The blonde-haired boy across from him thought he must have misheard Nozomi.
"Challenging the Institute?"
Koji's face was full of disbelief as he looked at Nozomi, as if staring at a madman.
"That's right. Challenging the Institute."
Nozomi nodded calmly.
At this moment, students from Pokémon Tech in the distance, noticing that Koji had yet to return, began gathering around.
"What's going on with Koji?"
A student who seemed familiar with him asked.
"He ran into someone overestimating themselves. This guy said he wanted to challenge the Institute," Koji replied, looking at Nozomi with a teasing tone for his companions.
To him, Nozomi daring to challenge Pokémon Tech was simply absurd.
"Whether he's overestimating himself or not, we'll find out when we fight."
Nozomi pulled a Poké Ball from his waist, his expression serene.
"You're going to fight me?"
Now Koji was genuinely baffled.
After all, Nozomi had studied at Pokémon Tech. He should know just how strong the students there were.
Yet he boldly challenged Koji—did he have some powerful Pokémon up his sleeve? Had he caught some formidable Pokémon since leaving the Institute?
As these thoughts crossed his mind, Koji hesitated.
His hesitation didn't matter, but the Pokémon Tech students watching couldn't tolerate it.
By now, they had grasped the situation.
Someone actually dared to provoke Pokémon Tech? They were furious, itching to personally teach this arrogant fool a lesson.
Now the challenger was openly daring, and Koji—the one being challenged—was hesitating? To them, this was a disgrace beyond measure.
"Koji, get in there!"
"Yeah! Don't be afraid!"
"Defeat him! Show him the strength of Pokémon Tech!"
The crowd erupted in shouts, egging him on.
Hearing the urging from behind, Koji felt conflicted. On one hand, there was his pride; on the other, the uncertainty of the opponent… After a moment of thought, he steeled himself and threw out his Poké Ball.
"Let's do this!"
Koji refused to believe that someone who had always lagged behind at school could, after leaving the well-equipped Pokémon Tech, surpass a top student like him.
"To the training field!"
With that, Koji led the way toward the battlefield.
Nozomi glanced at the crowd staring at him with hostile eyes and a strange smile played on his lips.
"Lead the way."
…
"The rules are standard 3-on-3 battle. No switching Pokémon during the match, and no items or healing during combat. Any questions?"
A student called to act as referee asked both sides.
"No questions."
"OK."
"Then, let the match begin!"
As soon as the words fell, Koji and Nozomi simultaneously threw out their Poké Balls.
Koji aimed to seize the initiative, while Nozomi simply didn't care either way.
Crack!
A dazzling arc of electricity flashed across the field. A sleek, orange Raichu appeared, its long tail swishing behind it, radiating fierce determination.
"Raichu!"
"Senior Koji's Raichu!"
"This match is already won!"
At the sight of Raichu, the Pokémon Tech students shouted loudly, intentionally trying to pressure Nozomi.
Nozomi, however, found their childish antics exasperating.
"They really have no worldly experience," he muttered.
The Poké Ball in his hand opened, releasing a beam of white light onto the field.
Then, the massive figure of Metagross appeared.
"That's…"
"A Pseudo-Legendary from the Hoenn region… Metagross!"
"Metagross? How does he even have a Metagross?"
The Pokémon Tech students watching were immediately in uproar.
What was going on? How did this opponent have a Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon like Metagross?
Even Koji's confidence faltered upon seeing Metagross.
A Metagross… he had read about it in Pokémon Tech's curriculum, but never imagined encountering one here.
How was he supposed to fight this?
As a student trained under Pokémon Tech's "Elite" program, Koji felt an unbridgeable gap between a Pseudo-Legendary and ordinary Pokémon.
Just thinking about facing a Metagross made his scalp tingle.
He also had a lingering doubt—his memory should be accurate. Nozomi should still be the underperformer from before. How could that underperformer have a Metagross?
But at this point, many things were beyond his control.
Standing there, he represented the honor of Pokémon Tech. If he ran away, his disgrace would be cemented forever.
Koji gritted his teeth.
He decided to fight with all his strength. Even in defeat, he would go down with dignity… and who knew? Maybe he could win.
Maybe this Metagross was just for show…
With that thought, Koji regained his confidence.
"Raichu, let's go! Thunderbolt!"
Koji struck first.
Raichu's long tail twitched as a thick arc of electricity shot from its cheek pouches toward the hovering Metagross.
"Metagross, block it!"
Metagross crossed its massive arms, forming a pale blue psychic barrier. The fierce Thunderbolt dissipated in midair, failing to graze even the edge of Metagross.
"Raichu, Iron Tail!"
Failing at a ranged attack, Raichu leapt high and swung its tail downward in a white flash aimed at Metagross.
"Metagross, use Psychic!"
Blue light flickered in Metagross's eyes as its immense psychic power activated. Raichu, suspended in midair, froze as if time itself had paused.
"Raichu! Break free!"
Seeing Raichu trapped, Koji felt a sinking dread.
Sure enough, in the next instant, Metagross's arms glowed white and it slammed down on the airborne Raichu.
Boom!
Raichu crashed into the training field, leaving a huge crater.
"Raichu is unable to battle! Metagross wins!"
The first match ended surprisingly quickly. The unprepared referee nervously announced the result.