The battle between the two continued for six minutes. In the end, Raichu's tail once again struck Blaziken precisely in the side of its waist.
The tremendous impact threw it off balance, sending its entire body rolling to the side.
Blaziken struggled to get back up, but with its strength exhausted, its legs had gone weak and its chest heaved violently. It could no longer mount an effective counterattack.
"Blaziken, return." Xinhai sighed softly, struck by the enormous gap in strength despite them both being Gym level.
Blaziken lowered its head on the battlefield. Though unwilling to accept the outcome, it felt an even stronger desire to become powerful like its opponent.
At that moment, it understood clearly just how vast the gap between itself and its opponent was. Though that gap frustrated it, it also showed it the way forward.
Xinhai recalled Blaziken into its Poké Ball, then looked up at Mentor Uehara across the field.
"Thank you for your guidance, Mentor Uehara."
Mentor Uehara had already recalled Raichu. He walked over and spoke calmly. "For a Pokémon that has only just reached Gym level, your Blaziken already has a very solid foundation."
"What it lacks now is practical combat experience and accumulated techniques. Since you're undergoing special training during this period, you should battle more mentors from the various Gyms. I believe you can learn quite a lot during this time."
As he spoke, he rubbed his chin and continued, "After you return, find some battle videos featuring Pokémon above Gym level and let it watch and think more. In particular, pay attention to how Pokémon of the same Type handle battles in different styles. Watching and thinking more will be far more effective than blindly training on its own."
Xinhai nodded earnestly and committed those words to