Chapter 80 - Chapter 79: Ultra Ball Is Released

"The winner of this battle is Renjiro from Shuangyang City!"The referee's voice echoed across the field, signaling the end of the intense gym match."Thank you for your hard work, Milotic."Renjiro smiled gently as he held up the Poké Ball and recalled his elegant Pokémon. Milotic vanished in a stream of red light, clearly exhausted but victorious.From across the battlefield, the gym leader approached."Renjiro, you are truly powerful. I admit defeat, and I do so wholeheartedly."The man—Xia Yong, the leader of the Titmouse Gym—extended his hand, holding out a gleaming badge that symbolized the gym's recognition."This is the Badge of the Titmouse Gym. You've earned it."Unlike when facing ordinary challengers, Xia Yong had fought Renjiro with his full strength. Yet, despite his best efforts, he still lost.Renjiro didn't hesitate. He accepted the badge with a nod, his expression calm."Thanks."He wasn't the type for unnecessary modesty. He had fought hard for this badge, and he took it with pride.The Titmouse Gym was a respected Flying-type gym in Shuangyang City. While its strength didn't match that of the Shuangyan Gym led by Li Fei, Xia Yong was no pushover. It had taken everything Renjiro had to win this match.With this victory, Renjiro now held four badges—the number required to register as a certified junior trainer.Since summoning Sabrina, Renjiro's pace had accelerated. In just two days, he'd defeated gym after gym, determined to earn those four badges as quickly as possible.---The onlookers erupted in chatter as Renjiro left the field."That was incredible! I knew Renjiro's Beedrill was powerful, but his Milotic is just as strong!""Did you see that Ice Beam? He curved it mid-air to hit Xia Yong's last Pokémon!""Renjiro's strength is insane… How does he train like that?""Xia Yong is a mid-level trainer, and Renjiro beat him head-on. That means Renjiro's probably mid-level himself now, right?""And he's only been a trainer for what—two months?""Less than that! It's unbelievable. An intermediate-level trainer in less than two months… I'm jealous!""Same here. But if you look at his battle history, you'll see why. He fights ten battles a day on average. Could you keep up with that?"Just days ago, the internet had mocked Renjiro after news spread of his loss to Li Fei. People had called him arrogant, accused him of overestimating his abilities.But today, watching his battle from the waiting room's live feed, those same critics were silenced. Renjiro had proven himself.None of them could have fought so evenly with Xia Yong—let alone won.---Atop the Demon City Battle Tower, a tall figure gazed thoughtfully at a large screen replaying Renjiro's latest match.Gan Fengyu stroked his chin, deep in thought."Strange," he muttered."From the strength he's shown so far, he shouldn't have been able to injure Li Fei that badly during their earlier battle. So what's his secret weapon?"Fengyu had been watching Renjiro closely, analyzing each gym battle, studying every move.There had to be something Renjiro hadn't revealed yet—some technique or ability that let him jump levels and fight senior trainers."Well, I suppose I'll find out soon enough. He'll come to challenge the Battle Tower eventually. When he does, I'll see it for myself."He leaned back in his chair, eyes gleaming with interest.---Outside the gym, Renjiro opened his system interface, eager to review his progress.> Host: RenjiroAvailable Pokémon: Giovanni's exclusive Beedrill (Lv. 29), Milotic (Lv. 26), Zubat (Lv. 15), Honchkrow (Lv. 33), Herogaru (Lv. 17), Nidoking (Lv. 54), Nidoqueen (Lv. 52), Charmeleon (Lv. 37)Special Ability: Evergreen Power (heals Pokémon, senses their inner thoughts, helps them break through racial limits)Eye of Insight: Reveals information about anythingBattle Value: 3700Current Mission: Train or recruit ten junior trainers (1/10)Reward: Summon a Team Rocket ExecutiveMission: Obtain Mew's geneReward: Mewtwo research experiment dataMission: Destroy Qingyan Sect, become the largest dark organization in Yanhuang RegionReward: Based on completionSubsystems: Battle Value Lottery, Battle Value MallHis battle value had shot up to 3700—thanks to the gym trainers he'd defeated.If he wasn't saving up for Porygon production technology, he'd have been tempted to spend it on the lottery by now.---Just then, a message popped up.Li Zhenhua: Congratulations, boss! Four badges already!Renjiro blinked in surprise.Renjiro: How do you know I just got my fourth badge?Li Zhenhua: Boss, you're famous now! Your battles are all over the livestreams. Shuangyang City's netizens have been following your gym challenges.Renjiro shook his head with a smile.Renjiro: So that's what's going on.He hadn't realized how closely people were watching him. Apparently, his gym battles had become a local sensation.But he suspected Li Zhenhua had another reason for messaging him.Renjiro: Uncle Li, you didn't contact me just to celebrate my badges, did you? Let me guess—the Ultra Ball is ready.Li Zhenhua: The boss is as sharp as ever.Li Zhenhua: Yes, the Ultra Ball is complete. I'd like to hold a press conference next week.Renjiro's heart raced at the news.The Ultra Ball was one of his major projects—an advanced Poké Ball with higher capture rates. He had provided the technology, and his company had been working tirelessly to get it into production.Renjiro: How's the performance? Have you tested it?Li Zhenhua: Don't worry. We've run preliminary tests. The capture rate is one-third higher than the best Poké Balls on the market.Zhenhua's voice brimmed with pride.Their Ultra Ball would surpass anything their competitors offered.Renjiro: That's excellent. In that case, let's proceed. Schedule the press conference for next week.Renjiro leaned against a railing, looking out over the city.He couldn't wait to see how the world would react when Ultra Ball hit the market.This was just the beginning.---