He was about to head back with Yuri and the others when someone suddenly stepped in front of him, blocking the way.
He recognized the guy right away—the runner-up from the Bug Catching Contest. The so-called Bug Catcher.
Though with that beard, he clearly wasn't that young… even if he was still dressed the part.
He looked at him.
"Yeah?"
The man didn't look away.
"I want to know how you got that many points. I'm in this forest all the time—there's no way one person could catch that many Bug-types that fast."
Before he could respond, Yuri cut in,
"What are you trying to say? You think he cheated!?"
The man didn't answer, but he didn't need to. It was obvious.
That instantly set Yuri, Victor, and the others off.
He'd scored 100,000 on the exam—and now he needed to cheat for a couple thousand points in a bug contest?
Yeah, right.
"If that's what you think, then think it."
He gave a small smile and turned to leave, not even bothering to argue.
"Wait."
The man stepped in again, blocking him.
His expression cooled.
"What now? You trying to stop me?"
His voice dropped, a clear edge to it.
He didn't go looking for trouble—but he wasn't backing down either.
"Battle me," the man said.
"If you win, I'll believe you didn't cheat."
Victor bristled.
"Hey, who do you think you are? You're pushing thirty and still picking fights with us? No shame at all?"
Honestly… he wasn't wrong.
The guy looked to be in his late twenties. Challenging them like this was a bit much.
Then a system notification popped up in his mind.
"Ding~ Quest triggered: Teach the Bug Catcher a Lesson."
"He questions your strength. Isn't that a challenge?"
"Defeat him and prove the difference."
"Reward: Key Stone ×1, Pokémon Candy (Elite) ×2."
His eyes flickered.
A Key Stone.
With that—and the Beedrill Mega Stone he'd just gotten—Beedrill could finally Mega Evolve.
He looked back at the man.
His expression shifted.
…Almost appreciative.
What a generous opponent.
He smiled.
"Alright. I'm in."
...
At a nearby battle field, the two faced off.
A crowd quickly gathered—contestants from the Bug Catching Contest, all drawn by the matchup. First place versus second? No one wanted to miss that.
"That's first and second from the contest, right?"
"Yeah. Heard the Bug Catcher wasn't convinced and challenged that guy."
"Still can't accept the loss, huh?"
"Who knows. Free match either way."
"Haha, true."
"So who's winning?"
"Isn't it obvious? The Bug Catcher's Elite-level. The other guy looks like a high schooler—how's he supposed to win?"
"Wait, he's actually Elite?"
"Looks can be deceiving…"
...
Once people realized he was an Elite Trainer, a lot of them were surprised.
In Sealine, that already put him near the top.
...
The battle started soon after.
Simon stepped in as referee again.
"3-on-3. Match ends when one side can't battle anymore."
"Begin!"
He waved the flag—somewhere he'd pulled it from—and the fight was on.
He pushed the thought aside and focused.
"Go, Beedrill!"
"Buzz!"
At the same time—
"Go, Scyther!"
A flash of light on both sides.
Yellow and green took the field.
Beedrill hovered in the air, larger than usual, its twin stingers gleaming with sharp black-and-yellow patterns. It felt dangerous just looking at it.
Across from it, Scyther stood tall—mantis-like, blades ready, poised to strike.
As he locked onto it, its data appeared in front of him.
[Name: Scyther]
[Gender: Male]
[Nature: Lonely]
[Type: Bug, Flying]
[Ability: Technician]
[Base Stats: 500]
[Level: Elite (Mid Stage)]
[Potential: Champion-Class]
[Moves: Quick Attack (Mastery), Vacuum Wave (Proficient), Focus Energy (Proficient), Wing Attack (Proficient), Fury Cutter (Proficient), Razor Wind (Proficient), Agility (Proficient), Air Slash (Proficient), Double Team (Proficient), X-Scissor (Basic), Night Slash (Basic), Slash (Basic)...]
[Description: Scyther, the Mantis Pokémon. It uses its sharp scythe-like arms to strike down opponents and can glide through the air at low altitude.]
...