"Who won in the end!?"
"Was it Miss Giselle?"
"Hurry, look!"
The students of Pokémon Tech were more anxious than the actual combatants—Giselle and Nozomi. As the shockwave finally dissipated, they all lowered their arms and stared toward the battlefield.
The outcome of the match between Ivysaur and Rapidash meant everything to their pride as Pokémon Tech students.
Both Pokémon looked exhausted—the shockwave had struck them both equally hard. Still, Ivysaur clearly seemed worse off. The collision of Solar Beam and Flamethrower had produced a scorching blast, and that intense heat was brutal for a Grass-type like Ivysaur to endure.
"Did Miss Giselle win?"
"Ivysaur took more damage!"
"We've got this! There's no way Ivysaur can beat Rapidash now!"
Ivysaur was battered so badly that its mobility had to be severely limited. There was no way it could dodge Rapidash's next attack like before.
The Pokémon Tech students were already celebrating their victory when—
BANG!
Before anyone could react, Rapidash's legs buckled. The fiery steed fell heavily to the ground, eyes spiraling, fainted.
The referee—who had already prepared to declare Rapidash the winner—froze in place, staring blankly at the unconscious Rapidash and the battered yet still-standing Ivysaur.
It took him several long seconds to process what had happened.
"Rapidash is unable to battle! Ivysaur wins! The winner of this match is Nozomi!"
"...We lost."
Giselle sighed softly and recalled her Rapidash into its Poké Ball.
To be honest, this battle had been deeply frustrating for her. Despite holding a clear type advantage, Rapidash had spent the entire match dancing to Ivysaur's rhythm. Even its strongest move, Fire Blast, had accomplished nothing before being overpowered by that unexpected Solar Beam.
Replaying the fight in her head, Giselle realized where she went wrong—right when Ivysaur used Poison Powder. She had ordered Rapidash to fall back, and in doing so, lost control of the match completely.
It was a single moment of hesitation—a decision that had decided everything. If she'd simply ignored the Poison Powder and pressed the attack, victory would have been hers.
Still, she didn't feel bitter. This was the essence of Pokémon battles—the thrill that every small decision, every shift in strategy, could determine victory or defeat.
"Ivysaur, return. You did wonderfully."
Nozomi smiled faintly and recalled his heavily injured partner.
A system chime echoed in his head:
[Host has defeated Giselle Yuto. Congratulations! You've earned 1 Bronze Lottery Ticket.]
He didn't bother checking the reward for now. Instead, he looked up and said, "Miss Giselle, it seems I've won this match."
"You did," Giselle replied calmly. "As promised, Pokémon Tech will publish an apology article in the Kanto Daily."
A wager was a wager. Giselle Yuto was a woman of her word.
The surrounding students opened their mouths but found nothing to say. They had lost, and none of them dared to suggest that their noble Miss Giselle should go back on her promise.
Nozomi didn't doubt her capability to fulfill the agreement, either.
From what he knew, Pokémon Tech was a private academy, and the Yuto family held a major share of its board—Giselle herself was essentially the most influential person on campus. Something like this was well within her power.
"In that case, I'll be taking my leave."
Having resolved what he came here for, Nozomi had no intention of lingering in a place filled with bad memories.
He turned and walked away.
The Pokémon Tech students stood there, stunned. They had expected ridicule or gloating—after all, if they had won, they would've mocked Nozomi to no end. Yet, he simply walked away, calm and indifferent.
The realization struck them hard, and shame began to creep into their hearts.
Giselle stood silently, no one daring to scold her because of her status. Her emotions, however, were far from calm.
Watching Nozomi's fading back under the setting sun, she clenched her fists slightly.
She had made a decision.
Pokémon Tech must change.
She would not let the school's pride rot any further.
As twilight bled into the forest, Nozomi's figure vanished beyond the trees.
Vermilion City—one of the most important port cities in the entire Kanto region.
It was the beating heart of Kanto's sea trade, boasting the region's largest deep-water harbor. Every day, hundreds of thousands of tons of cargo were loaded and unloaded here, flowing between Kanto, Hoenn, and Unova.
After several days of travel, Nozomi finally arrived at this bustling metropolis.
"This… is completely different from what I imagined."
He stood in awe, gazing at the neon skyline and crowded harbor streets.
Beside him, a middle-aged man with a fishing rod over his shoulder and a bucket in hand chuckled. "First time in Vermilion City, huh, kid? Doesn't look like what you expected, right?"
"Yeah… not at all," Nozomi admitted. He'd always pictured Vermilion as a modest port town that thrived on passenger traffic—not the modern industrial powerhouse before him.
The fisherman grinned. "A lot of folks make that mistake. The name Vermilion sounds kinda melancholic, like it's an old, fading place. But the truth is, thanks to the Silph Company's expansion and the discovery of rare minerals nearby, this city's booming like never before!"
The man's tone carried unmistakable pride—the kind of pride that only came from someone speaking about their beloved hometown.
Nozomi smiled faintly. He understood that feeling. Everyone believed their home was the best in the world—it was human nature.
"So, old-timer," he asked, "any fun places you'd recommend in Vermilion City? I've got some time to look around."
The fisherman scratched his head and grinned. "Lots of good spots, but if you ask me, the beachside resort's the best. You'll see plenty of beautiful women there—real beauties, I tell ya!"
"Ehem! I'm still young, sir—I have no idea what you're talking about."
As the man laughed heartily, Nozomi quickly took his leave, feeling the conversation drift in a questionable direction. He headed toward the Pokémon Center he'd been told about.
His Ivysaur was still badly hurt. Though he had already applied a healing spray and stored it safely in its Poké Ball to prevent the wounds from worsening, professional treatment couldn't wait any longer.