"Gym Leader Surge's strength is incredible!"
"Gym Leader Red's potential may be higher, but in terms of current strength, Gym Leader Surge is clearly stronger."
"I think the final Eight Gym Leader position will most likely go to Surge."
"At that point, the Surge family will have two official Gym Leaders. That's terrifying."
Hearing the praise from the crowd, Lt. Surge finally regained his confidence.
He felt like he was back in form.
"Ampharos!"
"Use Thunderbolt and instantly eliminate the opponent!"
Ampharos nodded and unleashed a powerful Thunderbolt.
The League's first Pokémon was instantly defeated.
The display of strength drew another round of cheers.
Meanwhile, both Agatha and Bruno quickly noticed something unusual about Ampharos.
"Hmph."
"A Pokémon that was only recently captured being used as an ace?"
"The younger generation of trainers these days..."
Bruno, however, had a completely different opinion.
"Haha!"
"I think making proper use of the rules isn't necessarily a bad thing."
"And being able to command a high-level Pokémon like that is a form of ability in itself."
"Just cheap tricks."
Although Agatha sounded dismissive, she knew perfectly well that Ampharos was genuinely powerful.
Very powerful.
Among the ordinary Gym Leaders present, she couldn't see a single Pokémon capable of matching it.
Not even Red's Pupitar.
After all, Pupitar was only Level 39.
There was a sixteen-level gap between them.
And an entire major rank difference.
Unless Pupitar somehow reached Level 41 and evolved into Tyranitar almost immediately, Agatha couldn't even see a sliver of victory.
As Pokémon grew stronger and trainers became more skilled, fighting above one's level became increasingly difficult.
Take Pupitar versus Primeape.
How many resources had Red invested into Pupitar?
Even then, it had still required its special armor, multiple Dragon Dance boosts, and the fact that Primeape lacked a trainer's direct command.
Only then had it barely secured victory.
By comparison, Red could often use simple tactics to allow Mudkip to defeat opponents seven or eight levels above itself.
The higher the level, the harder it became to challenge stronger opponents.
Just then, Sabrina slowly floated back toward the spectator area.
Her expression was as cold and distant as ever.
At least, that was the case if one ignored the sudden disappearance of her stockings.
Looking at Sabrina in the distance, Red discreetly rubbed the epic-grade item hidden inside his pocket.
At the same time, Sabrina noticed the movement.
Her icy face immediately shifted away.
A faint blush appeared on her cheeks.
While Red and Sabrina exchanged subtle glances, Surge's challenge reached its climax.
A gigantic bolt of lightning crashed down.
The League's eighth Pokémon was instantly annihilated by Ampharos.
The level difference was simply too large.
Ten full levels.
The League Pokémon couldn't even inconvenience Ampharos.
Not every Pokémon was Red's Pupitar.
"Easy."
"Far too easy."
"So far, my Ampharos hasn't even taken a single point of damage."
"Sigh. Perhaps this is simply the loneliness of being strong."
"Unfortunately, I can't provide everyone with the sort of back-and-forth exciting battles that Gym Leader Red does."
One had to admit—
Lt. Surge was an incredibly petty person.
Ever since the competition began, he'd been taking every opportunity to jab at Red.
Red couldn't even be bothered responding.
Instead, he simply thought:
Enjoy yourself while you can.
Because Red had already found the equation needed to defeat Surge.
Only one final component was still missing.
And now—
That final component had finally delivered good news.
"Master!"
"All three of us made it into the Top 16!"
"Shinji got lucky and didn't end up facing either of us."
On the other end of the call, Gary paused before continuing.
"But..."
"If both Ash and I win our next two matches, we'll meet in the Top 8."
"Only one of us will make it to the semifinals."
His voice carried a trace of disappointment.
In Gary's ideal scenario, he, Ash, and Shinji would all meet in the semifinals and sweep the top three positions of this year's League Conference.
Unfortunately, only one of him and Ash could now reach the Final Four.
Hearing the regret in Gary's voice, Red smiled.
"Then go battle without regrets."
"No matter what the result is, your master will always support you."
"Got it, Master!"
"We won't disappoint you!"
[Ding! Gary Exclusive Quest: Rediscover Your Original Dream +3%]
[Current Progress: 99%]
[Final Reward: Random Water Starter Mega Stone ×2]
Hearing the system notification, Red silently thought:
Gary, do your best.
In the anime, you lost to Ash time and time again.
But perhaps this version of you can show me a different future.
Red believed that regardless of who ultimately won, Gary would finally rediscover his original passion and continue walking the path of a trainer.
(As a side note, only two Water-type starters currently possess known Mega Evolutions: Blastoise and Swampert.)
(In the current timeline, Mega Feraligatr has not yet been discovered.)
Looking at the Poké Ball at his waist, Red said quietly:
"Marshtomp..."
"In the final battle, everything will depend on you."
"My final ace."
The Poké Ball didn't shake.
Yet even without using Viridian Power, Red could feel the overwhelming fighting spirit and unwavering determination radiating from within.
At the same time, Lt. Surge's battle was approaching its conclusion.
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✨ Bonus Chapter Goals ✨
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