The moment Yozora's command fell, Pupitar's body shone with a brilliant white light. Like a rocket, it launched forward, crashing straight at Nosepass.
"Nosepass, use Harden!" Roxanne shouted sharply.
Instantly, Nosepass's entire body gleamed as if freshly polished, its rocky surface hardening to a metallic luster. When Pupitar rammed into it, the attack did nothing—the Nosepass stood firm, utterly unharmed.
Pupitar launched attack after attack in succession, but not a single one made an impact.
As time passed, Pupitar's stamina waned, its breath coming heavy and ragged.
"Now, Nosepass, use Thunder Wave!" Roxanne ordered.
Crackling electricity surged across Nosepass's body before lashing out, wrapping around Pupitar.
Thunder Wave caused no direct damage, but in an instant, Pupitar's entire body stiffened—paralyzed.
Its movements faltered, its body refusing to obey.
"Stone Edge!" Roxanne commanded.
With a guttural sound, sharp stone pillars erupted from the ground, stabbing into Pupitar from every direction.
"Graaaaah!!" Pupitar cried in pain, battered again and again until it collapsed, defeated.
"The challenger's Pupitar is unable to battle! Nosepass is the winner!" the referee declared.
"Impressive… as expected of Teacher Roxanne. Still, Yozora-senpai hasn't shown his true strength yet…" Hotaru whispered to herself as she watched quietly from the side.
On the field, Yozora recalled his fallen Pupitar and sent out his next partner—Slakoth.
The moment Slakoth entered the field, it let out a deep growl that startled Roxanne.
"What's this? Since when does a Slakoth look so… energetic?"
Her eyes widened in shock. This was strange. A Slakoth that wasn't lazy—and even looked eager to fight?
"Interesting. Pupitar aside… Yozora, I never imagined you had such a rare Pokémon!" Roxanne said in admiration.
Yes—rare.
Slakoth itself was common enough, found in many places. But a Slakoth that wasn't lazy? That was rarer than any pseudo-legendary hatchling. It was a paradox, a creature that defied its own Ability, its very nature. To Roxanne, Yozora's Slakoth was rarer than his Pupitar.
"Let's test its strength, then. Nosepass, use Take Down!" Roxanne ordered.
For such a bulky Pokémon, Nosepass moved with surprising speed as it charged straight ahead.
But even so, compared to Slakoth—it was far too slow.
With a simple twist of its body, Slakoth dodged easily.
"Well done! Slakoth, use Water Pulse!" Yozora commanded.
Slakoth spread its palm, a spinning sphere of water forming within it. With a sharp strike, the water orb shot forward.
Boom!
The wave exploded on impact, blasting Nosepass off its feet.
Water was super effective against Rock.
That single Water Pulse had inflicted massive damage.
Fighting-type moves could also counter Rock, but Pupitar had only just evolved—its power was still immature. The only Fighting move it knew was Rock Smash, whose power was far too low.
Rock Smash's base power was just 40, even doubled it became 80. Water Pulse, however, had a base power of 60, doubled to 120 with type advantage. The difference was clear.
Of course, stronger Fighting moves like Brick Break, Superpower, and Hammer Arm existed—but Pupitar had not yet learned them.
"Nosepass!" Roxanne cried, but the Pokémon was already unconscious.
"Nosepass is unable to battle! Slakoth wins!" the referee declared.
"What speed…" Roxanne's eyes gleamed, though soon curved into a playful smile. "But don't think speed alone will carry you. Go, Kabutops!"
With a flash of light, a gray-brown armored Pokémon with wicked scythe-like arms appeared, its blades gleaming with a metallic sheen.
Kabutops, the Shellfish Pokémon. Fossil Pokémon, evolved from Kabuto. It was said they once lived in the seas, but adapted to land in order to hunt prey. A dual Rock/Water-type.
"Kabutops, Aqua Jet!" Roxanne commanded.
Water burst around Kabutops, propelling it forward like a missile.
Its speed was incredible. In the blink of an eye, it closed in on Slakoth—
Boom!
With the force of the rushing torrent, Kabutops slammed into Slakoth, sending it flying into a rock wall and shattering stone.
"So fast—faster even than Slakoth!" Hotaru exclaimed from the stands.
Slakoth staggered back to its feet, its eyes wary but filled with fighting spirit.
It longed to battle strong opponents.
"As expected of a Commander-tier Pokémon… both speed and power are outstanding," Yozora nodded to himself. Still, he believed in his Slakoth.
"Enough testing. End this in one strike! Kabutops, use Aqua Break!" Roxanne ordered.
Aqua Break—the powered-up form of Aqua Jet.
This time, Kabutops surged forward cloaked in an even denser torrent, water swirling around it with deadly force.
Though faster than most, Aqua Break was slightly slower than Aqua Jet—and this time, Yozora and Slakoth were ready.
"Double Team!" Yozora shouted.
In an instant, a dozen Slakoth clones appeared across the field.
Roxanne quickly called out, "Don't panic! Aim for the one in the center!"
Kabutops roared as Aqua Break crashed into the central clone—only for it to burst apart, nothing but an illusion.
"Missed?" Roxanne frowned.
Hotaru shook her head, exasperated. "Honestly, that's a one-in-ten chance… how could she expect to hit the real one so easily?"
"Now, Slakoth—Thunder Punch!" Yozora commanded.
The clones vanished, merging back into one. Electricity surged around Slakoth's fists as it pummeled Kabutops with blow after blow.
Crack!Boom!Zap!
Bolts of lightning erupted with each strike. Kabutops screamed in agony.
Electric was super effective against Water. The damage was doubled—and with multiple strikes, Kabutops couldn't withstand it.
"Thunder Punch? A Slakoth can use something like that?!" Roxanne gasped in disbelief.
Her memories of Slakoth were of a creature that only ate or slept, barely rolling over when the grass beside it ran out. To see one unleash such a powerful move was beyond her imagination.
In truth, Slakoth carried the bloodline of Slaking, with immense potential. Most trainers simply couldn't develop it.
But Yozora's Slakoth was different—not lazy, with remarkable talent and comprehension. With Yozora's training, it could learn all kinds of techniques.
"Hold on, Kabutops! Use Brine!" Roxanne shouted desperately.
Kabutops, grimacing through the pain, unleashed a powerful jet of salty water.
Crash!!
The torrent smashed into Slakoth, blasting it back. The salt seeped into its wounds, making it cry out in agony.
Brine dealt double damage against injured foes.
The attack overwhelmed Slakoth, knocking it out.
"Slakoth is unable to battle! Kabutops wins!" the referee announced.
The score was now tied—two to two.
"You did well, Slakoth," Yozora recalled it calmly. There was no need for comfort—its performance had already been outstanding.
Against a Pokémon as strong as Kabutops, to inflict such heavy damage was no small feat.
"Go, Mightyena!" Yozora sent out his final Pokémon.
"Raaaawr!!"
Mightyena howled, its Intimidate washing over the battlefield—but Kabutops remained unfazed.
Its level was simply higher.
Mightyena stood at mid-Commander tier, while Kabutops was at the peak of Commander, just one step away from Lord-tier.
But Kabutops was weakened, its body scarred from Slakoth's assault. It panted heavily, its strength clearly diminished.
"Stay strong, Kabutops! Just one more! Use Brick Break!" Roxanne cried.
Kabutops spun across the rocky field, its speed astonishing even in its battered state. It was pouring everything into this last strike.
But Yozora wasn't about to let it land.
"Mightyena, use Dig!"
Boom!
In a flash, Mightyena burrowed underground, vanishing.
Kabutops staggered, unable to find a target. Its body trembled from exhaustion, gasping for air.
"Now—Shadow Ball!" Yozora commanded.
Mightyena burst from the ground behind Kabutops, unleashing a searing orb of shadowy energy that engulfed it completely.
Crash!!
When the smoke cleared, Kabutops had collapsed.
"Kabutops is unable to battle! Mightyena wins! The challenger claims victory!" the referee declared.
The battle was over.
Roxanne calmly recalled her Kabutops, walking up to Yozora with a smile. "No wonder Hotaru looks up to you so much. Your strength is undeniable."
She handed him the Stone Badge.
"Alright, Hotaru, it's your turn next," she said, turning her gaze to her other challenger.
Yozora stayed to watch their battle.
As a Gym Leader, Roxanne had more than just those three Pokémon. She rotated her team depending on her challenger.
Against Hotaru, she chose weaker ones—two at low Senior-level and one at peak Senior-level.
After a hard-fought match, Hotaru emerged victorious.
Yozora noticed something about her. She was a psychic, able to use telepathy—but her ability was still immature. Her telepathy only reached her Kirlia; her Combusken and Linoone couldn't hear her at all.
Even so, she managed to win and earn her badge.
"Hotaru, was Kirlia your first Pokémon?" Yozora asked as they returned to the Pokémon Center.
"Yes," she nodded. "My father gave me Ralts as a birthday gift when I turned ten. It evolved into Kirlia later. As for Combusken, I received it from the Professor as a Torchic, and it evolved quickly. Linoone was one I captured myself."
"I see. You can communicate with Kirlia telepathically, can't you?" Yozora asked calmly.
She froze, surprised he knew, then nodded honestly.
"That's your special gift. But you can't communicate the same way with Combusken or Linoone yet, right?"
Her eyes widened, admiration shining in them. She nodded again.
"Spend more time understanding them. Train your ability as well—meditate, listen to the voices of all living things."
"Yes, senpai!" she said earnestly.
Yozora shared a few insights with her, then, under her gaze filled with awe, set off on his journey once more.
His next path was across the sea. Boarding a ship, he sailed for three days before reaching Dewford Town.
At the Dewford Gym, before even seeing the Gym Leader, a bald-headed boy blocked his path.
"You want to challenge our Leader? Then you'll have to get past me first! Go, Machop!" the boy declared.
[Machop] (Fighting) – Senior level, Elite potential.
"Mightyena," Yozora said simply.
With a roar, Mightyena's oppressive aura washed over the battlefield. Machop collapsed to the ground in fear—unable to fight before the battle even began.
"Machop?!" The boy was dumbfounded. The fight had ended before it started.
"Well, kid, I don't have time to play. Just tell me where your Gym Leader is," Yozora said with a smile, recalling Mightyena.
Defeated, the boy answered respectfully, "The Leader is training in the nearby cave. He told me that if a challenger comes, I should fetch him."
He recalled Machop and prepared to go.
But Yozora stopped him. "No need. I'll find him myself."
Near Dewford Town was a cave known as Granite Cave, home to many Pokémon—and said to contain rare fossils.
It wasn't far. Within ten minutes, Yozora reached the cave's entrance and stepped inside.
The interior was pitch black. Yozora lit a torch and continued deeper.
(End of Chapter)