"I... I..."
Watching Machamp's painstakingly accumulated +6 Attack vanish completely in an instant—
Even the most honest person would struggle to endure a blow like that.
If not for the fact that the audience was filled with League executives and Official Gym Leaders, this unfortunate Fighting-type Gym Leader would've already unleashed a torrent of curses.
After losing its massive Attack boost, Machamp could no longer one-shot its opponents.
Moreover, Xatu's superior Flying/Psychic typing completely suppressed the grounded Machamp.
And Xatu itself clearly understood that despite its type advantage, it probably couldn't defeat Machamp head-on.
So from the beginning of the battle, it simply hovered high in the air, constantly wearing Machamp down with ranged attacks.
Whenever Machamp barely managed to leap into striking distance—
Xatu would immediately use Teleport to widen the gap again.
Its strategy was simple:
Play dirty. Stall. Exhaust.
Machamp already had a difficult matchup against Xatu.
Now it had to deal with this disgustingly evasive battle style.
Combined with the opening Haze—
The entire combo was enough to drive anyone insane.
Even Red, who enjoyed using underhanded strategies himself, couldn't help shaking his head.
"The League's people are truly disgusting."
"When I pull stuff like this, I at least turn off the lights first."
"Machamp! Mind Reader, then Stone Edge!"
At the very end, the Fighting-type Gym Leader finally unleashed his trump card combination.
Mind Reader + Stone Edge.
Mind Reader: Allows the user to lock onto the target, dramatically increasing accuracy.
The devastating Stone Edge finally struck true.
The infuriating Xatu was knocked out.
"Great! Great! Finally!"
Looking at the defeated Xatu, the Gym Leader and his Machamp looked as though they were about to embrace each other and cry tears of joy.
However, while Machamp had won, it was now covered in injuries.
Its stamina had fallen dramatically.
Looking at Machamp's condition, the League referee couldn't help asking:
"Do you wish to continue?"
The Fighting-type Gym Leader immediately stood up.
"Of course!"
"There are only martial artists who fall in battle!"
"There are no martial artists who surrender!"
The moment he said that, Bruno jumped to his feet and applauded enthusiastically.
"Excellent!"
"Very good, kid! I admire your spirit!"
"If there's an opportunity in the future, we can exchange pointers in martial arts."
"Th-Thank you for your recognition, Elite Four Bruno!"
The Gym Leader's face immediately lit up with excitement.
I never imagined I'd receive a reward like this!
If I can receive guidance from Elite Four Bruno, I'd willingly fight another thousand Xatu!
Many of the other Gym Leaders nearby looked on with envy.
"Come on!"
"No matter who the next opponent is, I'll defeat it!"
"I'll prove my strength to Lord Bruno!"
As the Fighting-type Gym Leader and Machamp burned with renewed fighting spirit—
The eighth Pokémon finally appeared.
Another Xatu.
Level 45.
Replacing the previous Level 43 Xatu.
The moment he saw it, the Gym Leader's face turned green.
"Wait, what?!"
"One Xatu was bad enough!"
"Why are you sending out another Xatu that's even higher level?!"
"I#￥%&*..."
Unfortunately, cursing required time.
Facing a second, stronger Xatu, Machamp's already exhausted body could no longer overcome the type disadvantage.
It fell before the eighth stage.
Meanwhile, Bruno silently thought:
This kid looks rough and tough, but his mentality still needs polishing.
After the mentally shattered Fighting-type Gym Leader stepped down, several other Gym Leaders attempted the challenge.
Their results were even worse.
Under the League's carefully targeted team compositions, no one managed to outperform the Fighting-type Gym Leader.
The best result afterward was merely reaching Stage Seven.
Many sighed helplessly.
Several Gym Leaders couldn't help complaining.
"The League's challenges are getting harder every year."
"Ten Pokémon specifically designed to counter your team? Is anyone actually supposed to clear this?"
"Probably only those two."
The Gym Leaders collectively shifted their gaze toward Red and Lt. Surge.
At this moment, Surge was brimming with confidence.
Because he possessed an ace Pokémon at Level 55.
Judging from the opponents that had appeared so far:
Stage Eight: Level 45Stage Nine: Around Level 48Final Boss: Around Level 50
The challenge seemed to peak somewhere between Elite-level and Gym Leader-level strength.
Surge believed his ace could absolutely carry him through.
"Red, have you seen enough?"
"You've figured out the rules by now, right?"
"If you're not going up, then I will."
"Unlike certain people who only know how to rely on some strange systems and don't have any real strength—"
Before Surge could finish speaking, he suddenly felt several murderous gazes land on him simultaneously.
Sabrina.
Joy Xue.
Claire.
And several others.
All silently stared at him.
None of them looked friendly.
Surge rubbed the back of his neck.
For some reason, it suddenly felt cold.
Before he could figure out what was happening, Red completely ignored him.
Taking a deep breath, he stepped onto the battlefield.
"Red, Gym Leader of Songzao Gym!"
"I challenge the trial!"
The moment Red stepped forward, Bruno—who had nearly become bored enough to yawn watching the earlier challengers—instantly opened his eyes wide.
He tugged at Agatha's sleeve.
"Senior Agatha, look!"
"The youngster you've been talking about is finally making his move."
At the same time, the surrounding spectators immediately focused their attention.
Because Ash, Gary, and Shinji were still occupied with League battles, only Claire and Xiaowen remained from Songzao Gym to cheer him on.
Misty and Brock were also present.
Although neither was particularly famous compared to the others, they were still genuine Gym Leaders themselves.
Their Gyms' foundations were certainly no weaker than Songzao Gym's.
"Go, Gym Leader Red!"
Joy Xue stood with Claire and the others, cheering loudly from the sidelines.
Xiaowen also raised her hands around her mouth like a megaphone.
Meanwhile, Sabrina chose a different method.
Using her psychic powers, she directly projected her voice into Red's mind.
Her usual expression remained cold and indifferent.
Yet her voice sounded shy, soft, and adorable.
Red looked toward the distant Sabrina.
Her face remained expressionless.
Yet the bashful voice echoed directly in his head.
The contrast nearly dealt critical damage to Red's preferences.
"If I win, you kiss me once."
"If I lose, I'll kiss you once. How about that?"
"Shameless!"
"You're in the middle of a competition and that's what you're thinking about?"
The soft voice went silent for several seconds.
Then Sabrina finally answered:
"If you win... I might consider it."
After speaking, she immediately cut off the psychic connection.
Looking at the expectant faces surrounding him, Red took a deep breath.
Then he threw out the Poké Ball containing the ace he had prepared specifically for this moment.
"Come out!"
"Pupitar!"
"It's time to show everyone your strength!"
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