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[Start of the chapter]
"Raticate?!"
Moo-sensei's voice rose sharply.
Shiko's Flamethrower was still charging—energy building, compressing, condensing.
The air around them grew hotter and hotter.
Just standing there, you could already see the terrifying mass of Fire-type energy gathering inside his mouth.
If it landed, it would be a one-hit kill.
That was why Moo-sensei urgently commanded Raticate to dodge.
But for some reason…
Her Raticate suddenly stopped listening.
It was as if its connection with her had been abruptly cut off—standing there motionless, blankly frozen.
Its tiny bean-like eyes locked onto Shiko, unblinking.
The next second, a chain of memory fragments began flashing through Raticate's mind.
Two months ago—
The Charmander that defeated it back then…
It seemed to have used the same kind of terrifying Flamethrower—
to smash its front teeth to pieces.
This Charmeleon in front of it…
Wait.
This dangerous aura.
This scorching, terrifying Fire-type energy—
"Chitter!!"
Raticate shrieked.
A powerful, fearful light flared in those tiny eyes.
It recognized him.
The Shiko in front of it—
was the Charmander from two months ago in Wintergreen Forest who had shattered its teeth!
And now…
That Charmander had become even stronger—evolving into Charmeleon!
Raticate's fat, round body started trembling.
Endless fear surged up from its heart.
Staring at the Fire-type energy rapidly condensing in Shiko's mouth, it felt a threat—
even more horrifying than that Flamethrower from two months ago.
"Raticate! Raticate!"
"What's wrong with you?!"
Moo-sensei shouted, a rare urgency showing on her face.
She had keenly noticed the change in Raticate.
Her own Raticate…
was trembling in fear when facing Shiko?
Could it be…
Moo-sensei turned to look at Shiko, her expression becoming complicated.
A suspicion formed in her mind.
The Charmeleon in front of her—
was almost certainly the same Charmander from two months ago.
Raticate had recognized him—
and that was why it was reacting so violently.
"Chitter!!"
Raticate's response confirmed Moo-sensei's guess.
After letting out that trembling cry…
its eyes rolled back.
Unable to withstand the fear and pressure, it passed out on the spot!!
"That's enough! That's enough!"
"You win this battle!"
Moo-sensei stopped the match immediately.
Raticate had already fainted.
If it took Shiko's Flamethrower head-on now, it would probably have to be rushed to a Pokémon Center for emergency treatment.
"Roar."
A low sound rumbled from Shiko's throat.
He snapped his head to the side.
The energy he had gathered instantly dispersed, slipping back into his body and hiding there again.
"Three seconds."
Shiko's voice immediately sounded in Himeko's mind.
Three seconds?
What did that mean?
Himeko froze for a moment before she finally understood.
So that's what Shiko meant—the time it took to end the battle!
So when he said he'd finish it in five seconds, he wasn't joking.
He really had that kind of confidence.
That…
was kind of cool.
Himeko looked at Shiko, and stars practically lit up in her eyes.
"I get it now! So the Charmander Moo-sensei mentioned—the one that beat Raticate two months ago—was you!"
"No wonder Raticate fainted the moment it saw you!"
Himeko could now confirm her suspicion.
So it really was Shiko's doing.
Once she understood, the surprise and shock in her heart only grew stronger.
That meant that back when he was still at a beginner level, Shiko could already beat an Entry-level Raticate?
That talent…
was beyond ridiculous.
He was basically a monster.
"Go home early. I want to sleep."
Ignoring Himeko's awestruck stare, Shiko tossed out a single instruction.
Then, under the stunned expressions of the hundreds of people in the venue…
he turned into a red beam of light and returned to the Luxury Ball.
"What just happened?"
"Why did that Raticate pass out?"
"I didn't even see it clearly—so they won just like that?"
"Was Raticate's injury not fully treated?"
"Was this some kind of rigged match?"
"…"
A moment later, a wave of chatter erupted from the crowd below.
The battle started fast and ended even faster—
so fast that most people hadn't even seen clearly or figured out what had happened.
"What a bunch of idiots!"
Just then, a somewhat aged voice abruptly sounded from behind them.
Those unmasked, unpleasant words instantly set every examinee off.
Who the hell was that?
How dare they insult everyone like that?
They turned around in anger—
but the instant they saw the speaker's face, all the anger in the entire crowd vanished cleanly within a single second.
(End of Chapter)
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