The crowd fell silent as the Pokémon materialized on the battlefield.
"This… this can't be real."
"How is this even possible?"
The students from the Pokémon Research Academy gawked in disbelief at the sight before them.
The Charmeleon standing across from Squirtle wasn't like any other they had seen before. Its size was massive—far larger than a typical Charmeleon. If it had wings, they would have mistaken it for a fully evolved Charizard.
Robert, too, was taken aback. He had been confident in his Squirtle's abilities, but this… this was something else entirely. He had never seen a Charmeleon of this size before. Not only was its stature nearly as large as a normal Charizard, but its muscles were well-defined, its claws sharp, and its tail flame burned with an intense, almost unnatural ferocity.
"If it evolves into Charizard, it'll be at least twice the size of an average one," Robert muttered under his breath.
A sudden wave of unease washed over him.
Why… why did I challenge him again?
A cold sweat formed on his brow. His confidence wavered for a split second, but he quickly shook off the doubt. No—there was no way he could lose! He was one of the top students at the Pokémon Research Academy. There was no way he would let some wandering trainer humiliate him in front of his peers.
Then, Chihong's smug voice broke the silence.
"What's wrong? You look scared. Don't tell me you're backing out now? If you want to surrender, I won't stop you." He smirked.
"Surrender? Hah! Don't make me laugh!" Robert clenched his fists. "Size doesn't mean anything! My Squirtle may be smaller, but type advantage is on my side. There's no way I'll lose to you!"
"Ah, I see…" Chihong said, amusement flickering in his eyes. "So, you actually believe that?"
Robert gritted his teeth. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"You'll find out soon enough." Chihong chuckled. Then he turned to the temporary referee. "We've wasted enough time. Let's start already."
The referee, a fellow student named Shirono, nodded.
"Alright, I now officially declare the 3v3 Pokémon battle between Robert from the Pokémon Research Academy and Chihong the traveling trainer—"
"Just call me Chihong," he interrupted.
"Uh… right. The battle between Robert and Chihong begins now!"
Robert wasted no time.
"Squirtle, use Water Gun!"
Squirtle inhaled deeply before launching a powerful stream of water straight at Charmeleon. The move had type advantage, so there was no way Chihong could counter it—
"Charmeleon, Ember."
The fire-type Pokémon simply exhaled, sending a burst of flames toward the incoming Water Gun.
BOOM!
The two attacks collided in midair, creating a massive burst of steam that covered the battlefield in a thick fog.
Robert smirked. "Hah! Water Gun cancels out your Ember easily!"
But when the steam settled…
Squirtle was struggling to hold its ground. Meanwhile, Charmeleon stood unfazed, its eyes gleaming with boredom.
"What…?" Robert's confidence wavered. "That should have pushed it back…"
Chihong sighed. "You still don't get it, do you?"
Robert clenched his jaw. "I don't need to get anything. Squirtle! Another Water Gun!"
"Dodge."
Before Squirtle could fire, Charmeleon effortlessly sidestepped.
"Now, let's end this," Chihong said. "Flamethrower."
Robert's eyes widened. "Wait, what?!"
Charmeleon's mouth ignited with a blinding orange-red light before unleashing a massive stream of flames.
The attack surged forward like a tidal wave of fire.
"Squirtle, dodge!"
Robert's shout came a fraction too late.
BOOOOOM!
The Flamethrower crashed into Squirtle, completely engulfing it in flames. The poor water-type Pokémon let out a pained cry as the scorching heat overwhelmed it.
The crowd gasped in shock.
"No way… Squirtle's a water type! How is this possible?"
"Yeah! A fire attack should be weak against water Pokémon!"
But as the flames dissipated, Squirtle lay unconscious on the battlefield, its body covered in burns.
Robert's jaw dropped.
"What…?"
It took a moment for his brain to process what had happened. His strongest Pokémon… had been defeated in one hit.
Shirono hesitated before raising his hand.
"Squirtle is unable to battle! The first round goes to Chihong!"
The entire crowd erupted in a mixture of shock and excitement.
"Did you see that? One attack! It was an instant KO!"
"Unbelievable… how strong is that Charmeleon?!"
"Robert's Squirtle wasn't weak, either! It was one of the best in our academy!"
The students from the Pokémon Research Academy couldn't believe what they had just witnessed. They had expected a fair fight, but Chihong's Charmeleon had completely dominated Squirtle despite the type disadvantage.
Meanwhile, Robert remained frozen in place, his mind in turmoil.
"How…?" he whispered, still staring at Squirtle's unconscious form.
"I told you," Chihong said, a satisfied grin on his face. "If this is the best you can do, I'm really disappointed."
Robert snapped out of his daze, glaring at his opponent.
"You…" His hands trembled with anger and humiliation. "You think you're so great, don't you?!"
Chihong simply shrugged. "I don't think. I know."
Robert's rage boiled over. "You got lucky! That's all! Squirtle wasn't at its full strength!"
Chihong rolled his eyes. "Excuses, excuses. Just admit you underestimated me."
Robert refused to back down. He recalled his unconscious Squirtle and pulled out his next Poké Ball.
"Fine, you won the first round. But I still have two more Pokémon left. You won't be so lucky this time!"
"Oh?" Chihong raised an eyebrow. "Then let's see what you've got."
Robert threw his next Poké Ball into the air.
With a flash of light, a Fearow emerged, spreading its massive wings as it let out a screech.
"Fearow, let's turn this battle around!" Robert declared.
The crowd buzzed with excitement.
"This might be better! Fearow is really fast!"
"And it has type advantage against Charmeleon!"
"Yeah! Robert's Fearow is one of the fastest Pokémon in the academy!"
Robert smirked. "Let's see how your oversized Charmeleon handles this."
Chihong's expression didn't change. He simply crossed his arms and smiled.
"Oh, trust me…" He glanced at Charmeleon, whose tail flame burned even brighter.
"…I can't wait to show you."
---
To be continued…
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