"What a surprise? I thought Snivy's trainer was being reckless—but now it looks like he's helping Lapras vent its energy!"
The eyes of several audience members, especially those familiar with Pokémon development, suddenly lit up.
"What a brilliant tactic! That young man—he took advantage of Lapras's confusion and pain. First, he had Snivy cast Grassy Terrain, obscuring its line of sight. Then he let it provoke Lapras to use Water Gun again and again!"
"That way, the energy overflowed safely! He reduced the internal damage. Incredible! That trainer must be at least an advanced-level breeder!"
Someone nearby was stunned. "Wait, what? He's just a high school student! You're saying he's an advanced breeder?!"
The man next to him shook his head.
"You heard me wrong. I said at least advanced—maybe even more."
"He never once gave direct instructions to Snivy. That means the bond between them is already at the level of tacit understanding—maybe even telepathy!"
Gasps spread throughout the stands.
And then a broadcast echoed through the arena:
"Success! Lapras's breakthrough is complete!"
The entire crowd let out a collective sigh of relief.
Then—
"That Snivy is insane! How can a Snivy be that strong?!"
"Snivy! Snivy!"
"Let's go, Snivy!"
Cheers erupted across the stadium.
At the same time, a system prompt rang in Hayashi Kaede's mind:
[Congratulations! Snivy's happiness increased from 60% → 80%.
Reward: 5 bags of Fertilizer, 1 Rare Candy, and 1 Special-Scale Fruit.]
[Pokémon: Lapras]
Gender: Male
Ability: Water Absorb
Aptitude: Purple
Level: [22–25]
Status: Energy successfully dispersed. Transformation complete.
[Congratulations! Lapras's happiness increased from -40% → 90%.
Reward: 10 bags of Fertilizer, 1 Rare Candy, and 1 S-Rank Ocean Crystal
(a crystal once stored in the legendary Ocean Temple—imbued with the sea's power and highly beneficial to Water-type Pokémon)]
"Whew…"
Kaede listened to the crowd cheering in unison, a little helpless.
He had orchestrated the entire thing—and yet all the praise was going to Snivy, who looked like the one doing the "surgery."
Kind of makes me jealous of my own Pokémon…
Still, hearing that he'd received an Ocean Crystal and a Special-Scale Fruit, his mood lifted again.
"I worked hard for this. I deserve it."
He already knew where the crystal would go—beneath the Reservoir, for Milotic's use.
The spike in Snivy's happiness made him mutter with a chuckle:
"Just as I thought. A Snivy who loves battle… and loves attention."
"Wooo~!"
With its energy now stable, Lapras gave a joyful cry.
Ikeoka Sho stood frozen behind it.
Just moments ago, Lapras had been in a near-death state—and now, not only was it okay, it had fully stabilized and completed its breakthrough?
He blinked. "Lapras…?"
"Woo woo!" Lapras swam eagerly in the grass, clearly better than ever.
"Huh… Waaaah!"
Testsuya burst into tears and threw himself at Lapras.
"I was so scared! I thought something awful was going to happen!"
The sight startled Snivy, who was still hidden in the tall grass.
"Snivy?"
Kaede looked down and saw her frustration.
She was in the middle of a fight and had to stop. Now she's stuck waiting while they hug it out… no wonder she's antsy.
"Just give them a minute. They're rebuilding trust."
Snivy stayed quiet but flicked her tail, clearly still annoyed.
Her energy is unstable now… She's right on the edge of evolution.
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and focused.
If she was going to evolve, she wanted it to be under perfect conditions.
About a minute passed.
A soft voice from above reminded everyone that the match was still underway.
Ikeoka Testsuya quickly stood up and looked across the field at Hayashi Kaede—still calmly waiting.
Gratitude mixed with embarrassment filled his eyes.
After thinking for a moment, he stepped forward and declared:
"I forfeit this match."
The stadium went silent.
Then came murmurs.
"He gave up? Yeah… it makes sense. That boy saved his Lapras."
"I misjudged him. I thought the little fat kid was hiding Lapras's power and would sweep the finals."
"Still… it's the right call. The gap between Snivy and a newly evolved Lapras is just too wide."
"Wait—Snivy's trainer rejected the forfeit? Why?"
Though Kaede looked calm, he was a little surprised.
After all, Testsuya father had invested a lot in this match.
If he accepted the forfeit, half that effort would go to waste.
Then again… maybe there was something to gain from this.
The crowd now viewed Ikeoka Testsuya positively for conceding. Maybe that could work in Kaede's favor.
He spoke softly, his words amplified by the stadium's speakers:
"If you're surrendering out of gratitude for Snivy helping Lapras… don't. My Snivy needs this kind of high-pressure battle to grow stronger."
"Snivy!"
The Grassy Terrain glowed brighter, and two orange-yellow eyes burned with intensity within the brush.
"Wooo!"
Lapras seemed to hear Snivy's spirit and let out a battle cry of its own.
"Alright then, Lapras! Water Gun!"
Ikeoka Testsuya wiped his tears, then nodded. "Okay—Water Gun!"
This time, the move was cleaner, sharper.
Snivy's form blurred through the tall grass.
Water Gun landed on where she'd been just a moment ago—ripping up a wide patch of the terrain.
Anyone watching could tell:
This Lapras was already far stronger than before.
"Leech Seed!"
Kaede's eyes gleamed.
The seeds he'd planted earlier weren't just to help Lapras stabilize.
Now they began to sprout—tiny vines curling out from Lapras's body, siphoning its strength.
"Lapras—Ice Beam!"
Testsuya didn't hesitate.
Lapras inhaled, then fired a beam of freezing blue light directly at Snivy.