Luxray suddenly halted mid-run.
"Lux~!"
Golden sparks crackled across Luxray's body as it unleashed a powerful Thunderbolt aimed directly at Lurantis without hesitation.
"Luran~!"
In response, Lurantis began gliding smoothly across the Grassy Terrain it had created, evading the Thunderbolt with terrifying speed. Using the momentum, it closed in on Luxray, the golden blade of its Leaf Blade shimmering as it slashed downward.
Reacting swiftly, Luxray leaped high into the air. While airborne, it opened its mouth to form a destructive beam of light and fired it straight at Lurantis.
"Hyper Beam!"
However, Lurantis anticipated the attack and swiftly moved out of the way, leaving the spot just in time. The Hyper Beam missed and crashed into the ground, resulting in a deafening explosion.
Luxray landed on the field but stood still, its body momentarily frozen. The aftermath of using Hyper Beam left it unable to move for a few seconds—a critical window.
Lurantis capitalized on the opportunity. Gliding across the Grassy Terrain again, it reached Luxray's side in an instant, raising its purple blades before striking with precision.
"Poison Jab!"
"Luxray~!" Luxray let out a pained growl as the attack struck directly, not only dealing significant damage but also leaving it poisoned. Purple light flickered across Luxray's body, signaling its worsening condition.
Not one to relent, Lurantis followed up immediately. Its Bullet Seed attack fired in rapid succession, forcing Luxray to scramble. Despite the pain from its poisoned state, Luxray managed to dodge and distance itself, its movements shaky.
Determined not to lose, Luxray summoned its remaining strength. Sparks began gathering around its body as it activated Agility. Its speed increased dramatically, and golden lightning enveloped its entire form.
"Luxray!~" Luxray cried as it dashed forward like a streak of light, launching itself toward Lurantis with a thunderous charge.
"Giga Impact!" The combination of power and speed was awe-inspiring.
Lurantis' eyes widened as it realized it couldn't evade in time. Gritting its teeth, it raised its arms and activated a defensive move.
"Protect!"
Luxray collided with the protective shield, the impact sending shockwaves across the battlefield. Though Protect absorbed much of the damage, the sheer force of the Giga Impact knocked Lurantis backward. It crashed into the nearby gym wall, smashing it into pieces.
Rosa watched the chaos unfold, her face twitching in exasperation. "Great… another wall to fix. Dad was right about not building such a fragile gym."
Despite the damage, Lurantis slowly got back up. Luxray, however, collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. The purple hue of poison flickered ominously, and it was clear that the battle had taken its toll.
Lurantis remained still, unmoving.
Watching this scene, Rosa frowned.
"Is the battle over?" she wondered aloud. Was this the end? Had they won?
Just as she began to feel unsure, a sound echoed.
"Luran!~"
Slowly, Lurantis emerged from the rubble, gasping for air but standing tall. Its fighting spirit burned brightly in its eyes. At this moment, it seemed Lurantis had broken through its limits.
Rosa watched the scene unfold. She saw the two Pokémon readying themselves to continue the battle. Acting quickly, she raised her hand and called out, "I give up on this one."
"Alright, please stop!"
There was no need to prolong the fight. Rosa had seen enough—Luxray was going to lose. If they continued, perhaps Luxray might pull off something incredible, like using Synthesis to recover its energy. But she doubted it could truly turn the battle around against this formidable Lurantis.
Hearing Rosa's decision, Luxray seemed to relax. Then, with a soft thud, it collapsed to the ground. Rosa quickly retrieved its Poké Ball and returned it.
"Thank you for your effort," she said softly.
Turning toward the victorious Pokémon, she addressed Gallade.
"Gallade, you win. Come with me; I'll give you the Badge and treat your injuries on the way."
Without giving the opposing Trainer a chance to protest, Rosa turned and headed into her gym's treatment area. Gallade hesitated briefly, then motioned to Lurantis with a wave to follow.
This woman doesn't seem bad, Gallade thought. There's no need for suspicion. Besides, she knows Violet.
With that reassurance, Lurantis followed, its body still showing signs of exhaustion.
Inside, Rosa led her Pokémon to the treatment machine. Observing her actions, Gallade understood her intentions immediately—she wanted to help treat their injuries.
Gallade considered the situation, then returned Lurantis to its Poké Ball. He also handed over Charizard's Poké Ball to Rosa, signaling for her to heal them both.
Rosa smiled at the gesture and took the Poké Balls without hesitation, placing them in the machine for healing.
It was at this moment that Gardevoir suddenly emerged from her Poké Ball, leaving Rosa momentarily speechless.
"A shiny Gardevoir?" Rosa murmured in disbelief.
As Rosa processed this surprise, other Pokémon began emerging from their Poké Balls, one after another. The sight was astonishing. Gardevoir's sudden action seemed to inspire the others, and soon the room was filled with Pokémon.
"What's going on here?" Rosa thought, utterly bewildered. Her gaze swept over the field of shiny Pokémon.
Who am I? Where am I? What am I even doing? Is this a dream?
In the tea room of the Thunder Gym, Evan's Pokémon gathered together. The confusion settled only after Gardevoir used telepathy to explain everything.
"So… you decided to help your Trainer by challenging gyms to qualify for the national competition?" Rosa asked incredulously, looking at Evan's Pokémon as if they were playing a prank.
Gardevoir nodded, speaking through telepathy.
"That's right. Our Trainer spends every day in the breeding house, never stepping outside to do anything else. So, we made the decision ourselves to help him challenge the gyms."
Rosa raised a skeptical eyebrow.
"And you were caught after reaching the second gym?" she asked, a mix of disbelief and exasperation in her tone.
"I originally wanted to give him a surprise," Gardevoir said, its tone carrying a hint of dissatisfaction.
Rosa listened carefully to what Gardevoir shared, the corners of her mouth twitching slightly.
Ah, this~~! These Pokémon really had personalities.
Still, her curiosity about Evan grew.
Is Evan the type who gets completely absorbed in research? A tech geek, maybe?
The more she thought about it, the more intrigued she became.
Suddenly, an idea struck her, and Rosa jumped to her feet.
"Just wait here for a moment!" she said. "I'll get you some snacks."
With that, she hurried out of the room.
When she returned, her arms were filled with an assortment of Pokémon snacks.
"Here you go, everyone! Try these." Rosa smiled warmly as she set the snacks before the Pokémon.
"Your master is a breeder, right? He must make snacks for you all the time. Try these and tell me how they compare to what he makes."
Gardevoir glanced at the snacks in Rosa's hands, then turned to its companions.
"It seems Master has never made these kinds of snacks for us," it said telepathically.
"Just once, he made a pudding… and also tried something using Exeggutor's Leafage, which made it bald."
Rosa froze, her confusion evident.
"He… doesn't make Pokémon snacks for you? And what's this about Exeggutor's Leafage? Is that even edible? Are you sure that wasn't some kind of… dark cuisine?"
She tilted her head, trying to process the contradiction.
"Isn't he supposed to be a master breeder?" Rosa muttered, completely baffled.
Gardevoir nodded calmly, then reached into its brother's bag, pulling out a small item.
"This is an energy cube made by Master. You can take a look."
Rosa accepted the energy cube, studying it intently.
"Um?" she murmured as she examined the cube closely.
The quality was incredible.
"What a perfect condition… This is amazing!" Rosa exclaimed.
"No wonder Violet gets her energy cubes custom-made by him."
From the vibrant color and precise texture, she could tell these were of the highest quality.
Looking up, Rosa saw the Pokémon waiting patiently.
"Go ahead and try the snacks I made," she urged them, while she continued to examine the energy cube.
Curiosity got the better of her, and she took out a piece, sniffing it tentatively. Satisfied that it didn't seem unpleasant, she bit off a small piece and began chewing.
"Pika~!" Pikachu's surprised cry broke the silence.
What? Humans eat energy cubes? Is she a Pokémon, too?
Pidgeot and the others turned to Rosa with puzzled looks, clearly as surprised as Pikachu.
This woman is eating something even Master won't touch?
The Pokémon exchanged glances, their minds filled with unspoken questions.
Is this what humans mean by "you see something new every day"?
Choosing not to disturb her, the Pokémon turned their attention back to the snacks Rosa had made.
As they tasted the treats, their eyes lit up in surprise.
The flavor was excellent—delicious, even.
But the more they enjoyed it, the more a feeling of dismay crept in.
From Rosa's words, the Pokémon couldn't help but ponder.
Their master, Evan, can clearly make these kinds of snacks too. So why doesn't he?
Pidgeot fluffed its feathers indignantly.
This is a problem! It thought, feeling the unfairness of the situation deeply.
Maybe I should confront Evan about this…
But as soon as the thought emerged, Pidgeot dismissed it.
If I tried to resist, I'd probably be beaten to a pulp and built into a wall.
The mental image alone was enough to make it shudder.
"Your master is really incredible," Rosa said with admiration, addressing Gardevoir. "I must visit him in a few days. Could you help me when you return?"
Rosa wasn't interested in stealing Evan's recipes. Instead, she wanted to learn new production techniques, ones she hadn't encountered before. She was even willing to pay tuition if needed.
Gardevoir, calmly munching on a cookie, nodded in agreement.
Seeing Gardevoir's approval, Rosa grew even more excited. She began chatting with the Pokémon about snacks, her enthusiasm infectious.
After spending some time together, Gardevoir and the others prepared to leave. There were still tasks to complete, and they needed to return home before dark.
Before their departure, Rosa generously handed out a large quantity of snacks to the Pokémon, filling the storage space allocated to them.
The Pokémon beamed with happiness at her kindness.
This human is a good person, Pikachu thought.
Next time we visit the nursery, we should treat her to some of Evan's energy cubes.
Gallade carefully recalled Pikachu and the others into their Poké Balls. Once ready, the group departed, with Pidgeot flying in a new direction under Gallade's guidance.
Their next objective awaited.
Apart from earning the Badge, their visit here had another purpose—to find and recruit a specific Pokémon.
When they reached the other side of Thunder Island, they saw an archipelago of variously sized islands stretching below them.
Gallade's sharp eyes locked onto their destination.
"Get down!" he commanded.
Pidgeot began its descent, landing smoothly on the chosen island. Upon arrival, Gallade released the other Pokémon from their Poké Balls.
Looking at Gardevoir, Gallade spoke firmly.
"Let's find that Pokémon. It should be here."
Gardevoir nodded. "Alright. Let's head in that direction."
The siblings began their search, with Pikachu and the other Pokémon following closely.
As they walked, the sound of battle suddenly echoed from ahead. The group tensed, their senses heightened, and quickened their pace toward the source of the noise.