Joe heard Giselle's words and his mouth hung open wide enough to fit a poké ball.
He was stunned at first, then his whole face flushed red, and his eyes were instantly filled with the word "ENVY."
Not just envy.
There was also a lot of confusion.
Who exactly was Roy?
Why... why did Miss Giselle know him as soon as he arrived at the Institute?
Not only did she know him, but she was also taking the initiative to challenge him to a battle?
Who was Giselle?
She was the top student of her year at Pokémon Technical Institute for two consecutive years!
She was an existence that even those noble children with prestigious backgrounds had to look up to!
When had she ever proactively invited someone to a battle?
It had always been others begging on their knees for her guidance, and she would only do it if she was in a good mood!
Could it be... this Roy was actually a hidden superstar among the new generation of the Training Faction?
Was he the descendant of some Elite? Or the heir to some secluded clan?
Or was he one of those overpowered "Protag" types from novels?
Joe's mind was a mess, and his CPU was almost fried.
He looked at Roy's calm profile, then at Giselle's unquestionable look of arrogance, feeling as if his worldview had been shattered.
However, although he was so envious he was practically drooling, his innate kindness still prevailed.
Joe secretly moved forward, leaned in close to Roy, covered his mouth with his hand, and whispered urgently in a volume only the two of them could hear:
"Roy... Roy..."
"You... you'd better not battle Miss Giselle!"
His voice was trembling, clearly afraid of being overheard by Giselle:
"Miss Giselle is a Junior Top Student, and her strength is rated at three Badges!"
"You only have two Badges; you can't win!"
"And... and when Miss Giselle wins in a bit, she'll definitely say things that make you feel uncomfortable..."
"She... she's best at using data to compare people, then pointing out where they fall short and humiliating them without mercy..."
Roy just smiled after hearing this.
He reached out and gently patted Joe's shoulder.
"It's fine."
Roy's voice was calm, even carrying a hint of laziness:
"Then I'll just win against her."
Joe: "Ah... what?"
Win against... Miss Giselle?
Before Joe could recover from his shock, Roy had already turned to him, his tone casual yet carrying a certain conviction:
"Joe, I'll temporarily represent the Training Faction and have a match with this rising star of your Academic Faction."
He pre-defined the educational battle for Joe to complete the task later.
"Alright, Miss, I'll play a round with you."
"Pikachu, go for it!"
Pikachu, who had been holding back his energy for a long time, kicked off with his hind legs and turned into a streak of yellow lightning, leaping into the center of the field with a "swish."
Clearly, the little guy had heard every word of Giselle's earlier mockery about being "hard to train and having low potential."
Now, it was time to let this red-haired human woman see what's what.
"You..."
Giselle's slender eyebrows twitched.
She looked at the lively Pikachu in the center of the field, then at Roy's casual, almost nonchalant posture, a clear hint of surprise showing in her eyes.
"You're actually letting Pikachu battle my Marowak?"
Ground-types counter Electric-types.
This was basic common sense that even a rookie Trainer just starting out would understand.
In Giselle's precise data theory, this was almost equivalent to giving away half the win rate at the start.
She shook her head gently, her long burgundy hair swaying with the movement, a faint look of "just as I thought" disappointment appearing on her face.
"It seems that the 200-win streak and defeating the Study Tour Group really did have an element of luck."
Giselle raised her hand, elegantly brushing the hair by her ear, and began to analyze in a cold voice:
"Looking at its coat and size, your Pikachu's energy level is roughly at the Common Grade."
"Even if you are at the peak of Common Grade, Level 29."
"My Level 28 Marowak almost perfectly suppresses you in terms of type advantage and move pool depth."
"For you to win against me..."
Giselle's mouth curled into a very slight arc, a confident smile belonging to a top student who mastered all logic:
"Unless your Pikachu can produce double the electrical output of an Electric-type Pokemon of the same level."
"Otherwise, with this one-level difference plus the type advantage, you simply cannot break through my defense."
She spoke eloquently, every word seemingly carefully calculated, echoing in the quiet battle room and striking the hearts of every student around.
Several Pokémon Technical Institute students couldn't help but nod and whisper to each other.
"As expected of Miss Giselle, her analysis is so thorough."
"With data like that, there's no way to fight."
"This Roy is going to be in trouble..."
Yuhiko stood behind the crowd with a complex expression. He both hoped Giselle would teach Roy a lesson to restore the Institute's reputation, and yet he vaguely felt... things might not be so simple.
Misty stomped her foot in anger: "What's with all this data! Battles are won by fighting, not by calculating!"
In the field.
After finishing her analysis, Giselle crossed her arms leisurely, slightly tilted her chin, and spoke to Roy in a condescending tone:
"Seeing as you have commendable courage and are somewhat... handsome."
When she said "handsome," her gaze lingered on Roy's face for half a second, her tone remaining arrogant:
"When you lose in a bit, give me three loud compliments, and make them sound nice."
"I might consider making an exception and giving you a 'whip of love' special training to help you improve."
"This is an opportunity many people can't even get if they beg for it."
"whip of love" special training!
As soon as these words were spoken, a wave of irrepressible gasps and whispers erupted around them.
"Heavens! Miss Giselle is going to personally conduct the 'whip of love' special training?"
"Did I hear that right? Doesn't the Miss Giselle never personally conduct special training?"
"What kind of dumb luck does this guy from the Training Faction have? Just because he's handsome?"
"Why! I got an A+ on my assessment and didn't even get this treatment!"
Gazes of envy, jealousy, and disbelief all shot toward Roy.
Jerry wrung her fingers anxiously, looking at Roy with eyes that screamed "hurry up and agree."
However.
Roy's reaction stunned everyone once again.
Not only did he not show the slightest expression of being flattered, but he instead looked as if he had heard a funny joke.
A playful arc curled at the corner of his mouth.
"Giselle."
"As for whip games..."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over Giselle's exquisite yet arrogant face, and chuckled suggestively:
"I prefer the whip to be in my hands."
The implication and provocation in these words were like a thunderclap in the battle room.
Misty was stunned at first, then realized what he meant. Her face turned bright red, and she spat, "Stinky Roy! What are you saying!"
But that inexplicable anger in her heart somehow dissipated quite a bit.
Delia covered her mouth and chuckled, her eyes sparkling.
The Pokémon Technical Institute students were dumbfounded, unable to believe their ears.
He... he actually dared to flirt with Miss Giselle?
At the moment she heard Roy's words, an almost invisible blush also flew onto Giselle's fair cheeks.
But it was immediately replaced by a deeper coldness and anger.
In those eyes that always looked down on everyone, a clear flame ignited for the first time.
"Sharp-tongued."
She squeezed the two words out from between her teeth.
"Then let me see if your strength is as powerful as your mouth!"
"Marowak, Bone Club, ready!"
"Pikachu."
Roy's voice sounded almost simultaneously, calm and steady:
"Agility."
As soon as the words fell?
The yellow figure instantly blurred, leaving behind a trail of afterimages on the field. Its speed was far beyond the level a Common Grade Pikachu should have!
Giselle's pupils constricted.
This speed... it's not right!
In her data model, the limit speed of a Common Grade Pikachu wasn't like this!
"Marowak, Bonemerang, area attack!"
She quickly changed her move; her reaction was undeniably fast.
Marowak gave a low growl, and the thick Bone Club left its hand with a whistling wind, drawing a large arc in the air to sweep through the area where Pikachu might move.
"Pikachu, Double Team."
Roy's voice remained steady.
Swish, swish, swish!
In an instant, seven or eight identical Pikachus appeared all over the field, each one lifelike and performing different movements.
The Bonemerang shattered two clones, but the real body was long gone from that position.
"Where is it?"
Giselle's gaze swept rapidly.
She found that her precise data calculations were actually struggling to keep up with this rapidly changing combat rhythm.
At some point, Pikachu's real body had used the cover of the clones and its speed to circle to the mid-air behind Marowak's side.
Its high-raised tail glinted with a metallic cold light under the lamps.
"Iron Tail."
A concise command.
Pikachu's small body twisted in the air to exert force, its steel-like tail cutting through the air with a heart-stopping whistling sound.
It struck with pinpoint accuracy on the side of Marowak's bone-helmeted head!
A dull thud.
Marowak didn't even have time to make an effective defense or evasion; its entire body was tilted by a massive force, becoming top-heavy and crashing to the ground.
The Bone Club in its hand also fell to the ground with a "clang."
The entire venue went silent.
Only the faint sound of Pikachu landing lightly could be heard.
Joe's wide-open mouth couldn't close at all.
The Pokémon Technical Institute students, including Yuhiko, were all dumbfounded.
Three moves? From the Agility approach to the Double Team distraction, and then the Iron Tail finisher.
It was done in one go, as smooth as flowing water.
Giselle's perfect type advantage and data theory looked like a clumsy joke in the face of such lightning-fast combat.
"You..."
Giselle stared blankly at the struggling Marowak on the ground, then suddenly looked up at Roy.
In her eyes, which were always calm and arrogant, cracks appeared for the first time, filled with shock and disbelief.
"You, an Electric-type Pokemon... why have you trained non-type-specific moves like Iron Tail and Agility to such a proficient level?"
Her voice was slightly out of tune:
"You don't practice Electric-type moves?"
This completely contradicted all the basic Trainer theories she had learned!
Roy didn't answer her question.
He just smiled and nodded to the Pikachu on the field.
"Don't be in a hurry. The electricity you want is coming right up."
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt."
Thunder... bolt?
Giselle's body trembled violently, her beautiful eyes widening instantly as she stared fixedly at Roy.
"Your Common Grade Pikachu... knows Thunderbolt?"
Her voice rose due to extreme shock, becoming somewhat shrill:
"That's impossible! That's a move that can only be stably mastered at a higher level! Mastering it early?"
Only then did Giselle realize that this was no ordinary Pikachu.
"Marowak, use..."
Before Giselle's final command could be shouted out.
That Thunderbolt, so thick it far exceeded her knowledge and so terrifyingly powerful it completely collapsed her data model, had already swallowed Marowak's figure like a golden waterfall torrent!
Rumble—!!!
Deafening thunder exploded in the battle room, accompanied by Marowak's short, pained cry.
When the blinding electrical light finally faded away.
Only a scorched shallow pit remained on the field.
And in the center of the pit was Marowak, its eyes turned into swirls, completely having lost its ability to battle.
Its hard Bone Club had even turned somewhat charred, with wisps of blue smoke rising from it.
Silence.
A deathly silence.
Everyone was struck speechless by this terrifying strike that far exceeded the "Common Grade" scope.
Giselle herself was frozen in place like an exquisite statue.
Her eyes, which were always full of arrogance and reason, now stared blankly at the defeated Marowak in the field.
Her rosy lips were slightly parted, but she couldn't make any sound.
All her confidence, all her theories, all the data analysis she took pride in... were shattered by this illogical Thunderbolt.
"No... impossible..."
Giselle murmured unconsciously, her legs giving way as she slid onto the cold floor in an extremely ungraceful, even somewhat pathetic pigeon-toed pose...