An unusually fierce battle

"It's a pleasure to meet you today."

At Kaim's words, both of them raised their voices enthusiastically.

The two belonged to the same Gym, but as Gym trainers, they had battled Kaim many times before, so their response was fitting.

"All right, let's get started with the close-up."

Kaim led the two into the training room.

"Lucario, fire an Aura Sphere!"

"Torterra! Endure!"

Following its trainer's instructions, Torterra took Lucario's Aura Sphere head-on, reducing the damage by letting it strike a tough part of its body.

"Finish it with Earthquake!"

Torterra's Earthquake struck Lucario, knocking him down with its impact.

"That's it! The winner is the challenger, Xiao Han!"

"All right!"

At the referee's announcement, the young challenger clenched his fist.

"Lucario, thank you for your hard work."

Sumo returned Lucario to his ball, then approached the challenger.

"That was an impressive display of skill."

"Hehe, it was a close one."

Just as the challenger said, the result had been very close. One more hit would probably have drained Torterra's remaining stamina.

"Then, in recognition of your skill, I award you this Cobol Badge."

"I did it! Now I can enter the next Pokémon League!"

Watching the boy happily accept his Badge, Kaim recalled the old days, when he had challenged Gyms over and over, only to keep losing.

After repeated attempts, learning his opponents' methods and devising his own strategies to counter them, he had finally earned his Badges. That time-consuming approach had meant it took him four years to collect them all.

Now he was testing young talents collecting Gym Badges. It was a scene Kaim could never have imagined during his university days.

"Good work today."

While he was lost in thought, Sumo came up beside him.

"Thank you for your hard work, too."

"The challenger just left. That was our last challenger for today."

"Is that so?"

It was already four o'clock. It was still early to go home.

Besides, Kaim had one more thing he needed to do today.

"Plum."

"Yes?"

"Could we battle after this?"

Kaim looked into Sumo's eyes as he spoke.

Kaim's gaze startled Sumo, but the reply came immediately.

"Yes, of course."

"Thank you. Meet me on the field in fifteen minutes."

Kaim stood up and walked into the changing room.

Jiro, one of the Gym trainers, called out to Sumomo, who was watching Kaim from behind.

"What's wrong? You're staring after Kaim."

When addressed, Sumomo turned to Jiro with a serious expression.

"Mr. Jiro, I have a favor to ask."

"That's unusual. What is it?"

Normally, Jiro spoke politely and softly, but now his voice sounded a little stiff and serious.

"I'm going to battle Mr. Kaim after this."

"Oh, another battle today."

"So I'd like you to record today's battle with the Battle Recorder."

"Hm?"

Plum had fought Kaim many times, but she had never recorded their battles. That was hardly surprising, since she had never had the habit. Asking for a recording this time was what made it unusual.

"I don't mind, but this is rare. What made you change your mind?"

"No, it's hard to explain, but I feel like something is different about Mr. Kaim today."

"Really? I didn't notice anything."

"In any case, sorry for the trouble."

Jiro nodded at Sumomo's unusually serious expression, then watched as Sumomo walked away.

At the time, he did not understand what that meant, but he would soon find out.

Kaim and Sumo faced each other across the field.

Kaim wore a navy-blue outfit, with a high-necked, short-sleeved undershirt and black shorts. It was not particularly flattering, but only Plum noticed that the air about him was different from before his holiday.

"Shall we begin?"

"Please."

They exchanged courtesies and picked up their Poké Balls.

"For this single battle, shall we use four Pokémon each, with no items and no time limit?"

"Yes."

"Then let's begin! I won't lose this time, either!"

"This time, we're definitely going to win."

Kaim's words surprised Sumo a little.

Until now, Kaim had never once said, "I'll win." Lacking confidence, he had unconsciously avoided the word "victory," yet now he had declared that he would win. Sumo immediately realized that this was part of what had felt different.

That was why Sumo wanted to find out more. Perhaps this battle would reveal something about that incomprehensible thing called "strength."

"Go, Hawkazaru!"

"I'm counting on you, Blaziken."

Kaim led with Basamo, while Plum led with Gouka Monkey. Since both were Fire-type and Fighting-type Pokémon, neither had a type advantage. Their individual abilities would decide the outcome between the two leads.

"The first strike wins! Strong style, Mach Punch!"

Hawkazaru's high-speed fist closed in on Blaziken.

Seeing this, Kaim gave Blaziken an order.

"You don't need to dodge. Meet it with Flame Charge."

Wrapped in flames, Blaziken caught Hawkazaru's fist with its arm. It took a little damage, but nothing troublesome.

Basamo grappled with Hawkazaru while maintaining Flame Charge. Hawkazaru avoided Blaziken's punch and countered with a kick, but Blaziken read the move and shifted its body out of the way. As Hawkazaru lost its balance, Blaziken drove a fist toward it, but Hawkazaru leaped back to minimize the damage. Besides, Flame Charge was a relatively weak Fire-type move and did little damage to Hawkazaru.

However, the essence of Flame Charge was not damage, but enhancing physical capabilities by channeling flames throughout the body. Its effect raised Blaziken's Speed by one stage.

"Bulk Up."

"Stop it! Acrobatics!"

Hawkazaru sprang up with an agile movement and hurled itself toward Blaziken.

Kaim immediately judged that the damage from Acrobatics would outweigh the benefit of Bulk Up and gave Blaziken another order.

"Stop! Get back!"

Because of that sudden retreat, Hawkazaru's Acrobatics struck only the ground.

His commands are definitely faster than before!

Sumo noticed a clear improvement in how quickly Kaim gave orders. Whatever he had been thinking before, his commands had always come a beat too late. That single beat of delay had often decided the outcome, but now it was gone.

He had grown stronger. Sumo did not understand strength, but that much was clear. As excitement began to rise, Sumo's cheeks unconsciously relaxed into a smile.

"Hawkazaru, switch it up!"

"Water Flush!"

Blaziken kicked aside the blade Hawkazaru swung toward its flank. Then it seized the opening and launched Sky Upper at Hawkazaru.

Hawkazaru could not dodge in time and took a direct hit from Sky Upper. With little difference between their levels, the blow dealt heavy damage, lifting Hawkazaru's body slightly into the air.

"Keep pressing! Mystical Fire!"

"Dodge to the side!"

Basamo released Mystical Fire at close range, but Hawkazaru regained its balance in midair and twisted away from the flames.

As expected, it's nimble. Damn it.

Even a Pokémon confident in its speed and agility should not have been able to dodge a move launched at that moment. Cynthia's Togekiss and Lucario could have avoided it, but they were far too high a standard for comparison.

Still, there was an opening. Kaim decided to use it to boost Blaziken's abilities.

"Bulk Up."

Blaziken raised its Attack and Defense.

Now all of Blaziken's stats, apart from its special stats, had risen by one stage. The slight difference in level between it and Hawkazaru no longer mattered.

"Acrobatics!"

"Aerial Ace!"

Both unleashed Flying-type moves and collided. Both attacks were super effective and dealt heavy damage. However, with its Attack and Defense boosted, Blaziken took less damage than Hawkazaru.

"Hawkazaru, Swords Dance!"

Realizing that continuing like this would leave Hawkazaru overwhelmed, Sumomo focused on strengthening it with Swords Dance. Its Attack rose by two stages, making it even more formidable when combined with its natural agility.

This is where it starts.

Basamo was slightly faster now, but Hawkazaru's agility allowed it to dodge and attack regardless of their difference in speed.

Basamo had fifty percent of its stamina left, while Hawkazaru had forty percent, but Sumo was capable of overturning a gap that small.

Dragging this out will put us at a disadvantage. They're better at close combat and technique. In that case, I'll overwhelm them with speed.

Hawkazaru had a higher base Speed, but Blaziken could increase its speed with Flame Charge. Kaim knew Hawkazaru could learn a move that raised its speed, but Sumo had not taught it one.

"Flame Charge."

"Mach Punch!"

Their fists slammed into each other's faces.

Neither stopped attacking. Blaziken blocked Hawkazaru's fist with its arm and tried to slide that arm along Hawkazaru's to reach it, but Hawkazaru pulled back and evaded. Hawkazaru thrust its withdrawn fist forward again, only for Blaziken to knock it away with a kick. Hawkazaru leaped up and launched a Rolling Kick at Blaziken, which blocked the blow with its arm.

These exchanges were not established moves, so even direct hits did not deal much damage. Still, they were far from meaningless, since that damage certainly accumulated.

However, Blaziken's defensive technique was still immature, so it took more damage. Hawkazaru was getting hurt too, but the Attack boost from Swords Dance meant that even strikes not established as moves inflicted damage that could not be ignored.

As it fought Hawkazaru, Blaziken remembered what Kaim had said before the battle began.

"Blaziken, I'm going to ask you to do something you're bad at. No matter who we face, unless we use this to its fullest, I still can't put together a battle plan that will beat Sumo. Can you do it?"

Blaziken liked Kaim.

They had been together since childhood and had traveled together. By the time they finished collecting the Badges, they had suffered many defeats, but Kaim had always put Blackie, Blaziken, and its younger sister Shukai first throughout their journey. Above all, when Blaziken saw him keep working even after recognizing his own lack of talent, it wanted to repay that effort.

But he was always somewhat self-effacing and lacked confidence. Blaziken had always wanted to prove how remarkable he was. It knew its trainer was kind and, although weak, still worked hard. Beyond improving its own strength, Blaziken kept striving to make those around them recognize Kaim's greatness as a trainer.

After they collected all the Badges, he had given up battling for a time. But Blaziken wanted Kaim to do what he wished, and since he always devoted his time to his Pokémon first, it respected the path he chose.

After meeting Cynthia, however, Kaim had returned to battling. Studying under Shirona had made him much stronger in both body and mind, and Basamo and Little Black had grown stronger as well. As more new friends joined them, Blaziken had also come to enjoy battling more.

That made Blaziken's wish to "make everyone recognize Kaim's greatness" even stronger.

Even so, Kaim did not believe in himself. He underestimated himself and could not trust his own choices. That was why Blaziken knew his battle strategies relied on his Pokémon's strengths and on choices that imitated Cynthia's.

At times, Blaziken resented its own inability to make Kaim acknowledge his worth. Kuroki, Lucario, and Staraptor felt the same way.

Yet now, Kaim was trusting Blaziken based on a strategy he had devised himself, rather than imitating someone else, and asking it to confront its weakness.

Then I have to answer him.

For myself, and for Kaim, who believes in me.

"Here comes Mach Punch!"

A heavy Mach Punch struck Blaziken in the face, forcing it to lean backward.

Seizing that opportunity, Sumo immediately committed.

"Right here! Struggle!"

Hawkazaru's attack crashed into Blaziken. No matter how much Blaziken had boosted its Defense, Hawkazaru had raised its Attack with Swords Dance. Moreover, Blaziken had already lost forty percent of its stamina. What would happen if it took Hawkazaru's Struggle in that condition went without saying.

The fists struck in rapid succession, driving precisely into Blaziken's body. Sumo thought Blaziken should now be unable to fight.

Yet despite taking Struggle head-on, Blaziken, which should have collapsed, remained standing before Hawkazaru.

"No way!"

Sumo did not understand why it was still standing, but the answer soon came.

Endure.

Just before Struggle was unleashed, Basamo had activated Endure. Its effect kept Blaziken's stamina from falling past the final sliver, allowing it to remain standing after taking the attack.

"Blaziken, your defensive technique is still immature. That means you probably can't win in close combat yet. So deliberately leave an opening somewhere. I'll do everything I can to get you there. But once you create that opening, endure the hit. I know you're not good at taking attacks. But for me and our friends, I want you to beat our first opponent."

His steady eyes held firm determination, with a faint trace of unease beneath it.

That was what its trusted trainer had told it. Basamo bore Hawkazaru's assault with everything it had. If it could not endure here, when would it ever?

What I can do as our lead is defeat their lead right here. To prove that everything Kaim had done was not in vain, Blaziken poured its soul into this strike and unleashed it.

"Reversal!"

Hawkazaru could not escape, caught by the aftereffects of Struggle and Blaziken's increased speed from two Flame Charges.

With powerful footwork, Basamo unleashed an all-out blow that struck Hawkazaru squarely in the body.

Hawkazaru was sent flying and rolled across the field before finally coming to a stop in front of Sumo. By then, its eyes had rolled back, and it could no longer move.

"Hawkazaru is unable to battle!"

Kaim had taken the lead.

This move was a big deal for both Kaim and Blaziken, since he had held the lead all along.

Still, it was also true that Blaziken could barely remain standing. I decided to return Blaziken to the ball for now, then take down the next Pokémon.

"Come back, Blaziken."

"Today feels different, doesn't it?"

"Really? Not much has changed."

In fact, neither his technique nor his stamina had changed since their last battle. If anything had changed, it was his mindset. It was not an enormous change, but it was definitely a change.

"Perhaps. But I think today I might be able to learn what I want to know about 'strength' from you, Mr. Kaim."

"It's an honor to hear that from a Gym Leader."

"Then I'll give it everything I have! I'm counting on you, Toxicroak!"

"I'm counting on you, Lucario."

Sumo used Toxicroak, while Kaim used Lucario. Toxicroak's Poison-type moves had no effect on the Steel-type Lucario, but Toxicroak was also a Fighting-type, so the matchup was not bad. Meanwhile, Lucario primarily used Fighting-type techniques, so the damage was halved. Was that a disadvantage if one considered only their types?

"Switch!"

Toxicroak leaped up and swung a blade at Lucario.

Fighting-type moves were highly effective against the Steel-type Lucario. Normally, dodging would have been the best choice, but Kaim gave a different instruction.

"Water Flush."

Lucario lightly touched Toxicroak's blade with the back of a hand and deflected it like flowing water. Lucario precisely countered Toxicroak's successive arm swings, then thrust into Toxicroak during the momentary opening left by the powerful move.

Lucario thought the strike had landed, but Toxicroak pulled back with a supple movement, minimizing the damage.

Toxicroak put some distance between them, moving out of Lucario's attack range.

"So a direct hit really is out of reach, huh?"

Lucario excelled at sensing waves and reading an opponent's movements. As a result, the "finishing" technique was extremely accurate and lasted slightly longer than it did for other Pokémon. Lucario was also exceptionally good at defense, reading an opponent's movements to alter an attack's trajectory and reduce the damage.

On the other hand, because Lucario's offensive techniques were still developing, the transition from defense to attack remained weak, regardless of a technique's power. Of course, that degree of inexperience would not make a difference unless the opponent was at Gym Leader level.

"It's all right. Take a look. Your opponent's attacks always carry intent. Get a strong feel for it."

"It won't be like last time. This is going to be tough, Toxicroak. I won't let up for a moment!"

"Lucario, Swords Dance."

"Toxicroak, unleash that evil wave!"

"No need to dodge. Take it and use Swords Dance."

Although Lucario was hit by Toxicroak's evil wave, Toxicroak's Special Attack was not high. In addition, Lucario took only half damage from Dark-type moves, so the damage was negligible. The evil wave sometimes frightened Pokémon, but Lucario's mental strength prevented any flinching.

With attack power greatly increased by Swords Dance, Lucario took up a stance once more. The waves released from Lucario's hands were as smooth as water, yet powerful.

The waves wielded by Sumo's ace, Lucario, were immensely powerful and surged like flames. Lucario was a Pidgey Pokémon, but everyone used Pidgey differently. Sumo's Lucario strengthened the body and specialized in defeating opponents, while Kaim's Lucario watched an opponent's movements and used waves to apply force without waste. I had originally been good at giving up, but later learned how to use waves, and that needed more refinement.

In fact, even now, he completely disregarded Toxicroak's attacks and could handle them without taking any damage.

But no matter how well one could read an attack, whether the body could keep up was another matter. If her moves were being read, Plum would switch to a strategy of crushing the opponent at a speed they could not respond to, even if they saw it coming.

"Toxicroak, Cross Chop!"

Lucario stepped back, avoiding the attack from both arms.

However, Toxicroak continued pressing the attack. Chops, palm strikes, and kicks came one after another, but the moves gradually ran out. None of the attacks landed directly, yet they wore down Lucario's stamina little by little.

It was not a single blow, but a series of glancing hits that chipped away. It felt like a Poison-type approach.

Poison-type moves had no effect on the Steel-type Lucario. Still, this gradual chipping away was precisely the method Poison-types favored.

"I don't want to get dragged into a scramble. Lucario, Extreme Speed."

The instant Toxicroak swung, Lucario moved too fast to see, striking Toxicroak repeatedly in that brief moment. Unable to respond to the sudden barrage, Toxicroak lost balance.

"That's it. Earthquake."

Seizing that opening, Lucario gathered power and released it into the ground. A shock wave bore down on Toxicroak.

However, alerted by the Ability Anticipation, Toxicroak immediately jumped, reducing the damage from Earthquake.

"That's it."

But Kaim had already known that would happen. Lucario's offensive techniques were still immature. Thus, techniques that did not match Lucario's types, other than Fighting-type techniques, took a long time to charge, and there was also a delay before they activated. No matter how well trained a Pokémon was, using a move that did not match its own types required charging, which created an opening. Some things simply could not be helped.

However, Lucario, who had focused on refining defensive skills, had a broader attack range. Of course, that was not solely down to Lucario; it was also because Kaim had always focused on training Fighting-type moves.

So, no matter how badly I lost my balance, I thought I could avoid a technique that required so much charging, or at least reduce its damage. Lucario had already been told that beforehand.

"Lucario has to protect anyone. Since your opponents are mainly Fighting-types, that should be easy enough. But your defense isn't solid. So I get caught off guard somewhere. When that happens, anyone can attack with Earthquake."