"Bah, I'd better keep a low profile for now and continue developing quietly."
In the end, Ethan Black sighed softly, with the expression of a hero with no land to show his worth.
"Sha~ sha~"
Right in the middle of his thoughts, Sandshrew lightly tugged at his clothes, calling him softly.
"What is it, Sandshrew?" Ethan Black turned his head, confused.
"Sha sha sha!"
Sandshrew pointed at the clock on the wall, its little eyes shining.
"The time? Huh? It's already 7 p.m.!"
Ethan Black looked at the clock, then glanced outside and realized it was already getting dark.
"Damn, I had agreed to meet that rich kid at the club!"
Snapping back to his senses, he quickly recalled Sandshrew and rushed toward the club.
Perhaps because it was dinner time, when he arrived he noticed there were very few people in the club. The few who entered did so hurriedly and went straight up to the second floor.
"Sha?"
Once out of its Pokéball, Sandshrew began to look around. Seeing that the young millionaire hadn't arrived yet, it let out a sigh of relief.
Then, trainer and Pokémon waited together in the battle arena. But even when it was almost 8 p.m., the rich boy still hadn't shown up.
"Sha~"
Sandshrew's little eyes stayed fixed on the door. It looked more and more desperate, letting out a pitiful squeak.
And if the rich kid didn't come... did that mean tomorrow's luxury dinner was canceled?
What a painful thought...
"Ahahaha! Sorry, sorry! Thanks for waiting!"
Just as Sandshrew was about to lose hope, a cheerful, carefree voice rang out from the entrance.
"Since I promised you, of course I came. But if you had taken any longer, I would've left already," said Ethan Black with a shrug of indifference, wearing a tough-guy expression.
"I know, I know. Something came up and delayed me a bit. Look, let's just exchange numbers, it'll be easier to set things up next time," said the rich boy as he pulled out his phone.
Ethan Black thought for a moment, nodded, and also pulled out his phone. They exchanged contacts, and he finally learned the young millionaire's name: Alex Baxter.
"Then, let's get started."
Ethan Black smiled faintly, stepped to the side of the battlefield, and Sandshrew leapt forward, taking its place in the center.
"Alright. Yesterday I lost because my Charmeleon was beaten by a type disadvantage. But today I brought a Ground-type Pokémon. Let's see how good you really are!" said Alex Baxter, unwilling to lose.
He then drew out a Pokéball, and with a white flash, a Donphan appeared. Its gray body, tire-shaped trunk, and massive tusks showed it was well trained.
"So he has a second Pokémon? No doubt, he's not some poor guy..."
Ethan Black sighed lightly. For most ordinary people, raising even one Pokémon was already difficult, not to mention owning two.
And with the League's rule that abandoning or mistreating Pokémon was forbidden, every trainer had to be very careful in choosing.
"Ahahaha! My Donphan is incredibly strong! This battle is mine!"
Alex Baxter couldn't help but declare victory even before the fight began, radiating a strong "shōnen protagonist" aura.
"Then, let the battle begin!"
"Rollout!"
"Rollout!"
Both shouted the same command. Immediately, two Pokémon—one large and one small—began rolling violently across the field.
"You think you can bounce like a ping pong ball against a wrecking ball? Donphan, send it flying!" Alex Baxter said with absolute confidence.
"Oh really? Sandshrew, face it head-on!" Ethan Black's eyes narrowed. Instead of dodging, he ordered a direct clash.
BOOM!
At the center of the field, the two rolling Pokémon collided with brutal force. But the overwhelming victory Alex Baxter had imagined did not happen.
Despite their size difference, the two Pokémon were evenly matched, leaving Alex Baxter wide-eyed.
"How is it that my Donphan couldn't send your Sandshrew flying?!" he shouted, tugging at his hair.
Ethan Black smiled and said nothing. He only ordered, "Sandshrew, fall back! Then roll around the field to build up maximum power."
Sandshrew responded immediately. It sped backward, then began circling the field, gathering terrifying Rock-type energy.
"So you want to power up Rollout, huh?"
"Well, my Donphan can do the same," Alex Baxter replied decisively, commanding Donphan to do the same.
Both Pokémon began spinning in circles, accelerating, chasing each other like a destructive race.
"It's time! One strike to decide the battle!" Ethan Black shouted once he felt Sandshrew had reached its peak.
"Let's go too! Put everything into Rollout!"
Both Pokémon adjusted their course and launched themselves head-on at full power.
BOOM!
A thunderous crash shook the field. The two bodies collided with colossal force.
And in the next instant, before Alex Baxter's incredulous eyes, Donphan was sent flying through the air!
In this clash of "big ball vs. small ball," the small one won!
"Why, why, why?!"
"My Pokémon was bigger, heavier, and still lost!"
"Why did Donphan lose?!"
Alex Baxter was completely unhinged, questioning even the laws of physics he'd learned in class.
"Alright, Donphan is down. The battle is over," Ethan Black said with his usual smile.
"Sha!"
Sandshrew squealed happily and ran straight to Alex Baxter, rubbing its little hands as if asking for its reward.
"...Here you go, 500 Pokédollars."
Alex Baxter handed over the money without hesitation, then looked at Ethan Black with a face full of doubt.
"Umm... could you explain what just happened?"
He finally dared to ask, his face red with embarrassment. For someone as proud as him, asking humbly was difficult.
"To ask someone else to reveal their secret techniques... that's not very polite, you know," Ethan Black said, smiling calmly.
"I know, I know!" Alex Baxter nodded immediately, but as a rich young man eager to improve, he added: "I'll give you 10,000 Pokédollars if you teach me that secret technique!"
"Ten thousand Pokédollars?"
Although Ethan Black had planned to take a little advantage of the rich kid, that offer left him speechless.
How nice it must be to have money...
(End of Chapter)