----
"The battle will now begin! Both trainers, send out your Pokémon!"
As the Gym Leader, Falkner naturally sent out his Pokémon first. His first combatant was the same Hoothoot that had been perched on his shoulder this whole time.
"Hoothoot, you're up first!"
"Hoothoot!"
Hoothoot flapped its small wings, flying into the centre of the battlefield.
At the same time, Falkner's apprentices took their seats in the spectator stands, their gazes fixed on the battle.
Their serious expressions made the atmosphere feel somewhat tense.
Meanwhile, Sabrina strolled over to a separate seat, sitting down gracefully.
Her calm demeanour formed a stark contrast with the rigid tension of Falkner's apprentices.
Kai observed Hoothoot, pondering which Pokémon to send out. His fingers slid over his Poké Balls, pausing on one.
Finally, he made his decision.
"Go, Gardevoir!"
Without hesitation, Kai tossed the Poké Ball into the air.
A bright flash of light burst forth, and Gardevoir's elegant figure appeared in front of Hoothoot.
"A Gardevoir, huh…"
Falkner folded his arms, carefully examining the Pokémon.
"That's not a native species of this region. It's rare to see one here."
Kai shrugged.
"That's just regional differences for you.
Pokémon from Kanto and Johto aren't as common in other regions either."
"The match begins!"
The referee called out, signalling the start of the battle But only a few rounds in, Kai's expression began to change.
Not because Gardevoir struggled—
It was the complete opposite.
The fight was too one-sided.
From the very start, Gardevoir completely dominated Hoothoot.
No matter what attack Falkner commanded—
Peck? Countered.
Confusion? Blocked.
Hypnosis? Ineffective.
Reflect? Broken.
Every single move was effortlessly neutralized and each time, Gardevoir retaliated flawlessly.
It wasn't that Falkner's Hoothoot was weak.
It had clearly been well-trained.
But as a first-stage Pokémon, it was completely outclassed by Gardevoir's final-stage power.
That's when Kai realized something.
This was too easy.
After competing in the Indigo League and Orange League, his champion-level team was far beyond the scope of normal Gym battles.
Sure, Gym Leaders had strong Pokémon.
But for the sake of fairness, they typically used weaker ones to give new trainers a reasonable challenge.
For most ordinary challengers, these battles were still difficult and closely contested But for Kai, there was no struggle at all.
Not only was it unsatisfying, but it also did nothing to help his Pokémon grow stronger.
At this rate, he had only two choices:
1. Use weaker Pokémon to make it fair.
2. Ask Falkner to increase the difficulty.
Hoothoot collapsed.
It never even landed a single hit.
Falkner's apprentices whispered among themselves, clearly shaken by how easily Hoothoot lost.
Even though they had seen Kai's battles on TV, facing him in person was an entirely different experience.
They had severely underestimated just how powerful he truly was.
Falkner sighed in resignation.
"Your Gardevoir is strong," he admitted.
"The difference in power was clear from the start. Hoothoot never stood a chance."
Kai wasn't pleased, Even though he won, he let out a frustrated sigh.
"This was my mistake," he muttered.
"I wasted an opportunity to have a real battle."
Falkner raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? And why's that?"
Kai's gaze turned serious.
"To make this more exciting, can you use your ace Pokémon against me?"
Falkner chuckled.
"So you're saying my usual team is too weak?"
His amused smile didn't fade.
"But if I did that, it would go against League rules."
Kai remained firm.
"I don't care about that. I want a real challenge."
Falkner studied him for a moment.
Then, with a knowing smirk, he nodded.
"Fair enough, Honestly, I've been curious to test my true strength against you, If that's what you want, I'll show you what my strongest birds can do."
Falkner retrieved Hoothoot and put away the rest of his Poké Balls. Then, he pulled out two entirely different Poké Balls.
Unlike the others, these two had a distinct weight to them—
A sign that they held special significance.
Fixing his eyes on Kai, Falkner spoke with determination.
"Alright, Since you're so eager for a real fight, Let me show you the power of Flying-types who rule the skies!"
With that, he threw his next Poké Ball high into the air.
"Go, Staraptor!"
A massive, fierce-looking raptor Pokémon burst forth, its wings spreading wide. It hovered in mid-air, exuding an aura of unshakable confidence.
Kai studied the Pokémon closely.
Staraptor was a mid-to-large-sized avian Pokémon, appearing incredibly powerful and robust.
As the final evolution of Starly and Staravia, Staraptor had an aggressive nature.
Its razor-sharp beak and deadly talons made it a relentless predator. Most notably, the thick black crest on its head gave it a bold, untamed look.
This was Falkner's ace.
Kai grinned.
"This is more like it."
Pulling back Gardevoir, he grabbed another Poké Ball.
If Falkner was bringing his best, then—
Kai had to start strong as well.
He tossed his Poké Ball forward.
"Jolteon, I choose you!"
With a burst of light, Jolteon appeared, its spiky fur crackling with electricity.
Falkner had upgraded the difficulty.
Now, this was a true Gym battle.
Kai was ready.
The real challenge had just begun.
----
Don't forget to drop some PowerStones!💎💎💎
For early access to advanced chapters on p@treon.
P@treon/iamxeno
Thank you so much for your support and for reading!