water ace!""Is this even legal?!"
Ethan smirked, brushing an imaginary speck from his jacket. "Thanks for playing, Daisy. You just learned something important—water douses fire, sure, but when the flames burn hot enough, the whole equation flips."
From the stands, the tattooed challenger gawked, lips working soundlessly. He'd wanted a lesson to study. Instead, he got a sermon in impossible physics. His Blastoise felt like a Magikarp in comparison.
Daisy returned her Starmie with a soft sigh. For the first time all day, her eyes held genuine respect. "I admit, I underestimated you. But that ends now. From here on, I'll give you one hundred percent."
She drew a second Poké Ball. White light flashed, coalescing into the sleek, scaled form of a Kingdra. Its eyes glittered with battle hunger. The arena gasped—Kingdra was level fifty-six, stronger even than Starmie.
"Your next opponent," Daisy declared, "is my ace."
Ethan's hand lingered on Charizard's ball. His partner glared down at Kingdra with draconic fury, but Ethan knew better. The Mega Evolution had pushed Charizard to its peak, and though he wore no scars, fatigue lingered under his scales.
He recalled the dragon with a nod. "Rest. You've earned it."
Then he unclipped another ball and tossed it lazily forward.
Snorlax materialized with a cheerful "Ka~!" landing belly-first on the dried floor. The ground quaked. The audience blinked in confusion.
"…Snorlax?""He swapped a Mega Charizard… for a Snorlax?""Is this kid insane or just mocking her?"
Ethan only smirked, hands in pockets. "Trust me. You'll want this one on tape."
Daisy arched a brow, then turned to the youngest sister at the sidelines. "Misty, record this. Our Gym trainers need to study it."
"On it!" Misty called, raising a camcorder with both hands.
The referee lifted his flags. "Second round—begin!"
"Kingdra, Dragon Dance!" Daisy commanded.
Kingdra spun, scales catching the harsh sunlight, its power surging with speed and might.
Ethan yawned. "Snorlax. Metronome."
The audience blinked.
"…Metronome?!""He's gambling?!""In a main-force match?!"
The tattooed man buried his face in his hands. "I wanted a masterclass, and he gives me Metronome? Kill me now."
Snorlax raised one stubby paw and wagged a single claw, humming cheerfully. Then—boom. The ceiling rattled as lightning tore down from nowhere, striking Snorlax square in the chest. The beast absorbed it with a crackle, his fur glowing electric blue.
"What the hell—?!" someone screamed.
Snorlax grinned, now wreathed in arcs of thunder, and bolted forward with impossible speed, a lumbering mass turned lightning incarnate. The crowd gasped as pits opened in the floor where sparks fell.
Kingdra's eyes widened. It had just finished its dance when Snorlax slammed into it like a thunderclap.
The second bolt struck from the heavens, lancing across the arena.
"BOOM!"
The blast hurled Kingdra into the far wall, electricity crawling over its scales as it screamed in pain.
The Gym fell silent.
Daisy's jaw dropped. That was… That was Thunderbolt? Or… no, stronger. Divine thunder?
In the stands, the tattooed challenger clutched his head, looking betrayed by the universe itself. "Metronome pulled that?! From that Pokémon?!"
Ethan stretched, unimpressed. "See, Daisy… most trainers think battling's about control. I think it's about leverage. Why settle for predictable when you can roll the dice with loaded odds?"
Snorlax let out a goofy, self-satisfied "Ka~," still sparking with leftover current.
The referee's hand trembled on the flag. The battle wasn't finished yet, but the opening strike had tilted the entire arena.
And somewhere in the crowd, someone whispered exactly what everyone else was thinking:
"…Please tell me they're recording this."