Pidgeotto swiftly ascended, using its aerial advantage and the dazzling sunlight to make it impossible for Wartortle and Cubone to determine its exact position. Gary and Giselle were also unable to issue timely commands because of the blinding glare.
"Wartortle!"
Wartortle cried out in pain and staggered back several steps. Despite having prepared its defenses, it was still overwhelmed by Pidgeotto's powerful suppression.
"Cubone, use Headbutt!"
"Not so fast! Ivysaur, use Vine Whip!"
To avoid dragging Red down, Leaf decided to stall Giselle as much as possible so that Red could quickly finish off Gary's Wartortle.
Four vines extended from Ivysaur's back, continuously attempting to capture the Cubone trying to break free.
"Cubone, use Headbutt and Bonemerang at the same time!"
Cubone first smashed away the vines attempting to restrain it with Headbutt, but the remaining vines lashed hard against its body. Enduring the pain, Cubone suddenly hurled the bone club in its hand. The spinning bone gathered force as it flew, aiming to strike Ivysaur.
"Ivysaur, dodge quickly!"
For safety's sake, Leaf gave the order to evade—but it played right into Giselle's plan.
"Cubone, use Screech now!"
"This is bad!" Leaf exclaimed in panic.
A piercing screech erupted from Cubone's mouth, tormenting Ivysaur relentlessly. Unable to evade in time, Ivysaur was struck on the head by the returning bone.
"Nice tactics!" Gary praised.
"Of course. I am the top student among the juniors!" Giselle said proudly.
"Come back, Ivysaur!" Seeing the unfavorable situation, Leaf recalled it with a Poké Ball and immediately switched Pokémon. "I'm counting on you, Ditto!"
The light-purple, soft-bodied Ditto appeared before Cubone, looking frail and harmless.
"Don't tell me you're planning to—!" Giselle sensed trouble and quickly ordered Cubone to attack.
"Ditto, transform into Wartortle and use Water Pulse!"
Ditto's body emitted a white glow and transformed into Wartortle, unleashing Water Pulse.
"Not so fast! Wartortle, you use Water Pulse too!" Gary quickly intervened, afraid that Giselle would be eliminated first.
"Gary, don't forget—this is a doubles battle~" Red reminded calmly. "Pidgeotto, use Air Slash!"
Pidgeotto flapped its wings rapidly, sending two sharp blades of wind toward Wartortle and Cubone respectively.
Wartortle's Water Pulse was sliced cleanly in half by the wind blades, and Cubone, attempting to dodge, was struck in the body.
"Wartortle!"
"Cubone!"
Wartortle once again endured Pidgeotto's attack, while Cubone—already weakened by accumulated injuries—could not withstand Ditto's Water Pulse. After being hit, its eyes spiraled as it lost the ability to battle.
"Cubone is unable to battle!" Professor Oak announced.
"As expected of your Pokémon—none of them are ordinary!" Giselle praised. She did not feel dejected over Cubone's defeat and quickly adjusted her state of mind, throwing an Ultra Ball.
"Gabite, I'm counting on you!"
"Gabite? It doesn't look like a Pokémon from the Kanto Region?" Leaf did not take out her Pokédex to analyze it, since her Pokédex only recorded Pokémon from the Kanto Region.
"Gabite is a Dragon- and Ground-type Pokémon, a pseudo-legendary unique to the Sinnoh region. Its status is comparable to Dragonite in the Kanto Region, though this Gabite hasn't fully evolved yet," Red explained, answering Leaf's doubts.
"I see!" Leaf nodded. Though she wasn't sure of Gabite's strength, hearing that its status was comparable to Dragonite made her realize its extraordinary potential.
'Oh? So you're the one that guy mentioned—the one with talent but no real strength? You don't look like much at first glance. No wonder he always looked annoyed whenever he brought you up!'
Pidgeotto, soaring in the sky, mocked without the slightest surprise at Gabite's potential. To Pidgeotto, talent alone without blood, sweat, and effort would never achieve greatness. Besides, it did not believe its own potential was inferior to Gabite's.
"Leaf, let's switch opponents. Pidgeotto seems interested in Gabite," Red suggested. After enduring two attacks from Pidgeotto, Wartortle's stamina had been greatly reduced. Ditto alone was enough to handle it.
"So somehow this turned into a singles match…" Professor Oak sighed helplessly.
"Pidgeotto, Wing Attack!"
"Gabite, use Dual Chop!"
Pidgeotto dove rapidly, engaging Gabite in close combat. Their sizes were similar, and after intense wing muscle training, Pidgeotto's strength was not easily resisted.
"How is this possible?! Gabite is being suppressed?!" Giselle exclaimed in disbelief. A roadside Pidgeotto suppressing her ace—even if it was a shiny Pokémon—was absurd.
"After we left that time, my Pokémon underwent long-term training at the beach. And that night, Charizard successfully evolved," Red explained calmly, paying little attention to Giselle's growing despair.
(What?! That one evolved?! I wanted to surpass it… and now I can't even defeat its companion!)
Gabite, visibly fatigued, struggled to block Pidgeotto's relentless assault. It refused to admit that it could be so weak. Back at Pokémon Tech, it had been Giselle's reliable main Pokémon, defeating numerous challengers who sought to take her position as top student.
'You're distracted!' Pidgeotto said coldly, knocking Gabite back several steps with Steel Wing.
'No matter what, Charizard and I were both captured by our Trainer at the same time. Don't tell me you foolishly think my strength is far inferior to Charizard's?!' Pidgeotto mocked, finding Gabite's ignorance laughable.
'You're just a common bird Pokémon—what's there to be proud of?!' Gabite retorted, though it was merely trying to respond to the taunt. In truth, it couldn't defeat Pidgeotto in its current state.
'Is that so?' Pidgeotto fell into brief contemplation. 'You're right. For small fry like you, the fact that I even tried to remind you kindly is ridiculous. I regret my words just now.'
Ignoring Gabite's attempt to argue further, Pidgeotto flapped its wings and stirred up a violent cyclone. The beach sand was swept into a small sandstorm. Most of the onlooking tourists stepped back several paces, yet none were willing to look away. Such was one of the charms of Pokémon battles.
Pidgeotto soared high into the sky, bathing in the warm sunlight. Gabite, standing on the ground, had no choice but to look up in order to predict its attack trajectory.
'Next, I'll show you what true power is!'
Pidgeotto let out a piercing cry that echoed across the sky, causing many nearby Bug-type Pokémon to tremble.
"What exactly is your strategy?!" Giselle demanded anxiously as the situation slipped further from her control.
"Am I obligated to tell you?" Red replied flatly. "Pidgeotto is fighting on its own right now. I haven't given any commands."
'The higher we fly, the smaller we appear in the eyes of those who cannot fly!'
The dazzling sunlight shone upon Pidgeotto's golden feathers. Suddenly, its body began to change as a brilliant light of evolution burst forth.
"So it finally decided to evolve? Seems like Charizard was quite the stimulus for Pidgeotto~"
The three golden crests atop its head lengthened first. Its majestic wings expanded even wider with an imposing presence. Its sharp talons grew shorter yet more lethal, resembling those of an eagle. Its piercing eyes locked onto Gabite's weaknesses without respite.
At last, the light of evolution faded. A golden Pidgeot standing 2.3 meters tall appeared above everyone's heads. Its sharp gaze and vast wings gave it the unmistakable aura of a king.
At this moment, Pidgeot exuded overwhelming pressure. To bystanders unfamiliar with Pokémon knowledge, they might even mistake it for a powerful legendary Pokémon.
----------------
Each review unlocks +1 additional chapter
Pls Drop some Power Stones
+100 chapters and support me on Patreon(.)com/Jixo