"Mi-kyu!"
Buneary sprang into the air, lightly hopping out of the ring of flames.
Thanks to long-term speed training, her jumping power had already been refined to near perfection.
"Tch…"
Paul's face twisted into a sour scowl, contempt written all over it.
Using a trash-tier move like that? Was this guy openly looking down on him?
"Taunt!"
Chimchar crooked a finger and pulled an exaggerated face, mocking her.
"Quick Attack!"
Peter seemed to have anticipated this. The instant Paul gave the order, his own command followed.
Buneary turned into a streak of white light, shooting straight toward Chimchar.
"Flame Wheel!"
Paul chose a head-on clash—his standard training philosophy. Violent collisions forged growth, allowing Chimchar to trigger Blaze through sheer pressure.
"Quick Attack!" Peter called again.
And this time—
Buneary's speed jumped another level.
Chimchar didn't even have time to react before it was smashed aside. The Flame Wheel that had just begun to form shattered instantly.
"Incredible! Buneary has broken through her speed limit mid-battle, catching Chimchar completely off guard!"
"Again—Flame Wheel!"
Paul's voice remained flat, devoid of emotion.
"Hu-ha!"
Chimchar hadn't even regained its footing before it forced out flames again, pushing itself purely to obey its Trainer's command.
Peter smiled faintly.
"Then we'll keep going too—Quick Attack!"
"Mi-kyu!"
Buneary's feet blurred as she charged again.
Just as the two Pokémon were about to collide, Paul suddenly barked,
"Adjust trajectory!"
Flame Wheel veered sharply, circling to Buneary's left—avoiding her momentum and striking from the side!
"Danger—Buneary, dodge!"
Peter hadn't expected that level of flexibility.
"Mi-kyu…"
Buneary narrowed her slender eyes. Her foot slammed down—
—and her speed surged for a split second.
Because of that instant burst, the Flame Wheel that should've struck head-on instead skimmed past her back.
"Thud…"
Buneary stumbled and fell, clearly unaccustomed to her own sudden acceleration.
At that moment, every hair on Peter's neck stood on end.
He knew Buneary's potential better than anyone.
And just now—
She had surpassed her previous limit.
When Peter gave the command, the flames had already been right in her face—yet in that razor-thin instant, she forced herself half a body-length faster.
"Tch… lucky," Paul sneered, dismissing it outright as coincidence.
Peter swallowed the excitement boiling in his chest and continued directing Buneary to evade using Quick Attack and Splash, his eyes locked onto her movements—
especially that extra sliver of speed.
Unfortunately, that sudden burst didn't happen again.
Just as disappointment crept in—
[Ding! Buneary's continuous movement has allowed her to comprehend the move 'Agility'!]
Agility: Uses mental focus to temporarily enhance physical performance. Raises Speed by 2 stages.
"…Huh?! That works too?"
Peter broke into a grin.
He'd thought Buneary was on the verge of awakening the Speed Boost Ability, which was why he'd had her circle the field nonstop.
Instead, she'd also picked up Agility—an incredibly practical move. An unexpected but welcome bonus.
Of course, for Chimchar, this was anything but good news.
After endless pursuit, Chimchar had practically drawn a glowing donut on the ground with Flame Wheel—
—and still hadn't touched her.
Now?
Buneary casually lapped him, then kicked apart Flame Wheel with a single Quick Attack.
"Mi-kyu! (You're too slow, little monkey~)"
Buneary crossed her arms, radiating smug disdain.
"Enough playing. Finish it—High Jump Kick!" Peter ordered.
"Dig!"
Paul reacted fast—but Chimchar hesitated for half a beat, thrown off by Buneary's taunting expression.
That half-beat was enough.
Boom!
High Jump Kick landed cleanly, sending Chimchar tumbling helplessly to the edge of the field.
"Chimchar is unable to battle! The winner is—Peter!"
"Hmph. Useless."
Paul snorted coldly.
Chimchar lowered its head in shame, battered and exhausted, before following its Trainer away.
Peter watched them go, saying nothing.
After all—
There was still a Trainer destined to truly guide Chimchar's future.
[Ding! Victory in an over-level battle—Attack Talent +3!]
Peter lifted Buneary happily and checked her status.
[Buneary lv23 (Intermediate)]
Ability: Speed Boost [Minor Awakening]
(Gradually increases Speed in battle. Extremely low trigger rate.)
The words Speed Boost were faint—so pale they were almost invisible.
But even so—
It meant Buneary had taken a crucial first step.
"You did amazing, little one~"
Peter beamed, feeding her a Pokéblock.
His mind was already racing—where could he best train this awakening Ability?
Soon after, the announcer called his name again.
This time, standing across from him was a graceful silver-haired girl, her long hair shimmering under the lights. A single ahoge swayed gently atop her head, and a teardrop-shaped beauty mark beneath her eye lent her an elegant charm.
Peter froze.
Why did she look… familiar?
"Next up, it's once again Peter's match! This is his Bronze Rank Promotion Battle, and his opponent is Bronze-ranked trainer Kahili! Let's see how this unfolds!"
—WHAT?!
Kahili!
Realization flashed through Peter's eyes.
Kahili—the prodigy golfer from the Alola region, a celebrity known across the islands.
In the anime, she barely appeared—a semi-background character, given the timeline before the Alola League was founded, when most Trainers were still relatively weak.
But in the games?
She was one of the Alola Elite Four, a terrifying Flying-type specialist.
What stuck with Peter most was this—
She could've lived off fame and family wealth forever.
Yet she chose to challenge the world with her own strength.
A true monster in spirit.
Kahili nodded politely.
"Nice to meet you. Since this is your promotion match… I'll take it seriously."
She pulled a club from her golf bag, swung it cleanly—
—and smacked a Poké Ball straight onto the field.
"Go, Toucannon! Let the winds of victory rise!"
[Toucannon lv35 (Advanced)]
Peter's eyelid twitched.
Toucannon—Touckey—Kahili's starter.
And undoubtedly, her strongest Pokémon.
Peter stared at the Poké Ball in his hand— Dolliv's.
Throw it… or don't?
Either way felt wrong.
Are you kidding me?!
Flying-type advantage, plus a ten-level gap?!
Even if Red himself showed up, this would be unwinnable!
Peter could only think one thing:
I don't even know you—why are you targeting me like this?!
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