"No way... Is that really a Farfetch'd?" James stared wide-eyed at Kaka, completely stunned. He had never imagined that a Farfetch'd—yes, a
"No way... Is that really a Farfetch'd?"
James stared wide-eyed at Kaka, completely stunned. He had never imagined that a Farfetch'd—yes, a Farfetch'd could defeat his Scyther in a single blow.
His expression darkened. Two whole months of training, and yet his main Pokémon just got wiped out by someone's newly caught battler. What was there to be excited about anymore?
"Does your Pokémon have psychic abilities?"
King looked at the battlefield, visibly surprised as he turned to Gabriel.
Gabriel blinked, puzzled. How did he figure that out?
"My partner is an Abra, so I'm pretty sensitive to psychic energy. Your Farfetch'd's sensory skills—Kaka, right?—they've definitely been enhanced by psychic talent."
After hearing King's explanation, Gabriel suddenly understood. Of course. he uses Psychic-types. It would've been easy for him to pick up on that kind of energy.
"You're right," Gabriel admitted. "Kaka's latent psychic ability doesn't just sharpen his instincts—it also helps him detect weaknesses during battle. That's why he's been able to end fights with a single strike."
James looked like he'd been struck speechless.
"You sure you're not mistaken? That Farfetch'd actually has a psychic gift?"
King shot him an exasperated look. "You think I'd get that wrong?"
Wow, James thought. A Farfetch'd with psychic powers? The world's getting crazier by the minute.
"Alright," Gabriel said after the battles had wrapped up, "if that's all, let's head out."
But just as he turned to leave, someone called out from behind.
"You must be the new students who just enrolled, right? Not bad at all!"
King turned with a sigh. "Ugh… Bro, what are you doing here?"
Gabriel glanced over. A tall, broad-shouldered man had stepped into their path. He reached out and ruffled King's hair with a warm smile.
"You've been dodging me all week," he said teasingly. "Caught you now. What—am I not allowed to visit?"
King swatted his hand away with a glare. "Could you not touch my hair? I just fixed it! Every time you mess it up!"
His brother looked mildly offended but didn't back down. With a grin, he grabbed him again and gave his hair a thorough tousling.
"What's wrong with giving my little brother a pat on the head, huh? I'm still your big brother, you know!"
Despite his protests, King was clearly no match for his size and strength. In the end, he just let him do it, his expression full of resigned annoyance.
After he'd had his fun, the man let go with a nostalgic sigh.
"Getting older sure makes things less fun. You used to follow me around everywhere. Now I can't even touch your hair without a fight."
King stomped on his foot in retaliation, though it had no real effect.
With the sibling reunion over, the man finally turned his attention to Gabriel and James. His grin was bright, matching his athletic build and upbeat energy.
"Nice to meet you. I'm June—his older brother. You two just arrived at the Academy, right? I caught your battle earlier. Great work out there."
He turned specifically to Gabriel.
"That Farfetch'd of yours—it's amazing. I've never seen anyone train one to that level before. You're the first."
Before he could react, June clasped his arm enthusiastically. Gabriel tried to pull free but found his self completely stuck.
"How about it? Want to join our Battle Club?"
Battle Club? What's that?
Gabriel shot James a confused look, but he was already shaking June's hand like an excited kid, having completely forgotten about her.
"I'm in! I'm in! Can I be a reserve member?"
"Of course. You're strong enough to join us."
Gabriel turned to King in desperation. "What is the Battle Club?"
"It's a formal student-run group within the Academy," King explained casually. "Out of all the student clubs, it's one of the most famous."
So it's just a student club? Gabriel thought.
"Well, not exactly," King added. "The Battle Club's actually heavily supported by the Academy. Every member is among the top talents. Once you join, you get free access to all the battle training rooms and equipment. Plus, there's official coaching, special privileges—way too much to explain all at once. I'll send you a chart later."
Gabriel nodded in surprise. he hadn't expected it to be such a big deal. Could students really organize something like this on their own?
"We're not getting all that for free, right?" he asked.
"Of course not," King said. "But every academy has a Battle Club—it's kind of an unofficial rule. That's because they're also the primary teams that compete in the National Inter-Academy Tournament. The stronger the team, the better the academy performs. That affects government funding. So yeah, the Academy has every reason to invest in us."
The Inter-Academy Tournament?!
Gabriel had heard of it before. The tournament was a huge deal—each year's results impacted national funding allocations. And every participant was an elite among elites. The singles champion was even considered a future Elite Four candidate.
And joining the Battle Club means I could enter that tournament... His heart started pounding. This might be my chance.
"In that case, I want to join too. Are there any other requirements?"
June couldn't hide his grin. I knew no one could resist the Inter-Academy Tournament.
"Nope. Just fill out a form. King already turned his in. You two are the last ones."
With June's help, James and Gabriel quickly completed their applications, officially becoming reserve members of the Battle Club.
June clapped both of them on the shoulders, beaming.
"All new students need a few days to fully report in. Once that's done, the Battle Club will be busy recruiting its next batch. After that, you'll both be introduced to the rest of the team. No rush—I'll let King know when it's time. he's got the process down."
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