Six Vine Whips lashed in at once!
But against Hitmonlee—especially a Hitmonlee mid–Blaze Kick—they did nothing!
Boom!!!
The instant they met, searing fire roared up; the burning flames blew those six converging vines back at once!
Venusaur's pupils tightened. It tried to heave that heavy body aside—
—but it had been over-nourished lately, and Venusaur's line isn't exactly known for "agility" to begin with…
There was no way it could dodge that kick!
Hitmonlee's flaming heel crashed onto Venusaur's head. An explosion of fire washed over its eyes; heat rolled in waves!
The single kick drove it back several meters on the spot!
Whud!
Misfortune stacked—flames caught on Venusaur's hide; its green body flushed red.
Burned!
"???"
The honor student froze.
She hit that low-chance status?!
Now that it was burned… how was she supposed to fight?
She stared at her Venusaur, reeling under the status. Her reason had been punted clean away by that kick—and it wasn't coming back yet.
"Next time, I hope I see you come prepared. If you'd kept up what you had going with Golduck just now, you could've barely scraped the passing line."
Grey shook his head with a soft sigh. "Blaze Kick—again."
"Hitmon!"
Hitmonlee stepped off Venusaur's head and vaulted, aura flaring hard.
Fire ran up its leg a second time; a thin fiery film rippled around it—then the heel dropped, dead-center on Venusaur's brow!
This time, the shockwave alone flipped Venusaur across the floor; it tumbled several times before it finally skidded to a stop.
The flames winked out—and with them, Venusaur's stamina. Its eyes spiraled.
"Venusaur is unable to battle. Challenger, please send out your last Pokémon."
Bumiao looked to the honor student and delivered the verdict.
"I…"
She recalled Venusaur and glanced at Marowak's ball.
After a long breath, she said quietly, "I forfeit. I lost this one…"
[Academy types just lack reps. Go challenge Lt. Surge first and farm some confidence.]
[???]
[Lmao Surge turned into the training dummy.]
[For real—among Kanto Gyms, Surge is basically a power check. The weak can't beat him; the strong don't even notice him.]
[!!!]
[Didn't expect that's Surge's rep.]
[Drat… am I just too softhearted?!]
[Guys, stop roasting Surge—I'm literally about to queue for Vermilion!]
While chat had its fun, Grey palmed the Poké Ball, recalled Hitmonlee, and offered his take. "Challenger, your fundamentals are fine—you're just short on real experience."
"It's clear you do well at the Academy. That's worth being proud of. But real battles aren't locked to academy patterns. I hope you'll find your own path."
"So, I won't award a dojo badge today. If we cross paths again, surprise me."
"Mm…"
Hand pressed to her chest, she stared down at the balls in her bag.
They were her best partners at school. This trip's whole purpose was to grow stronger.
And the first match was a decisive loss.
"Gym Leader, there's something I don't understand. May I ask?"
She brushed her fingers over the Poké Balls, eyes a little lost as she looked up at Grey.
The Golduck sequence had given her a spark of insight—but it was fleeting, impossible to pin down.
"Ask. If I can answer, I will."
Grey didn't overpromise; he had no clue what she'd ask.
She didn't blurt it out. After choosing her words, she asked slowly:
"How do you make sound calls mid-battle? In the same fight, you always seem to find the counter. I'm really curious about that."
[True—streamer looks effortless every match, like it's all in the palm of his hand.]
[I know this one: 'the equation for victory is already solved'!]
[Daily Grey mini-class? Notetakers assemble!]
[Saving the VOD—going to the other tab to watch my fave, brb.]
Her question got everyone thinking—they wanted to hear Grey's answer too.
"Want it short, or with more detail?"
Grey raised two fingers in a V.
She blinked. "What's the short version?"
"Fight more battles."
Concise enough.
"…And the detailed one?"
He added three words without missing a beat: "Fight more Pokémon battles."
"???"
[???]
[Lmao 'fight more Pokémon battles.']
[So the short version just deletes 'Pokémon'?]
[No joke though—that is the truth.]
[Class rep, put the pen down—it's eleven characters.]
"It's not hard to get," Grey chuckled. "Strong trainers grow by battling. Know yourself and your foe—then you win. Fight more trainers, learn more Pokémon, and your reads come easier."
"I get it!"
Theorycrafting can't beat actual matches.
How had she forgotten something so simple?
With Grey's nudge, she felt like waking from a dream. She bowed deep. "Thank you!"
"No problem."
"It's what a Gym Leader is here for."
"Mm! Next time you see me, my strength will be night-and-day!"
Feeling that old surge of confidence again, she couldn't help asking, "Could you recommend where I should challenge next?"
"In that case, I think Lt. Surge is a great pick. Head to Vermilion—Surge is just the start."
Grey couldn't resist one last jab at Surge.
"Okay!"
She left the dojo glowing like noonday sun—ready to speedrun Surge.
Grey watched her go, then turned his gaze to the pair on the sofa.
Will. Karen.
Two trainers at Elite level, currently here as League inspectors to evaluate Gym Leaders.
Karen stood, tossing her hair. "Seeing is believing, Gym Leader Grey. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
//Check out my P@tre0n for 20 extra chapters on all my fanfics //[email protected]/Razeil0810.