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[Start of the chapter]
A tangible shockwave of sound spread out with Shiko's furious roar, instantly echoing through and covering the entire venue.
Everyone's hearts felt like they'd been struck hard—missing a beat.
Even the Pokémon battling on the other arenas couldn't help but pause. One after another, they turned their heads toward Shiko's arena, fear flashing across their faces.
"This Charmeleon… has been raised extremely well."
Admiration showed in Moo-sensei's eyes as she looked Shiko up and down, clicking her tongue in praise.
As a professional Pokémon Breeder, she could tell at a glance that Shiko was anything but ordinary.
That powerfully built body with sharply defined muscles.
The deeper coloration compared to most Charmeleon.
And on top of that, the flames on his tail were burning explosively—its inner flame an exaggerated, vivid blue.
All of it was proof enough of Shiko's strength and excellence.
"I've personally raised Pokémon—if not a thousand, then at least eight hundred."
"This Charmeleon is the most perfectly raised one I've ever seen!"
Moo-sensei didn't hold back her praise at all, speaking from the heart.
A sharp intake of breath swept through the examinees the moment she finished speaking.
No one expected Moo-sensei to give such an astonishing evaluation.
Wintergreen City was only a fringe city on the edge of the Alliance, sure—
But Moo-sensei's name carried real weight throughout the entire Great Axia Alliance!
As an outstanding Pokémon Breeder, many Pokémon owned by influential figures in Wintergreen City had been trained and raised under her care for a period of time.
Even across the Great Axia Alliance as a whole, there were several Elite Four–level Trainers who had asked her to help raise and nurture their Pokémon!
Her standards and her eye for quality weren't low in the slightest.
And yet this Charmeleon had earned such an absurdly high evaluation?
At that moment, the examinees' gazes toward Himeko changed completely.
They were filled with envy and jealousy.
In the crowd, Joji's smile froze stiff on his face, his expression turning grim to the extreme.
What the hell?!
This wasn't what the information and intel he got said at all!
Wasn't Himeko's starter Pokémon supposed to be trash?
Wasn't it supposed to laze around, sleep, and sunbathe—hating training and refusing to work?
How could a lazy Pokémon look like this?!
That outrageous aura!
That soaring fighting spirit!
That blazing, flame-like will to battle!
This was the kind of presence you only forged by tempering yourself through battle after battle!
Damn it…
He'd been tricked!
Now he was finished!
This Charmeleon really could beat that Raticate!
And it would win even more cleanly than his own match!
In his head, Joji had already cursed the ancestors of the lackey he'd sent to investigate.
His mind raced, thinking at breakneck speed about how he was supposed to salvage things later—if Himeko really won.
"Can we start now?"
Himeko looked at Moo-sensei and asked.
After hearing Moo-sensei praise Shiko so highly, Himeko—his Trainer—felt incredibly proud. A smile she couldn't suppress spread across her face.
"Start."
"For this battle, I'll be the one giving commands!"
Moo-sensei nodded.
Her eyes lingered on Shiko with visible reluctance before she finally looked away. She put away her scoring sheet, and her expression turned solemn and intensely serious.
"Holy—Moo the demon woman is personally commanding!"
"No way… is this for real?!"
"She's serious! She's actually serious!"
"This is the first time, isn't it? Ever since Moo-sensei became an examiner in her first year, she's always let her Pokémon fight freely!"
"Exactly! Even the three big shots who passed under her back then—she didn't command their battles either!"
"Hiss… that Charmeleon…"
The spectators erupted in an instant.
Even the matches on the other arenas stopped.
Everyone in the entire venue crowded around Arena Ten, waiting for this battle to begin.
Moo-sensei was getting serious.
This was the first time she had ever commanded her own Pokémon in an exam battle.
That meant the Charmeleon in front of her—
Had put an enormous amount of pressure on her.
Himeko's eyes gleamed now, excitement flashing within them.
Her blood began to boil.
"Roar!!"
Shiko roared again.
A terrifying aura surged off his body.
He opened his mouth, and dense Fire-type energy rapidly condensed inside.
Shiko's signature move—
Flamethrower!
At this point, he had refined it into something as terrifying as a heat ray.
The scorching presence distorted the air around him from sheer heat.
The temperature in the entire venue rose sharply in an instant!
"Just based on the intensity of that Fire-type energy alone—this exam, win or lose, you've already passed!"
Feeling the exaggerated Fire-type energy swelling from Shiko, Moo-sensei's expression flashed with amazement again.
Unbelievable.
This Charmeleon…
Was even stronger than she expected.
But Moo-sensei didn't feel the slightest fear.
Instead, she grew excited.
"Even so—if you want to beat me, you're still far too early!"
"Raticate! Quick Attack—evade!"
"Raticate?!"
"Raticate?!"
Silence.
(End of Chapter)
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