"Nice!"
Yozora snapped his fingers with a grin after seeing the mirror-smooth cut left behind. He couldn't help but give praise.
However—
After just one strike, Pidgeotto collapsed to the ground like an exhausted hound, drenched in sweat and panting heavily.
Clearly, Lightning Blade consumed far too much energy.
At Pidgeotto's current level, even using Lightning Blade once was already its limit.
And besides—
Beyond its immense drain, Lightning Blade had another major flaw.
It inherited Quick Attack's straight-line property. Because it was so fast, it couldn't change direction mid-strike.
Normal Wing Attack, by contrast, could curve in flight, making it flexible.
And while Quick Attack also couldn't turn, its cost was small, so even if it missed, it wasn't a big loss.
But Lightning Blade? If it failed to hit, that would be a devastating waste. It had to be used with extreme caution—never recklessly.
Still, all things considered…
For Pidgeotto to master a finishing move whose power far exceeded its current level was already an incredible gain.
It now possessed the capital to challenge opponents above its rank. Whether it could succeed—that would depend on the battlefield.
Normally, after group training, whether it lasted one day or two, everyone came out refreshed and energized.
But this time—
Because it was their first time wearing restraint gear, after two days of training, though their progress was remarkable, everyone except Beedrill was completely drained.
Yozora had no choice but to let them rest for an extra day to recover before setting out again.
Not long after, he arrived at Pokémon Tech.
To his surprise, a crowd was already waiting on the plaza in front of the academy.
At the head was not Komiya, but a black-haired girl—the top student of the Junior Class, Giselle.
In the original story, Giselle had been a beauty even at ten years old.
Now at fifteen, she was even more elegant and striking.
Yet in every movement, every gesture, she exuded arrogance, as though she stood high above the masses.
Some sycophants would adore this kind of haughty demeanor. Yozora, however, found it distasteful.
"Yozora, this is our Junior Class's top trainer, Miss Giselle! Well? By now you should understand how amazing she is!" Komiya introduced her with a proud tone.
Back in Mt. Moon, Komiya had told Yozora to look her up online to get a sense of her abilities.
In Cerulean City, Yozora indeed searched her name and found she had gained impressive grades and considerable reputation…
But only within the confines of Pokémon Tech.
In other words, Giselle had made a name for herself inside this sheltered environment.
Measured against society at large—let alone the world—her achievements were far too shallow.
Yozora had even skimmed a few of her published academic papers. To him, they were nothing but empty words filled with glaring errors—not worth mentioning.
As expected.
His suspicions were confirmed: Pokémon Tech was full of hot-house flowers, all brilliance on the surface, but without true strength.
"You're Yozora? The one who bullied my classmate?" Giselle stood at the front of the gathered students, arms folded like a queen, her voice sharp with accusation.
Yozora blinked. "Bullied? Hardly. We just had a battle. Don't tell me… to you, losing a match counts as being bullied?"
He was speechless. He nearly added aloud: If that's the case, then aren't you all far too fragile?
"I heard you took a Medium-grade Thunder Stone from my classmate," Giselle pressed.
Yozora shrugged, glancing at Komiya before chuckling. "That was just the wager for our battle. I won it fair and square."
Giselle's brows furrowed as she snapped, "But because of you, my classmate suffered both physically and mentally! As the Junior Class's top trainer, I must take revenge and demand justice for them!"
Her voice brimmed with superiority. "If you lose, you'll apologize to my classmate. As for that Thunder Stone, you can gift such things to commoners like yourself!"
Yozora frowned and looked at Komiya.
Hadn't Komiya said earlier that if he lost, he only needed to acknowledge the Junior Class's strength?
Now it had become an apology?
Yozora was humble by nature. If the other truly was strong, admitting it was no shame.
But apologizing?
His pride would never allow it.
"…" Under Yozora's steady gaze, Komiya grew nervous and quickly turned away, pretending not to notice.
"Heh. This is getting interesting. If I lose, I'll apologize. But if you lose… what then?" Yozora asked coolly.
"Impudent! A mere commoner dares spout such arrogance?" Giselle snapped.
The very notion that Yozora questioned her victory felt like an insult. Her whole body bristled with fury.
Her attitude only made Yozora more displeased. He sneered. "Spare me the nonsense. Just say it—what will you do if you lose?"
"I will never lose to a commoner!" Giselle shrieked. "If I truly did, then I'll grant you any one request!"
"Any request, huh?"
Yozora blinked, then grinned. "Fine. I won't make it difficult. If you lose, get down on all fours and bark like a dog three times."
"You…!"
Giselle's eyes went wide. Rage and disbelief contorted her features.
What kind of demand was this?!
She, Giselle—the academy's pride, a lady of high society, a noble princess—crawl on the ground and bark like a mutt? Such degrading humiliation was unthinkable!
"…"
Behind her, the gathered students twitched at the corners of their mouths, staring at Yozora with awe.
No matter what else could be said, to dare speak such words to Giselle…
Two words—absolute legend.
But along with admiration came pity.
They had all suffered under Giselle's domineering ways. They knew her cruelty. To them, Yozora's words were simply asking for death.
Unbothered, Yozora smirked at her. "What's the matter? Afraid? If you don't have the strength or the confidence, then why boast so loudly? Doesn't it just make you a laughingstock?"
Giselle gritted her teeth, her face alternating pale and flushed. With a sharp cry, she declared, "Who says I'm afraid? Fine! I'll fight you—and make you apologize until morning!"
"Then, the rules?" Yozora cut straight to the point.
"Of course—a full six-on-six battle, official League format! Each side may only switch Pokémon twice!" Giselle rattled off without hesitation.
(End of Chapter)