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The first battle turned out to be pretty straightforward.
Friday had entered the match brimming with confidence, and his Heracross was strong for his age group, but Kai's Eevee used quick, darting footwork to keep its distance, never letting the Bug/Fighting-type get close enough to land a hit. In the end, a single Swift attack sealed the victory.
It wasn't a gap in raw strength just a gulf in tactics and battlefield awareness. Friday's battle strategy was pure child logic: attack, attack, and attack some more.
That one-dimensional approach had left plenty of openings for Kai to exploit.
The win came so easily that it barely felt like a warm-up.
The nearby children, who had been watching with starry-eyed faith in the Weekday Siblings, gasped when Heracross hit the dirt.
They'd been expecting a last-minute comeback… but instead, the fight ended just like that.
"Y-you didn't even land a single hit on that Eevee! That's embarrassing. Let me show you how it's done!"
Friday's older brother, Wes, shoved him aside. At ten years old, he had a bit more composure and a touch more battle sense at least in his own mind.
To him, Kai's Eevee didn't seem all that threatening. Friday had simply been "too dumb to win."
"Go! Houndour!"
A flash of light revealed the Dark/Fire-type. Kai had faced plenty of Team Rocket's Houndoom before, and Houndour was just a less-developed version of the same threat.
No need to switch Eevee could handle it.
This battle proved tougher than the first. Houndour's physical build and fighting style mirrored Eevee's, making hit-and-run tactics far less effective.
This time, it came down to raw willpower and split-second commands.
The two Pokémon clashed fiercely, trading blows until both were battered and breathing hard. In the final exchange, Houndour collapsed, and Eevee, staggering on tired legs, claimed victory again.
Two matches down, both relatively clean wins. Kai didn't gloat; they'd been straightforward battles, nothing more.
Wes stepped back with a disappointed scowl, and now the eldest sibling present, Sunny, stepped forward.
She hadn't been surprised to see her younger brothers lose. After all, even her stronger siblings had already fallen to Kai in the past. She had no illusions of an easy win herself.
But a battle with a skilled trainer was still a valuable experience.
"My turn," Sunny said with a small smile. "If you beat me, you'll have defeated every one of us. Not many trainers can claim that."
Kai took her seriously from the start. Experience and age often meant more refined tactics and that usually made a trainer more dangerous.
When she released her Pokémon, his eyes widened.
A shiny Flygon.
The alternate coloring made it stand out instantly, its presence radiating confidence. Flygon wasn't native to Johto or Kanto, which meant Sunny had likely traveled to distant regions to catch it another sign she was no novice.
Kai couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy. He'd never caught a shiny before, and the sight made his trainer's heart itch with want.
Still, there was no time to daydream.
A Ground/Dragon-type called for a worthy opponent… and Kai already knew which one.
He unclipped a Poké Ball from his belt.
"Let's go, Dragonite!"
If it was going to be dragon against dragon, then they'd see whose would stand tall.
Sunny's eyebrows lifted slightly. Dragon-vs-dragon matches were risky equal strengths could go either way in a heartbeat. This guy must have been very confident.
From the sidelines, Friday cupped his hands and shouted, "Go, Sis! You have to beat him for us!"
"Yeah!" Wes added. "Win for us and all our other brothers and sisters!"
Kai's eyebrow twitched. 'Why does this sound like I'm the villain in some kids' adventure story?'
Sure, he'd beaten them all, but it was always they challenging him, not the other way around. Somehow, their cries for "revenge" made him feel like he'd just kidnapped their Growlithe or something.
The crowd of local kids wasn't helping either.
"Come on, Sunny! You can do it!"
"The Weekday Siblings are the best!"
"Beat that guy!"
Kai exhaled through his nose. This was starting to feel less like a friendly match and more like a final showdown with the 'bad guy' and apparently, he was it.
Sunny waved off her brothers' shouts, giving Kai an apologetic glance. She knew they meant no harm; it was normal for younger siblings to want their older sister to "avenge" them.
But with the peanut gallery's chants turning the mood into an us vs him, in that moment, Kai could already tell this was going to be an interesting fight.
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