Sunlight filtered softly through the sparse treetops as Anon ran along the path, looking anxiously from side to side.
"Oh no, I only looked away from Satoshi-kun for a second—where on earth did he run off to?"
Rainbow Wing Academy was massive; even the simplest club building was the size of an airport, making her search that much harder.
"Hm?"
The cheers of trainers suddenly rose all around, passion for battle electrifying the air. Among the crowd's excitement, Anon caught sight of a familiar figure.
The tournament hadn't even officially begun yet, but Raichu and Arbok already stood face-to-face, Satoshi locked in an awkward standoff with a certain shorts-wearing boy.
Everyone nearby was watching with intense interest—the two clearly drew attention. Though the event hadn't officially started, these two seemed eager to begin their battle immediately.
"Hey, that's Put from 2nd-year Class D, isn't it? And that's Satoshi from 1st-year Class A. I heard both of them beat instructors!"
"This should be interesting. Time for the first-years to learn a painful lesson from their seniors. Can't wait to see that losing CG."
"You guys sure are perverted, huh~?"
Random onlookers had started chatting, discussing increasingly bizarre topics.
[Uwahaha These people totally match my personality! I wanna dig into Satoshi too!]
Save me—I'm surrounded by lunatics!
Satoshi felt a headache coming on. If everyone around him was like this, he'd lose his sanity first.
In his excitement for battle, he'd accidentally sprinted ahead, leaving Soyo and Anon behind.
Right now, the relatively normal Anon could definitely help him.
Anon! Truly a lifesaver.
Satoshi wished he could send a helicopter to pick her up right now.
Anon…I miss you.
"Satoshi-kun, do your best——!"
Just as he sank into these exaggerated thoughts, an energetic, youthful voice rang out, pulling him back to reality.
Turning his head, he saw Chihaya Anon cheerfully waving, enthusiastically calling out to him.
"No worries—I'm invincible!" Satoshi grinned confidently toward her, and Raichu echoed his resolve, striking a confident pose.
"Rai, rai!"
"You don't seriously think you can win, right? I'll have you know, I'm ranked around the top 100 in the entire school!" The shorts-wearing boy, Put, proudly declared.
Rainbow Wing had thousands of students, with around 1,000 in the Pokémon Battle Department alone. A student ranked in the top 100 was obviously formidable.
Satoshi, however, wasn't particularly concerned. He just warmed up, waiting for the cup to begin.
30 seconds, 20 seconds, 10 seconds…
5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0!
[Broadcast]: "Attention all students! The Afro Buffalo Cup has officially begun!"
As the announcement echoed across campus, excitement surged through the crowd.
"My Arbok and I have perfect synergy—you have no chance! Arbok, use [Fire Fang]!" Put was still taunting when Satoshi stepped forward decisively, initiating the battle.
"Raichu, [Thunderbolt]!"
Hearing his command, Raichu unleashed a massive surge of golden electricity.
"Raiii—!"
A fierce current, like an enraged dragon, surged forth with unprecedented intensity, as if devouring everything in its path.
"Char—!" Struck directly, Arbok let out a pained cry, trembling violently under the electric assault. It quickly fell unconscious, spiraling onto the ground with spiraled eyes, knocked out in a single strike.
"Arbok!!" Put's eyes widened in shock, disbelief clear on his face.
He'd planned to teach this freshman a lesson, yet Arbok had been defeated instantly.
"Holy crap—was that a one-hit KO?"
"Is…is that Raichu legal? Aren't they supposed to be common, like street dogs?"
"They're not even on the same level!"
Amid the crowd's murmurs, Anon's eyes filled with hearts, excitement rising rapidly.
"You're amazing Satoshi-kun Love!♡"
Ignoring the surrounding comments, Satoshi intended to finish this match swiftly.
He wasn't surprised by Raichu's power. Over the past few days, he'd been training relentlessly, experiencing Raichu's [Thunderbolt] firsthand to refine the move's strength and precision, maximizing power with minimal effort.
"Send out your next Pokémon already, senpai. I can't wait to keep battling!"
"Grr… Fine! Go, Raticate!" Frustrated, Put quickly sent out his Raticate.
"Use [Quick Attack]!" Raticate dashed around Raichu like lightning, moving so swiftly it was hard to track.
"Patta!"
Seeing this, Satoshi remained unbothered. An opponent of this level wasn't worth worrying about.
"Jump up, Raichu—strike the ground with [Iron Tail]."
"Rai~ Rai!"
Raichu leapt upward, its tail glowing brightly.
"Patta?!"
[Iron Tail] smashed down like a massive hammer, creating a powerful shockwave that threw Raticate skyward, completely unbalanced.
"Now, [Iron Tail] again!"
Raichu's attack didn't stop there; it swiftly delivered another devastating [Iron Tail] directly into Raticate's head.
"Patta—!!" Raticate howled miserably, flying off the battlefield and hitting the ground hard, instantly defeated.
"This one too? Fine then, Fearow, your turn!" Put retrieved Raticate and immediately sent out his Fearow.
"Go!"
Fearow, freshly released, immediately saw Raichu standing ready, brimming with intimidating energy. Confused, Fearow tilted its head stiffly toward its trainer.
"Oni? (You serious?)"
"Use [Pursuit]!"
"[Thunderbolt]…" At this point, Satoshi felt his enthusiasm wane. His opponent was simply too weak, failing to ignite his fighting spirit.
Following Satoshi's command, another fierce electric surge erupted, effortlessly knocking Fearow out.
"Hurry…Which team is he on? Let's invite him immediately—I wanna have his babies."
"Let's invite him right after the cup! Let me Tauros him first!"
"Damn—someone's going full Tauros already?"
Amid these ridiculous praises, Anon, enjoying this newfound glory, placed her hands proudly on her hips, beaming brightly.
"Hehe Impressed? That's my boyfriend!"
She'd unconsciously blurted out something outrageous, unaware she'd even spoken.
Yet the admiring stares from nearby made her feel incredibly delighted.
Ah…I don't know what I just said, but being admired like this feels amazing~!
Just as the battle ended, the school's large screen suddenly updated, accompanied by another announcement:
[Broadcast]: "The first battle has concluded. Currently, in first place is Team MYGO (6 members)."
The screen prominently displayed MYGO along with their member count—3 battle points!
"Satoshi-kun really is incredible," murmured Soyo, cheeks blushing slightly as she noticed the rankings. Warmth and shyness filled her heart.
Not far away from her, a girl in a miniskirt faced Soyo in battle—her face pale and fearful.
"A—a monster!"
"You're really noisy… Can't you be quiet when I'm in a good mood?"
Soyo's gentle smile was so deceptively sweet it chilled the air around her.
"End this with [Dragon Rush]~"
She elegantly gestured, commanding the black-and-blue dragon Pokémon by her side.
"Roooar!!"
With terrifying intensity, the dragon surged forward, shrouded in violet aura, smashing the opponent's Glameow mercilessly into the wall, instantly knocking it out.
Finishing her opponent, Soyo turned calmly to Raana.
"Raana-chan, finished?"
"Yeah. Done."
Raana spoke simply. She'd won even faster than Soyo.
Team MYGO's battle points jumped from 3 to 9, holding firm at first place.
"Team MYGO…We've lost the lead."
After swiftly ending her own battle, Kagura Hikari recalled her Pokémon indifferently, turning away to leave. After a few steps, a brown-haired girl with twintails hurried after her anxiously.
"Hikari-chan! Where are you going? Aren't we supposed to find Satoshi-kun first? Wait for me~!"