The foggy forest was so thick that Alex could barely see the path ahead. He and Misty had gotten completely turned around.
"I remember there was a Pokémon School somewhere around here," Alex muttered, glancing at the map again. According to it, they were supposed to pass the school on the correct route.
"Directionally challenged…" Misty grumbled under her breath.
"Then stop clinging to me and lead the way yourself," Alex teased, pretending to pull his arm free.
"No!" Misty immediately tightened her grip, hugging his arm even harder and pressing her soft body flush against his side. Her full breasts squished warmly against his bicep, the thin fabric of her top doing nothing to hide how her nipples had stiffened from the cool mist.
*You're just scared of bugs if you walk in front, aren't you?* Alex thought with an amused smirk, but he let her cling to him anyway. Her body heat, the way her chest jiggled slightly with every step, and the occasional brush of her thigh against his made the foggy trek far more enjoyable than it should have been.
*Hopefully next time it won't be my arm she's clinging to…*
"Look, there's a Caterpie right ahead!" Alex suddenly stopped.
"Ahh!" Misty shrieked, instantly burying herself behind him and squeezing his arm so tightly that her soft breasts molded even more firmly against his muscles. The slippery, warm pressure of her chest rubbing against him sent a spark straight down his spine.
"Quick, chase it away!" she begged, face hidden against his shoulder.
*Machamp girl…* Alex thought, enduring the delicious torture of her constant squeezing. There was both the sweet pain of her grip and the addictive, slippery sensation of her breasts sliding against his arm.
A moment later Misty peeked out and realized there was no Caterpie at all—Alex had tricked her.
"You jerk!" she hissed, cheeks burning as she unleashed her "Nine Yin White Bone Claw" on him, fingers digging straight into his weak spots with playful vengeance.
*You'd better not give me a chance to attack YOUR weak points…* Alex thought, grinning as he dodged and let her chase him through the fog.
The two of them bickered and played the whole way, startling a Rattata that had poked its head out of the bushes. It took one look at the noisy pair and immediately scurried back into hiding.
They were still laughing and teasing each other when four Trainers in neat student uniforms stepped out of the mist.
The students flashed their Poké Balls and called out arrogantly, "Hey, you two are traveling Trainers, right? How about a quick battle? It won't take long—our Pokémon will crush yours in no time."
Alex raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that?"
"Absolutely sure," the four students replied in unison, clearly looking down on them. "We're students at the Pokémon Research School. We've studied way more about Pokémon than you ever could."
Misty crossed her arms and smirked. "If you're so amazing, you must have a bunch of Gym Badges, right?" Her voice dripped with sarcasm. "No way… you're studying at a fancy Pokémon school and you don't even have a single badge?"
The four students choked, faces turning red. "We don't need those things!" one of them snapped. "Are we battling or not?!"
Misty was more than ready. She had been subtly mocked by that green-clad girl earlier, and now these arrogant students were provoking her. She wanted to make them taste defeat.
Alex would handle three of them. The remaining girl would be Misty's opponent.
Seeing the three boys stepping forward to take turns, Alex waved them off. "No need to waste time. All three of you come at once."
The three students froze, then their expressions turned furious. Their gazes toward Alex grew icy. They were being looked down on—and he had the nerve to tell them to attack together.
They sent out Pidgey, Spearow, and Geodude—all Level 14.
They glanced at the Pikachu Alex sent out and sneered. They had expected some powerful Pokémon, not this little yellow mouse.
Alex didn't care. Pikachu's strength would speak for itself soon enough.
"Go!"
The moment the command left his mouth, a violent surge of electricity exploded outward, crackling across the battlefield.
The three Pokémon scattered into position.
"Pidgey, Gust!"
"Spearow, Peck!"
Both Flying-types dove at Pikachu while Geodude rolled forward to pin it down.
Pikachu blurred forward, dodging their attacks with ease, then leapt and slammed its glowing Iron Tail straight into Geodude.
**BANG!**
Geodude was launched like a cannonball, smashing into a tree and sliding to the ground, eyes spinning—unable to battle.
"You can't escape!" the two remaining Trainers shouted. Their Pidgey and Spearow kept diving, but every attack mysteriously missed, as if Pikachu was toying with them.
They had never faced anything like this before. Weren't Flying-types supposed to pressure the Electric-type while Geodude closed in? Why was everything going wrong?
"Thunderbolt," Alex said calmly.
He targeted the aggressive Spearow first. The bird dove with its sharp beak aimed straight at Pikachu.
"Pika… CHUUU!"
A dazzling bolt of electricity shot out and struck Spearow head-on. The Flying-type crashed to the ground, charred and twitching, completely defeated.
One Thunderbolt later, the last Pidgey joined it—blackened, smoking, and unable to battle.
Pikachu had taken down all three Pokémon in moments.
On the other side of the field, Misty had already finished her battle with the girl, winning just as easily.
The four students stared at their fainted Pokémon in stunned silence, faces pale and spirits crushed.
Losing to two random traveling Trainers was a devastating blow to their pride.
"How is this possible…?" one of them whispered.
"We're students at the Pokémon Research School! We've studied so much from textbooks… how could we lose to you?!"
(End of Chapter 25)