“What is this even supposed to mean?”
“Are you seriously a Pokémon hater or something?!”
After reading through Green’s legendary profile, Mashiro couldn’t help but compare it to Garchomp’s earlier file, complaining frantically in his mind.
He had thought Green’s profile would mention him being Red’s legendary rival, or the legendary first Kanto League Champion.
But instead, the system told him Green was Champion for a whopping five minutes?
Well…
while that was technically true.
But this was way too disrespectful!
He was a battling legend, for crying out loud!
Couldn’t it give him at least a little face?
Now Mashiro had good reason to suspect that if he ever met Groudon in the future and successfully created a file for it, its legendary profile wouldn’t be some grand, aura-filled myth about expanding the continents in the super-ancient era, but rather an embarrassing life-long meme about standing in the sea unable to fly or swim.
[…]
The system, as usual, played dead and glitched out, refusing to provide any explanation.
The corner of Mashiro’s mouth twitched slightly, his suspicions deepening further.
Just then, he caught sight of Drayton beside him getting up, so he quickly gathered his thoughts and quietly slipped away from the spectator stands…
“Ah, this brings back memories,” Green muttered under his breath, casually scratching his hair.
Though this was just a challenge match sparked by tension between the two schools, the experience of defeating four Blueberry League Elite Four members in a row reminded him of challenging the Kanto League at the Indigo Plateau all those years ago.
Back then, he had also swept through four Elite Four members going all out—only to lose his Champion defense match at the very end to Red, who had come to challenge him.
After that battle, he deeply realized his own flaw.
It wasn’t the arrogance and haughtiness that outsiders accused him of, but rather that through battle after battle, he had gradually lost sight of his original intention, treating the partners who fought alongside him as mere battle tools.
To reflect on himself, he gave up his dream of traveling as a Trainer for a time and instead followed his grandfather, Professor Oak, to study all kinds of Pokémon knowledge and gain a deeper understanding of more Pokémon.
That was the very reason he had come to Étoile School as an exchange student.
Over the years, he had kept a low profile, rarely making public appearances just like Red, so few people recognized him.
Although keeping low-key went against his naturally flamboyant personality, he really didn’t want to be constantly bothered by those damn media outlets while studying.
He had only come to watch the commotion today to gauge the level of today’s Trainers, but his blood pressure had spiked from watching, prompting him to step in personally.
“I didn’t expect Étoile to hide a student like you,” Drayton said with a smile as he walked onto the battlefield, casually placing his hands behind his head.
“Still, the farce ends here.
If you really sweep us all the way to the end, the principal will nag me endlessly again.
I’d rather not get caught and scolded while slacking off.”
“Drayden’s grandson, huh?”
A signature arrogant smirk appeared on Green’s face.
“When I visited Opelucid City last year, he brought you up.
He said you refused to inherit the Gym and was thoroughly disappointed in you.”
“You know my granddad?”
“More or less.
He’s an old friend of my grandfather’s.
He mentioned before that your personality is a lot like mine, but seeing you now, you’re far from it.
At least I intend to carry on my grandfather’s legacy.”
“Boring…”
The smile vanished from Drayton’s face in an instant.
What he hated most was people bringing this up.
Why did coming from a Gym family mean he had to inherit the Gym?
Why was playing games seen as slacking off with no future?
What did those stubborn old fogies know anyway!
“Let’s battle!”
He forcefully threw his Poké Ball.
A flash of white light erupted, and a tall figure made entirely of shiny aluminum alloy slammed onto the ground—Duraludon!
Its formidable pressure instantly swept across the stadium, causing many students to gasp in awe.
Because they were rare, wild Duraludon usually lived in the same areas as Tyranitar groups.
With overlapping habitats, news reports often covered territorial and food conflicts breaking out between the two species.
Lacey and the others watched silently from the side.
Thanks to the attrition from the gauntlet, Green’s Tyranitar was clearly not in perfect condition.
At least on the surface, their side held a huge advantage.
“Flash Cannon!” Drayton shouted with a wave of his hand.
Like a solid artillery tower, Duraludon rapidly gathered brilliant metallic energy, converting it into a scorching beam aimed straight at its opponent.
Facing such a swift and fierce attack, a heavy Pokémon like Tyranitar would never be able to dodge without counterattacking.
If it hit, it would deal massive damage!
Yet Green merely grinned, raising a hand as he called out: “Use Stone Edge on yourself!”
“What?!”
The command shocked the entire stadium.
Only top Trainers like Diantha were merely slightly surprised before quickly discerning Green’s intention.
The next moment, Tyranitar understood perfectly.
Stamping its foot heavily, it focused its power to burst forth at a single point!
Controlling the power with precision, it summoned a blunt, thick stone pillar directly from beneath its feet, propelling its massive body high into the air!
Flash Cannon roared past almost simultaneously.
With a thunderous boom, the beam pierced right through the middle of the stone column, scattering debris everywhere!
Not only did Tyranitar cleverly avoid the lethal strike using Stone Edge, but it also used the explosive impact force to tumble momentum-first straight toward Duraludon!
“We’re done for!” Drayton’s face paled in shock.
But it was far from over!
Amidst the deafening explosion, Green waved his hand decisively!
Still mid-air, Tyranitar rapidly gathered energy, taking advantage of the split second before Duraludon could react to launch a devastating Earth Power right beneath Duraludon’s feet.
A powerful surge of Ground-type energy dealt heavy damage to Duraludon, launching it violently into the sky!
Two heavyweight Pokémon were now floating in mid-air at the same time.
Drayton and Duraludon were utterly dumbfounded by this seamless combination.
Taking advantage of its higher position, Tyranitar seized the opportunity, stomping down hard onto Duraludon’s head.
Driven by its staggering weight, it slammed Duraludon into the ground like a falling meteor!
BOOM—!
A massive roar echoed as the entire arena seemed to vibrate with the force.
“Get it now?
That’s the gap between you and me,” Green said, his voice dripping with unreserved arrogance.
The overwhelming, one-sided power completely threw Drayton off his rhythm.
But intense unwillingness, combined with the sting of Green’s earlier words, drove him to scream on the verge of breakdown:
“Now!
Steel Beam!”
At such close range, Duraludon instantly converted all the steel energy in its body into a destructive beam, bursting wildly in every direction!
Tyranitar swiftly raised its arms as the Protect move activated instantly.
A transparent barrier of energy materialized, firmly blocking most of the Steel Beam.
Although this desperate struggle managed to inflict some damage on Tyranitar, the massive recoil and energy drain from Steel Beam knocked Duraludon out completely, plunging it into unconsciousness.
A completely one-sided, overwhelming battle thus came to an end.
Many spectators hadn’t even recovered from the lightning-fast clash.
“A pity.
His mindset fell apart,” Diantha shook her head gently.
She had originally been quite optimistic about Drayton’s potential.
If he hadn’t let the trash talk ruin his composure and had handled things calmly, he might have put up a decent fight.
Still, when did Étoile School get a student with such formidable strength?
It seemed a thorough investigation was in order.
Beside her, Lysandre remained silent.
He clearly had no interest in lingering over such squabbles; at this moment, his mind was occupied with something far more important…
When the crowd inside the arena finally reacted, deafening cheers erupted instantly, sweeping away the previous gloom and despair.
“So this is Blueberry Academy?
“The strongest student is only at this level?
Hilarious!”
“Good thing I didn’t go to Blueberry Academy.
I heard they grind like crazy, but looks like the results are pretty mid.”
“…”
The Blueberry Academy students fell into an uncomfortable silence.
Lacey bit her lip tightly, clenching her fists.
Feelings of grievance, frustration, and self-blame surged through her heart.
But a loss was a loss; lacking strength was no one’s fault but their own.
Just then, Green suddenly stepped closer to them.
“The tactics taught in school textbooks aren’t wrong.
Sandstorm teams, Rain teams, Minimize evasion tactics, even Substitute-Protect-Toxic combos…
In a sense, these are optimal formulas synthesized from countless Pokémon battles by those before us.
Structurally, they can indeed suppress most Trainers.”
“But Pokémon battling has never been a simple game.
Blindly applying academic, formulaic strategies is destined to take you only so far.
Never knowing what’s going to happen in the next second—that’s the true essence and fun of Pokémon battling.
But if I say any more, I’ll sound like I’m preaching…
so the rest is for you to figure out and realize on your own.”
Green thrust his hands into his pockets and shook his head, delivering his final evaluation to the Blueberry Academy students, including Drayton.
As for Pokémon battling, he didn’t actually have much more to say.
Over the years, he had seen far too many rookie Trainers set out on journeys filled with love for Pokémon, but in the end, how many could truly hold onto that original passion?
Sacrificing the companions who had walked beside them all along just to become stronger, just for glory…
When they first met, they had adorable partners like Pikachu and Ralts by their side.
But upon meeting again, all they had left were Amoonguss and Smeargle—looking utterly sleazy and min-maxed.
Lacey and the others took his words to heart, silently reflecting on the root cause of their defeat.
Meanwhile, Green enjoyed the long-absent attention and cheers.
Clapping his hands together, he was just about to draw the curtain on this farce when—
“Kekeke—”
A strange, jarring laugh suddenly echoed through the loudspeakers.
“???”
The laughter reached every corner of the arena clearly, instantly overpowering the noise and plunging the venue into an eerie silence.
Everyone involuntarily looked toward the source.
Even Diantha and Lysandre, who were preparing to leave, had their attention drawn back.
High in the Blueberry Academy spectator section, a youth had appeared at some point.
He wore a classic red jacket, his hat pulled down exceptionally low to cleverly obscure his face.
Holding a Rotom Phone as a megaphone, he directed his gaze down at Green, continuing to chuckle in that comedic tone:
“So you’ve finally defeated Drayton and made it before me!
I commend your effort!
But alas…
there remains one final opponent you must overcome!”
“Who are you?”
Not only was Green full of question marks, but even Lacey and Drayton—who hadn’t yet recovered from his defeat—all stared up at him.
That iconic red outfit…
Could it be?!
“Drayton is merely the Champion of the Blueberry League.
As for me…” The youth in the classic red jacket suddenly leaped down from the spectator stands, raising a hand to flip back his hat brim, revealing Mashiro’s handsome face.
He pointed a thumb at himself, shouting in a loud, confident voice:
“—I am the Super Champion of the Blueberry League!”