"Alright! Got it! With your word on that, I'm at ease!"
"Don't worry! I'll definitely bring her back!"
"The person I've set my sights on—there's no way I'll let anyone else snatch her away!"
After hanging up, Miyazato Aisa's peripheral vision couldn't help drifting to the several vice presidents from Pokémon universities seated behind her.
The talent and strength Isobe Himeko had displayed—
and the terrifying combat power shown by that unknown, entirely new-form Pokémon—
had already pushed Aisa's evaluation of Himeko far beyond the S+ tier!
A heaven-sent prodigy like that—
if she couldn't be pulled onto their side,
it would be an absolute waste!
That was why Aisa had no choice but to report to her superior—
to apply for higher authority,
so she could offer Himeko even better treatment, and show their sincerity.
Aisa understood this as well:
the match might be over,
but the competition in the shadows was only just beginning.
The few people sitting behind her
obviously weren't going to just watch her take the lead so easily.
Next,
a full-blown battle to recruit someone was about to begin.
...
At this moment, on the battle arena,
Shiko was basking in thunderous applause and cheering.
The spectators in the stands were so excited they were jumping up and down,
their exhilaration like it was New Year's.
Himeko was just as thrilled.
She truly hadn't expected it—
Shiko had actually pulled off the one-versus-three sweep!
And not only that—
it had been three perfect victories, without a single flaw to pick at!
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"
"Why!? How could I lose!?"
Joji stood completely out of place amid the roaring atmosphere.
He slammed his fist hard against the ground.
That posture—
it was exactly like some villain driven into a hysterical meltdown by defeat.
"I protest! This is too despicable!"
"Why would Charmeleon evolve into a monster like this?"
"If it were Charizard, I definitely wouldn't have lost!"
"I…!"
Joji's eyes were bloodshot.
The emotion of failure flooded his brain,
and for a moment he'd completely lost his reason.
Staring at Shiko,
he started snapping and barking, refusing to let go.
Shiko glanced at him with cold indifference.
When an ordinary person gets bitten by an insect,
they don't bite back.
The correct thing to do
is to crush the insect outright.
That was exactly what Shiko was thinking.
Joji's nonstop, hysterical noise was irritating.
Shiko felt
it was necessary to teach him a lesson—properly.
He lightly stamped a foot on the ground.
A powerful ripple surged outward.
Joji only felt the ground under his feet shove upward,
jolting him—
and sending him flying several meters into the air.
When he was nearly level with Shiko's head,
he felt a scorching breath rush straight at his face.
A small flame instantly ignited his clothes,
burning faster and fiercer,
wrapping him up like a fireball.
Joji screamed while rolling madly on the ground.
His miserable state
made the spectators burst into laughter.
At a time like this,
no one was going to empathize with him, not even a little.
He was a cheater who'd broken the rules to begin with.
And in the end he'd still lost so ugly.
Getting a tiny bit of punishment like this was already Shiko showing mercy.
"Awoo—!"
Dragonair shot out from the Poké Ball at Joji's waist.
It spat out a stream of water,
putting out the flames burning on Joji.
Then,
Dragonair raised the front half of its body,
shielding Joji.
It stared at Shiko with a serious, resolute gaze.
Even though it had been defeated so easily by Shiko earlier,
for the sake of protecting its Trainer,
it still stood up—
steadfastly.
A decent Pokémon.
Just too weak.
Shiko looked at Dragonair and shook his head slightly.
Dragonair really did live up to its reputation as a famously gentle Pokémon.
Even though Joji raised it with such rough and brutal methods—
it would still, in a situation like this,
firmly stand on its Trainer's side.
But unfortunately,
how could Shiko possibly be intimidated by an opponent he had already beaten once?
Especially after he'd completed another evolution.
Shiko stared at Dragonair coldly.
The momentum and pressure radiating from him
condensed in an instant, then fell with pinpoint accuracy over Dragonair.
An unbearable force crashed down.
Dragonair held out for only a single second.
Its body had already been overdrawn—
and under the double blow of exhaustion and Shiko's pressure,
it immediately fainted again.
Its body went limp,
collapsing onto the ground.
"ROAR!!"
Right at that moment,
an ear-splitting, high-pitched dragon cry rang out once more from the stands.
Dragonite beside Aisa
beat its wings,
shooting toward the battle arena like a yellow meteor.
Dragonair was its offspring.
Seeing Dragonair in such a miserable state in front of Shiko—
as a parent, it naturally couldn't stand it.
What's more,
it had long since developed a strong fighting urge toward Shiko.
Now that the match was already over,
it couldn't resist flying over to clash.
Dragonite hovered in front of Shiko, flapping its wings.
At just over two meters tall,
it looked small in front of Shiko's height of more than four meters.
But no one dared underestimate its strength.
This was an Elite Four-level Pokémon!
And it was also a naturally powerful Dragon-type!
Shiko and Dragonite faced each other.
In their eyes,
battle intent flared up in unison.
It was a Dragon-type's instinct.
In the audience,
the cheering and applause abruptly vanished.
The sudden situation
left everyone frozen for a beat—
and then, in an instant, excitement and anticipation surged back onto their faces.
Seriously—
they'd already finished watching the match,
and there was an even more exciting "bonus scene" afterward!
"ROAR!!"
Dragonite let out a terrifying roar at Shiko.
The dragon might that came with a powerful Dragon-type spread in all directions.
It was heart-shaking and overwhelming.
"What insane presence! That really is an Elite Four-level Pokémon!"
"Dragon-types are unbelievably cool!"
"Why do I suddenly feel like I want to kneel down and worship?"
"They're not going to fight, are they?"
"No way, no way—if they fight, Shiko definitely can't beat Dragonite!"
"Yeah. Elite-level against Elite Four-level—no matter how monstrous the talent, it won't work!"
...
Just by releasing its presence,
everyone once again felt the might of a Dragon-type at Elite Four-level.
That instinctive tremor deep in the soul—
the natural pressure a higher lifeform exerts over a lower one.
Aisa watched as Dragonite released its terrifying Dragon-type might, pressing down on Shiko as a warning.
She figured that was about enough.
If this stalemate continued,
it really might turn into a battle.
Himeko and Shiko had just taken the championship.
If she let Dragonite give them a "first warning blow" right now to suppress them,
it would seem a bit inappropriate.
As she was thinking that,
just as she was about to wave and call Dragonite back—
suddenly,
Shiko, who had been enduring Dragonite's pressure the whole time,
exploded.
"ROAR!!"
Another incomparably terrifying bellow.
That rugged, heavy sound
felt like it came from a primordial age—
piercing endless years to reach the present.
A frightening presence
rose from Shiko's body.
In an instant,
it ripped apart and shattered the pressure Dragonite had forced onto him.
The next second,
Shiko's wildly expanding dragon might
instantly crushed Dragonite's aura—
and swept over the entire square.
(End of Chapter)
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