"Oh? Then I'd like to see for myself! Raichu, use Thunderbolt!" Lt. Surge's eyes flashed with sharp intent as he gave the order in a booming voice.
"Take flight, Pidgeot—Aerial Ace!" Yozora commanded at the same time.
In the arena, a bolt of lightning shot forward like a spear. Pidgeot instantly spread its wings and soared upward, dodging the strike while diving straight toward Raichu.
Raichu, frustrated by the miss, unleashed a furious volley of Thunderbolts in rapid succession.
But Pidgeot's movements were dazzlingly fast, weaving through the air and evading every single strike.
Raichu's eyes widened in disbelief—only to see Pidgeot suddenly twist midair. With its whole body cloaked in a blazing white energy wave, it rammed straight into Raichu with terrifying force.
"Raaaiii—!"
The heavy blow sent Raichu screaming as its body was hurled backward like a fired cannonball, its feet dragging across the floor and carving out a long trail of displaced air.
"How… how is this possible? That Pidgeot shouldn't even be on the same level as my Raichu!" Lt. Surge frowned deeply, startled by the sheer power behind the strike.
Pidgeot wasn't just weaker in level.
The bigger issue was that Raichu, as an Electric-type, had strong resistance to Flying-type moves. Normally, Flying-type attacks would only deal half damage.
And yet, staring at this Pidgeot, Surge couldn't help but feel a spark of admiration. To strike down his Raichu so hard, despite a level gap and a type disadvantage—that was remarkable.
"So it paid off giving Pidgeot the Adaptability ability before the match," Yozora thought with a quiet smile, more than satisfied with his partner's performance.
Currently, Pidgeot bore three abilities: Keen Eye, Volt Absorb, and Adaptability.
Elite rank, with Champion potential.
Yozora had originally considered giving Pidgeot Speed Boost, but that rare ability wasn't obtainable at the time, so he settled for Adaptability instead.
Huge Power doubled physical strength.
Adaptability, on the other hand, increased the power of same-type moves by 50%, whether physical or special.
For a Pokémon purely focused on raw physical offense, Huge Power was the superior choice.
But Pidgeot wasn't that kind of Pokémon. Aside from excelling in speed, its stats were balanced—average across the board.
Its physical attack alone wasn't extraordinary, making it ill-suited for Huge Power. But with Adaptability, its growth could be more well-rounded.
More importantly, once Pidgeot Mega Evolved, its Special Attack would skyrocket. Paired with Adaptability, it could then transition into a devastating special attacker!
Right now, the move Aerial Ace—a Flying-type move—benefited from STAB's 50% bonus. With Adaptability, that bonus was doubled to 100%!
Even though Raichu's Electric typing cut Flying-type damage in half, all it did was cancel out the Adaptability boost.
In other words, Pidgeot's Aerial Ace still hit Raichu with full base power.
And given that Surge's training had heavily emphasized power at the expense of defense and speed, Raichu was left wide open.
That was why a single strike from Pidgeot left Raichu reeling.
"Interesting… That Pidgeot has incredible talent and potential. It might be worth something." Surge's eyes gleamed strangely as he watched the bird Pokémon.
Of course, he had no idea Yozora had altered Pidgeot's abilities. To Surge, its strength simply came from natural potential.
Which, in truth, wasn't far from the mark.
Through his system, Yozora granted his Pokémon new abilities, enhancing their potential and allowing them to surpass the limits of their current level.
Be it attack, defense, resistance, toxins, or speed…
And yet, even without such boosts, some Pokémon were simply born exceptional—blessed with overwhelming natural gifts.
Just like Yozora's Psyduck, born with Champion-tier power and terrifying psychic abilities.
Even without Yozora's system, a Pokémon like that, properly nurtured, would still achieve greatness.
What Yozora did with abilities was essentially unlocking hidden potential.
Choosing the right ability could multiply that growth even further—almost like a fine craft in itself.
"Raichu, calm yourself!" Surge barked.
"Don't waste energy striking blindly against such speed. Wait for the right chance—and finish it in one decisive blow!"
Raichu nodded firmly, restraining its impulses. It shifted to a defensive stance, eyes locked on Pidgeot, waiting for the perfect moment.
"Then let's end this, Pidgeot—Lightning Blade!" Yozora shouted.
Pidgeot let out a piercing cry as its body became a massive blade of radiant white light, slicing straight toward Raichu.
"What—such speed?!"
Surge's eyes bulged in shock. "Raichu, use Thunder!"
Even Raichu flinched at the incoming strike, but it mustered a burst of power, unleashing a Thunder with lightning-fast reflexes.
Years of Surge's relentless power training had paid off—Raichu could fire off massive moves like Thunder almost instantly.
"BOOOOM!"
The clash was deafening. Light and energy collided in a violent explosion that filled the arena with dust and smoke.
For a long moment, nothing could be seen.
Then the haze cleared.
Raichu lay sprawled on the ground, unconscious.
Pidgeot stood tall, wings battered and body covered in wounds—but still upright.
"Raichu is unable to battle!"
"The match is over—the challenger wins!" The referee froze in shock, then quickly raised his flag to declare the result.
"Incredible…"
"Pidgeot—a Flying-type Pokémon—took a direct Thunder and still stood firm…" Surge's eyes burned with excitement as he looked at the bird.
"Excellent… truly excellent, kid. You've impressed me. This—" he handed over a shining badge, "—is the Thunder Badge. It's yours now!"
After the battle, Surge personally awarded Yozora the badge and saw him off.
Then he turned to his trainees. "Keep training."
With that, he returned inside.
Not long after, a young, burly man entered—broad-shouldered, standing at 180 centimeters. Though not as massive as Surge, he was still imposing.
His hair was cropped short, his face stern, and his unusual white hair made him stand out even more.
His name was Bai, Lt. Surge's last disciple. Officially, he served as a Gym Trainer at Vermilion Gym.
When Surge was away, Bai acted as the substitute Gym Leader, much like Brock or Misty in their own Gyms.
But in truth, Bai was a senior elite member of Team Rocket. His strength was already on par with most Gym Leaders.
"Bai, what do you think of that boy from earlier?" Surge asked.
Bai's expression was cold. "The boy? Trash. But that Pidgeot of his… that one was unexpected. Strong, fast, and highly gifted. At least worth five million."
(End of Chapter)