"Shuck!"
Seeing his partner so weak, Shuckle—still dangling in the air—used his hands and feet to swing himself forward with the help of the Vibrava balloon, approaching Charmander.
"Chaarrr, Chaarrr!"
Charmander stood up and let out a couple of cheerful cries, extending his tiny claws to grab Shuckle.
Then, the little dragon removed the stopper from Shuckle's shell, and with a glup glup glup began drinking the juice Shuckle had fermented, showing an expression of pure bliss.
Seeing this, Ethan smiled faintly. When Charmander finished eating and drinking, looking completely satisfied, Ethan prepared to leave with him.
But just as he was about to step out of the battlefield, a group of people appeared in front of him, completely surrounding the area.
"What do you want?"
Ethan took a few steps back and quietly placed his hand near the belt where his Poké Balls hung.
At his side, Charmander and Vibrava also took up alert positions, leaving behind their earlier relaxed demeanor.
"What we want?"
" Weren't you the one who wanted to challenge our entire university?"
"And now you're scared after seeing us come in a group?"
The student who seemed to be the leader sneered coldly, throwing a Poké Ball onto the field.
"If you want to get out of here, try it. Defeat my Pokémon. Otherwise, you're not taking a single step out of this field today."
With that, the Poké Ball opened and a muscular, four-armed Machamp appeared.
"I think there's been a misunderstanding."
Ethan frowned; he instantly realized these guys had mistaken him for someone else —most likely Arthur.
Although, now that he thought about it... where had that guy gone?
"Misunderstanding?"
"I saw it with my own eyes— you beat a student from our university! And this badge proves it, so don't bother denying it!"
The leader waved a badge around, wearing an expression that said, "Don't even try to lie."
"So I'm the one who has to carry the blame, huh?"
Ethan's expression darkened. He glanced at the students watching from outside the field—none of them seemed willing to explain the situation for him.
"Very well. You said it yourself. If I win, I expect you to let me pass."
He took a deep breath and threw a Poké Ball. From it emerged Absol.
"An Absol?! Such a rare Pokémon!"
"No wonder he dared challenge our university. Looks like he's no ordinary amateur."
"By the way, my name is James Holt, just a simple student from the beginner campus."
James looked at Absol with surprise, introduced himself, and moved to the opposite side of the field.
"Then... go, Machamp! Use Dynamic Punch!"
James wasted no time: as soon as the battle began, he gave the command.
"Absol, dodge and counter with Night Slash!"
Absol was an assassin-style Pokémon. As Machamp rushed in, Absol's eyes glowed blue: he had activated Future Sight.
Swoosh!
In an instant, Absol vanished from his position. His scythe gleamed with sinister energy as he swept past Machamp at high speed.
"Is the battle... over?"
"Why are they both standing still?"
The spectators were stunned to see both Pokémon frozen after passing each other.
But seconds later, under everyone's disbelieving gaze, Machamp slowly collapsed to the ground, spirals in its eyes—no longer able to fight.
"James was defeated in a single move?! This guy is way too strong!"
The onlookers were in shock. Although James called himself "a simple beginner," he was actually one of the best among them... and still got one-shotted!
"Can I leave now?" Ethan asked, face dark.
After all, no one would be in a good mood after being blamed unfairly.
"Leave?"
"It won't be that easy."
"I've got ten thousand right here! I challenge you!"
Just as Ethan was about to walk out, another student stepped into the field, throwing a wad of cash in front of him.
"You all..." Ethan clenched his fists, his expression hardening. "Looks like you won't let me go until I knock all of you out."
Since they were provoking him, he would accept the challenge.
After all, he had come to the gym specifically to train his Pokémon. If opponents were coming to him on their own, all the better.
The crowd around the field grew restless, and soon another student stepped up.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
The sounds of impacts echoed again and again.
Many attempted to challenge Ethan, but with Absol's speed, none of their Pokémon could withstand even a single strike. Every match ended with one blow from Absol's scythe.
"Abssss!"
Absol roared with excitement—it had been a long time since it fought this much.
Ethan, who almost always used Absol as a mount, felt a tinge of guilt—maybe he should let his other Pokémon fight more often.
So instead of leaving, he stayed. After each battle, he calmly waited for the next challenger.
After all, he was the one being falsely accused. He had nothing to fear, and in the end, the truth would still be on his side.
However, after several consecutive defeats, no one else dared step into the field.
"No one else wants to challenge me?"
"If not, then I'll be leaving."
Ethan swept his gaze across everyone, showing a faint smile.
"Abssss!"
Absol also looked around with a provocative air—not nearly satisfied yet.
"Where are the senior students or the university team members?"
"Hurry, spread the word! We can't let this guy keep showing off here!"
"Yeah, send someone from the intermediate campus too! This guy only dares to show off in the beginner campus. When the seniors arrive, we'll see how long he lasts."
The anger was obvious. Ethan had unknowingly provoked the entire Duskwell City Pokémon University, and everyone was glaring at him.
At first, someone tried to explain to the others that it was all a misunderstanding... but it was already too late.
It no longer mattered who had started it: the reality was that Ethan was defeating every student from the beginner campus of Duskwell City Pokémon University.
(End of chapter)