"So strong…" Komiya muttered, his face filled with disbelief.
After all, his Jolteon was a genuine Elite – Early Stage Pokémon.
Yet that little Charmander had taken it down in a single move.
That could only mean—Charmander was at least Elite level as well.
"A mere commoner, and judging by his age, he's just a Rookie who only recently started out. I never thought… he'd actually have such overwhelming strength…"
He cast a deep, reluctant glance at Yozora. Though unwilling to admit it, Komiya still tossed over a Medium-grade Thunder Stone."Hey, what's your name?"
"Yozora," Yozora replied quickly, catching the stone. Perfect—another million Poké Dollars earned.
"Yozora, let me make this clear. I am not the top student of the Junior Class, so defeating me doesn't mean much. You don't need to look so smug," Komiya said coldly.
Yozora shrugged.
Seeing Yozora's casual, unconcerned expression only stoked Komiya's anger. "What's that supposed to mean? Do you think I'm weak just because I'm not the top student? Well let me tell you—I may not be first, but I'm right behind them! I'm the second seat, second only to the top!"
"Oh. And what does that have to do with me?" Yozora deadpanned.
Charmander, ever cooperative, clapped its claws together in mock applause for Komiya.
"You're insulting me!"
Komiya's face flushed red with humiliation. "Yozora! Because of your rudeness, I now challenge you on behalf of the entire Junior Class. One week from now, at the Pokémon Academy! Do you dare show up?"
Yozora shook his head. "Daring or not makes no difference. What matters is—what do I gain if I go?"
Komiya snorted. "If you can defeat the Pokémon Junior Class, I'll hand over a Medium-grade Evolutionary Stone myself!"
At that, Yozora's eyes lit up.
Medium-grade Stones were worth at least a million Poké Dollars. With an offer like that, how could he not be tempted?
"But what if I lose?" Yozora asked cautiously.
"Heh…"
Komiya suddenly laughed, his voice filled with pride and arrogance. "Don't doubt it—you'll lose for sure! But since your loss is inevitable, you won't have to pay anything. All you'll need to do is publicly admit that the Pokémon Junior Class is strong!"
It was clear—
Komiya valued reputation above all, not only his own but also that of the entire Junior Class.
"Fine. Within a week, I'll be there." Seeing that he had nothing to lose, Yozora accepted without hesitation.
"Hmph! Good. We'll be waiting. And one more thing—you'd better look up our top student. Her name is Giselle, and once you see just how extraordinary she is, you'll understand."
With that, Komiya called over Everett, Jin, and the others, and they slowly departed.
The matter settled, Yozora continued onward, finally reaching the ninth floor around three in the afternoon.
Along the way, he collected quite a haul of ores.
Most were defective Moon Stones, though he also picked up a fossil that looked like a seashell.
With restoration machinery, it would likely revive into an Omanyte or perhaps even an Omastar.
But Yozora wasn't particularly interested in those species. He figured he'd sell the fossil for cash instead.
…
Besides ores, Yozora encountered plenty of wild Pokémon on each floor—mostly Zubat, Geodude, and Diglett, the usual cave-dwellers. Since none interested him, he made no attempts to capture them.
A few minutes later, he came across a middle-aged man.
The man looked to be in his forties, with a rugged face covered in a full beard. A shovel rested in his hands, clearly marking him as another treasure hunter.
Their eyes met. The bearded man gave Yozora a polite nod, then his gaze shifted to Charmander. His eyes widened in surprise.
Especially when he noticed the tail flame burning with an unusual blue fire—his shock turned into outright amazement.
"Young man, your Charmander is something special. And you've raised it very well."
The bearded man smiled warmly, pulling out a Poké Ball and holding it up. "So, how about it? Interested in a battle with this old man?"
"Of course." Yozora nodded. He stepped back with Charmander to create some distance, readying himself for the fight.
"Then let's go—Geodude!"
The bearded uncle tossed his Poké Ball. Under the dim cave light, Yozora saw the rocky form of a golden Geodude emerge.
Ordinary Geodude were a dark, stony gray. But this one shone with a dazzling golden hue.
A Shiny Geodude!
"Not bad, uncle. Didn't expect you to have a Shiny Pokémon." Yozora praised sincerely, though at the same time, he pulled up the system interface to check its stats.
[Pokémon]: Geodude
[Type]: Rock + Ground
[Level]: Junior
[Potential]: Elite Four
[Notes]: A highly talented Geodude. Still young, it requires more training to strengthen its body.
…
"Haha! This little one is the offspring of my old partner. Never thought it'd be a Shiny," the bearded man said, grinning ear to ear. Clearly, he was proud to own such a rare Pokémon.
And who wouldn't be?
In this world, Shiny Pokémon were unimaginably rare. Anyone who had one couldn't resist showing it off now and then.
"In that case… Charmander, take a break. Come out, Psyduck!"
Seeing the Shiny Geodude, Yozora couldn't resist sending out his own Shiny—Psyduck.
The sight left the bearded man utterly speechless.
"Young man, you're even more incredible! So young, and already you own a Shiny and a mutated Pokémon. Your future is limitless!"
He gave Yozora a big thumbs-up, then his expression hardened. "All right, Geodude! Defense Curl—then Rollout!"
At his command, Geodude tucked in tightly, making its body as round as possible before slamming to the ground with a thud. Then it began to spin and roll forward, barreling straight toward Psyduck.
Defense Curl + Rollout!
Clearly, this uncle had once been a skilled Trainer himself. He opened with a textbook combo.
And the Geodude was well-trained too. Despite its low level, the execution was smooth and seamless, proof of the uncle's careful guidance.
But unfortunately…
Against Psyduck, it was meaningless.
The gap in strength was far too great.
"Psyduck! Use Psychic to hold it in place—then Water Gun!" Yozora commanded.
Psyduck's eyes snapped open wide, glowing with a deep, eerie blue light. A wave of invisible power surged forth, locking Geodude's movement and lifting it off the ground.
"Pfft—!"
The next instant, a jet of water blasted directly into Geodude, striking true. The little rock Pokémon slumped to the ground, knocked out cold.
…
…
(End of Chapter)