In the villa courtyard's battle arena,
Lyra stood across from Yuri with a soft smile, while Yuri looked way more confident than he probably should've been.
Simon stepped in as referee,
and Aaron, along with the others, watched from the sidelines.
A hint of helplessness crossed Grace's eyes.
Her cousin was outstanding in every way—except for being a little too headstrong.
Grace knew exactly how strong Lyra was.
Even back in Crown, her name carried weight.
Ranked 15th, she was a true prodigy—the kind of talent her family practically spoiled.
With just one glance, Grace understood—
Lyra wasn't here for Yuri.
He was just the warm-up.
...
"This'll be a 3-on-3 battle!"
"Once all three Pokémon on one side are unable to battle, that side loses!"
"Both trainers—send out your first Pokémon!"
Simon snapped his flag forward with practiced ease as he called the start.
"Go—Pidgeotto!"
"Go—Arcanine!"
Yuri tossed his Poké Ball with confidence. A pale-yellow bird burst into the air—
Pidgeotto, evolved from Pidgey.
Across from him, Lyra released hers just as smoothly.
A massive canine Pokémon landed on the field, nearly two meters tall, its thick fur flowing as it stood there with quiet authority—
Arcanine.
"What—!?"
"Arcanine?!"
Yuri froze.
His brain just… stopped.
Base 555.
Extreme Speed.
And that pressure alone—this thing was way above his level.
His face stiffened, then slowly turned red.
…This is bad.
Am I really about to get rolled like this?
Seriously? In front of everyone?
He almost smacked himself.
Serves me right for showing off…
She'd been holding back this whole time.
That faint smile on Lyra's face only made it worse.
"…Damn."
"…She played me."
…
[Name: Arcanine]
[Gender: Male]
[Nature: Jolly]
[Type: Fire]
[Ability: Intimidate]
[Base Stats: 555]
[Level: Elite (Mid Stage)]
[Potential: Champion]
[Moves: Roar (Mastery), Fire Fang (Mastery), Ember (Mastery), Bite (Proficient), Crunch (Proficient), Morning Sun (Proficient), Wild Charge (Proficient), Iron Head (Proficient), Extreme Speed (Proficient), Flamethrower (Proficient), Take Down (Proficient), Flame Wheel (Proficient), Flare Blitz (Basic)...]
[Description: Arcanine, the evolved form of Growlithe, is an ancient Pokémon renowned for its incredible power and speed.]
Aaron raised an eyebrow slightly.
An Elite mid-stage Arcanine with a moveset like that—
Lyra was the real deal.
He glanced over at Yuri's Pidgeotto next—
…and went quiet.
Late-stage Intermediate.
Yeah, he's cooked.
Aaron silently observed a moment of respect for Yuri.
About three seconds.
...
"Arcanine—Flamethrower. Take it out."
Lyra's voice was calm, almost effortless.
"Grraf—!"
Arcanine opened its jaws—and a blazing torrent of fire shot straight into the sky.
"—That fast!?"
Yuri's eyes widened.
"Pidgeotto, move!"
"Kyaaah—!"
Startled, Pidgeotto beat its wings hard, trying to veer off course—but it wasn't enough.
The flames clipped its wing.
"Screee!!"
It cried out as black smoke rose instantly, the smell of burnt feathers spreading through the air.
Its flight broke.
Spinning out of control, it dropped from the sky.
"Arcanine—Extreme Speed."
Lyra didn't raise her voice.
She didn't need to.
"GRRRAFF!!"
A burst of white light wrapped around Arcanine—and in the next instant, it was gone.
A streak.
A blur.
It slammed straight into Pidgeotto mid-fall.
"KYA—!"
The impact sent it flying, crashing hard into the ground in a burst of dust.
Silence.
Pidgeotto lay there, completely out.
It hadn't even lasted two moves.
"Pidgeotto is unable to battle! Yuri, send out your next Pokémon!"
Simon's voice rang out, but his eyes lingered on Lyra for a moment.
She's strong…
That Arcanine is easily Elite level.
This isn't going to be pretty.
Yuri's expression darkened.
He hadn't even had time to react.
…That was rough.
Embarrassing, even.
"Return, Pidgeotto!"
He recalled it quickly and threw out another Poké Ball.
"Go—Marshtomp!"
A flash of light burst onto the field—and a bipedal amphibious Pokémon took shape.
Marshtomp.
"Maaar!"
It stepped forward with a determined cry, squaring up against Arcanine.