Aaron was momentarily stunned.
Is this guy seriously underestimating my Frog Boss!?
Doesn't he know Psychic-type moves don't work on Greninja!?
But the moment Aaron noticed that Kadabra had learned Miracle Eye, everything clicked.
Miracle Eye allowed Psychic-type moves to hit Dark-type Pokémon normally.
"The match begins!!"
With the referee's shout, the battle between the two officially kicked off.
"Kadabra… use Miracle Eye!"
The androgynous trainer immediately issued the command.
"Greninja… Shadow Sneak!"
Aaron responded at the same time.
"Kadabra—"
Kadabra let out a low growl, its eyes glowing with a pink light.
At that instant, a black shadow silently emerged behind Kadabra and slammed straight into its back.
"Kadabra—"
To ensure Miracle Eye went through, Kadabra took the Shadow Sneak head-on. Otherwise, it could have used Teleport to evade.
Kadabra cried out in pain.
A super-effective hit still hurt badly, after all.
What it didn't realize was that Greninja had already left a deadly "mark" on its back.
"Kadabra… Psycho Cut!!"
The effeminate voice rang out once again.
Pink energy surged around Kadabra, rapidly condensing into a sharp energy blade that shot straight toward Greninja.
"Greninja… Quick Attack!"
Aaron's expression remained calm as he gave the command.
"Greni—"
In the blink of an eye, a flash of light streaked past.
Greninja cleanly dodged the Psycho Cut, then slammed straight into Kadabra at terrifying speed.
Moving like a bolt of black lightning, its trajectory was completely impossible to track.
"Kadabra—"
Kadabra was sent flying, crashing hard onto the battlefield. Its eyes spun wildly as it fainted on the spot.
Kadabra didn't even have time to use Teleport before being knocked out—something no one had expected.
"That… how could it be that fast?!"
The androgynous trainer had completely lost his earlier confidence. His brows furrowed as confusion filled his eyes.
"Kadabra is unable to battle."
"Please send out your next Pokémon!"
The referee wiped the sweat from his forehead as he announced the result.
...
"Hiss—"
The principals in the stands all sucked in a sharp breath.
As Gym-level trainers, they knew exactly how outrageous the speed of that Quick Attack had been.
"T-That was really Quick Attack!?"
"Are you sure that wasn't Extreme Speed!?"
"This is beyond absurd. Since when did Quick Attack become that fast…?"
"It really is strange. It's almost comparable to Extreme Speed!"
...
The principals stared intently at Greninja below, their faces full of doubt, as if trying to find something different about it.
Even Major Grant, standing nearby, showed a flicker of curiosity in his eyes.
At that moment, he finally took a real interest in Aaron.
"Interesting… maybe we really have come across a promising talent this year."
Major Grant curled his lips slightly and spoke in a calm tone.
...
"Come out… Electrode!!"
The effeminate trainer released his second Pokémon.
A round Pokémon appeared, white on top and red on the bottom, looking rather comical.
[Name: Electrode]
[Gender: Male]
[Nature: Timid]
[Type: Lightning]
[Ability: Static]
[Base Stats: 490]
[Level: Advanced (Early Stage)]
[Potential: Champion-Class]
[Known Moves: Electric Shock (Proficient), Tackle (Proficient), Spark (Proficient), Charge Beam (Basic), Rapid Spin (Basic), Electro Ball (Basic), Self-Destruct (Basic), Light Screen…]
[Description: Electrode, the Ball Pokémon. The evolved form of Voltorb. A Pokémon that explodes when stimulated…]
...
An Advanced (Early Stage) Electrode.
And it was a Lightning-type Pokémon. The most troublesome part was its Self-Destruct—a 200-power move that was no joke.
Even if it didn't survive, it could still blow its opponent's face off.
"Electrode… use Spark!"
The effeminate trainer struck first, shouting the command.
"Bzz—"
A surge of electricity erupted from Electrode's body, completely engulfing it as it charged straight toward Greninja.
Like a rolling ball of lightning, it rushed forward amid crackling arcs of electricity.
…