Rakesh POV
By the time I finally left the library, the sun had already begun descending toward the horizon, painting the academy grounds in warm shades of orange and gold while long shadows stretched across the pathways connecting the different facilities.
The atmosphere around the campus had changed compared to the afternoon.
Students were no longer rushing between training arenas and library instead the academy had settled into a more relaxed rhythm where groups gathered casually near battle arenas, cafeterias, dormitories, and outdoor fields, using the remaining daylight for practice matches, discussions, or simple relaxation after a long day.
As for me—
There was still one thing left on my schedule.
Battles.
After spending the afternoon buried in books and battle theory, I wanted to immediately apply some of that knowledge practically while the information remained fresh in my mind.
At the same time, however, I had no intention of dragging Meowth into more combat today.
The agility training from the morning had genuinely exhausted him, and despite how lazily he normally acted, I knew forcing additional battles onto an already tired Pokémon would only reduce training quality instead of improving it.
So tonight's focus would be entirely on Charmeleon.
As I approached the academy battle arena complex, the sounds of ongoing matches echoed faintly through the open structure, mixed with shouted commands, impacts, and occasional cheers from students watching nearby battles.
Several students noticed me entering and glanced over instinctively, though most returned their attention toward their own matches quickly afterward.
I had no plans to challenge ordinary students today anyway.
Not to sound arrogant—
But after the entrance examination, there were only a handful of students inside the academy capable of properly pushing me in battle right now, and repeatedly fighting weaker opponents would not help Charmeleon improve meaningfully.
What we needed was experience against stronger and more disciplined trainers.
Which was why I headed directly toward the reception counter instead.
The receptionist looked slightly surprised when I requested instructor battles rather than student matches, though after checking the schedule, she eventually arranged three combat sessions at half-hour intervals against available academy instructors.
That would leave enough time between battles for recovery and tactical adjustments without letting Charmeleon cool down completely.
The first battle began shortly afterward.
The arena lights activated softly as the battlefield barriers rose into position, while several nearby students paused their own activities after noticing an instructor-level battle about to begin.
Across from me stood one of the academy instructors, a calm-looking woman in her late twenties who released a Bulbasaur onto the field with practiced ease.
Grass-types were naturally disadvantaged against Charmeleon offensively, but Bulbasaur's control-oriented battle style could still become troublesome if allowed to dictate the pace of the fight.
"Ready?" the instructor asked.
I nodded.
The match began instantly.
"Vine Whip!"
The Bulbasaur reacted immediately, multiple vines shooting across the battlefield with impressive speed as they attempted to limit Charmeleon's movement before he could establish offensive momentum.
"Cut through them and close distance," I ordered.
Charmeleon lunged forward aggressively, claws glowing briefly as he slashed through the incoming vines instead of retreating, using the brief opening to rapidly narrow the gap between them.
The instructor remained calm.
"Sleep Powder."
A cloud of powder exploded outward from Bulbasaur almost instantly.
"Jump!"
Charmeleon kicked off the ground hard, narrowly avoiding the spreading powder before twisting mid-air.
"Flamethrower!"
Flames erupted downward in a concentrated stream, forcing Bulbasaur to retreat rapidly as fire spread across portions of the battlefield.
The instructor attempted to regain control through defensive maneuvering, but once Charmeleon established pressure, the type disadvantage became increasingly difficult to manage.
Bulbasaur fought intelligently, repeatedly using Vine Whip and Leech Seed to create openings while avoiding direct confrontation, yet Charmeleon's speed from the morning training showed immediate improvement as he consistently reacted faster than before.
Finally—
One direct Flamethrower connected cleanly.
The impact forced Bulbasaur backward across the field before the referee raised a hand moments later.
"Bulbasaur unable to battle. Victory goes to Charmeleon."
Charmeleon let out a satisfied growl as the small crowd nearby clapped lightly.
Good start.
The second battle began roughly half an hour later.
This time my opponent used a Corphish.
The moment the battle started, I immediately realized this match would be far more difficult.
Unlike Bulbasaur's controlled tactical style, Corphish fought aggressively and directly, its movements explosive despite its small size while its armored body allowed it to absorb attacks surprisingly well.
"Flamethrower!"
Charmeleon attacked first, launching flames across the battlefield.
"Bubble Beam."
The Corphish countered instantly.
The collision between fire and water filled the arena with steam as Corphish charged directly through the obscured battlefield instead of retreating.
"Watch the left!"
Too late.
Corphish burst through the steam cloud using Crabhammer with terrifying force, slamming Charmeleon backward hard enough to crack part of the reinforced floor beneath him.
The crowd reacted audibly this time.
Charmeleon recovered quickly and retaliated aggressively, but the matchup itself became increasingly problematic as the battle continued.
Corphish was simply too durable.
Every Flamethrower lost effectiveness against repeated water attacks, while close combat allowed Corphish to fully exploit its raw physical strength advantage.
Still—
Charmeleon refused to back down.
The battle dragged on far longer than I initially expected, both Pokémon visibly tiring as repeated clashes shook the battlefield.
At one point, Charmeleon nearly turned the match around entirely after managing to land a direct Metal Claw strike across Corphish's side.
But in the end—
Type disadvantage and accumulated exhaustion finally caught up.
A final Aqua Jet slammed directly into Charmeleon before he could properly recover his footing, sending him crashing heavily onto the battlefield.
He tried standing again. Falling back down
The referee raised his hand.
"Charmeleon unable to battle. Victory goes to Corphish."
I exhaled slowly. Losing felt frustrating, but honestly—
That battle taught us more than the first one.
After giving Charmeleon enough time to recover and regain some stamina following the brutal battle against Corphish, the third and final match of the evening finally began.
This time, the instructor standing across the battlefield released a Golbat.
The atmosphere of the arena shifted almost immediately the moment it appeared.
Unlike the earlier opponents, Golbat did not remain grounded even for a second after materializing onto the field. The moment the referee signaled the start of the battle, it launched itself upward into the air with astonishing speed, its large wings cutting sharply through the arena space as it began circling high above the battlefield in wide, unpredictable arcs.
I narrowed my eyes slightly while observing its movement.
Fast.
Not just physically fast, but experienced in aerial combat.
Its flight pattern constantly changed altitude and direction, never remaining in one location long enough to be targeted comfortably, and from the calm expression on the instructor's face, it was obvious that this style of pressure was intentional.
"Battle begin!"