"What kind of pose is that?"
"A signature victory pose?"
"Holy crap, I get it! He's showing he's already beaten one!"
"Yeah—seems like it!"
"Wait… does that mean this Charmeleon is going for a full 1v3 sweep?"
"No way. Is he actually trying to win?!"
"That's so cool—love it!"
"This is insane… but maybe he really has a shot!"
"..."
Shiko's gesture immediately set the stands buzzing with whispers and debate.
Once everyone understood it was his declaration—he intended to take all three by himself—the entire venue erupted.
That kind of confidence.
That kind of dominance.
It was unbelievably captivating.
Himeko froze for a moment, her bright eyes glittering as she looked at Shiko.
To be honest, until Shiko stepped onto the field, she still hadn't truly grasped how strong he was.
But now she had a rough idea.
The opponent only had two Pokémon left.
And Shiko was still at full condition!
This final match… really might be winnable!
On the giant screen overhead, the previous battle was still replaying.
It had ended far too quickly.
So quickly that most people didn't even understand what had happened.
They had no idea how Shiko had pulled off such a ridiculous instant knockout.
Only when the footage was slowed down tenfold could they barely make out the sequence—
Shiko's choices and operations, one after another.
"An Extreme Speed rush-in, Dragon Claw to interrupt their move before it could go off, then using momentum to finish with Dragon Tail."
"Terrifying proficiency, the most correct tactical choice—and perfect physical power."
"Now I understand why this Charmeleon got such a high evaluation."
Aisa stared at the slow-motion replay, a look of genuine amazement on her face.
From that single instant-win, it was obvious: Shiko's physical power had been trained to an extreme, and his battle instincts were frightening.
Behind Aisa, the vice presidents from the Pokémon Academy also kept nodding in agreement.
They had already taken out their evaluation forms again.
In Himeko's rating column, they hesitated—
Should they raise her all the way to S+?
"Teacher Moo Inoshishe, President Sun."
"The reason you gave him such a high evaluation… is because of this, right?"
Aisa smiled as she looked at the two of them.
A Charmeleon with such absurd, monstrous physical power…
Truly deserved that kind of praise.
But when Aisa asked that—
Teacher Moo Inoshishe and President Sun both reflexively paused.
They looked at each other, momentarily at a loss.
To be honest, even they had been deeply shocked by Shiko's physical strength just now.
They had never seen Shiko display something this outrageous before!
The reason they had rated him so highly…
Was entirely because of the terrifying amount of Fire-type energy accumulating inside his body!
Back when he was still a rookie-level Charmander, his flames had already burned through the entry-level Raticate's incisors—harder than alloy.
In their understanding, Shiko was strong because he was a naturally powerful Fire-type special attacker.
But who would've thought his physical attacking talent would be just as unbelievable?!
"Keep watching," President Sun said, clearing his throat lightly, his smile meaningful.
"I think he's going to shock you even more."
What did that mean?
Was this still not the full extent of Shiko's strength?
Everyone's hearts tightened.
As they tried to interpret President Sun's words, they turned their eyes back to the battlefield.
...
Joji had already recalled the unconscious Dratini.
He lifted his head and looked at the giant screen, where his portrait was displayed beside four Poké Balls that had already gone dark.
His expression had long since lost its earlier arrogance and ease.
It had turned gloomy and severe.
Shiko's "1v3 sweep" gesture felt like a hammer slamming straight into his heart.
Throughout the entire tournament, the one who'd achieved the most "1v3 sweeps" had been his Dragonair.
And yet—
Dragonair had been instantly knocked out the moment it entered!
He absolutely could not allow something like this to happen!
He glanced at the two Poké Balls remaining at his waist.
Without hesitation, Joji plucked one free and threw it.
"Your victory ends here! Next, I'll show you the gap between us!"
"Magmar!!"
An orange-and-red Pokémon appeared.
It had a striking, flat duck-like bill, a long tail dragging behind it—
and at the very end of that tail, just like Shiko's, a raging flame burned.
Magmar!
A powerful Fire-type Pokémon!
Was this going to become a showdown of flames?
Himeko instinctively checked Magmar's status.
The data panel that popped up made her expression stiffen for an instant.
Level 42!!
This wasn't an elite-level Magmar—
It was a gym-level, early-stage Magmar!
Himeko clenched her fist, tension and worry rising.
...
A Magmar with the Ability Flame Body would burn any opponent that made contact with it.
Which meant—
it effectively sealed off Shiko's close-range moves.
In other words, this next match would come down to pure mastery over flames, and the raw intensity of their Fire-type energy reserves.
As a Pokémon that lived in volcanic craters, Magmar was born with an exceptionally strong affinity for fire.
And on top of that—
this Magmar had already stepped into gym-level.
With that level gap right in front of her, Himeko couldn't help but feel her palms sweat for Shiko.
This round…
Looked dangerous!
She instinctively glanced at Shiko standing beside her—
and saw him staring at Magmar with a stern expression.
As expected!
Even he thought it was troublesome!
Himeko thought silently.
But what she didn't know was—
Shiko didn't think that at all.
In his mind, a cold notification had just popped up:
+1 Experience Points
So that was how it worked.
Defeating one Pokémon only gave a single point of experience.
He swept his eyes over his level field.
Elite mid-tier (Level 35, 99/100 Experience Points)
One more point.
Just one final, crucial point—
and he would level up, and evolve.
He raised his head and looked at Magmar.
Battle intent burned in Shiko's eyes.
Then you—
will be the last stepping stone for my next evolution.
(End of Chapter)
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