Ozawa walked onto the stage with his head held high, pulling an exquisite poké ball from his coat—the sphere even had a silver-plated rim.
"Let me show you the training methods of the Academic Faction Superior."
He threw the poké ball elegantly: "Bellsprout, show them the results of our special training."
A flash of white light appeared, and a Bellsprout materialized in the center of the field. This Bellsprout was indeed well-bred; its leaves were glossy and its posture was upright, clearly showing it had been meticulously cared for.
But Roy merely gave a faint wave of his hand.
"Butterfree."
Butterfree flew gracefully into the center of the field.
Ozawa touched his ear, a habitual gesture he had developed during Institute battles.
"Bellsprout, use Vine Whip!"
Two vines lashed out fiercely toward the air.
"Butterfree, Gust."
Butterfree flapped its wings, and a powerful current of air instantly swirled up. The two vines were blown into disarray before they could even get close, and Bellsprout itself was left staggering from the wind.
"Sleep Powder."
Pale yellow powder drifted down along with the wind.
Before Bellsprout could regain its footing, it inhaled the powder; its eyes closed, and it collapsed directly to the ground.
"What?"
Ozawa stood frozen in place.
From the start of the battle to the end, less than ten seconds had passed.
The surrounding area fell silent for a moment, followed by an explosion of laughter.
"That's it? An Academic Faction Superior?"
"Couldn't even last ten seconds, how hilarious!"
"And he called those special training results? The wild Bellsprout at my front door can fight better than that."
The traveling Trainers had been holding back a belly full of fire, and now it all came venting out.
Yuhiko's face turned ashen: "Ozawa, you... get down here!"
Ozawa's face flushed red as he recalled his Bellsprout and ran back to the group with his head down, his elegant demeanor completely gone.
"Next!"
Roy's voice rang out calmly.
The Study Tour Group fell silent for several seconds.
"I-I'll go!"
A girl with curly hair stepped forward—the same one who had called Roy a "braggart" earlier.
She bit her lip, seemingly wanting to regain some face: "I'm using a Zubat; a Flying-type isn't afraid of you."
"Oh."
Roy didn't even swap his Pokemon.
"Butterfree, continue."
"Zubat, use Wing Attack!"
Zubat dove down.
"Confusion."
A blue glow flickered in Butterfree's eyes. Halfway through its charge, Zubat was suddenly pinned in mid-air by an invisible force, unable to move.
"Throw it out."
With a flash of blue light, Zubat was slammed violently onto the ground and fainted.
Another instant knockout.
The curly-haired girl opened her mouth, but couldn't say a single word.
"Next."
Roy's voice sounded like he was calling attendance.
The morale of the Study Tour Group began to collapse.
A boy wearing glasses stepped onto the field with gritted teeth, using an Abra.
Abra began to doze off as soon as it came out.
"Abra, wake up! Use Confusion!" The boy with glasses was sweating profusely with anxiety.
Butterfree had already flown in front of Abra.
"Poison Powder."
Purple powder fell, and Abra was poisoned in its sleep, its physical strength draining rapidly.
"Come back! Quick, come back!" The boy with glasses hurriedly recalled Abra and ran off the stage without looking back.
Four consecutive losses.
Five consecutive losses.
Six consecutive losses... The Study Tour Group members stepped up one by one, using a variety of Pokemon: Rattata, Pidgey, Nidoran♀... but not one could last more than thirty seconds.
Butterfree even began showing off—sometimes using Sleep Powder to make opponents sleep, sometimes using Poison Powder to slowly wear them down, and sometimes directly using Confusion to throw opponents out of the ring.
Roy would intentionally adjust Butterfree's output based on the opponent's strength.
But no matter what, the result was the same: an instant knockout.
The surrounding ridicule grew louder and louder.
The traveling Trainers were feeling vindicated now, each of them standing tall.
"See that? This is real combat!"
"What you learn in the Institute is all just for show!"
"What's the use of memorizing textbooks? You still get crushed on the field!"
"Roy, it wasn't this easy when you fought us; that means we're much stronger than these Academic Faction types!"
These words resonated with the crowd.
Indeed, when Roy fought them yesterday, every match was a "narrow victory." But today, fighting these Academic Faction members was like an adult beating up children.
What did that mean?
It meant that they, the "savage" traveling Trainers, were stronger than these "noble" Academic Faction members!
Yuhiko's face had turned from blue to purple, and from purple to black.
The members of the Study Tour Group all hung their heads, wishing they could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
Finally, it was the turn of the last few people.
By the time a rebellious-looking boy with a Spearow stepped up, he had already lost his fighting spirit.
"Spearow, g-go for it..."
Spearow gave a weak cry.
"Pidgeotto."
Roy swapped his Pokemon this time.
As soon as Pidgeotto appeared, the pressure of its massive size made the Spearow tremble with fear.
"Wing Attack."
Pidgeotto dove; Spearow didn't even have a chance to react before being knocked unconscious.
"Come back."
The rebellious boy recalled his Spearow and fled as if running for his life.
At this point, every member of the Study Tour Group except Yuhiko had been defeated.
And all were instant knockouts.
Yuhiko stood in place, his whole body shaking.
Not from fear, but from rage.
He had worked hard to organize this Study Tour Group, wanting to take his juniors out to see the world and show off the superiority of the Academic Faction.
And the result?
They were completely wiped out by a rookie Trainer running a roadside challenge!
He had lost all face!
"You, you guys..." Yuhiko pointed at his companions behind him, unable to speak clearly: "They just... just enrolled! Right! They just enrolled recently! They usually only do simulated battles, they haven't had many real fights!"
The excuse was pale and weak.
A chorus of boos erupted from the surroundings.
Yuhiko spun around, jumped onto the stage, and pointed at Roy's nose: "Now! I'm coming! I will tear apart your fake win record!"
He pulled a poké ball from his waist.
"Come out, Growlithe!"
In a flash of white light, a Growlithe appeared on the field.
This Growlithe was indeed exceptionally well-bred: its fur was glossy, its eyes were sharp, and its muscle lines were smooth; it was clearly a meticulously raised Pokemon of excellent lineage.
The boos from the crowd quieted down a bit.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see that this Growlithe was on a completely different level from those previous "Academic Faction" Pokemon.
Yuhiko regained a bit of confidence and raised his head: "My Growlithe is a high-potential individual carefully selected by my family! It's not like the wild ones you catch on the roadside!"
Roy glanced at the Growlithe and nodded.
"Indeed not bad."
Then he patted his shoulder: "Pikachu, you take this one."
Pika!
Pikachu hopped gracefully into the center of the field.
Seeing Pikachu, Yuhiko actually felt a bit more settled.
He quickly recalled textbook knowledge in his head:
Pikachu, Electric-type. Growlithe, Fire-type.
In terms of attributes, there is no type advantage; they are evenly matched.
Pikachu is a common Pokemon with average potential. Growlithe is a rare Pokemon with high potential.
My Growlithe has undergone professional training and has mastered advanced skills like Flamethrower, Crunch, and Agility beyond its level.
This Pikachu looks like an ordinary specimen... as long as I perform normally, the chances of winning are very high.
Yes, I can definitely win!
Yuhiko took a deep breath and struck the standard commanding pose taught in the Institute: "Growlithe, use Agility! Create distance!"
Growlithe's figure blurred, turning into an afterimage as it darted across the field.
"Then use Flamethrower!"
While moving at high speed, Growlithe opened its mouth and spat out a scorching pillar of fire, aimed straight at Pikachu.
This "casting while moving" technique was indeed beautiful, demonstrating solid training foundations.
The watching traveling Trainers couldn't help but hold their breath; many of them wouldn't be able to handle this move.
But Roy merely said calmly: "Quick Attack, evade."
Pikachu turned into a streak of yellow light, easily dodging the pillar of fire.
"What?" Yuhiko was stunned: "Such speed?"
"Continue Flamethrower! Block its movement path!"
Growlithe spat out three consecutive fire pillars, forming a triangular pattern to seal off Pikachu's dodging space.
This move was an advanced tactic taught at the Institute.
Yuhiko already wore a victorious smile; the textbooks said that Pokemon like Pikachu fear having their movement space restricted most.
However... "Thunderbolt."
Roy's voice rang out calmly.
Pikachu didn't dodge.
It stood right in the middle of the three fire pillars, and a blinding golden light erupted from its body.
Pi—ka—chu—!!!
An incredibly powerful electric current instantly exploded outward!
The moment the three fire pillars touched the electricity, they were shredded and annihilated!
Growlithe had no time to react before being completely engulfed by the surging current!
A scream of pain followed.
The golden light faded.
Growlithe lay charred on the ground, its eyes turned into spirals.
From the start of the battle to the end, less than a minute had passed.
Yuhiko was still holding his commanding pose, his mouth open, but unable to make a sound.
His mind was a complete blank.
The textbooks... didn't write it like this... attributes were equal... potential advantage... skill advantage... why... did it turn out like this... The surrounding silence lasted for three seconds.
Then.
"Whoo—!!!"
The traveling Trainers erupted in a thunderous cheer!
"Roy! Roy! Roy!"
Someone started chanting the name first, and soon everyone followed suit.
The sound echoed throughout the entire square.
Yuhiko stiffly recalled his Growlithe, standing dazed in place.
He couldn't accept it.
He was a top student at a Pokémon Technical Institute, a Superior qualified to organize a Study Tour Group.
His Growlithe was a high-potential individual selected by his family, raised at a great cost.
How could it be... by a... common Pikachu... instantly knocked out?
"Impossible... this is impossible..."
He muttered to himself, his eyes vacant.
The members of the Study Tour Group were silent.
Some hung their heads in shame, while others stole glances at Roy with complex expressions.
The curly-haired girl bit her lip and whispered: "Actually, I think this Roy... is quite handsome..."
The nature of these Pokémon Technical Institute Trainers was to admire the strong at their core.
After Roy demonstrated such overwhelming combat power, some of them had already begun to switch sides in their hearts.
The boy with glasses next to her nudged her: "What are you saying!"
"It's true..." The curly-haired girl blushed: "He's strong and calm, way cooler than those boys in the Institute who just follow everything by the book..."
Yuhiko could no longer hear these fragmented discussions.
Roy ignored the despondent Yuhiko and walked toward Misty and Delia.
Misty jumped up excitedly: "Roy! You're amazing!"
Delia also smiled, her eyes gentle as she handed medicine to Roy.
Roy glanced at the system notification.
Defeating the entire Study Tour Group, plus Yuhiko.
Combined with the other challengers from this morning... accumulated wins: 290.
Only ten wins away from the 300-win goal.
"That's about enough."
Roy began taking down the banner.
The surrounding crowd began to stir.
"Roy, you're leaving?"
"No more challenge stage?"
Roy said while packing: "The remaining ten matches can be challenged if we meet on the road. Anyone who wants to challenge can follow along, or come whenever we meet on the way."
He paused and added: "However, the prize rules remain the same; you only get the prize money if you defeat me. But I'll only be doing 10 more matches."
As soon as he said this, many Trainers' eyes lit up.
Following Roy on the road and finding an opportunity to challenge him meant there was still a chance to get the prize money.
Though the chance was slim, it was better than nothing.
This was exactly the effect Roy wanted—to attract some Trainers to travel with him so he could farm the win count at any time.
As for that group of rich kids from the study tour... Roy finished packing his things, and as he turned to leave, his gaze swept over them.
Yuhiko was still frozen in place like a statue.
Others felt ashamed, some were curious, and some... had a strange light shining in their eyes.
Roy merely gave a faint smile at this.
He led Misty and Delia away from the square under everyone's gaze.
They left the village and continued on the road toward Vermilion City.
Misty was still immersed in the excitement from earlier: "Roy, did you see that Yuhiko's expression? Haha, it was hilarious! Calling themselves a Pokémon Technical Institute, and then getting taken out by your Pikachu in a second!"
Delia said softly: "His Growlithe was indeed well-raised, it's just that his commanding seemed to have major issues."
Even Delia could see Yuhiko's problem.
Roy nodded: "Pokemon battles are dynamic, while textbooks are static. A Trainer who only knows how to memorize books will never become a powerhouse."
As he walked, he checked the condition of his Pokemon.
After nearly three hundred battles, although most were stomps, the improvement in combat techniques for his three Pokemon was immense.
Pikachu now had much finer control over its electricity, able to release and withhold it at will.
Pidgeotto's aerial combat skills were becoming more refined, and the way it applied force in Wing Attack had been optimized several times.
Butterfree showed the most obvious progress; it could now simultaneously manipulate three types of powder—Sleep Powder, Poison Powder, and Stun Spore—and could precisely control the distribution range and concentration.
Naturally, they had also gained plenty of experience.
Roy pulled up the system interface:
[Pokemon: Pikachu, Level: lv23→lv26]
[Pokemon: Pidgeotto, Level: lv25→lv27]
[Pokemon: Butterfree, Level: lv16→lv20]
Butterfree broke through level 20, officially entering the Common Grade.
Now the entire team was at the Common Grade or above.
With this lineup, he could almost walk sideways through the early stages of the journey.
But Roy didn't relax.
Because he knew the next opponent he had to challenge was that "Beast Tamer A.J."—a tough guy who had achieved a 99-win streak.
To be able to hit a 99-win streak in the wild meant that A.J's practical combat ability was extremely strong, definitely not a showy Academic Faction type.
Roy decided to maintain his respect.
He took out three Basic Rare Candies from his system inventory.
These were rewards obtained from completing previous tasks, which he had been saving.
"Pidgeotto, come here."
Roy fed all three candies to it.
The candies melted instantly in its mouth, turning into pure energy that flooded into Pidgeotto's body.
A white light flickered on Pidgeotto's body, and its aura climbed step by step!
[Pokemon: Pidgeotto, Level: lv27→lv30]
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