The Pokémon Center wasn’t particularly far from Nimbasa Gym, so it didn’t take Aiden and Lacey long to reach their destination.
Since Aiden had already booked his challenge online, a Gym Trainer quickly came to meet them and led them onto a small maglev car.
Whoosh!
After speeding through a tunnel, the two of them finally arrived before the Gym Leader herself.
The moment Aiden saw Elesa, he completely forgot the joke he had been preparing about Electric-type Trainers apparently loving unnecessarily elaborate Gym mechanisms.
Only one thought remained in his head.
Elesa absolutely deserved her title of the Shining Beauty.
Red-and-blue headphones framed her face, a bright yellow coat emphasized her tall figure, and mismatched red and blue heels completed the look.
Her long, smooth legs seemed to go on forever.
Aiden’s first impression was simple: gorgeous, confident, and unmistakably mature.
His second thought was somewhat less dignified.
‘Legs like those are wasted if she isn’t pedaling a tricycle.’
While Aiden was busy imagining the world-famous supermodel furiously pedaling a three-wheeler through Nimbasa City, Elesa studied the young man standing before her and let a smile tug at her lips.
“Aiden Cross.
I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”
“You’re the man bold enough to announce that you’re making a complete guide to defeating Nimbasa Gym, so let me see what you can actually do!”
“Huh?”
Aiden blinked at the obvious fighting spirit in her eyes.
“Aren’t I a beginner?”
Why was she acting like this toward a rookie challenger?
His unexpected response made Elesa pause as well.
She had imagined Aiden enthusiastically accepting the challenge, leading naturally into an exciting, fiery battle.
Instead—
“You…”
Elesa suddenly realized what he meant.
“…?”
Her eyes narrowed.
‘This shameless bastard was planning to use Golurk against my beginner team?!’
Elesa mentally ran through the Pokémon she normally used against Trainers with fewer than three Badges.
A ten-centimeter Joltik.
A twenty-centimeter Tynamo.
An eighty-centimeter Blitzle.
Then she pictured Aiden’s Golurk, which stood well over five meters tall.
Elesa sucked in a breath.
‘You really have no conscience whatsoever, do you?’
She gave Aiden an exasperated look.
In all her years as a Gym Leader, she genuinely couldn’t remember encountering a challenger this shameless.
Still, a smug smile soon returned to her face.
“Gym Leaders decide what level of Pokémon to use based on the challenger’s actual strength, and whether you receive a Badge is ultimately up to the Gym Leader as well.”
Her smile became positively radiant.
“So…
sorry!”
She didn’t sound sorry in the slightest.
Seeing Aiden’s dumbfounded expression filled Elesa with immense satisfaction.
‘Serves you right for planning to throw that monster Golurk at my babies.’
Only then did Aiden understand.
‘This woman is evil.’
…
Fame really did come with its own problems.
Now that his video had gone viral, Aiden’s original dream of bullying a team of baby Pokémon had disappeared.
Instead, he was going to have to face the actual middle tier of Nimbasa Gym’s roster.
And once he reached the battlefield, he discovered another surprise.
At some point, the spectator stands around the arena had filled completely.
“Holy crap, there are a lot of people.”
Perhaps because Elesa herself projected such a stylish, confident image, most of the audience consisted of girls.
They were clearly her fans.
The moment they noticed Aiden, quite a few of them immediately started glaring.
Sure, Elesa had liked and reposted his video.
But who exactly did this guy think he was?
What level of Trainer did he think he was, making a video that claimed to be a guide to beating their idol’s Gym?
Elesa wasn’t some pretty face with no battling ability.
The hostile expressions directed at Aiden disappeared instantly, however, when Elesa stepped onto the battlefield.
The stands erupted.
“Aaaahhh!!”
The cheers came from every direction.
Bathed in the Gym’s spotlights, Elesa’s entire presence seemed to transform.
“Everyone, after watching my battle today, I hope I leave you completely dazzled!”
“WAAAAAHHH!!”
Elesa smoothly struck a pose amid another wave of screams.
“A Pokémon battle is a dazzling performance.
I’ll shine brighter than you and make your light disappear!”
Once Elesa finished her opening line, the female referee wasted no time beginning the official procedure.
“Next up!”
“The Nimbasa Gym battle between challenger Aiden Cross and Gym Leader Elesa is about to begin!”
“Each Trainer will use three Pokémon.
The battle ends when all three Pokémon on one side are unable to continue!”
“Only the challenger is permitted to switch Pokémon during the match!”
She raised one arm.
“Battle—begin!”
The moment the referee gave the signal, Elesa spun gracefully into motion.
“Let’s shine brighter than ever and give everyone a positively electrifying performance!”
“Aaaaahhh!!”
“Zebstrika, step into the spotlight!”
Her Poké Ball burst open.
A large zebra Pokémon appeared on the battlefield, its black-and-white body accented by two sharp, lightning-shaped white horns rising from its head.
“Zebraaah!”
Zebstrika stamped one hoof against the ground, the crisp sound echoing throughout the arena.
Seeing Elesa’s first Pokémon, Aiden glanced toward Lacey, who was standing off to the side filming with his phone.
‘If I just throw out my Pokémon normally, won’t my entrance look kind of boring?’
There was no way he was going to let Elesa completely overshadow him in his own video.
Aiden looked back across the battlefield.
Then, with complete seriousness, he brushed some nonexistent dust from his shoulder, tossed a Poké Ball into the air, and spoke in a calm, grandiose voice.
“With the sun and moon in my hands, I could pluck the stars themselves from the heavens.
There is no one else in this world quite like me!”
“Shine as brightly as you can, Sprigatito!”
“Spriga!”
The Poké Ball opened, and Sprigatito appeared on the battlefield with a graceful little catwalk.
Elesa raised an eyebrow.
“Oh?
Nice entrance.”
Then her smile became slightly mischievous.
“But bringing a Grass-type…
aren’t you worried about Sap Sipper?”
“Huh?!
Your Zebstrika has Sap Sipper?!”
“…”
Elesa’s expression stiffened.
She had just been thinking that Aiden had clearly researched Nimbasa Gym rather thoroughly.
Apparently not thoroughly enough.
Aiden, however, had been waiting for exactly that moment of hesitation.
“Leafage—full spread!”
“Spriga!”
Sprigatito cried out as the green fur around her neck lit up.
A huge wave of razor-sharp leaves erupted forward, several times denser than her usual Leafage, completely swallowing Zebstrika’s position.
Elesa didn’t look worried in the slightest.
Instead, she merely shook her head.
“So you really didn’t research this properly after all.”
With a faint sigh, she swept one arm forward.
“Flame Charge!”
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
Even surrounded by the storm of leaves, Zebstrika showed no sign of discomfort.
It repeatedly stamped its front hooves against the ground, throwing dust into the air as flames suddenly erupted across its entire body.
Boom!
Wrapped in fire, Zebstrika burst straight through the storm of leaves like a knight charging through a wall of flame.
It slammed directly into Sprigatito.
“Sprigaaa!”
Sprigatito cried out as she was sent flying, hitting the battlefield hard and tumbling across the ground.
Lacey winced at the sight.
Then her eyes shifted toward Zebstrika.
There were only a few faint marks on its body.
Her expression turned puzzled.
‘That barely did anything…
Is the level difference really that huge?’
Her gaze immediately returned to Aiden.
‘What are you going to do now?’
‘Aiden!’