In the very next heartbeat, Alolan Persian blinked into existence right in front of Houndour, twin paws slashing down toward his head.
It had "vanished" mid-banter with Lana and simply reappeared—then struck.
"Ghosting? Did you train those paws with the 'Flying Thunder God' or what?" Ethan grumbled—then snapped a command.
"Houndour—Fire Spin on yourself!"
Facing the descending claws, Houndour didn't flinch. He chose to take it head-on.A ring of orange fire gushed from his jaws, twining into a wide Fire Spin that engulfed both him and Persian.
Smack! Smack!The opening blow landed—Fake Out, clean and crisp. Using the impact and his Flash Fire trait's comfort in flame, Houndour blasted backward out of the vortex, leaving Persian trapped inside.
Clear of the vortex, Houndour peppered it with Ember to feed the swirl, then tightened his control so the Fire Spin churned faster, biting deeper.
"Sis Lana, your Persian's been caught. We both know how this ends," Ethan said, shrugging like the result was already written.
At this stage, getting pinned in Houndour's Fire Spin usually meant curtains.
"Brother Sheng is still Brother Sheng—you do have some skills," Lana sang. "Persian, Charm him. Be adorable."
Ethan blinked. "Act… cute?"
Inside the flames, Persian endured the burn and then tilted its head, eyes soft, mouth curling into a helpless little pout.
"Mrrrow~ (Big strong dog… you're so amazing—don't cook me~)"
Ethan—who did not speak Cat—had no idea what the play was.
Up on the VIP deck, a holographic feed replayed the field for two men seated in shadow.
The white-haired Uncle Yan chuckled. "Clever girl. Coaxing and buttering him up—this Houndour's about to pay for it."
Across from him, a square-shouldered middle-aged man with the solidity of bedrock—Wang Yanbo, the Rock Gym Leader—nodded. "Her Fake Out execution was already sharp. This combo thinking is novel too."
Down on the field, Houndour unconsciously straightened under the flattery, eyes lidding as his lips curled in a dopey grin. His aura eased—then, to Ethan's horror, he let the Fire Spin drop.
The vortex unlocked.
Houndour had, inexplicably, defected to the enemy's charm.
"Mrow? (Big dog, I'm scared… look right! A huge Raticate— it's gonna bite me! You're so handsome. Protect me?)"
Yeah—Charm. And Persian had been laying it on thick.
Given egg groups, that beauty filter hit Houndour like a truck.
Ethan exhaled through his nose. Waking him up would be rough. Fine—let the lesson burn in.
Houndour, flushed by Persian's cooing, charged head-first into a rock to his right.
Thud.Ethan winced. The second-floor gallery burst into laughter.
"Hahaha—what's wrong with that mutt? Came to be the punchline?""Did a geneticist splice Husky into a Houndour? Same brand of dumb!"
Lana didn't waste the momentum. "Told you not to underestimate me. Persian—Swift!"
The blue gem on Persian's brow flared. Fist-sized, starry bolts fanned out and hammered toward Houndour.
"Houndour—are you awake yet? Sucker Punch!" Ethan barked.
Fresh off his "self-KO," Houndour snapped out of it. The gallery's jeers scalded his ears—shame flipped to fury. He exploded into a Sucker Punch, a black streak ripping through the curtain of starlight. The Swift disks caromed away as he body-checked Persian before it could react, blasting it across the tiles.
Ethan's eyes narrowed. Charm had harshly cut Houndour's Attack, and Fur Coat halves physical damage on Persian. Dark resists Dark, too. It looked big, but the hit barely scratched.
Sure enough, Persian rolled to its feet, glaring, more annoyed than hurt.
"Howl—ramp it up!"
"Lubi!" Houndour roared, clawing back some of the Attack drop from Charm.
"Flame Charge—now!" Sparks skittered across Houndour's coat; flames flared, coiling to burst—
"Quash." Lana's voice turned cool.
Ethan grimaced. Another disgusting control tool. Of course her Persian was a control core.
A cold pressure pressed down—Quash shoved Houndour's action to last. The gathered fire stalled inside him; his face flushed, body trembling with bottled heat.
If he'd had another chance, he might have declined this match. Terrain that punished fire, endless control, and that insufferable wink—this was misery.
"Swift again," Lana snapped.
The gem flashed; stars screamed in again.
Ethan had no safe block. One more clean volley and Houndour was done.
"Push through!" Ethan said instead.
Houndour lowered his head and charged through the stars. As he reached Persian— "Bite! Don't let go!"
Houndour snapped onto the ruff at Persian's neck and clamped down. Persian thrashed, but his jaws were iron.
If both played poke at range, Persian won. So Ethan flipped it: stick, maul, and finish point-blank.
"Flame Charge!"
Sparks ignited—this time the flames caught. Houndour, still biting, shouldered Persian and rocket-tackled it into a stone pillar. He didn't pull the blow—he used Persian as the cushion.
"Persian!" Lana gasped.
Ethan didn't blink. "Fire Spin!"
A fresh gyre of orange flame wound out and caged the staggering Persian against the column. The vortex swelled and howled; waves of heat battered the trapped Dark-type. Fur Coat didn't help against special fire—this was the finisher Ethan had prepped.
The whirl accelerated. Persian fought, staggered—then sagged, eyes slipping shut as the vortex spun on.
"That's enough, Houndour!"
The flames unraveled. Persian crumpled. Houndour collapsed too, sides heaving—barely upright by will.
If he was honest, he owed the Tailis (those brutal Lopunny stand-ins in the hills) a thank-you. Without that beating, he might not have stomached so many volleys today.
"Winner: Ethan's Houndour!" Lincoln called.
Both trainers recalled their partners and followed Lincoln to the gym's med bay.
In the gallery, a lot of "elite" spectators looked a touch pink. They'd expected a noob scrap; instead they got crisp Fake Out–Charm–Quash control from Lana and a gritty, adaptive finish from Ethan. They quietly stopped discussing the match and drifted back to safer topics.
On the VIP deck, when it ended, Wang Yanbo killed the holo.
"Good. Ideas and bite. Imperial University will get two real seedlings this year."
Uncle Yan nodded. "Shame they're still young; otherwise I'd poach them. Both started Dark, but their Dark-type fundamentals are thin—that can be fixed. Meeting is fate—let's bolster their self-defense."
He set two black USB drives on the table. "Move-teaching recordings for Substitute—old friends of mine on the footage. Whether they learn it will depend on their Pokémon's comprehension."
Wang Yanbo's brows rose. "So generous, Mr. Yan. I can't be stingy then."
He handed the drives to a waiting attendant. "Give these to the two kids who just battled. And bring out one Dark Gem and one Fire Gem for them."
"Yes, Mr. Yan."
…
Outside the gym, Ethan and Lana stared at the unexpected gifts in their hands, dazed.
So a big shot had watched their match live… and liked it enough to tip them?
"Told you calling him Uncle Yan was smart," Lincoln joked. "Even I'm jealous of what falls from those fingers."
"Can you tell us who Uncle Yan actually is?" Lana asked. She hadn't expected to walk into the Rock Gym and walk out with treasure. Even if he wanted nothing in return, she still wanted a name.
Lincoln only smiled. "Not simple. You'll probably meet him again. Find out then."
"Alright—see you when we see you. And don't forget what you promised me!" Ethan said.
…
Later, in the car to the airport, Lincoln sat across from Uncle Yan, weirdly tense, licking his lips as if words might sprout on them, lose their way, and fall off.
"Watching you squirm is making me uncomfortable," Uncle Yan sighed. "Our families go back generations. What can't you say?"
Lincoln drew breath—Uncle Yan cut him off.
"If it's a marriage proposal, forget it. I don't like kids like you. You're not becoming my grandson-in-law."
Lincoln's bronze skin flushed crimson. If looks could tunnel, he'd be in the bedrock under Megalith Square. "Come on, Uncle Yan. I wanted to talk business."
"Then talk."
Lincoln rolled his eyes internally. Who'd guess the 'dreaded evil elder' was also this… unreasonable?
"It's about those two juniors today," he said at last. "What do you think of them?"