"Finally ready to evolve…"
Noticing the change in Ralts, Grey smiled from the heart.
Ralts had been with him for a while now. Night after night it trained with particular grit, so of course its strength had climbed fast.
It had just wanted to stay in its first stage a bit longer to keep him company.
Now, the time had come.
Ralts felt it—time to evolve!
"Frrr?!"
Rapidash whinnied, pupils reflecting Ralts's changing silhouette.
A Pokémon's evolution is mesmerizing. It watched as the little body reshaped again and again, its own breath nearly catching.
"Kir—!"
From within the light came a bright, ringing cry.
On that note, the glow of evolution shattered and fell away.
A Pokémon much taller than Ralts stepped out into view.
Its "hair" fell in twin tails. Hands poised in front, it looked for all the world like a tiny ballerina.
[Pokémon: Kirlia]
[Type: Psychic/Fairy]
[Level: 38]
[Ability: Trace]
[Moves: (omitted) ]
With evolution, Kirlia's power spiked.
Against Rapidash, it no longer felt outmatched.
"Now!"
Grey flicked his thumb forward, voice stoking the flames of battle. "Zen Headbutt!"
"Kir!"
Kirlia's left eye—the one not hidden by its fringe—hardened. Pink-violet psychic force surged like a tide, pooling atop its crown, waves of telekinetic ripples rolling off it, strong enough to make bystanders take a step back!
It drove forward; condensed psychic power split the blazing fire in two, and Kirlia smashed into Rapidash like a meteor!
KRAAANG!
In the blink of an eye, Rapidash was sent flying!
With nothing to brace on in midair, it crashed hard to the floor, legs splaying as it skidded and went still—unable to battle.
[It just evolved?!]
[I'm fired up—booking a match with Blaine next week.]
[So cool… I… I want my Ralts to be this strong too! (Subscribes)]
"Thanks for the sub, 'Ralts Little Angel.' My training method doesn't fit most Ralts, but if you raise it with love, yours will get this strong sooner or later."
Grey glanced at the new supporter's message—judging by the tone, they were a Ralts Trainer, probably on the gentle side.
[Gym Leader Grey really is kind.]
[Yasashi ne~]
[When are you coming back to Saffron City? I don't wanna fight Sabrina! She's a Psychic Trainer—why is her Fighting-style pressure so intense?!]
"Me? I'll definitely be back in Saffron within a month."
With more folks asking after his plans, Grey gave a rough answer.
As for the exact time—even he wasn't sure.
The S.S. Anne was undergoing a full inspection, and who knew how long that would take?
Cue a chorus of chat groans.
"Ahem. When I'm back at the dojo, the first Trainer to challenge me will get a little surprise~ If I have a specific date, I'll post it on the official site—keep an eye out~"
He tossed out a teaser, then reached for his belt.
This spar was three-on-three.
Two rounds down, one to go.
"Gym Leader Grey, your commands are impressive."
Blaine's tone carried a note of wonder. He'd wanted a friendly spar, yet what Grey stirred in him felt different—
A spark that rekindled his long-still fighting heart.
From the two Pokémon Grey had sent so far, stack him against Kanto's Gym Leaders and he slotted cleanly into the T2 tier.
Tactics-wise, he was a solid T1—maybe even pushing T0.
What was left to judge was hardware.
If Grey's full six-Pokémon core could keep this pace, top three among all Kanto Gyms wasn't out of reach.
But…
He was still young.
A Gym Leader at that age—he just hadn't had time to settle and season.
Give him two more months, and he might even overturn Giovanni's main squad.
Shame there was less than a month left.
Best to hope he topples Sabrina.
Picturing the chaos that might follow, Blaine smiled, almost grandfatherly.
"…"
A chill crawled up Grey's spine.
Why did it feel like the old man was imagining something… odd?
"Good work."
Grey drew back the Poké Ball and recalled Kirlia, then weighed Blaziken's Poké Ball in his hand. "Gym Leader Blaine—let's have our third round."
"Young folks sure are in a hurry."
Blaine smiled wryly. He lifted his hands and let his coat billow in the heat-soaked air. "Gym Leader Grey—before the third round begins, I want to ask you a question."
Grey said nothing, just watched him quietly.
Let's see what Blaine had up his sleeve.
"Tell me—what burns hotter than magma?"
Blaine lobbed a riddle.
As soon as he spoke, the magma below burbled.
BOOM!
The magma pool erupted!
A black shadow shot skyward and slammed into the arena, the impact rattling everything.
Before them stood a Pokémon with skin marbled in red and yellow, like living flame.
Rivulets of scarlet magma still slid down its frame. It stood proudly, meeting Grey's gaze head-on.
[Pokémon: Magmar]
[Type: Fire]
[Level: 42]
[Ability: Vital Spirit]
[Moves: (omitted) ]
Grey only spared it a glance before looking back to the magma it had leapt from.
Down there, something even more terrifying swam at ease.
But Blaine clearly wasn't sending that one out—at least, not yet.
"Behold! This is the strongest presence within my Cinnabar Gym!"
Blaine's white coat snapped in the heat. He spread his arms wide, as if to embrace the furnace itself.
Aside from his ace team, this Magmar was the one Blaine had poured the most time and feeling into.
"Blaziken, I'm counting on you."
Grey tossed his Poké Ball; Blaziken landed in a blaze, its fighting spirit locking on to Magmar.
Both Fire types—just stepping onto the field, their clashing auras sparked like flint.
Colorless flames wove in the air between them. Magmar raised its shackled arms and crooked a finger at Blaziken.
"Mag-ga!" (Kid, if you want to brawl with me—you've got a ways to go.)
Unlike the last two, Magmar opened with trash talk.
"Chaa!" (Old man—watch me knock your teeth out!)
Blaziken couldn't stand it; that volcanic temper detonated and it glared down the Magmar, heat for heat.
"Hahaha! I can see it—your Blaziken's raring to go!"
A grin tugged at Blaine's mouth. He called out, "Magmar—let's show them with magma that our fighting spirit will never burn out!"
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