"Jin, don't be stupid. That's just an ordinary shovel! Hurry, hand it over to me!"
The blond boy spoke with an air of arrogance, his tone almost like giving an order.
But Jin hid the golden shovel behind his back, chuckling awkwardly. "Forget it, Komiya. Real or fake, it's only a million. Does a mere million really matter to us? Besides, weren't we here today to dig for ores? As long as we strike it rich, money or not, I couldn't care less."
Hearing this, the blond boy—Komiya—nearly exploded in rage. He barked furiously, "Idiot! It's not about the money, it's about the fact that you were conned! Give it here!"
With that, Komiya snatched the golden shovel out of Jin's hands and turned to glare at Yozora.
Yozora only smiled faintly. "Since he didn't want to give it to you, why force him?"
"Hmph! Enough nonsense!" Komiya sneered. "Fine, you can keep the shovel, but give us back our million!"
Yozora waved his hand casually, chuckling. "That won't do. The old man who sold it to me said this golden shovel carries a kind of aura. Once transferred, the aura shifts as well… I've already handed it over. Even if you give it back now, it's useless to me."
Jin: "…"
Everett: "…"
That was just Yozora's way.
When he met polite people, he was more polite than them.But if faced with someone domineering, he wasn't the least bit intimidated—and could be even more domineering in return.
Seeing Yozora's shameless stance, acting like he had no intention of paying them back, Komiya's face darkened further. Suddenly, his gaze shifted toward Yozora's Charmander. His eyes widened. This Charmander… isn't it far too well-built?
"It seems you're a capable Trainer," Komiya said coldly. "Since you're a Trainer, then let's speak in a Trainer's language!"
"One-on-one battle. If you lose, you'll return our million!"
Yozora shook his head lightly and smiled. "That golden shovel was already traded. Which means the million is my personal property now. If you want to wager, you should put up your own stake as well."
Komiya gave a derisive snort. "You don't need to tell me that!"
He then pulled out a Thunder Stone—its luster marking it as a mid-grade stone.
"Come out, my partner!"
A flash of white light. Komiya's Pokémon appeared—a Jolteon.
Jolteon, one of Eevee's many evolutions, could only be obtained through use of a Thunder Stone.
Eevee itself was already rare and valuable. Add the cost of a Thunder Stone, and the price of raising a Jolteon was anything but cheap.
Indeed, this was what one expected of a Pokémon Tech student, and the son of a wealthy magnate at that. His choice of Pokémon had weight to it.
[Pokémon]: Jolteon
[Type]: Electric
[Level]: Elite – Early Stage
[Potential]: Gym Leader Level
[Description]: A pampered Jolteon. Though its level is not low and it possesses considerable power, its movements are clumsy. With little battle experience and no endurance, it cannot withstand pain.
One glance at Jolteon's stats and Yozora shook his head.A perfectly fine Jolteon, wasted just like this.
As the system described, the Jolteon was indeed pampered—yawning continuously the moment it entered the field.
"Jolteon, pull yourself together! If you perform well in this battle, I'll reward you with a feast tonight!"
Seeing Jolteon's lazy, half-asleep posture, Komiya shouted in haste.
At the mention of a reward, Jolteon perked up a little, standing straighter with newfound energy.
Yozora could only shake his head again.
Tsk tsk… truly worthy of being a star student at Pokémon Tech. To raise a Pokémon this way and still expect it to become a fierce fighter? That's a real joke.
"Go, Komiya! Show the might of our Pokémon Tech beginner's class!" Everett and Jin cheered loudly from the sidelines, encouraging Komiya.
Yozora, meanwhile, sent Charmander forward.
The two Pokémon faced off. Charmander's eyes, posture, and very aura radiated confidence and strength.
In comparison, Jolteon was nothing but a floundering Magikarp—good looks, no spirit.
Komiya frowned slightly at the contrast.
"Hmph! None of that matters! For Pokémon, level and strength are all that count! Even if my Jolteon lacks fighting spirit, sheer power alone will suffice!"
Shaking away his doubts, Komiya roared: "Attack, Jolteon! Use Thunderbolt!"
Normally, a Jolteon would dash forward as it attacked, closing distance to ensure accuracy. Like aiming at a target—the closer you were, the better the hit rate.
But Komiya's Jolteon had no such awareness.
It wasn't entirely Jolteon's fault—over 90% of wild Pokémon lacked advanced combat instincts. Only the rare, battle-hardened ones developed them naturally over years of fighting.
As a pampered, trainer-raised Pokémon, Jolteon had no such instincts. The real problem lay in its Trainer.
"Boom!"
Jolteon fired Thunderbolt straight from where it stood. The bolt streaked toward Charmander—but the two Pokémon stood at least ten meters apart. Fast as electricity was, it couldn't land instantly.
"Trying to hit like that? Far too naïve."
"Charmander, dodge it!" Yozora called calmly.
Lightning seared across the field—but Charmander slipped aside in a blur, neatly evading it.
Then, displaying excellent battle sense, Charmander didn't wait for further orders. It charged at Jolteon immediately.
"Flamethrower!"
At Yozora's command, Charmander unleashed a torrent of searing flames. With the distance closed, the fire reached Jolteon's face in the blink of an eye.
"Jolteon, dodge quickly!" Komiya shouted in panic.
But it was too late.
The Flamethrower was already upon it. How could it possibly escape now?
"Fwoooosh—!"
Flames engulfed Jolteon whole.
"Yaaaooowww—!"
A shrill cry echoed from within the blaze. Charmander, embarrassed, cut the flames short early.
Even so, Jolteon collapsed to the ground, eyes shut tight, body writhing in pain. It was already unable to battle.
Charmander had won.
"So weak… and this is supposed to be an Elite-level Pokémon?" Yozora sighed inwardly.
On the other side, however, Everett, Jin, and the others stared wide-eyed at Yozora.
"So strong! He defeated Komiya's Jolteon in an instant. This guy's strength as a Trainer is incredible!"
(End of Chapter)