"Here—this is the one! Li Xuan, the Fighting Dojo Gym Leader from Kanto's Saffron City. His follower count just hit exactly one hundred thousand!"
Flint waved his phone around and showed Cynthia Grey's profile page.
The avatar was a big photo of Grey standing in front of the Fighting Dojo. Behind him stood a whole bunch of Pokémon, and beside him were Bumiao, Sabrina, Green, and Silver.
ID: Dojo Annihilape
Bio: Grey, the third Gym Leader of the Fighting Dojo. Nice to meet you. Governor + private Line.
Only alt: @LiLiLiGrey
IP location: Saffron City
"…"
Cynthia went silent when she saw that familiar face.
That was obviously the guy who'd dragged Caitlin over to Kanto!
"Cynthia, what's wrong?" Flint noticed her expression was off and immediately asked, eager to see if there was some juicy gossip.
"It's nothing."
Cynthia shook her head, said no more, and turned to walk into the office.
"Seriously, what's up with Cynthia today…?"
Flint couldn't figure it out, so he just went back to watching the stream.
Meanwhile, Cynthia also picked up her phone and searched Grey's ID.
"To have Caitlin this obsessed… what kind of charm are you hiding?"
Rubbing her temples, Cynthia tapped into Grey's livestream.
…
…
Saffron City, Fighting Dojo.
"Blaziken, can you keep going? If not, we'll Baton Pass out immediately."
Grey was genuinely worried about Blaziken's condition.
Lt. Surge's Raichu was at full health, while Blaziken was nearly running on fumes.
Even though Blaziken had stacked a lot of buffs, Electric-types had plenty of wide-area moves.
Moves like Electroweb and Discharge—Raichu could learn both.
Who knew how many Lt. Surge had taught it?
He had to play it safe.
"Blazi." (I'm fine. And if it really gets bad, I'll Baton Pass out in time.)
Blaziken snapped upright. Its long legs rooted into the ground like ancient tree roots, steady and immovable.
It set one claw forward and one back in a standard Wing Chun opening stance. Flames around its wrists condensed into two rings of fire under the flow of its force, flickering with each breath.
Even though Blaziken's ability wasn't Blaze, in this situation it still surged with an unprecedented fighting spirit.
It felt like—if you wanted to see the princess, you had to first defeat the "knight."
"Raichu, keep your eyes on that Blaziken. Its stats have risen a lot. We need to end this fast."
Lt. Surge was a Raichu specialist. He knew exactly where his disadvantage lay against a Pokémon that could seize the speed advantage.
Right now, the only option was to strike while Blaziken's Speed Boost stacks weren't fully built—find one window and knock it out in one go!
Ideally, don't even let it use Baton Pass.
Electric-type trainers were always intense like that.
"Man, Pokémon battles are about relationships and vibes. Stop thinking about nothing but killing and fighting all day."
Grey sighed, stared at the eager Raichu, then suddenly shouted, "Flame Charge!"
He wanted to stack speed to the limit in one sweep!
"Oh? Low on stamina, huh? So you want a quick finish!"
Lt. Surge sneered. Keeping his arms folded, he barked, "Raichu—show that Blaziken your power! Thunder Punch!"
Unlike the other Pokémon on his team—
His Raichu leaned physical attacker.
Sure, Blaziken's Attack had skyrocketed, but with Electric Terrain active, his Raichu wasn't helpless in a close fight.
"Blazi!"
Blaziken's flames surged. Each step left a burning footprint branded into the floor.
It sprinted to the edge of the massive crater left behind by the earlier Explosion, and the muscles in its legs snapped tight.
BOOM—HISS!
With a scorching burst, Blaziken became a streak of fire that shot upward like a blazing spear!
"Rai—Rai?!" (That speed… how is that even real?!)
Raichu craned its neck desperately, but it could only catch a flickering afterimage of flame in the sky.
Lt. Surge had said Blaziken had buffs, but Raichu hadn't expected it to be this absurd!
This speed wasn't something a normal Pokémon could pull off.
Raichu felt that even as an Elite Four–level Pokémon, it couldn't do that right now.
Its body shape alone explained everything.
Maybe it had a shot at short explosive bursts, but sustained high-speed movement…
With a build like this, it just wasn't made for it.
"Rai-Rai!" (Whatever! We're about the same level. I refuse to believe I'll get suppressed under Electric Terrain!)
Raichu slapped its round belly, confidence blazing in its eyes.
After all, it had eaten that much.
There had to be some real tricks packed into that body.
And right now, Thunder Punch was its signature guard-at-the-gate technique!
"Rai-Rai!" (You've got some nerve, Blaziken—take this punch!)
With that battle-cry, dazzling electricity poured into Raichu's fist.
As Blaziken dove down, Raichu didn't dodge at all. It sank its hips, planted its stance, and poured its whole body into a right hook!
And at that moment, the currents in Electric Terrain seemed to be pulled in, twisting and coiling around Raichu's swinging fist.
SCRAAAAPE!!!
That lightning-wrapped punch tore through the air, golden arcs snapping and dancing—then slammed head-on into the blazing meteor that was Blaziken!
BOOM!!!
Lightning and flame collided, and the light swallowed the entire dojo.
The shockwave exploded outward, blasting both Pokémon away at the same time!
Raichu flew backward, claws scraping the floor, carving three trenches before it barely managed to stop.
"Rai… rai…"
It staggered upright, the electric pouches on its cheeks dimming slightly.
Blaziken flipped several times midair, then tapped the ground lightly with its toes and landed cleanly on the far side of the crater.
The flames at its wrists flickered unsteadily, but its battle posture remained perfect.
Between them, that crater—now blasted even deeper—split the battlefield in two.
Just one exchange was enough for Lt. Surge to understand the gap in raw power.
It was honestly terrifying.
"Tch… three Attack boosts and it hits like that? Then I have to steer this into a ranged fight…"
Lt. Surge sucked in a cold breath. Looking at Raichu—still in relatively decent shape—he decided to shift tactics again.
Plan C.
Because if it stayed close-quarters, Raichu definitely wasn't beating Blaziken.
Even if Blaziken was low on stamina, its power hadn't dropped at all.
And even if it collapsed, it could still Baton Pass those buffs seamlessly to the next Pokémon…
To Lt. Surge, this Blaziken was a ticking bomb.
No one knew if Grey would suddenly decide to blow everything up in the next second.
But if he could deal with it—
Then the advantage would be his.
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