Vermilion Gym was Lt. Surge’s battlefield.

  He knew every inch of this pce—

  "Volo—!"

  Voltorb grinned mischievously and eagerly activated [Self-Destruct].

  And then…

  Nothing happened.

  The smug grin on Voltorb’s face twisted into stunned confusion.

  Lt. Surge wore the exact same expression.

  August looked at the dumbfounded Lt. Surge and spread his hands.

  "Why do you look so surprised?"

  "You’re known for using Voltorb. Did you really think I wouldn’t be prepared for that?"

  "What made you assume I’d just stand here defenseless?"

  As he spoke, a timid-looking Poliwag stepped out from behind him.

  A faint mist drifted from its body, slowly spreading into the air.

  August bent down and gently patted Poliwag’s head.

  "Pokémon are fascinating, aren’t they? A tiny, weak little Poliwag—just because it has the [Damp] ability—can completely nullify the [Self-Destruct] of a Voltorb dozens of levels stronger than it."

  "You got compcent, Surge. You lost awareness of the battlefield because you assumed this gym was your home turf."

  This wild Poliwag had been lured here with Pokéblocks and [Viridian Power].

  Too bad his Mudkip had [Torrent] instead of [Damp], or he wouldn’t have needed to go through so much trouble.

  "Cut the crap!"

  Furious at his failed pn, Lt. Surge roared, "Voltorb! [Spark]!"

  Even if it couldn’t explode, Damp didn’t stop it from attacking.

  His Voltorb were still Electric-types!

  Crackle—!

  Electricity tore through the air.

  The Voltorb rolled forward, their charged bodies flickering with arcs of energy.

  Then, in a split-second burst, they shot toward August and Poliwag.

  If they nded a hit, August might very well spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.

  But—

  That was if they could hit him.

  "Did you forget my Gardevoir exists?"

  Before August even finished speaking, Gardevoir—cradling the [Psychic Pte]—suddenly radiated an intense blue light.

  Her Psychic energy resonated with the ancient artifact in her arms.

  WOMM—!

  Reality itself seemed to warp as her [Psychic] surged forward.

  In an instant, every single Voltorb’s gaze turned bnk.

  Their electricity dissipated, and they colpsed to the floor, motionless.

  A one-hit KO.

  But the psychic energy didn’t stop there—it surged toward Lt. Surge and Electabuzz as well.

  Lt. Surge couldn’t see the invisible attack, but his instincts screamed at him—danger!

  With lightning reflexes, the [Magneton] on his shoulder instantly deployed [Light Screen].

  BANG!

  The [Psychic] attack struck the barrier, causing it to tremble violently.

  Cracks spread across its surface before it suddenly shattered.

  At the st second, Electabuzz leapt in front of Lt. Surge, throwing up a second [Light Screen] to block what remained of the attack.

  Had it not done so, Lt. Surge’s fight might have ended right there.

  He warily eyed Gardevoir, who stood calmly beside August, wrapped in immense psychic energy.

  The st time he faced a Psychic-type this powerful was during a sparring match with Sabrina.

  He had lost—badly.

  But Gardevoir felt even stronger than that.

  Normally, a Champion-tier Gardevoir shouldn’t be this overwhelming.

  "Is it because of that pte?"

  Lt. Surge’s sharp eyes locked onto the floating [Psychic Pte].

  August smirked.

  "My Gardevoir says she sees fear in your eyes."

  "So—how about surrendering? The International Police actually treat prisoners pretty well. You get fresh Moomoo Milk every morning, y’know?"

  His friendly suggestion only further enraged Lt. Surge.

  "You think you’ve already won?!"

  "Let me remind you of something—you’re the one who’s too arrogant! I told you, this is my home turf!"

  At his shout, Electabuzz suddenly surged with electricity.

  Lightning arced toward the ceiling.

  With a heavy clunk-clunk-clunk, the sound of shifting machinery echoed through the gym.

  August’s eyes narrowed.

  Before he could react, dozens of two-meter-tall Tes coils rose from the arena floor, encircling the battlefield.

  The coils powered up, crackling with electricity, forming an electrified cage.

  At the same time, Electabuzz tapped into the coils, absorbing the energy they generated.

  The more it charged, the brighter its eyes burned, its presence growing more and more oppressive.

  "Ehhh-ruhh—!"

  Electabuzz smmed its fists together, sparks bursting on impact.

  With these coils, it now had limitless electricity.

  "Come on!" Lt. Surge grinned, confidence fully restored.

  Gardevoir was stronger than expected, sure.

  But in this environment, he knew he wouldn’t lose.

  August, however, didn’t even look at him.

  Instead, he curiously examined the machinery.

  "Huh… didn’t realize there was something like this under the gym," he muttered.

  But it didn’t matter.

  He pulled out his communicator and said a few words to Blue, who was still in the control room.

  A few seconds ter—

  Just as Lt. Surge was about to issue his attack command—

  "BZZT—"

  The sound of electrical discharge abruptly cut out.

  The gym’s generators powered down, the Tes coils flickered weakly twice—

  And then died.

  All the electricity vanished in an instant.

  "What… the hell?"

  Surge was dumbfounded.

  He had backup generators—Voltorb were supposed to supply emergency power.

  And he had paid his damn electricity bill!

  Why the sudden bckout?!

  August calmly adjusted his jacket and smiled leisurely.

  "You said this is your battlefield. Okay, got it."

  "Anything else you’d like to say? Go ahead—keep talking. I’m listening."

  Lt. Surge clenched his teeth so hard they nearly cracked.

  But deep inside—

  A fear he refused to acknowledge began creeping in.

  Every move he had made—every backup pn, every advantage—had been completely seen through.

  August had countered everything.

  It felt as if, in front of August, he had no secrets.

  But he knew nothing about August in return.

  Do I retreat?

  The thought crossed his mind.

  Fleeing meant giving up his Gym Leader title—giving up everything he had built in Vermilion City.

  But in this completely one-sided situation—without his Voltorb’s explosive firepower, without the home-field advantage—

  Could he really win against August’s Gardevoir?

  Just as he hesitated, August—who had been on the defensive the whole time—suddenly made his move.

  Two Poké Balls burst open.

  In fshes of white light—

  Eevee and Shelgon nded beside Gardevoir, all three ready to attack.

  Shelgon and Gardevoir charged forward—while Eevee dashed to cut off Lt. Surge’s escape route.

  Behind them, Dragonair remained by August’s side to ensure his protection.

  August calmly stroked Dragonair’s head and said,

  "I heard you like to cripple the Pokémon of rookie Trainers who challenge you."

  "So today—"

  "You get to be the challenger."

  "Let’s see how long you can st against me."

  "Crush him."