----
By the time the clock struck ten, Kai and the others were still in the Pokémon Center's café, waiting for the specialists Officer Jenny had mentioned.
Sitting by the window, Kai glanced outside, where a news van was parked. A female reporter stood in front of a camera crew, broadcasting live.
"…Continuing with our earlier coverage," she said into the mic, "we're reporting from the heart of Greenfield. Known for its peaceful, lush scenery, this area has now become the center of a bizarre and unprecedented phenomenon. The source has been confirmed to be the residence of renowned Johto-region researcher, Professor Spencer Hale. While details remain unclear, experts are expected to arrive shortly…"
A few seconds later, the same footage aired on the café's TV screen with only a minor delay. Kai sighed.
At this point, it was likely that the entire Johto region had heard about the incident. Every move they made would be under scrutiny, transmitted live to countless viewers.
After a few more minutes and several cups of coffee, Marina strolled over to Kai.
"Hey," she said, arms crossed, "I heard from that little girl over there that your Pokémon are pretty tough. We've got time to kill—how about a battle?"
Ash immediately perked up.
"I've been wanting to battle you too, Kai!" he said, jumping from his seat. "I've caught some pretty strong Pokémon since we got to Johto—I want to show you what I've got!"
Seeing their excitement, Kai stood and stretched. "Sure. This wait is getting dull anyway. But if both of you want to battle me, and we've got this many people around… why don't we have a 3-on-3 team battle?"
"Three-on-three?" Ash echoed.
Kai nodded. "There are six of us. Let's split into two teams and have a little free-for-all fun."
"I'm in!" Misty said at once, raising her hand. "I call dibs on being on Kai's team!"
The others quickly got into it. They'd all battled in single and double matches before, but never a proper six-person melee.
Brock, apparently recovering from his earlier embarrassment and eager to get back at Kai, stepped forward with fire in his eyes. "Then I'm joining Ash's team!"
Erika caught up in the enthusiasm, hesitated for only a moment before agreeing to team up with Kai.
That left Marina, who naturally joined Ash's team as the final member.
With teams decided, they all headed to the Pokémon Center's outdoor battle arena. The three-on-three formation placed Kai between Misty and Erika, while across from them stood Ash in the center, with Brock and Marina at his sides.
Everyone except Erika was fired up and ready for action. Erika, normally composed and reserved, felt an unfamiliar spark of competitiveness building inside her.
She blinked at the sensation and sighed inwardly.
Well… maybe it's okay to cut loose a little.
Ash raised his hand. "Hey, Kai! Got any battle rules in mind?"
Kai thought for a second. "Let's each send out two Pokémon. Six per team, all on the field at once. The last team standing wins."
"Sounds good!" Ash grinned.
Misty leaned over and whispered, "Kai, heads-up Marina's no pushover. When she battled Ash, it went all the way to their sixth Pokémon. Ash only barely won!"
"Oh?" Kai raised a brow and smiled at her. "Don't worry. We're not exactly weak either."
With that, Kai gave the signal—and the battle began.
Kai threw his Poké Balls, sending out Larvitar and Dragonair. Erika followed with Leafeon and Tangrowth.
Misty started to summon Starmie and Poliwag, but before she could throw her second Poké Ball, a familiar flash of blue light burst out—Psyduck had released itself again.
Misty buried her face in her palm.
"Ugh, you again?! Why do you always jump out at the worst possible time!?"
She tried to recall him, but Psyduck dodged behind the other Pokémon, rendering her attempts useless. After a couple of tries, she gave up.
"Fine! You wanna battle? Knock yourself out!"
On the opposing side, Brock sent out Onix and Golbat, while Marina chose her partner, Aipom, along with a powerful-looking Quagsire.
Ash, with a gleam in his eye, released Pikachu and a gleaming, golden Noctowl.
The moment Noctowl appeared, everyone paused.
The glint of its feathers in the sun was unmistakable it was a Shiny Noctowl.
Ordinary Noctowls were brown, but this one shimmered in bright gold.
Kai's eyes widened.
Ash's Noctowl might've been slightly smaller than average, but Kai knew from the anime that it was smarter than most Pokémon on the battlefield.
Just then, Erika turned and pointed to her Leafeon.
"Look closely, Kai. Thanks to you, my Eevee evolved."
Kai blinked. "Huh?"
She smiled. "Remember that Leaf Stone you gave me a while back? I used it."
He chuckled as the memory returned he'd earned the stone in a friendly match at Stone Town, tucked it away, and forgotten it… until one day, during a chance encounter with Erika, he'd given it to her.
"Well, glad it went to good use," Kai said warmly. "It would've just gathered dust in my bag otherwise."
----
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!