The dust from the Safari Zone had barely settled, but the air around the training field was already vibrating with a different kind of heat. Cross stood across from me, his silhouette framed by the setting sun. He looked like a man who had finally trapped the thing that haunted his ego.
"I'll give you a free hit, Researcher," Cross smirked, his voice dripping with a condescension that made my skin crawl. "Not like you'll win anyway. This one is a new addition—caught him before the Rhydon—but he's more than enough to put a little 'essay writer' in her place."
I didn't answer. I just raised a single eyebrow, my G-Pro terminal silently logging the atmospheric pressure.
"Go, **Pinsir**!"
[Data Scan: Pinsir]
Rank: PSEUDO-CHAMPION
Level: 35
Status: Highly Aggressive
'How much money did this bastard spend to find a Pseudo-Champion in the wild?' I thought. 'Nelly, run a background check on local black-market auctions later.'
"Fine," I said, my voice dangerously calm. "A new Pokémon for a new Pokémon. Mine needs a taste of a real battle anyway."
Cross's face contorted into a snarl. He didn't like that I wasn't intimidated. He didn't like that I was treating his 'ultimate weapon' like a training exercise.
"Go, Psyduck!"
The golden duck materialized, clutching its head with both flippers, its eyes wide and vacant. It let out a confused *"Quack?"* as it wobbled on the sand.
I leaned down near Psyduck, ignoring the roar of laughter from the small crowd of trainers watching. "Trust me, Ducky," I whispered. "We just have to do exactly as we trained in the Habitat. Focus on the rhythm. I'm right here with you."
Psyduck stopped wobbling. It looked at me, and for a brief second, the vacancy in its eyes was replaced by a sharp, crystalline clarity. It nodded.
"Pinsir, end this joke! **Close Combat**!" Cross roared.
The Pinsir didn't move—it vanished. It was a blur of brown chitin and jagged horns, closing the gap in a heartbeat.
"**Water Pulse**!"
Psyduck didn't panic. It inhaled, and a sphere of high-pressure sapphire energy erupted from its bill. It slammed into the Pinsir's chest, the impact sounding like a sledgehammer hitting a brick wall. The Pinsir staggered, its armor cracking, but the momentum of the Close Combat was too great. It plowed through the water, its massive pincers catching Psyduck and tossing the duck into the air like a ragdoll.
"Now, while you're up there! **Scald**!"
I had spent a permanent Skill Manual on this. In the real world, Scald wasn't just hot water; it was a pressurized stream of boiling, geothermal liquid. Psyduck spun in mid-air and unleashed a torrent of steam and boiling water. It drenched the Pinsir, the heat so intense that the bug-type's shell began to turn a dull, cooked red.
*Ssssss!*
"The burn!" I shouted, pumping my fist.
Cross tched, his jaw tightening. Pinsir was a Bug-type; fire and heat were its primal nightmares. With the **Burn** condition slowing its physical output and eating away at its stamina, the Pinsir's movements became sluggish, its grip on the sand failing.
The battle became a frantic dance of desperation. Pinsir tried to end it with a **Cross Scissors**, its horns glowing with a deadly white light.
Teddy was on the sidelines, jumping up and down, barking encouragement at the duck. "Teddi! Ursa-Ursa!"
"Psyduck... the headache. Let it go! **Confusion**!"
Psyduck's eyes turned a terrifying, glowing blue. The air around the Pinsir shattered. The psychic wave collided with the Cross Scissors in a spray of sparks and mental static. When the dust cleared, the Pinsir was sprawled on its back, its eyes swirling.
"Pinsir is unable to battle!"
Cross recalled his Pinsir, his hand shaking with rage. He didn't say a word. He reached for a heavy, dark Pokéball on the back of his belt.
"You think you're smart? You think a lucky burn makes you a master?" Cross's voice was a low tremor. "Go, **Incineroar**! Kill it!"
**[Data Scan: Incineroar]**
**Rank:** PSEUDO-CHAMPION
**Level:** 59
**Aura:** Burning Malice
My heart stopped. Level 59. This wasn't a gap; it was a canyon. Psyduck fought like a hero, dodging a **Darkest Lariat** and landing one last **Water Pulse**, but the Incineroar was a mountain of muscle. With a single, casual **Flare Blitz**, the golden duck was sent tumbling back to my feet, unconscious.
"Good job, Ducky," I whispered, recalling him. "You showed him the brain is better than the brawn."
I stood up, and the air around me started to shimmer. I didn't reach for a new Pokémon. I reached for the one that started it all.
"Remember her, Cross?" I asked, my voice dropping an octave. "You abandoned her because she wasn't 'good enough.'"
"Go, **Goldie**!"
The **Charmeleon** appeared. Her metallic amber scales caught the twilight, her tail flame roaring so high it singed the grass. She looked at Cross, her eyes narrowing with a recognition that was ancient and cold.
Cross's eyes widened. He pulled out his Pokedex, his fingers fumbling. "No... that can't be. That specimen was Elite potential at best. It was damaged! The egg was a dud!"
"The shipment damaged her egg, Cross," I said, my voice like ice. "Her potential was suppressed by trauma and poor nutrition. All she needed was someone who saw the Champion inside the shell. Something you're incapable of."
Cross's face went pale, then flushed a deep, ugly purple. "Liar! It doesn't matter! Potential doesn't bridge fifteen levels! Incineroar, **Bulk Up** then **Throat Chop**!"
The battle was a nightmare of fire. Goldie was faster, more refined, but every time she landed a **Dragon Rush** or a **Magma Spit**, the Incineroar would shrug it off and retaliate with a blow that shook the earth. Goldie was being pushed back, her breathing heavy, her amber scales covered in soot.
She was on the verge of collapsing. The Incineroar lunged for the finishing **Blast Burn**.
"GOLDIE!"
Something snapped.
It wasn't the usual activation of **Blaze**. Usually, the tail flame just grew larger. But this time, the flame turned a violent, screaming blue-white. Goldie's eyes didn't just glow; they turned into pits of white-hot fire. She let out a scream that sounded like a tectonic plate cracking.
*Berserk Blaze.*
I recognized it instantly. It was the same phenomenon that had made Ash's Chimchar a legend. She lost herself. Goldie didn't wait for my command. She threw herself at the Incineroar like a maniac, her claws wreathed in **Dragon Claw** energy so sharp it cut through the Incineroar's fur. She was biting, scratching, and unleashing **Flamethrowers** that melted the very sand beneath them.
"Incineroar, get her off you! **Cross Chop**!" Cross panicked, his voice cracking.
The Incineroar was struggling. Even with a 15-level advantage, it was being mauled by a creature that no longer felt pain. Goldie was a whirlwind of golden fury.
But the gap was too wide. Eventually, the Incineroar caught her mid-air with a desperate **Outrage**. The impact was cataclysmic. Goldie was slammed into a stone pillar, the pillar shattering into a thousand pieces.
The white light of the Berserk Blaze faded. Goldie fell to the sand, her body trembling, fainted.
"Charmeleon is unable to battle," the referee whispered, clearly shaken.
I sighed, a heavy weight in my chest. I walked onto the field, the silence of the trainers deafening. I knelt beside Goldie. She opened one eye, looking at me with a heartbreakingly apologetic expression.
"It's okay," I whispered, leaning down to kiss her forehead. The skin was still hot to the touch. "You fought like a queen. We'll learn to harness that fire together, I promise."
She let out a tiny, tired chirp and nuzzled my hand before I recalled her.
Cross let out a hysterical, jagged laugh. "I WON! YOU SEE THAT? I WON, REGINA! THE CHAMPION IS THE WINNER!"
I looked over at him. He was standing tall, but his Incineroar was slumped on one knee, its chest heaving, blood and burn marks covering its body. It looked like it had been through a war it barely survived.
I didn't say a word. I walked over to Cross, pulled a Super Potion from my bag, and tossed it to him. Then, I pulled out a stack of Poké Dollars—the winnings—and handed them over.
"Congratulations on your win, Cross," I said, my voice devoid of any emotion.
I picked up Teddy, who was whimpering and reaching for the ball where Goldie rested. I tucked the bear under my arm, feeling his small heart racing.
"I WON, REGINA! SAY IT! I'M THE STRONGER TRAINER!" Cross screamed at my back, his voice echoing through the Safari Zone gates.
I didn't look back. I just hopped onto my board, kicked off the pavement, and gave a casual, two-fingered wave over my shoulder as I glided away into the sunset.
I looked down at the Soul Badge in my pocket and the Safari Ball on my belt. We had the data. We had the fire. And now, we had work to do.
**[Chapter 58: END]**