A scorching blaze erupted from Magby's small body.
Flames instantly wrapped around it, and in the next moment, it charged forward like a burning wheel, rushing straight toward Riolu.
"Riolu, be careful! Dodge!" Derick frowned, forcing himself to stay calm.
But the extreme heat of the battlefield had already disrupted Riolu's footing.
The moment it tried to move, pain shot through its feet. Its rhythm was completely thrown off.
Magby's Flame Wheel slammed directly into Riolu.
Riolu was sent flying backward, skidding across the burning ground.
"Don't give it any room!" Alex pointed forward sharply. "Magby, Fire Punch!"
Before Riolu could even get back up, Magby lunged again.
"Riolu, get up! Watch out!" Derick shouted anxiously.
But the overheated battlefield worked against Riolu at every step. It hopped clumsily on the scorching surface, unable to respond to Derick's commands in time.
Magby's flaming fist struck cleanly.
Riolu's body slammed to the ground and went still.
"The first battle goes to Magby!" the referee announced. He then turned to Derick. "Contestant Derick, please send out your next Pokémon!"
Next Pokémon…
Derick's mouth opened, then slowly closed.
He only had Riolu.
Looking at Riolu lying motionless on the battlefield, Derick clenched his fists so hard his nails dug into his palms.
"I… forfeit the challenge," he said through gritted teeth.
"Haa?" Alex looked mildly surprised.
"I haven't had time to catch a second Pokémon yet," Derick continued. "Gym Leader Alex, I'll come back and challenge you again."
Alex paused for a moment, then nodded.
"I see. You're still a rookie Trainer."
He crossed his arms and spoke calmly. "If you're just starting out, there's no need to rush Gym challenges."
"Spend more time training in the wild. Strengthen your bond with your Pokémon, catch partners that suit you, and build a proper team. That will make future challenges much easier."
More importantly, Gym challenges required adaptability.
The defining feature of Castelia Gym was its superheated battlefield.
Beneath the arena lay large quantities of Fire Gemstones, constantly radiating intense heat. Under these conditions, Pokémon that relied on ground combat were at a severe disadvantage.
However, this was not unbeatable.
Flying-type Pokémon could avoid the terrain entirely.
Water-type Pokémon could lower the temperature and neutralize the battlefield's effects.
This was part of the test.
A Gym wasn't just about strength. It was also about judgment.
"Go treat Riolu first," Alex said. "I'll be here, waiting for you."
"Yes, Gym Leader Alex!" Derick bowed slightly and hurried toward the Pokémon Center with Riolu in his arms.
Not long after Derick left, another figure stepped into the Gym.
When Alex saw who it was, his eyes widened instantly.
"Sister Anna?" he blurted out. "Didn't you go work for the Trainer Association in Opelucid City? Why are you here?"
"Hehe." Anna smiled mischievously. "Of course I'm here to collect Gym Badges."
Alex nearly choked.
"Anna, don't joke around! How could we possibly be your opponents? And does His Majesty know you came here?"
"My teacher knows," Anna replied quickly.
She felt a flicker of guilt, but if her teacher found out, he'd definitely support her decision to collect Gym Badges and enter the year-end Battle Grand Event.
Before that, though, she needed the Castelia Badge.
"Alright, Alex," Anna waved her hand. "Let's battle first. We can talk later."
Since leaving Lucien City, her strength had risen dramatically.
Zoroark had grown sharper and more dangerous.
Rufflet had evolved into a powerful Braviary.
And she had gained new partners.
Onix, massive and rock-solid.
Roserade, elegant and deadly.
Emolga, small but capable of unleashing terrifying electric currents.
Her current strength far surpassed what it once was.
Even her teacher would be surprised.
But she planned to save that surprise for the Battle Grand Event.
Alex looked at her lineup and sighed.
As a Gym Leader, he couldn't refuse a challenger.
So he braced himself.
Fifteen minutes later.
Anna stood smiling, holding the Castelia Badge in her hand.
"That was hard work, Alex!" she said cheerfully, waving goodbye.
Alex, who had just been completely overwhelmed: "…"
Meanwhile, deep in the forest between Accumula Town and Striaton City.
Freya and Patrat stood frozen, staring at the wild Heracross before them.
Not long ago, after barely escaping the Nidoqueen incident, they had returned to town.
Fear had spread quickly.
More than half the Trainers in Accumula Town had given up on traveling altogether, choosing safety over ambition.
Freya had almost done the same.
But then she asked herself, if others could overcome their fear, why couldn't she?
So she and Patrat set out again.
Along the way, they defeated several wild Pokémon that attacked them.
Today, they had planned to camp here.
Instead, a massive figure appeared out of nowhere and snatched Freya's bag.
"Hey! That's mine!" Freya shouted, rushing forward.
She tried to talk to it, to reason with it.
But the wild Heracross ignored her completely.
It tore open the bag, rummaged inside, and pulled out a glass jar filled with golden sweet honey.
The moment it saw the honey, Heracross's fierce expression melted into pure delight.
"Ahhh! That's my food!" Freya cried.
She rushed forward to grab it back.
But she was too slow.
Heracross had already popped the lid and began happily slurping the honey, completely absorbed.
"We're doomed!"
Freya's eyes widened in panic, and Patrat's face was filled with despair.
But as a Trainer, Freya forced herself to calm down.
She knew very well that their safety was far more important than a jar of sweet honey.
Honey could always be bought again. But if they angered that Heracross and it attacked, then there would truly be no escape.
"Forget it, forget it." Freya bent down, picked up the bag that Heracross had tossed aside, quickly reorganized her things, and grabbed Patrat's paw. "Let's go!"
The girl and her Pokémon retreated as fast as they could.
Before long, they found a much safer campsite on the opposite side of the forest.
"This place is good." Freya let out a breath. "We'll rest here tonight. Patrat, keep watch. I'll set up the tent."
Before leaving Accumula Town, Freya had bought a special item from the Friendly Store: Repel Spray.
It emitted a scent that wild Pokémon disliked. Spraying it around the campsite could effectively deter most Pokémon and prevent surprise attacks.
Freya immediately got to work.
Meanwhile, Patrat climbed onto a nearby tree to scout the surroundings.
Then suddenly, Patrat froze.
Its eyes widened, and it sucked in a sharp breath.
"Patrat!!!"
Freya's heart jumped. She spun around instantly.
"What is it?! Patrat, is something dangerous coming?!"
"Patrat!" Patrat nodded frantically, pointing into the distance.
Freya followed its gaze.
Her face went pale.
The Heracross.
The same Heracross that had stolen her sweet honey earlier was walking straight toward their campsite.
"Ahhhh! Why did it follow us again?!" Freya nearly screamed.
But when Heracross arrived, it didn't attack.
It didn't snatch her bag.
It simply stood there quietly, looking at Freya and Patrat with calm, gentle eyes.
Freya blinked, stunned.
"What does it want?"
Patrat tilted its head, equally confused.
Then Freya suddenly realized something.
"Wait… don't tell me…" She stared at Heracross cautiously. "You want sweet honey again?"
She waved her hands helplessly. "We don't have any more! You already ate it all! Go on, hurry up and leave!"
Heracross shook its head.
"Hera!"
Patrat jumped in surprise.
"Patrat?!"
Before Freya could react, Heracross calmly stepped forward, reached into her open backpack, and pulled out a Poké Ball.
It stared at the ball curiously, tilting its head as if recalling something it had seen before.
The next instant, Its body turned into a beam of red light and was sucked straight into the Poké Ball.
The ball dropped onto the grass, bounced twice.
Thump. Thump.
Freya and Patrat stood frozen.
"What… what just happened…?" Freya murmured blankly.
Then she suddenly remembered.
Earlier, when she had recalled Patrat into its Poké Ball.
Heracross must have seen that.
A horrifying realization dawned on her.
"It thought the Poké Ball was how you get sweet honey."
Before she could do anything, the Poké Ball stopped shaking.
Click.
The capture was successful.
Freya stared at it in complete disbelief.
"I just caught a Heracross."
Lucien City
"Your Majesty, the Jennys have begun formal training at the Police Station, as you instructed," Elif reported.
Lucien nodded.
Then, as if remembering something important, he frowned slightly.
"Do the Jennys know that they will eventually have to take up posts in different cities?" he asked.
Elif paused, then shook his head. "It seems… they do not yet know."
"I see."
Lucien fell silent for a moment.
The Thunder Gang had always lived together. They were tightly bonded, inseparable.
But joining the Kingdom meant structure, responsibility, and separation.
This was not something that could be hidden.
"No matter what," Lucien said calmly, "they must be informed in advance."
Elif immediately understood. "Yes, Your Majesty."
He went straight to the Police Station, asked to speak with Jenny Ray alone, and relayed Lucien's words exactly.
Jenny Ray listened quietly.
She was not surprised.
"I understand," she said after a moment. "I will tell them myself."
Elif hesitated, then added gently, "Even if you separate, it doesn't mean you'll never meet again. With the flying Pokémon taxis His Majesty created, you can see each other within hours."
Jenny Ray thought of the sky, the wind, the effortless flight.
"You're right." She nodded. "Thank you, Lord Elif."
After Elif left, Jenny Ray gathered her sisters together.
Her voice was steady.
"Everyone, I have something to announce."
The Jennys immediately turned toward her.
"Big Sister?"
Jenny Ray took a deep breath.
"After our training is complete, we will likely be assigned to different cities, just like the Joys. We may no longer be able to stay together as we did before."
The room fell silent.
"So," Jenny Ray continued, her tone firm, "starting today, the Thunder Gang will be officially disbanded."
Gasps erupted instantly.
"What?!"
"Big Sister, why?!"
"Was this His Majesty Lucien's decision?!"
"No," Jenny Ray shook her head. "This was my decision."
...
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