At the bottom of the crater, Swampert lay sprawled among the rubble with swirls in its eyes.
It was unable to battle.
Asher's fourth Pokémon had fallen. Only two remained.
Charizard, meanwhile, had already taken down four opponents in a row. If it defeated the last two as well, Blaze would shatter the Intercollegiate Freshman Tournament record and become the first Trainer ever to sweep an entire six-Pokémon team with a single Pokémon.
"Swampert is unable to battle! Asher, send out your next Pokémon!"
The referee raised his flag.
His hands had started trembling. His lips had gone pale, and the fear in his eyes was impossible to hide.
He was panicking.
He was already going to lose. Worse, he might become the first Trainer in tournament history to get swept six-to-one.
Everyone at Imperial Elite would laugh at him.
Just imagining what would happen afterward made his stomach twist.
"Asher! Send out your next Pokémon!"
The referee had to call him a second time before he finally snapped out of it.
He swallowed hard, recalled Swampert, and reached for another Poké Ball with an unsteady hand. After one last glance across the field, he gritted his teeth and threw it.
"Flygon, come out!"
Light burst across the battlefield, revealing a green, winged Pokémon with an insect-like silhouette.
Flygon, a Ground/Dragon type.
Yet another Pokémon with a better claim to being a dragon than Charizard.
"Flyyy-gon!"
It let out an oddly high-pitched cry as it took to the air, the sound almost too cute for something that looked like a dragon.
Its Trainer barely reacted.
He was still pale, every muscle in his body tense. Losing was one thing. Standing there waiting for it to happen while imagining everything that would come afterward was much worse.
By now, he barely had the will to keep fighting.
Across the field, Blaze studied him for a moment.
Something in his expression changed.
Then he reached for a Poké Ball.
"Charizard, that's enough. You're running low on stamina."
He raised the ball.
"Come back."
A red beam struck the Fire-type before it could even process what had just been said.
"RRAAAH?!"
It whipped its head around and roared indignantly as the light pulled it back.
The look on its face practically screamed:
What the hell?! I've still got plenty left!
Its furious protests continued right up until the Poké Ball swallowed it completely.
Asher stared.
Other people might have believed the excuse.
He knew better.
Charizard had barely taken any real damage.
Running low on stamina?
Bullshit.
There was only one reason Blaze would pull it back now.
The look in Asher's eyes slowly changed. Guilt, gratitude, and something close to shame mixed together in his expression.
"Blaze... thank you."
His eyes stung as he murmured the words under his breath.
The distance between them was too great for Blaze to hear, but one look at his face said enough.
He pulled out another Poké Ball.
"Two Pokémon left!"
A grin returned to his face.
"Show me what you've really got. Otherwise, two of mine are still going to run through all six of yours!"
Then he threw the ball.
"Arcanine, you're up!"
A flash of light revealed a massive, majestic canine Pokémon.
It was noticeably larger than an ordinary member of its species, and the thick fur crowning its head was a striking red instead of the usual cream.
Arcanine—the Dog King.
"AWOOOOOO!"
The enormous canine threw back its head and unleashed a deep, commanding howl that rolled across the arena.
There was something imposing about the sound, like the leader of a pack announcing its arrival. Its posture carried that same confidence—the unmistakable presence of a king among dogs.
Flygon visibly tensed.
Back in Crown University's preparation area, Aaron immediately pulled up its System panel.
[Name: Arcanine (Dog King)]
[Gender: Male]
[Nature: Rash]
[Type: Fire]
[Ability: Legendary Dog King — The Dog King's imposing presence lowers the opposing Pokémon's Attack and Special Attack by one stage when Arcanine enters battle. Close-range moves gain 30% power.]
[Base Stats Total: 555]
[Level: Gym (Late Stage)]
[Potential: Champion]
[Known Moves: Flare Blitz (Perfect), Extreme Speed (Perfect), Agility (Perfect), Flamethrower (Perfect), Fire Fang (Perfect), Flame Wheel (Perfect), Thunder Fang (Master), Wild Charge (Master), Play Rough (Master), Morning Sun (Master), Flame Charge (Master), Double Team (Master), Fire Spin (Proficient), Howl (Proficient), Close Combat (Proficient)...]
[Description: Arcanine, the Legendary Pokémon and the evolved form of Growlithe. It has appeared throughout Hualis's ancient legends. This individual was born a king among Arcanine and possesses extraordinary speed worthy of the legends surrounding its species.]
...
Aaron narrowed his eyes.
Another special Pokémon.
A genuine king among its own kind—the Dog King.
Blaze had been hiding far more than he ever let on.
No wonder he had once held a top-two spot in the rankings. He was a genuine prodigy, backed by the Flame Family and talented enough to deserve every resource they had poured into him.
Without his cheat, Aaron honestly was not sure he could beat even one of those Pokémon.
And if this was already the level Blaze had reached...
His gaze shifted sideways.
Braveon had always ranked above him.
As if sensing the stare, the Aura Guardian turned his head and gave Aaron a faint smile.
Aaron smiled back.
Strong, huh?
Good for them.
But no matter how strong they were...
Could they really beat a guy who was literally cheating?
A shameless grin slowly spread across Aaron's face.
...
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