Chapter 208:
Time passed quickly, and soon it was number 66—Hayashi Kaede's turn.
Among the contestants, Trainer number 65, who was paired against him, scanned the venue, wondering which unlucky soul he would be facing.
After all, he was one of the top-ranked Trainers in the advanced class of Nagisuna City's No. 1 High School! In those storybook novels, he would be considered a "genius."
But as he looked around, he saw only one person standing and moving forward.
That was… Hayashi Kaede, beside the towering Serperior.
"Holy crap?"
Watching Hayashi Kaede rise at the same time as him, his eyes widened.
It was over.
The "genius" was about to fall.
Fighting this big boss? What chance do I have!?
Filled with disappointment and despair, he slowly walked onto the arena. Based on his strength, he thought the top four might be difficult, but the top sixteen should have been secure. But now…
He would be eliminated in the first round.
Hayashi Kaede had no idea what was going through his opponent's head. He was instead considering how far he should go—or whether he should let the Eevees get some training. Among his Pokémon, aside from the little Eevees, using anyone else would be bullying.
When his opponent released his Pokémon, he stopped pondering.
Against this Ponyta, the Eevees were still far too weak.
[Pokémon: Ponyta]
[Gender: Male]
[Ability: Run Away]
[Aptitude: Purple]
[IVs: HP (25), Attack (28), Sp. Atk (19), Defense (20), Sp. Def (21), Speed (28)]
[Level: 30–32]
[Moves: Tail Whip, Poison Jab, Ember, Flame Wheel, Stomp, Fire Spin, Agility, Toxic, Double Team, Strength, Captivate, Attract…]
Hayashi Kaede's lip twitched when he saw the moveset.
It even knew Attract and Captivate?
No wonder that when Ponyta came out, it playfully pounced on its Trainer, sticking out its tongue and licking his face repeatedly.
It licked until the Trainer's face turned bright red, and he shouted, "Stop licking! Stop licking! This is a battle!"
However, Ponyta didn't listen—it just kept at it.
Clearly, the two had a close relationship. But did they really have to flaunt it in front of everyone?
Hayashi Kaede glanced up at the audience—their faces all twisted in "eww" expressions.
Since the opponent's Ponyta was male and had Attract, he wouldn't send out little Vulpix.
So, to deal with it…
"I'm counting on you, Blaziken!"
Hayashi Kaede released Blaziken.
"Blaziken!"
As soon as Blaziken appeared, it first thought it was mealtime. But with a blink, it realized the human cheers around it were like roaring waves.
Some people were even shouting its name.
"Such a cool Blaziken! Wow, look at that physique…"
"I saw this Blaziken battle yesterday—it was unbelievably fast! That Scraggy opponent crashed all over the place but couldn't even touch it. So awesome!"
"Yeah, yeah! Someone edited a video of Blaziken vs. Scraggy… it looked like it was just toying with a child!"
Blaziken immediately straightened its back. "Blaziken!"
It struck a proud pose, worthy of the Third Squad Leader of the Vulpix Hero Squad.
Though it had no subordinates at the moment, it believed it would—sooner or later.
Just like its Trainer always said:
"Bread will come, milk will come, and fried eggs will come too."
"…Huh?"
Even Hayashi Kaede was stunned. He hadn't watched any Junior Cup videos since returning yesterday, so he had no idea what had happened. How had Blaziken's reputation suddenly exploded? Hadn't it just been toying with that Scraggy?
He checked Blaziken's stats again.
[Pokémon: Blaziken]
[Gender: Male]
[Ability: Speed Boost]
[Aptitude: Red]
[IVs: …]
[Level: 42–45]
[Moves: Ember, Peck, Quick Attack, Flame Charge, Sand Attack, Aerial Ace, Sucker Punch, Brick Break, Dig, Agility, Detect, Flamethrower…]
Hmm… no changes.
As Hayashi Kaede puzzled over what about Blaziken's performance had drawn so much attention, his opponent finally managed to crawl out from under Ponyta's hooves.
Then, he had an idea.
"Hey, friend!" he shouted across the field.
There was about half a minute before the battle began, so talking was still allowed.
"Huh?"
Hayashi Kaede's thoughts were interrupted. He looked at the other Trainer. "What's up?"
"Here's the deal, friend. My Ponyta is great at running, and your Blaziken looks like it's amazing at running too. How about we have a race instead?"
"A race?" Hayashi Kaede repeated.
"Yeah! We'll race around the arena. Within five minutes, whoever runs faster wins. What do you think?"
If they were to battle, he would had little hope in winning. However, in running, he might have a chance. He might not outpace Blaziken in a short sprint, but his Pokémon was a Ponyta! Everyone knew horses excelled at endurance.
His Ponyta had even helped him place top three in Nagisuna City's Summer Horse Race. When it came to running, it was incredibly fast.
Over five minutes, he just might stand a chance.
"…Huh?"
Hayashi Kaede raised an eyebrow, his expression turning strange. "Are you sure?"
Blaziken's eyes lit up the instant it heard this.
A race? That sounded great!
It wanted to imitate its Trainer too.
"Friend, I think it's very feasible. After all, Pokémon aren't just about battling, right? Running is part of their nature too." The opposing Trainer spoke nonsense with a straight face.
Hayashi Kaede looked up at Kondō Satoshi in the commentator's seat. After Kondō Satoshi's enthusiastic explanation, the question was referred to the higher judges.
With their approval—and the audience's eager agreement—
Blaziken and Ponyta lined up side by side at the starting line.
Ponyta stamped its hooves, serious and focused.
At the signal—
"Begin the race!"
Both Pokémon burst into motion.