"Let me have a look."
Red picked up the three Mega Stones and examined them carefully.
Then he opened his system interface.
"Not bad."
"One of these is actually a pseudo-legendary Pokémon's Mega Stone."
"A pseudo-legendary?"
Professor Oak's eyes immediately lit up.
"Is it Dragonite's?"
Red waved his hand.
"No."
"It's a Garchomp Mega Stone."
"The other two belong to Audino and Sharpedo."
Hearing the names of the three Pokémon, Professor Oak visibly lost interest.
He simply tossed the pouch to Red.
"Then identifying Mega Stones and figuring out how Mega Evolution works will be your responsibility, Gym Leader Red."
Looking at the Mega Stones in his hand, Red was in an excellent mood.
"I didn't expect to get Garchomp's Mega Stone."
"That's pretty lucky."
Incidentally, the pseudo-legendary Mega Stone Red had previously obtained from Gary was Dragonite's.
At this point, he had already collected Mega Stones for three pseudo-legendaries:
Dragonite.
Tyranitar.
And Garchomp.
He was confident that it wouldn't be long before he completed the entire Mega Stone collection.
Just then, Ninetales swished her tails and leaned eagerly into Red's arms.
"Master..."
"Will there be a Mega Stone for Ninetales too?"
Red sighed apologetically.
"Unfortunately..."
"Based on everything I know so far, there isn't one."
"The only fox Pokémon with a Mega Evolution is Delphox."
"Oh..."
Ninetales immediately looked crestfallen.
Her fox ears, which had been perked upright, drooped into little airplane ears.
She looked utterly dejected.
Unable to resist, Red gently rubbed her soft ears.
"Don't worry."
"Even if you can't Mega Evolve, I'll never think any less of you."
"And besides..."
"You've inherited Moltres's Sacred Flame now, haven't you?"
"I've noticed your condition has improved a lot lately."
Ninetales touched the flame-shaped mark on her forehead and grinned foolishly.
"Hehe..."
"It may only be a tiny wisp, but Moltres's flame is the real deal."
"Lately my whole body feels warm all the time."
While Red was chatting with Ninetales...
Ma Zhiji had already stepped onto the battlefield.
The smug expression on his face made it seem as though he'd already won the tournament.
The moment many spectators saw him, they frowned.
Especially the little girl who had previously thanked Red and Ash.
Pointing at him, she shouted,
"He's not a good person!"
"He's not fit to be a Gym Leader!"
Of course...
She wasn't the only Trainer Ma Zhiji had bullied.
Many people in the crowd were whispering among themselves.
"How is Ma Zhiji even allowed to compete?"
"I thought his Gym would've been shut down ages ago."
...
Listening to the spectators' comments, Ma Zhiji's overbearing expression finally cracked.
After a brief moment of embarrassment, he instinctively wanted to start cursing.
But before he could...
Lt. Surge shot him a cold glare.
Rubbing his forehead in annoyance, he said,
"Keep your mouth shut."
"Win your match."
"Then come back."
"Don't create any more trouble."
Internally, Lt. Surge couldn't help thinking,
"Do you really think everyone in the League is blind?"
"You think they can't tell where that Ampharos came from?"
Being cursed at by the audience...
Scolded by his own older cousin...
And unable to talk back...
Ma Zhiji's anger continued to build.
He stared at his upcoming opponent.
Inwardly...
He had already sentenced her Pokémon to death.
"If her Pokémon can even stand within the next half month..."
"I'll write my name backwards."
"Go, Ampharos!"
"Go, Tauros!"
A young woman wearing a straw hat released her Pokémon.
It was a Level 45 Tauros that had clearly been raised with exceptional care.
She was Kanto's Normal-type Gym Leader.
She also happened to be the youngest daughter of Kanto's largest ranching family.
Although her family was wealthy...
She had always dreamed of becoming a Pokémon Trainer instead.
So she left the family business behind and set out on her own journey.
After reaching the Top Four in the League Conference two tournaments ago, she eventually became Kanto's Normal-type Gym Leader.
Her name was Chen Xiaoqing.
The cheerful young woman had no idea...
...what was about to happen.
"Ampharos!"
"Thunderbolt!"
Facing a level difference of more than ten...
Unless it was a monster like one of Red's main Pokémon...
Ordinary Pokémon simply couldn't overcome such a gap.
Chen Xiaoqing hadn't expected to win in the first place.
She had only hoped to gain experience battling a powerful opponent.
But...
That wasn't how Ma Zhiji intended to fight.
From the very first second...
He went all out.
His assault was even more merciless than when he'd crippled the Bug-type Gym Leader's Pinsir.
Thunder.
Fire Blast.
Dragon Pulse.
A relentless barrage instantly swallowed Tauros in a sea of explosions.
Tauros didn't even have time to scream.
It was knocked out in an instant.
The referee wanted to intervene...
But faced with an onslaught as dense as a bullet hell, there was nothing he could do.
At that moment...
Agatha let out a cold snort.
A ghostly shadow shot from beneath her feet and rushed into the battlefield, pulling Tauros free.
A plump purple Gengar stared at the nearly charred Tauros and fell into deep thought.
"It's practically beef jerky already..."
"Can you still eat beef that's this burnt?"
Agatha rose to her feet and glared icily at Ma Zhiji.
"This is your first offense."
"If there's a next time..."
"I'll disqualify you immediately."
"Tauros!"
Ignoring Agatha's warning, Chen Xiaoqing rushed over crying.
It was obvious that this ranch owner's daughter had never experienced anything like this before.
Tears streamed down her face as she frantically poured one bottle after another of expensive healing medicine onto Tauros as though money meant nothing.
Looking at the blackened Tauros...
And the nearly sobbing Chen Xiaoqing...
Ma Zhiji instead felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction.
The anger he'd built up from being ridiculed moments earlier was finally released.
Looking at Agatha's dark expression, he casually cupped his fists.
"Thank you for the reminder, Senior Agatha."
"I'll be more careful."
"There won't be a next time."
But as he walked past Chen Xiaoqing, he muttered quietly—just loud enough for only the two of them to hear.
"If you're too weak..."
"You deserve it for stepping onto the battlefield."
Chen Xiaoqing stared at him in disbelief.
As a straightforward Trainer...
She simply couldn't understand people like Ma Zhiji.
At that moment, however, Ma Zhiji noticed the high-grade healing medicine she was using.
A trace of curiosity flashed across his eyes.
"She isn't especially strong."
"She's just an ordinary Gym Leader..."
"But she seems surprisingly rich."
Clearly...
Ma Zhiji had no idea who Chen Xiaoqing really was.
Or rather...
Because she had always kept such a low profile, even Agatha and the others weren't aware of the background behind her family.
Only Professor Oak, who had worked with Kanto's ranching industry before, stroked his chin in confusion.
"Are Gym Leaders these arrogant nowadays?"
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◇ You can read 60+ chapter ahead on P@treon if you're interested:
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✨ Bonus Chapter Goals ✨
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100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter