"The first match of the Eight Gym Leader Tournament!"
"Gym Leader Ma Zhiji of Rapid Gym versus Gym Leader Xin Ze of Green Bug Gym!"
"The battle format is 3-on-3. Please send out your Pokémon!"
Ma Zhiji stepped onto the battlefield, waving proudly at the audience as though he were the only Trainer worthy of standing on the stage.
Across from him stood Xin Ze.
A man in his thirties wearing a brown leather jacket, his face marked by constant fatigue.
Without saying a word, Xin Ze silently watched Ma Zhiji.
Only after the referee finished speaking did he finally throw his Poké Ball.
"Scizor, prepare for battle!"
His first Pokémon was a Scizor.
Its crimson metallic body gleamed brilliantly beneath the stadium lights.
The enormous pincers and polished armor made it obvious that this Scizor had been trained with exceptional care.
Unfortunately...
Its level wasn't particularly high.
Level 47.
It was merely an Elite-level Pokémon.
It hadn't even reached the threshold of Gym Leader class.
Scizor fixed its sharp gaze on its opponent, fully prepared to fight.
"Go! Electabuzz!"
Although Ampharos had been borrowed, Ma Zhiji himself wasn't completely incompetent.
A Level 47 Electabuzz appeared on the field.
This had originally been Ma Zhiji's ace.
Only after Ampharos arrived had it been relegated to second place.
"Fire Punch!"
Ma Zhiji immediately issued the command.
Electabuzz slammed its fists together.
Flames instantly erupted around both arms.
The moment Scizor saw the fire, a sense of danger surged through it.
As a Bug/Steel type...
Fire was its greatest nightmare.
Xin Ze frowned.
"Fire Punch..."
After a brief hesitation, he made his decision.
"U-turn!"
Scizor shot forward in a blur, closing the distance instantly before delivering a powerful kick.
Electabuzz answered with its blazing Fire Punch.
Even from the spectator stands, Red could clearly see the burn marks left on Scizor's leg.
Taking advantage of the collision, however, Scizor immediately used the momentum to retreat back into its Poké Ball.
After all...
Leaving Scizor in front of Fire-type attacks was practically asking for disaster.
(A mature reader can imagine the picture themselves.)
Clang! Clang!
As Scizor returned, Xin Ze's true ace finally entered the battlefield.
Pinsir!
Facing the Gym Leader-level Pinsir, Electabuzz's expression immediately became serious.
The pressure this Pinsir emitted far exceeded Scizor's.
Seeing Pinsir appear, Ma Zhiji recalled Electabuzz without hesitation and threw another Poké Ball.
"Go, Ampharos!"
The moment Ampharos and Pinsir stood opposite one another...
The entire stadium erupted.
Red straightened slightly.
"The real battle begins now."
...
What nobody expected...
Was that Ampharos was even stronger than they had imagined.
"Ampharos!"
"Thunderbolt!"
The fully unleashed Ampharos resembled a gigantic artillery platform.
Lightning crackled everywhere.
The battlefield was instantly flooded by arcs of electricity.
Faced with Ampharos's overwhelming barrage, Pinsir immediately realized something was wrong.
It could only endure the relentless bombardment while desperately trying to survive.
Seeing this, Xin Ze understood.
If things continued like this...
Defeat was only a matter of time.
"Charge in!"
"Pinsir!"
"Close the distance! That's our only chance!"
Watching Pinsir ignore its injuries and rush forward, Ma Zhiji sneered.
Amid the storm of lightning...
The badly charred Pinsir continued charging with everything it had.
Finally—
It reached Ampharos.
Just as it was about to launch its attack—
A wall of fluffy white wool suddenly rose before it.
The countless strands formed a dense barrier.
Even Pinsir's massive horns struggled to cut through them.
Xin Ze frowned.
But he quickly made his decision.
Charging forward might mean nine chances of death...
Standing still guarantees death.
Pinsir pressed onward.
The instant it entered the woolen barrier—
It realized something was terribly wrong.
The seemingly soft cotton instantly tightened around its body.
More and more fibers intertwined into powerful cords.
Within seconds...
Pinsir had been completely restrained, unable to move.
Xin Ze's eyes widened.
"How can its wool be this tough?!"
Watching his stunned expression, Lt. Surge smiled inwardly.
I personally raised this Ampharos.
How could it possibly be on the same level as your Pokémon?
Now that Pinsir had been immobilized, Ma Zhiji's face practically radiated arrogance.
"Ampharos!"
"Finish it!"
Only then did Xin Ze notice...
Every strand binding Pinsir was coursing with electricity.
After all...
The wool covering Ampharos's body was naturally the perfect conductor for amplifying its electric power.
Its electrical attacks became several times stronger.
The battlefield instantly became a sea of lightning.
The blinding light forced nearly everyone to shield their eyes.
When the dazzling brilliance finally faded...
Only one figure remained.
Pinsir.
Its entire body was blackened with scorch marks.
Steam rose continuously from its shell.
It had already collapsed unconscious.
...
The entire stadium fell into an eerie silence.
Especially among the competing Gym Leaders.
Every one of them wore grim expressions.
After witnessing Ampharos's terrifying strength...
Many couldn't help feeling discouraged.
"How are we supposed to beat that?!"
"Is there even any point in continuing this tournament?"
"Why not just hand him the title already?"
...
Listening to the crowd, a smile slowly spread across Ma Zhiji's face.
I am the strongest.
Just as everyone remained stunned by Ampharos's overwhelming display—
—or more accurately, by Ampharos itself—
Ma Zhiji glanced around below the stage.
"Hm?"
"Where's Red?"
He had wanted to see despair written across Red's face.
Instead...
He realized Red wasn't even standing there anymore.
At that moment, voices drifted over.
Turning around, Ma Zhiji saw Red chatting happily with Elite Four Bruno.
The two were laughing together as if the battle that had just taken place had made no impression whatsoever.
"Elite Four Bruno, your training methods are incredible."
"I never would've thought of building muscle like that."
"My Swampert is incredibly strong too, but I feel like there's still something lacking in the way it applies its strength."
"Swampert?"
Initially, Bruno hadn't planned on offering advice.
But when he saw the Swampert inside Red's Poké Ball—
Its muscles bulged dramatically.
Its physique looked even more imposing than many Fighting-type Pokémon.
Bruno immediately changed his mind.
"Amazing!"
"Red!"
"You've trained this Swampert beautifully!"
"Those muscles!"
"That build!"
"Why don't you become my disciple instead?"
"Haha."
"You flatter me, Bruno."
The more Bruno looked at Red and Swampert...
The more satisfied he became.
"Your match isn't for a little while yet, right?"
"Come with me!"
"I'll take you to my dojo."
"I'll personally teach your Swampert the proper way to generate power!"
"Then I'd be honored."
Watching Bruno casually walk away with Red...
Ma Zhiji froze.
Wait...
Shouldn't I be the one destined to become champion?
Why is Elite Four Bruno chatting so happily with Red instead of me?
Although Ma Zhiji had displayed tremendous strength...
Bruno had already seen through him completely.
He believed that taking advantage of the rules wasn't inherently wrong.
But...
He also knew exactly which Gym Leaders were truly worth cultivating.
"Gym Leader Xin Ze's Pinsir is unable to battle!"
"Please send out your next Pokémon!"
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