Just as the speculation peaked, the referee blew his whistle, signaling the final round.
"Steelix, use Rock Slide!" Renzo commanded quickly.
Steelix glared at Zapdos with a high-pitched screech, unafraid. Despite the legendary status of its opponent, its fighting spirit was unshaken.
The massive serpent-like Pokémon opened its jaws, conjuring sharp boulders with Ground energy. One after another, massive rocks launched toward Zapdos in the air.
Zapdos, however, was too fast. It flapped its wings sharply, soaring higher and twisting to avoid each rock. It gave a sharp cry, then tucked its wings and dove.
Renzo felt a chill. "Too fast! I can't hit it!" he murmured. He clenched his fists tightly, trying to stay calm. "Think… Think of a way to turn this around!"
Across the field, Naoki raised a hand and called out, "Zapdos, use Hurricane!"
Lightning crackled across the sky. The legendary bird's eyes narrowed, its gaze locking onto Steelix as electric sparks snapped across its wings. With a mighty flap, Zapdos generated a violent windstorm.
A shrill gust tore across the field like a cyclone. Even Steelix's massive, armored body wobbled from the sheer force.
The whirlwind struck head-on. Sand and debris swirled through the air. The brutal winds slammed into Steelix's body, leaving scratches and dents on its steel-like hide.
"Steelix, hold on!" Renzo's voice was tense. Things were clearly spiraling out of control, they had fallen into the rhythm of their opponent.
Steelix immediately slammed its tail into the ground with a thunderous boom, forcing the cracked earth beneath it to cave slightly as its massive frame dug into the soil. Embedded deeper, Steelix finally stabilized its footing amidst the storm.
Naoki narrowed his eyes, calmly observing. When he saw Steelix rooting itself in place, he gave a faint smile and called out, "Zapdos, use Heat Wave!"
The turbulent winds suddenly halted.
Renzo's heart sank. "Steelix, Dig! Hurry!"
But it was already too late.
The air turned blisteringly hot in an instant. The temperature rose rapidly, distorting the air in waves of heat shimmer. A searing gust swept across the field, washing over Steelix's metallic body. Even as it tried to burrow down to escape, the hot wind chased it like a heat-seeking phantom, slipping into every crevice.
Steelix writhed, tail thrashing violently as its armor-like body convulsed under the relentless heat. With a tortured groan, it burst out of the ground and collapsed, trembling and unable to continue the fight.
The referee hurried over, checked Steelix's condition, and blew his whistle. "Steelix is unable to battle! This match goes to Gym Leader Naoki!"
Without missing a beat, Renzo recalled Steelix and sent out his second Pokémon—Drizzile, the middle evolution of the Water-type starter from the Galar region.
Three minutes later, Drizzile was engulfed by a blinding bolt of thunder from above.
And then came his final Pokémon, Mamoswine.
But like those before it, Mamoswine was caught in another wave of Heat Wave. Within minutes, it collapsed under the punishing wind, its heavy frame no match for the Legendary Bird of Thunder.
As Renzo's third and final Pokémon fainted, the entire square fell silent.
The atmosphere was heavy. No one could believe it, Zapdos had once again swept all three opponents in a row!
The crowd around the battlefield and the viewers in the livestream alike were stunned speechless.
And with that shock came another creeping thought:
'If Zapdos is this strong… then just how terrifying are the other three Pokémon Naoki hasn't revealed yet?'
The livestream chat exploded.
"Zapdos just 3v1'd again! This thing's unstoppable!"
"There's no way Zapdos is the strongest one on his team… right?"
"He's not even the actual Gym Leader?! He's subbing in for his wife?"
"If Zapdos is only the third… what kind of monster is number six??"
As awe gave way to admiration, fans flooded in. Follows, likes, and tips poured into the stream.
After all, who wouldn't admire a trainer powerful enough to capture and battle with a Legendary Pokémon like Zapdos?
Naoki, unaware of the chaos in the chat, was calmly gathering his things.
After the battle, the Gym assistant Anya approached him and said, "Mr. Naoki, the battlefield's a mess. We can't run any more challenges like this…"
Naoki looked around and nodded. Earthquakes, burrowing, and wind blasts, his gym battlefield looked like a warzone.
"We estimate about five hours for repairs," Anya added. "In the meantime, please allow your Pokémon to rest."
"Got it," Naoki replied. He pulled out his Rotom Phone, ended the livestream, and decided to head home for now. He could return to work once the battlefield was restored.
...
Meanwhile, over at the Pokémon League's regional office.
Geeta had just wrapped up her morning duties when she remembered that today was Naoki's first day substituting at the Levincia Gym.
She quickly found Rika and asked, "It's been all morning. How's Naoki doing? Any promising challengers earn a badge?"
Rika gave a dry chuckle and replied, "Not a single one."
Geeta blinked in surprise. "Huh? Why not?"
Rika sighed. "Naoki sent out Zapdos as his third Pokémon. Every challenger was completely wiped out by it."
She paused before adding, "If this keeps up… I doubt anyone's going to pass the Levincia Gym challenge."
Geeta's eyelid twitched. "That man…" she muttered, rubbing her temples.
How did things end up like this?
No one could qualify for this year's Paldea League Tournament without first defeating the Levincia Gym, but no trainer had yet passed the Gym challenge.
And without more challengers, Paldea wouldn't attract new, rising stars.
Without new talent, the region's competitive scene would grow stale…
And if that happened, the entire region's industries, commerce, tourism, and beyond would stagnate.
All of it, slowing to a crawl.
In that moment, Geeta felt her entire world start to tremble.
"This absolutely cannot happen!"
Beside her, Rika raised an eyebrow and muttered, "You're the one who chose him, Chairwoman…"
"No—no, I have to speak with Naoki immediately."
Without another word, Geeta pulled out her Rotom Phone and called Naoki.
The call connected quickly. Naoki was in the middle of lunch. He sat at a wooden table at Tree House Ranch, surrounded by cheerful Pokémon and a very content Iono, both of them enjoying a hearty meal.
Seeing Geeta appear on the screen, Naoki looked mildly surprised. "What's the matter, Chairwoman?"
"Naoki," Geeta said with a forced smile, "you don't have to go all out on the Gym challengers…"
Naoki paused, then calmly replied, "I haven't used my full strength."
Geeta: "…"
He wasn't lying.
Compared to the sheer might of his non-Electric-type Pokémon, the Dragons, the Goat trio, and the Legendaries who guarded the World Tree, the ones he'd used so far were practically holding back.
For a long moment, Geeta was silent, unsure what to say next.
After a long pause, Geeta finally spoke again to offer a suggestion.
"How about this? You don't need to deliberately lose, and you don't have to go easy just to let someone win. But if you meet someone strong, someone with promise, a real talent who could grow into a powerful trainer, then even if they lose, you can award them the Gym Badge. Think of it as encouragement to keep going."
Naoki blinked in surprise. "Is that allowed?"
Geeta smiled and nodded. "Of course. But only if you believe they have real potential. I trust your judgment, Naoki."
Naoki paused for a moment, then gave a small nod. "Alright. I understand. I'll try that this afternoon."
"Great! I'll leave it to you then," Geeta said cheerfully, ending the call.
From across the table, Iono chuckled. "Looks like the Chairwoman was a little shaken by your performance this morning."
"Good thing I'm not a Dragon-type or Grass-type Gym Leader," Naoki said with a grin. "Otherwise, those poor challengers wouldn't stand a chance."
He muttered under his breath as he counted:
Grass-types: Calyrex, Gogoat, Gogoat, Gogoat, Ogerpon, Leafeon.
Dragon-types: Koraidon, Cyclizar, Dragonite, Dragonite, Dragonite, Dragonite.
"All thanks to my first Pokémon being an Electric type," Iono smiled. "If I'd met a Dragon-type first, I probably would be running a Dragon Gym."
Naoki laughed. "That's fine. We'll just raise our child to become a Dragon-type trainer instead!"
He was already imagining it vividly.
"When the time comes, we'll raise six Dratini just for her, let her start her journey with a full team of pseudo-legends."
A dream beginning. The kind every trainer fantasizes about.
Plus, Dragonite's movepool was massive. Water, Fire, Electric, Ice, Dragon, Flying, and Normal moves were just the start.
Some Dragonite could even master Rock, Steel, Poison, Ground, Fighting, Dark, and Psychic-type techniques.
And best of all, it could fly.
The only real downside was the long evolution time. In the games, Dragonair doesn't evolve into Dragonite until level 55.
But that didn't bother Naoki.
"We'll hatch a baby Dratini when she's born," he said confidently. "They'll grow up together. Ten years is more than enough to evolve it into Dragonite. By the time she's ten, she can set off on her journey riding Dragonite."
He clutched his chin dramatically, already seeing it unfold.
"She'll sweep through all the Gym Leaders, win the Paldea League, and become the youngest Champion in history!"
Naoki's smile widened so much it looked like it might wrap around to the back of his head.
Beside him, Iono gently touched her belly and whispered to the baby, "Your dad's doing it again…"
...
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