"Combusken… hehe~ Simisear, let them witness our invincible combo!"
Up ahead of Satoshi, Iwamatsu threw his Poké Ball with a face full of confidence.
He had no thought of losing at all. Anyone who made it this far had to have a top-tier mindset as a trainer.
Which meant Satoshi could also go all-out without hesitation—and blow him up.
Still, when he saw that red Simisear appear on the field with three flame tufts on its head shaped like the character "山," burning like fire… he froze for a second.
What Pokémon is this? Why haven't I seen you in the Pokédex?
How have I never seen you in Sun/Moon, Sword/Shield, or Scarlet/Violet—three mainline games?
Satoshi unknowingly roasted Simisear. His only impressions of it were the Striaton Gym… and the fact it once ranked dead last in some "total-720 popularity" thing.
Even Pokémon's official side apparently didn't know what moves to give it—there was a promo video where they gave Simisear an illegal Shadow Ball. They got caught afterward, yanked the video down, and swapped it to Shadow Claw.
All you could say was: compared to Infernape, Simisear was just… not it!
With a badass Infernape around, Simisear really didn't stand a chance.
But Satoshi wasn't about to underestimate his opponent. He pointed forward and gave the order.
"Combusken, rush in!"
"Simisear, use [FLAMETHROWER] to chip it down first!"
Iwamatsu's eyes lit up. He chose to wear the opponent down first, shave their HP.
Wrong move buddy.
Satoshi's plan was to take them down the fastest, cleanest way possible!
Combusken burst forward like a bolt of lightning tearing through the sky. Simisear opened its mouth and blasted a roaring stream of fire, sweeping straight at Combusken.
"[DETECT]!"
"Yamo!" With Detect, Combusken caught the trajectory instantly and slipped past the flames with a clean dodge.
"How is it that fast?!"
Under Iwamatsu's stunned stare, Combusken only got faster and faster—closing the distance in an instant and appearing right in front of Simisear.
Speed Boost plus Detect was just too perfect. Satoshi was addicted to this loop.
Speed's already amped and we're already in their face—now it's our turn!
Excitement flashed through Satoshi's eyes as he waved his hand forward.
"[THUNDER PUNCH]!"
Lightning crackled around Combusken's fist. With thunderous force, it drove a punch straight into Simisear.
In that moment, electricity burst like threads and nets from Combusken's hand, striking Simisear head-on.
The leftover heat from Flamethrower faded into the air, leaving only the sizzling hiss of electricity echoing across the arena.
"Simisea—!" Simisear howled. Its whole body flew backward and slammed into the ground. Electricity numbed it all over—it couldn't move, only writhe there in pain.
"HUH! Paralyzed?! Simisear, get up—now!"
Thunder Punch causing paralysis didn't happen that often. Iwamatsu was cursing his luck.
Too bad Satoshi had zero intention of giving him a chance.
"Finish it. [DOUBLE KICK]!"
"YAMO!!" Combusken dashed in, then hammered Simisear with its powerful legs. A chain of kicks cut through the air—each strike fast, heavy, merciless.
"Simiseaaar—!" Simisear was launched straight into the far wall. The impact boomed through the arena. Dust exploded up; the wall shuddered and caved in with a deep dent.
Simisear couldn't stand back up. It had lost the ability to battle.
"What the—It's over already?!" Iwamatsu stared, eyes wide.
"Good work, Combusken." Satoshi didn't spare another thought; he simply took out the Poké Ball and recalled Combusken.
Among his high-speed Pokémon, Combusken was the fastest one he had!
Which meant their compatibility was the best of the best!
This is the confidence the Speed Boost Chicken gives me!
"…Simisear is unable to battle. Combusken wins. The final winner is contestant Satoshi!"
Even the battle referee froze for a moment before finally dropping the flag.
How did it end this fast? From start to finish, it hadn't even been a full minute.
"So strong—too strong. But Simisear is seriously unlucky, getting paralyzed by Thunder Punch when it's not even a high chance…"
"Combusken's chicken feet—truly great, words fail me! I want to lick them! I want one too!"
"Satoshiii~ I'm a femboy, can I join your fan club?"
All kinds of comments rang out through the venue. But Satoshi's gaze only stayed on his team's section.
"Satoshi, that was so COOL~!!!!" Bright, outgoing Anon waved at him and shouted at full volume, not caring at all who was around. The other girls, by comparison, looked much more reserved.
Because aside from Anon and Satoshi, their group mostly leaned gloomy.
"Anon-chan, you don't need to shout that loud. Satoshi can hear you." Soyo watched Anon steal all of Satoshi's attention and wanted to elbow her into silence.
Soyo wasn't comfortable in crowded places to begin with.
And now you've stolen my husband's attention—what am I supposed to watch?
"Having companions really is nice." After giving them a thumbs-up, Satoshi felt genuinely satisfied.
[Isn't this basically Satocchi's harem squad? I suggest once you win, you take a girl home as a reward… and battle all day and all night.]
Hearing that, Satoshi—rarely—thought Furiko's words sounded pretty good.
Battling all day and all night as a reward… yeah, I want that. I really, really want that~
"Sounds pretty good." Satoshi nodded. Though, honestly, it was better to just think it—if he said it out loud, those girls would probably all back away instantly.
After all, all day and all night… not many girls could take that.
[Ah… I wasn't talking about Pokémon battles, but I think if you said it, they'd have zero objections. Especially Soyo.]
"Huh? Then what are you talking about?"
[Hehehe~ I'm not telling you. But if I had a body, I'd totally try it with you. EheGeHeHehe~]
What kind of goofy laugh is that?
Satoshi sweated a little and decided to stop engaging.
...
"Satoshi really leveled up again… That speed just now doesn't feel like something a middle-stage Pokémon should have."
Shiina Taki's purple eyes stayed locked on the image on the screen, her heart unable to stay calm.
Even though she'd seen Satoshi training Combusken these past few days—strengthening its legs and all—she hadn't expected this kind of progress.
In a way, the faster you are, the more force you carry. Combusken now had both attack and speed. It wasn't something you could underestimate at all.
"Well, it's Satoshi. That level is normal for him, right?" Karen's lips curled up, her cheerful smile filling her face as she casually struck up conversation with Taki like they were already close.
"Mm. I need to meet him in the finals no matter what." Taki nodded, fists clenched, her gaze burning hotter.
With an opponent (boyfriend) that strong, very few trainers could refuse.
I want to battle. I want a full-power battle!
As if remembering something, Karen clapped her hands, drawing Taki's attention.
"Oh, right. Since there's still time before our match—Taki-chan, can you tell me how you and your team met Satoshi? I'm really curious about everything that's happened with him lately."
"Huh? …Fine. I'll tell you a bit."
Seeing how friendly Karen seemed, Taki couldn't help thinking of Soyo.
You all like Satoshi—so why are you the one who's especially unhinged?
Look at this girl named Karen! Yeah she's bright and outgoing, but she's totally different from Anon's punchable type!
"At first, I challenged Satoshi and some pink-haired girl—that's how we met. Back then, I think I accidentally made him a little angry, even though he's usually so good-natured."
Taki held nothing back as she spoke.
"Mm~ You made him angry, huh."
She made my Satoshi angry.
Hearing this, Karen—Performance Department—didn't show her negative emotions on her face.
She kept a mild smile, looking at the girl in front of her.
It's not like rage is something you can't control. Aijo Karen evolves every day! This level is nothing—
I'm so mad!I'm so mad!I'm so mad!
Karen couldn't hold it in at all—to the point Taki started feeling weirded out.
"Why are you staring at me like that… what's wrong?"
"It's nothing. I was just thinking… we'll meet in the semifinals."
Karen shook her head, forcing her mindset back into balance—while a certain thought surfaced deep in her heart.
I decided. Before the finals… I'm going to completely eliminate Taki-chan.
---
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