The silence that followed Gisele's comment was not the awkward hush of a social faux pas; it was the heavy, pressurized stillness that precedes a localized seismic event.
I stared at Gisele, my eyes narrowing until they were shards of flint. The disbelief was so thick I could almost taste it. "Did you..." I started, my voice dangerously low, "did you just call Bruno a loser?"
I took a step forward, the wheels of my skateboard clacking sharply against the pristine tile—a harsh, discordant sound in the sterile Fog Level. "Gisele, if Bruno is a loser, then you had better start praying to every Legendary from here to Sinnoh that you even *reach* the status of a loser. Because with a standard like that, you aren't even on the board. You aren't even in the game."
### The Fury of the Field
Gisele recoiled slightly, her manicured brows knitting together in a flash of genuine irritation. "He couldn't pass the simulations, Regina. He lacked the mental discipline to calculate variables—"
"Idiotic," Gary interrupted, his voice cutting through her defense like a Scald through ice. The usual smugness was gone from Gary's face, replaced by a cold, aristocratic disdain. "Calling an Elite Four member a loser isn't just an opinion, Gisele. It's a testament to your own clinical ignorance. My grandfather has spent decades studying the battle styles of the Elite Four. Bruno doesn't calculate variables; he *dictates* them. To suggest he failed this... this glorified daycare... is a joke."
"I've seen Bruno's matches!" Ash shouted, stepping up beside me. His eyes weren't just determined; they were burning with a fanatical, hero-worshiping fire. "I watched him take on a rampaging Onix with nothing but his bare hands and his spirit! He's incredible! He's strong, he's brave, and he's a protector! You think you're better than him because you sit in a room with a computer?"
Misty and Brock were right behind him, their faces set in grim masks of anger. Brock, usually the peacemaker, looked like he was ready to step into the arena himself. "In the real world, Gisele, the Elite Four and the Champions are our military. They are the line between us and the chaos of organizations like Team Rocket or rampaging Legendaries. They are more popular than celebrities and hold more responsibility than any politician. Every kid in Kanto grows up wanting to be just a fraction as noble as Bruno."
Misty just hissed, "You think you are so great because of your grades. Bruno fights everyday against team rockets, smgglers and much more so that normal citizens like us can sleep without worry."
"Even I..." Joe stammered from the corner, his voice trembling but resolute. He looked at Gisele, the girl he had idolized just moments ago, with a look of profound disappointment. "Even I have a Bruno poster in my room. He's the reason I wanted to become a trainer. To hear you talk about him like that... it makes all this 'Theoretical Mastery' feel like a lie."
I looked at Gisele, my anger settling into a cold, sharp point. "Each and every Elite Four member works their soul to the bone to protect this region. They face things in the deep caves and the high mountains that would make your simulations crash in terror. The last thing I want to hear—the absolute *last* thing—is some rich girl who hasn't even seen a wild hyper-beam mock a man like Bruno."
Gisele's face flushed a deep, angry crimson. "Fine! You want to lecture me on 'actual' battling? Then step onto the field! If your 'grit' is so superior, prove it! Go, Marowak!"
The Ground-type materialized, its bone club spinning with practiced, lethal precision. **[Data Scan: Marowak - Class: Elite - Level 26]**.
### The Arrival of the Queen
"Glaceon, let's show her the difference between a simulation and a specialist," I said, releasing the 'Winter Queen.'
The room didn't just get colder; it felt as though the very molecules of the air had frozen in place. Glaceon stood there, her pale blue fur shimmering with a crystalline aura. She let out a soft, melodic cry that carried the weight of a blizzard.
Ash's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Woah! What Pokémon is that?! It looks like an Eevee, but... it's like it's made of diamonds!"
Gisele's jaw dropped. The clinical arrogance vanished, replaced by a staggering shock. "That's... that's one of the newly released Eeveelutions, isn't it? The Glaceon type?"
She stared, her mind racing through the news feeds. "The 'Four New Paths'... Umbreon, Espeon, Glaceon, and Leafeon. Since that research was published, the demand for Eevee has skyrocketed. Lorelei of the Elite Four has already added a Glaceon to her reserve team. Sabrina is rumored to be training an Espeon. Erika has a Leafeon in the Celadon Gym... and Drake of the Orange Crew is using an Umbreon. Even the other regions are in an uproar over the new biological data..."
She looked at me, her eyes wide. "How did a 'slum' trainer like you get a hold of a Glaceon? Those stones are priceless!"
"Like my discovery, huh?" I said, leaning back and popping a piece of gum.
The silence that followed was even heavier than the one before.
"Your... discovery?" Misty gasped.
"Wait," Gary said, blinking. "Regina, you... you're the 'researcher R' Primary byline of the Eeveelution variants paper?"
"What, can't a girl be a trainer and a researcher?" I asked, a devious smirk playing on my lips. "A G-Pro recruit has to have a side-hustle. Linda and I spent weeks on the cellular stabilization of the Eevee genome. I might not have 'high-society' tuition, but I have the keys to the evolution labs."
Gisele scrambled for her phone, her hands trembling as she pulled up the official League Research Database. She typed in the name. Her face went from red to a sickly, pale white.
"Primary Investigator: Regina," Gisele whispered, the phone nearly slipping from her fingers. "Affiliated with Oak Research and G-Corp... Verified 2026..."
I walked closer, my shadow falling over her. "What, did you think I wasn't smart because I don't use a treadmill? I was the top-ranked student in the regional trainer exam this year. And I only studied for two weeks."
Gary let out a long, weary sigh, his shoulders sagging. "I studied for two years and got fifth place. I'm starting to think you're actually a monster, Regina."
Ash looked down at his own feet, his voice small. "I... I was Rank 302."
Misty's eyes bugged out. "Rank 302?! Ash, your rank was higher than mine! I was 450!"
"I got a 200 when I gave my exam," Brock added, his voice full of new-found respect for my academic stats.
Gisele snapped her phone shut, her eyes burning with a mix of humiliation and desperation. "Less yapping! Research is just paper! Let's see if you can win an actual, physical battle, or if your Glaceon is just a trophy!"
### The Verdict of Ice
"Marowak, **Bonemerang**!"
The bone club sliced through the air, humming with kinetic energy.
"**Mirror Coat**," I said, my voice bored.
Glaceon didn't even move. A shimmering, silver veil appeared before her. The bone club hit the veil and was immediately reflected back with double the force. The Marowak barely had time to blink before its own weapon slammed into its chest, pinning it to the wall.
"One more. **Ice Beam**."
A concentrated bolt of absolute zero struck the pinned Marowak. The Pokémon didn't even have a chance to cry out before it was encased in a block of pristine ice.
"Marowak is unable to battle!" the automated system announced.
Gisele's breathing was shallow now. She recalled her Marowak and sent out her pride and joy. "Go, Starmie! **Thunderbolt**!"
The Starmie emerged, its core pulsing with a violent, electric yellow.
"**Blizzard**."
Glaceon took a deep breath. The Fog Level's climate control tried to fight it, but it was useless. A swirling vortex of snow and ice erupted from Glaceon, filling the arena. The Thunderbolt was swallowed by the storm.
When the snow cleared, the Starmie was lying flat on the tile, its core dark and its limbs frozen stiff. It hadn't even lasted two turns.
"Starmie is unable to battle. The winner is Regina."
The silence returned. Gisele just stood there, staring at her unconscious Pokémon. Her logic, her math, her 'flawless' record—it had all been dismantled by a girl who didn't even own a treadmill.
"Anyway," I said, recalling Glaceon and walking past the stunned students. "We need to talk to the Principal for Professor Oak and Linda, right Gary?"
Gary nodded, looking at the broken Gisele with a hint of pity. "Right. The field assignment. Let's go."
Ash, Misty, and Brock followed us, their heads held high, their anger satisfied by the absolute dominance they had just witnessed. Ash looked back at Gisele one last time. "Maybe you should go find Bruno and ask for an autograph. If you're lucky, he might teach you how to actually care about your Pokémon."
As we walked away, leaving Joe to stare at the broken idol of his school, I looked at Gary.
"So," I smirked. "About that lunch you're buying... I want the expensive stuff. Researching makes me hungry."
Gary just laughed, a genuine, hearty sound. "After that? Regina, you can have the whole restaurant."