"Hmm?! Caught already? What a pity..."

  Aaron looked up at Paul, slightly surprised at how quickly the two battles ended—one victorious, the other defeated. He couldn’t help but ment. That Skorupi had exceptional potential.

  With its natural poison abilities, if trained well, it could easily reach the Elite Four level and wreak havoc on Gardenia’s Pokémon.

  "Mr. Aaron, is it? I’m Paul from Veilstone City. I formally challenge you to a battle." Paul said politely, fixing his gaze on Aaron.

  "What?! First, you steal my Pokémon, and now you want to challenge my cousin?! Are you serious?"

  Aaron's younger cousin, Arsen, stepped forward, scrutinizing Paul.

  Though Paul had shown some skill by defeating Skorupi, the gap between an ordinary trainer and an Elite Four member was like night and day.

  Paul remained silent, maintaining his determined stare at Aaron.

  "Oh? A direct challenge, huh? That’s rare. Alright, I accept." Aaron said after a brief pause, his expression shifting to one of interest.

  Strong trainers sometimes refuse weaker challengers—not out of arrogance, but because accepting such battles often leads to the weaker party realizing their own inadequacy in a painful way. A self-esteem-crushing defeat can be troubling to deal with.

  "The battle will be a 5-on-5 match. The side whose all Pokémon defeated first, loses." Paul decred, readying his remaining team, excluding the Skorupi he had just captured.

  "Uncommon rules, huh? Fine. Let’s see what you’ve got." Aaron said with a confident smile, tossing a Poké Ball.

  "Vespiquen, let’s do this!"

  "Buzz~"

  A burst of white light revealed Vespiquen, a regal yet fearsome Pokémon. Its bck-and-yellow "gown" shimmered as its thin wings kept it hovering in the air. Its crimson eyes gred menacingly, with a red, diamond-shaped gem on its forehead, sharp mandibles below, and a hive-like structure forming its lower body.

  Vespiquen exuded both beauty and terror.

  "Vespiquen?"

  Aaron was known for two ace Pokémon: his Drapion, which lost its Bug typing upon evolution, and Vespiquen.

  Paul thought for a moment before making his choice.

  "Vulpix, get ready to fight!"

  "Vul~"

  Vulpix leapt forward, eyeing its opponent with fierce determination.

  "Fmethrower!" Paul commanded.

  At his word, Vulpix unleashed a roaring stream of fire toward Vespiquen.

  "Ssh it apart!" Aaron said calmly.

  "Buzz~"

  Vespiquen waited until the fmes were close before raising a glowing arm and slicing through the fiery attack, dispersing it effortlessly.

  "Fsh Fire—go again!"

  Though the first attack failed, Vulpix’s body glowed red as its Fsh Fire ability activated, enhancing its power. A second more intense Fmethrower surged toward Vespiquen.

  "Gust!"

  Without moving from its position, Vespiquen fpped its wings slightly, creating a powerful gust that snuffed out the fmes and blew the attack away, the force continuing toward Vulpix.

  "Agility! Bst Burn!"

  Vulpix barely evaded the wind attack by darting to the side, its movements swift and nimble. It retaliated with an explosive burst of fiery energy aimed at Vespiquen.

  "Power Gem!"

  The red gem on Vespiquen's forehead gleamed, forming a glowing sphere of energy that transformed into a massive, radiant stone. The stone absorbed the fiery attack without budging.

  "Iron Tail!"

  Suddenly, Vulpix appeared behind Vespiquen, its six tails glowing metallic as they struck from multiple directions.

  Boom!

  The csh of steel and stone echoed. The Power Gem, repositioned like a shield, blocked the surprise attack completely.

  "Enough. Sludge Bomb!"

  Turning to face Vulix, Vespiquen formed a dark purple sphere of energy in its cws and hurled it. The sphere burst upon contact, covering Vulpix in toxic sludge.

  "Bang!"

  Covered in filth, Vulpix colpsed.

  "The power gap..."

  Paul murmured to himself as he withdrew Vulpix. Taking out another Poké Ball, he released his next Pokémon.

  "Dewott, use Aerial Ace!"

  "Cha-cha!"

  Dewott, eager for battle, rushed forward with its twin swords glowing brightly. Leaping high, it sshed at Vespiquen with precision.

  "Ssh!"

  Vespiquen met the attack head-on, deflecting Dewott’s strikes effortlessly. Its other arm countered, nding a clean hit on Dewott’s midsection and sending it flying.

  "Impressive resilience. Finish it—Gust!"

  Realizing Dewott had withstood the hit, Vespiquen unleashed a powerful gust of wind that struck the airborne Pokémon, knocking it out.

  Paul returned Dewott to its Poké Ball and released his next Pokémon.

  "Gardevoir, it’s your turn!"

  "Gar~de!"

  Gardevoir appeared reluctantly but prepared itself for the battle.

  "Moonbst!"

  Gardevoir formed a radiant sphere of moonlight energy and unched it like a disc toward Vespiquen.

  "Gust!"

  Another gust scattered the Moonbst and swept Gardevoir off its feet.

  "Hypnosis!"

  Teleporting behind Vespiquen, Gardevoir unleashed a hypnotic wave.

  "Struggle Bug!"

  A green shield of energy surrounded Vespiquen, repelling the hypnosis and turning into a shockwave that struck Gardevoir.

  "Teleport!"

  Gardevoir evaded with another Teleport, reappearing in a corner.

  However, Vespiquen anticipated the move, sensing the spatial ripples. Swarms of Combee-like energy constructs emerged from Vespiquen’s hive, firing green beams at Gardevoir.

  "Bang!"

  Explosions erupted as the beams connected. When the dust settled, Gardevoir y unconscious on the ground.

  If you want to access advance chapters, please visit: patreon.com / PMadz_23