Makomo pressed the button on the Poké Ball in her hand. A blue light flashed, and when it faded, she finally saw what Pokémon was inside.
Gardevoir.
Seeing that it was actually Gardevoir, Makomo widened her eyes and instinctively took a step back.
She had been traveling with Xia You for quite some time, so she naturally knew what Gardevoir meant to him and where its strength ranked in his team.
Wasn't this his starter Pokémon?!
Coming to her senses, Makomo blinked. She truly hadn't expected Xia You to entrust Gardevoir to her!
Clever as she was, she understood almost immediately: Xia You intended to use her to teach Ash a lesson!
He really was...
Makomo shook her head with a helpless laugh.
She hadn't expected Xia You to have such a childish, grudge-holding side.
Although he had said he wouldn't enter, sending out Gardevoir clearly meant leaving Ash with no hope at all!
Seeing Gardevoir looking at her with its head tilted, Makomo quickly composed herself and held out her hand. "Well then, let's work together!"
Gardevoir answered her with a gentle smile.
As Makomo walked down the steps with Gardevoir, her palms were still slightly sweaty.
As mentioned before, she had never battled. Saying she wasn't nervous would have been a lie.
What was more, the Pokémon in her hands was Gardevoir, Xia You's true ace.
What if she lost, or something went wrong and it got hurt?
What if she gave the wrong command?
The scientist, who had already made something of a name for herself in the scientific community, was now plunged into deep anxiety.
But in any case, things had come this far, and she couldn't back out now.
Just as Makomo entered an alley, her first opponent appeared.
A young man in sportswear