"Yes, Master!" Bea shouted with renewed energy as she lunged forward, fists swinging.
Her punches had the strength to rival low-level Pokémon, but without her vision, her aim was completely off. Her strike sailed past Allen's left side by a whole meter.
Allen shook his head silently. With a quiet movement, he extended one foot and—
Plop!
Bea tripped, sprawling onto the dojo floor. She bounced back up quickly, brushing dust from her knees, head whipping left and right in an attempt to find Allen's position.
Smack!
A sharp crack echoed in the room as Allen's pointer rod lightly struck the top of her head.
"Don't listen. Feel!" his voice snapped.
"Yes!" Bea answered quickly, adjusting her stance again.
The pointer came again, and again. Dozens of times. Maybe hundreds. The rhythm blurred into one endless lesson in humility and reaction.
And then—something clicked.
Without warning, Bea pivoted, spinning into a roundhouse kick aimed at her rear right.
Allen blinked.
She missed by more than half a meter, but the trajectory was right. She had felt the pressure. The motion. Her instinct had sharpened.
Allen reflexively snapped the pointer downward as a counter.
Whack!
"Ow!" Bea flinched and stumbled, rubbing her backside.
Wait… that sound…
Allen blinked again. That definitely wasn't her shoulder.
"...Does it hurt?" he asked, trying to keep his tone neutral.
"I-I'm fine…" Bea murmured, her face flushed red. She covered the area that had been hit and turned away slightly. "Actually... it felt kind of… nice..."
Allen froze.
He wasn't supposed to hear that. But with his Observation Haki practically maxed out, her whisper hit him like it had been shouted into a microphone.
Do not react. He told himself.
Do not make it weird. Do not awaken any strange traits in your disciple.
Allen made a mental note: Be careful where you aim that pointer next time.
…
Two months later, at the Hulbury Gym, the atmosphere was electric.
It was time for a formal Gym Challenge.
The battle space, as with most Galar Gyms, was as massive as a football stadium—spacious enough for the region's unique battle format: Gigantamaxing.
On the battlefield, two Pokémon stood tall. Towering. Glowing red. Surging with energy.
One was Drednaw, the Water-Rock-type Pokémon native to Galar, commanded by Gym Leader Nessa.
The other was Corviknight, the steel-winged titan that evolved from Rookidee. It was also known as Galar's airborne taxi service—but today, it was a Gigantamax weapon of destruction.
Both Pokémon had transformed into their Gigantamax forms, pushing the very limits of the battlefield's reinforced ceiling.
On the left platform stood Nessa, her model poise unshaken. On the right stood a boy, no older than fifteen, with wild hair and a smile that practically glowed.
His name was Hop. And from the way he moved, there was no mistaking his relation to the Champion.
"Woo…!" Drednaw cried out in pain as the red light around it began to dissipate. Its enormous body shrank rapidly, returning to its normal size.
"Out of power already?" Nessa murmured, biting her lip.
The Gigantamax form was powerful, but fleeting. Just three moves before it wore off, and timing those moves correctly was key.
This time, Nessa had miscalculated.
"Let's go, Corviknight! Max Airstream!" Hop shouted, his arm slicing the air with excitement.
The raven screamed, its massive wings spreading wide. Wind gathered, then exploded outward in a roaring gale.
Even though Flying-type moves weren't super effective against Drednaw, the force behind the move was colossal. Combined with the exhaustion of the Gigantamax recoil, it was too much.
The blast sent Drednaw tumbling across the gym floor, crashing into the back wall with a loud thud.
"Drednaw!" Nessa called, her voice full of worry.
The water turtle Pokémon groaned and tried to rise. Its stubby legs wobbled. For a moment, it stood. But then, with a sigh, it slumped back down.
"Drednaw is unable to battle!" the referee declared. "Corviknight wins! As all three of Gym Leader Nessa's Pokémon have been defeated, the victory goes to Hop from Postwick!"
"YEAH!" He hopped, fist-pumped, and ran to his Pokémon, throwing his arms around Corviknight's giant wing.
"You did it! We did it! That was amazing!"
"Caw!" Corviknight cawed in triumph.
Hop's enthusiasm was infectious, his joy unfiltered and pure.
He really did take after his brother. Maybe a bit more chaotic…
Nessa returned her Drednaw, lips pursed in a tight smile. She approached Hop and handed him a gleaming Water Badge.
"Well done, Hop. You've earned this."
"Thanks!"
Hop accepted the badge with a wide grin and ran off to celebrate.
…
After the match, Nessa sat alone on a bench near the battlefield.
Gym Leaders were expected to be pillars of strength. Mentors to rising trainers. They rarely went all out unless they had to.
But today, Nessa had gone all out. And still lost.
She pulled out her phone and opened her social media feed, scrolling through comments from fans watching the livestream.
One caught her eye.
\[Nessa's performance is dropping hard lately.]
\[Wait, that kid's on his first year of travel? How did she lose?]
\[She's really just a pretty face. The Galar Alliance's most beautiful vase.]
\[Honestly, I just watched for her legs.]
\[Can we stop pretending she's a real Gym Leader? She should stick to modeling.]
Nessa's fingers curled slightly.
She'd heard worse. Trolls existed in every corner of the internet. Raihan got flamed every time he lost to Leon, even though he was arguably Galar's second strongest trainer.
But even so… it stung.
Because today, the trolls weren't wrong.
She had fought seriously. And still lost.
***
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