Alex checked the left side of the field and noticed Raticate was colder than usual. The loss he had suffered to Machamp was worth it—he had never seen Raticate so motivated to fight. His movements were calculated, wasting less energy, and his grazes were getting sharper as the fight went on. Hopefully, he would get another Advanced Proficiency move soon.
Speaking of fights, this was already his second match, as Hitmonlee was simply not as challenging as Machamp. Understandable, considering Machamp was just too tanky compared to Hitmonlee. Machamp had more time to get used to Raticate's speed.
"Go! Mankey!"
'Oh? An Adept-ranked Mankey. Interesting. Is the trainer trying to save up experience to hasten its growth? It's similar to what I did with Rattata, except I did it to learn Endeavor early.'
"Screech."
"Charm."
Mankey released the move first, emitting a gray-colored screech that made Growlithe hide his ears. In response, Growlithe put on his puppy-dog eyes, which emitted a bright pink glow that softened Mankey's demeanor.
"Encore."
"Damn, fell for it."
Mankey clapped its hands in a certain rhythm, emitting a gray glow. Growlithe, meanwhile, became confused as he suddenly didn't feel like doing anything other than Charm. So, he simply followed his instinct and repeated the move, further lowering Mankey's attack.
"Swift."
"Charm."
Mankey made three slapping motions, sending out stars that struck Growlithe in the chest. Meanwhile, Growlithe finished its third stack of Charm, completely lowering Mankey's attack as far as it could go.
"Swift."
"Growlithe, Spar."
Growlithe immediately bolted toward Mankey, taking the second set of stars to the chest while Mankey's trainer was confused about what kind of move could bypass Encore.
Unfazed, Mankey's trainer decided to stick with his plan. By the time Growlithe could use another move, he would have already fainted from continuous Swift attacks.
As Mankey was about to continue slapping to release the third Swift, Growlithe arrived and full-body tackled the poor Mankey, sending it flying. Growlithe chased after it, circling to keep his opponent in the arena and off balance.
Meanwhile, the third Swift attack was never released. This greatly shocked Mankey's trainer—he had never known that was possible. A non-move disrupting a move? Preposterous.
As Growlithe continued to play pinball with the satisfyingly round Mankey, its trainer finally snapped out of his daze.
"Mankey, Cross Chop!"
"Keep your distance."
Luckily for Growlithe, he had just sent Mankey careening away as he heard the order, giving him time to stay out of range.
Mankey, meanwhile, was enraged at being treated like a toy. It charged up its Fighting-type energy, raised both hands in a chopping position, and rushed at Growlithe. However, Growlithe continued to maintain his distance. Since Mankey was just a bit faster than Growlithe, it was gaining ground—but not fast enough. They were wasting precious time.
Realizing they were being played, Mankey's trainer switched tactics.
"Swift."
"Spar."
Mankey stopped to cast Swift, but Growlithe was too close, tackling it away before it could release the move. They were being completely outplayed.
Right then, Alex noticed the waning gray glow on Growlithe. As he was about to tackle Mankey again, he suddenly commanded, "Flame Charge."
Mid-tackle, Growlithe suddenly burst into flames, finally landing a proper blow on Mankey.
Their opponent, meanwhile, saw an opportunity. Since it would take a while before Mankey was defeated by Flame Charge, he went for another Encore—unfortunately, he miscalculated.
"Encore."
"Play Rough."
Having just used Flame Charge, Growlithe's speed stat had increased, making him faster than Mankey. With another tackle, he sent Mankey careening with bright pink energy. This time, Mankey had learned its lesson and continued casting its move mid-air. It clapped its hands and successfully activated Encore.
Growlithe was now locked into Play Rough, guaranteeing his victory against Mankey.
"Protect!"
"Play Rough—keep going! Finish it!"
A translucent shield protected Mankey once, but not twice.
"Close Combat!"
Unfortunately, it was never completed. Mankey was tackled for the final time, glowing with bright pink energy from Play Rough.
Mankey fainted, and Growlithe secured his second victory.
"Growlithe, Sunny Day. Morning Sun as soon as you can."
"That was a disgusting fight," the man almost yelled.
Alex was about to argue before the man continued, "But a win is a win. Congratulations."
The man gave a wry smile. At least he had learned something new today.
"Thanks. Nice strategy too—leading me along like that."
"Haha, thanks."
Alex took advantage of the time Growlithe spent recovering to check on Raticate. He was locked in battle with a Machoke and was winning with ease. If Alex remembered correctly, this would be Raticate's fourth match.
He decided to let him rest after his fifth. However, Growlithe's third fight was shaping up to be far more interesting—it was against a Breloom. Breloom were infamous for dishing out colossal damage, and once they got close, you could kiss victory goodbye. However, Growlithe had a significant type advantage, so this would be an interesting matchup.
"Mach Punch!"
"Flame Charge!"
Breloom launched forward with Mach Punch, bursting ahead with incredible speed. In an instant, it closed the gap and delivered a solid right straight to Growlithe's face, snapping his head back.
Growlithe retaliated immediately, igniting his body in flames as he charged forward. He rammed into Breloom's chest at full power, scattering spores everywhere. Most of the spores burned up in Growlithe's flames, but enough remained to coat the battlefield. The attack landed solidly, causing Breloom to stagger from the impact—but it ultimately survived.
Unfortunately, Growlithe wasn't so lucky. The spores had a mere 10% chance of activating Sleep Powder's effect, but fate was cruel. Growlithe's eyelids drooped, and he collapsed into a deep slumber.
"Alright, get up close and finish it in one blow. Focus Punch!"
Breloom immediately pulled back its right fist, charging fighting energy as it focused all its power into the next strike. This would be the finishing blow.
But it wasn't meant to be.
"Sleep Talk!"
Alex knew covering his bases was crucial, and in this moment, he was right.
Growlithe's body glowed grey, then red, before suddenly bursting into motion from his prone position. While still asleep, he launched himself into a headlong charge, flames covering his body. A blazing Flame Wheel materialized as he slammed into Breloom for a second time.
Breloom had no chance. Its 2× weakness to Fire sealed its fate. The force of the impact sent it flying, knocking it out cold.
It had been a close match, relying more on luck than skill—ironic, considering both Pokémon had succeeded in their dice rolls.
Alex recalled the still-sleeping Growlithe, then returned Raticate—who was already eyeing his next opponent—to his Pokéball for some well-earned rest.
Once they were healed, Alex jumped right back into the fights. The early rounds were easy—Growlithe racked up a five-win streak, while Raticate secured an impressive eight.
That's when the more serious gym members stepped in.
They had been impressed by Raticate's meticulous hit-and-run strategy and wanted to see if they could break his rhythm with sheer skill rather than relying on guaranteed hit moves. Raticate held his ground for a while, securing more victories—until they finally disrupted his pace. Once his rhythm was broken, the losses started stacking up.
Even Alex struggled to help. Hit-and-run tactics relied on speed and precision, and he simply couldn't call out commands fast enough—all the effort had to come from Raticate himself.
Growlithe, however, was a different story. He was beneath their notice. He didn't even fight with a hit-and-run strategy. Instead, he fought with counter-tactics. His strategy revolved around tanking hits and retaliating with overwhelming force.
This was especially evident in Alex's reliance on Sunny Day and Morning Sun, which frustrated many trainers trying to land quick knockouts with priority moves—Pokémon like Breloom and Hitmonchan struggled against his endurance.
By the time evening rolled around, Raticate had fought in 31 matches, while Growlithe had participated in 19.
They were utterly exhausted.
Both Pokémon opted to rest inside their Pokéballs, recovering energy in a deep sleep. This was far more intense than their academy battles—there were no long waiting times, and the demand for battles was relentless.
The gym trainers were eager—almost too eager.
On his way home, Alex checked his account balance and grinned.
5,000 Pokédollars.
That was roughly the same amount they'd earn from fifty fights in the Battle Arena—yet they had managed to make it in just one day.
Of course, it came at a cost—exhaustion.
If they were going to keep this up to earn more money, Alex would have to rethink their training schedule. There was no way they could maintain their morning training routine while also battling non-stop at the dojo.
After some thought, he made a decision. Morning training was canceled. Instead, they would sleep in and recover properly, then stay out later to maximize their dojo battles.
Granted, Jenny had to approve, of course. He wouldn't want to stress her out by staying out too late.
Luckily, she agreed.
After all, he had his Pokémon.
And his guns.
He should be fine… right?
That's the wrong question.
The real question is—will the rest of the city be fine?
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