Emboar.
After one thrilling match after another came to an end, it was finally Aaron's turn to take the stage.
"And now, please welcome our youngest competitor, the eighteen-year-old prodigy: Aaron!"
"He'll be facing Grit City's famous fighter, Titan!"
"Let's give them the loudest applause we've got!"
As the handsome, center-parted host in a tank top hyped up the crowd, two figures slowly walked onto the massive ring.
One was a slender, fair-skinned, handsome young man. Beneath his bangs were a pair of deep eyes, and his face carried a bright, easy smile.
Countless young women in the audience could not help screaming and cheering, their faces flushed with excitement.
On the other side, a two-meter-tall wall of muscle slowly stepped into the ring.
Countless men roared for him at the top of their lungs.
He was none other than Titan, a fan favorite among the fighting crowd.
It was a bizarre matchup: raw muscle against a beautiful young prodigy.
The contrast alone made countless people howl with excitement, eager to see how this match would unfold.
...
At Haven Children's Home, Eden was watering the vegetables in the courtyard, her little face unusually serious.
"Eden, come quick!"
"I saw Mr. Aaron!"
Just then, a little girl ran out excitedly and shouted to Eden.
"Mr. Aaron!?"
Eden froze with the watering scoop in her hand. She lifted her head in surprise.
"Where?"
"Mr. Aaron is on TV! Come watch!"
The little girl hurriedly said this to Eden, then quickly ran back inside, as if afraid she would miss Aaron's match.
"On TV?"
Eden was stunned for a moment. Then she quickly placed the watering scoop back into the bucket and rushed into the house.
All the children of Haven Children's Home were gathered in front of the TV, watching intently.
The screen was showing the live broadcast of the Fighting Tournament, and it was Aaron's turn to appear.
"Mr. Aaron really is there..."
A delighted smile appeared on Eden's face. She quickly moved over a wooden stool and sat down.
"Mr. Aaron, you can do it!"
...
Back at the Fighting Tournament, Titan looked at Aaron with a face full of disdain and sneered.
"Kid... go train for another two years. With that scrawny frame of yours, you couldn't take one punch from me. Don't come out here and embarrass yourself."
The corner of Aaron's mouth twitched slightly.
With his current physical condition, even Aaron was a little afraid of himself.
And this guy actually thought he couldn't take a single punch?
Aaron also knew that this man was Titan, his mission target.
He had to give him a proper beating.
The corners of Aaron's mouth lifted as he said to Titan,
"Not everyone needs to be huge to be strong. Ever heard of quality over quantity?"
"Pfft..."
"Hahahaha! What a load of crap!"
"Then let's see how much quality your Pokémon has after I beat it flat."
"Come out... Emboar!"
Titan burst into mocking laughter, then threw out a Poké Ball.
A flash of light burst forth.
A 1.6-meter-tall Pokémon appeared on the field, black and orange in color, with blazing flames rising from its shoulders and a face that looked fierce and boar-like.
It was none other than the final evolution of one of the starter Pokémon.
Emboar!
"There it is... Titan's ace Fighting-type Pokémon!"
"Emboar!"
The moment Emboar appeared, the center-parted host in a tank top immediately stopped dancing and shouted excitedly from the host platform.
A glint flashed in Aaron's eyes, and Emboar's information instantly appeared before him.
[Name: Emboar]
[Gender: Male]
[Nature: Impish]
[Types: Fire / Fighting]
[Ability: Blaze]
[Base Stats Total: 528]
[Level: Gym Mid Stage]
[Potential: Champion-class]
[Known Moves: Hammer Arm (Mastery), Flame Charge (Mastery), Take Down (Mastery), Fire Punch (Mastery), Ember (Proficient), Flare Blitz (Proficient), Odor Sleuth (Proficient), Defense Curl (Proficient), Smog (Proficient), Rollout (Proficient), Heat Crash (Proficient), Flamethrower (Proficient), Head Smash (Proficient), Earthquake (Proficient)...]
[Description: Emboar, the Mega Fire Pig Pokémon and the evolved form of Pignite. It can throw a fire punch by setting its fists ablaze with the flames on its chin.]
...
A Mid-Gym-level Emboar.
Aaron's lips curled up.
An opponent of this level could only be considered an appetizer for his Infernape.
Aaron took Infernape's Poké Ball from his waist, threw it out, and said calmly,
"Infernape... let your legend begin with this battle."
"Ding!"
A flash of light swept across the field.
A 1.8-meter-tall Pokémon appeared, covered in dazzling golden fur. The flame on its head burned red-gold, and golden flames coiled around both of its hands.
Majestic.
Striking.
Ridiculously cool.
The moment this extraordinary Infernape appeared, it immediately drew a wave of surprised cries from the audience.
At the host platform, the center-parted host in a tank top instantly stopped playing basketball. His eyes widened as he shouted,
"Holy crap... that Infernape belongs to contestant Aaron!?"
"Is that some kind of golden variant!?"
"How can an Infernape look that ridiculously cool!?"
"As expected of the youngest genius contestant. Even his Pokémon stands out!"
"Amazing!"
...
"Huh?"
Across the ring, Titan looked at Aaron's strange Infernape with a trace of surprise on his face.
But when he sensed that Infernape's aura was only at Gym Early Stage, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
"Hmph... just as expected. Skinny Trainer, skinny Pokémon!"
"Emboar... show them what real power looks like!"
"Use Fire Punch!"
Titan snorted coldly and immediately ordered Emboar to attack.
The battle between Infernape and Emboar officially began.
...