"Didn't your teacher teach you this?"
Alex glanced at the stunned students around him and spoke slowly, voice calm and clear. "Ground-type Pokémon are indeed immune to Electric-type moves… under normal circumstances."
The entire crowd held its breath, staring at him like he was revealing some forbidden secret. They were still reeling from the impossible sight of Cubone being one-shotted by Thunderbolt.
"Cubone was completely soaked from falling into the pool," Alex continued. "Water nullifies its Ground-type immunity. That's why Pikachu's Thunderbolt worked perfectly."
He turned to Yuto Sundae with a small, mocking smile. "No way, no way. We traveling Trainers all know this basic fact… but you students at the prestigious Pokémon Research School don't?"
He shook his head in exaggerated disappointment. "That shouldn't be. Most schools teach this in the first week. What exactly do you have between your ears? It must be nothing. Anyone who's learned even the slightest bit about real Pokémon battles would know this."
"I suggest you stop thinking from now on."
"Why?" one student asked without thinking.
"Don't easily use your brains," Alex replied. "Based on your performance today, I've concluded that one side of your brain is water and the other is flour. If you move it too much, it turns straight into paste."
Yuto Sundae's face went from pale to furious red. She opened her mouth to retort, but no words came out. In the end she could only lower her proud head like a frost-bitten eggplant, cheeks burning with shame.
The boomerang had come back so fast. The surrounding students felt the sting too. They had mocked Alex before the battle even started, and now they were the ones being roasted for having no brains. Their faces burned with embarrassment, but with their strongest student already defeated, none of them dared talk back.
Misty's heart pounded as she watched Alex. A faint, radiant smile curved her lips, her eyes sparkling with admiration and something warmer.
The three sycophants had gone completely silent. Even the self-proclaimed noble Yuto Sundae had lowered her head in front of Alex.
Alex felt fantastic. They had mocked him before the fight, during the fight, and now the final result had slapped them all across the face and left them speechless.
"You learned a little superficial knowledge and started running your mouths," he continued. "You don't even know basic battle mechanics. I really don't know what you've been studying in that fancy school. When you lose, reflect on yourselves instead of bragging about being honor students who can enter the Indigo Plateau Conference without a single Gym Badge."
"Yes—if you honor students actually show up at the Indigo Plateau Conference, you'll be knocked out in the first round. Actually, I'm being too generous. With your current strength, you might not even graduate."
"And… your so-called top honor student just got completely destroyed by me while at a type disadvantage."
Yuto Sundae's face cycled from green to white. *This guy is talking about me…*
"Let's go," Alex said, scooping up Pikachu and setting the little mouse on his shoulder. "I haven't even warmed up yet."
Misty nodded eagerly. These students weren't particularly strong, but their arrogance was off the charts. They looked down on real Gym Trainers just because they studied in a fancy school. It felt incredibly satisfying to watch them get humbled.
"Alex… I lost this time," Yuto Sundae admitted, voice tight but honest. She had her pride. She stared at Alex's retreating back, eyes burning with determination. "Next time, at the Indigo Plateau Conference, I will defeat you personally… and trample you under my foot!"
It was the first time the spoiled rich girl had ever been treated this way. She already planned to ask her Champion cousin at home for help teaching Alex a lesson. No—she had never suffered such humiliation in her life. She wanted to get revenge herself.
As she watched Alex walk away, a strange new desire sparked deep inside her. She wanted to conquer him. She wanted to turn the calm, indifferent Alex into her personal male servant—someone who would be at her beck and call, obeying her every whim.
Just imagining it made her thighs press together. Alex on his knees in front of her, calling her "Mistress," serving her every need… The thought sent a hot shiver through her body.
**Ding! Task Completed: Defeat Yuto Sundae in the way she is most proud of, and humiliate her along the way!**
**Task Reward: A 'Pokémon Egg' (very useful for disobedient ones)**
The system notification rang in Alex's mind and the special item appeared in his inventory.
*You want to trample me underfoot, huh?* Alex thought with a dark little smile. *It's not impossible… and you still have that food certificate.*
Next time he saw Yuto Sundae, if she was still acting like this arrogant princess, that special 'Pokémon Egg' would be used on her. She could become a perfect little maid, taking care of him and Misty whenever they wanted.
Sometimes when he and Delia were too tired from "playing" and didn't feel like moving, Yuto Sundae could handle everything for them.
Alex felt she was just a spoiled rich girl with a heavy princess complex.
He could be a good person and help correct that for her.
Meanwhile, Misty walked beside him in an extremely joyful mood. Her smile refused to fade as they left the school grounds.
Those students had badmouthed the Cerulean Gym the moment they opened their mouths. Now they were left doubting their entire lives, and Misty felt deeply satisfied.
She kept thinking about what Alex had said earlier.
He had openly declared he was from the Cerulean Gym and stood up for it—for her sake.
Her sisters had let the gym's reputation fall so far, and Alex had helped fix it. She hoped her three older sisters would finally start taking the gym more seriously.
Misty glanced at Alex's profile, cheeks warm. She felt closer to him than ever. They had shared so many "accidental" intimate moments, and now he had defended her gym like it was his own.
In her heart, Alex was already more than a friend… but not quite a lover yet. All that was missing was the right moment for one of them to confess and change everything.
The tsundere side of Misty was naturally reluctant to make the first move. She was still waiting for Alex to take the initiative.
She wasn't a proactive person when it came to matters of the heart!
…At least, not yet.
(End of Chapter 28)