Pokemon: Skybound

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Seeing that Kai had accepted his challenge, Rudy took a deep breath and sent out his next Pokémon.

A flash of blue light revealed Starmie on the battlefield.

Kai raised an eyebrow. So much for following his own rules. Rudy had thrown out his Pokémon before Kai, despite claiming that challengers must pick first.

Desperate much?

Starmie, a Water/Psychic-type, would have made a solid matchup against Blastoise. But after a moment of thought, Kai made his decision and released Gardevoir instead.

Rudy might be eager to reclaim his dignity, but Kai wasn't about to give him the chance. If Rudy claimed this was his strongest Pokémon, then Kai would take this battle seriously.

On the other side, Rudy furrowed his brows. He had never seen a Pokémon like Gardevoir before. Its humanoid form and elegant posture made it stand out from most Pokémon he'd faced.

"What kind of Pokémon is that?" Rudy asked.

"It's called Gardevoir," Kai replied casually. "And don't worry I'm still following your rules. Psychic-type against Psychic-type."

Rudy quickly put the pieces together, 'If this Pokémon was a fair match for Starmie's Psychic typing, then that meant…'

It was at least part Psychic-type.

Rudy chose to ignore Kai's sarcastic jab about his rule-breaking his focus was now on the battle.

He had no choice but to go all out. He had already lost two rounds. His reputation, pride, and dignity all depended on this final match!

Without hesitation, Rudy made the first move.

"Starmie, Water Gun!"

A powerful jet of water shot from Starmie's central core, racing toward Gardevoir. Kai remained still, but Gardevoir had already received his command through telepathy.

Before the Water Gun could make contact, a psychic barrier materialized in front of Gardevoir, intercepting the attack.

SPLASH!

Water splattered harmlessly against the invisible shield, drenching the ground beneath them.

As expected.

Rudy clicked his tongue. Psychic types were troublesome opponents.

If he couldn't break through its defences, then with a dramatic flick of his wrist, Rudy snapped his fingers.

"Enough playing around. Let's dance!"

Kai blinked. "...Huh?"

Before he could process what Rudy meant, a fast-paced, energetic dance track blasted from speakers on the hot air balloon.

Mahri, excited by the sudden change, began dancing along to the beat.

"Yes! That's my brother's battle rhythm!" she cheered. "Now we'll see his real strength!"

Back on the battlefield, Rudy, completely immersed in the music, broke into a dance routine.

Kai took an involuntary step backwards.

'Okay, no. This was too much'

He had seen a lot of weird things during his journey, but a Gym Leader breaking into a full-on dance routine mid-battle?

That was next level.

But the real horror wasn't Rudy's dancing it was Starmie.

As if synchronized with its Trainer, Starmie began spinning rapidly, twirling to the beat like some kind of possessed figure skater.

Kai could only watch in stunned silence.

After a few more rotations, Rudy struck a pose and shouted, "Now, Starmie Thunderbolt!"

Kai's eyes narrowed.

Wait. What?

Thunderbolt?!

He barely had time to react before Starmie unleashed a massive electrical blast.

Kai's gaze flicked to the battlefield, noticing the puddles of water left from Water Gun.

Clever.

Rudy had deliberately soaked the battlefield first, setting up a wide-range electric attack that could hit Gardevoir no matter where it dodged.

"Gardevoir, Teleport!"

In a flash, Gardevoir vanished, reappearing a safe distance away.

At the exact moment it disappeared, Thunderbolt struck the water, sending electric currents crackling across the battlefield.

That was close.

If Kai hadn't been paying attention, Gardevoir would've taken a serious hit.

Still, the strategy had already failed.

Rudy had put all his energy into a surprise attack, but now that Kai had seen through it, there was no second chance and just like that Rudy had nothing left.

His ultimate strategy had failed.

Now it was Kai's turn.

Gardevoir calmly raised its hand, summoning a flurry of Magical Leaves, sending them spiralling toward Starmie.

Still caught up in its spinning dance, Starmie was too slow to dodge, the leaves slamming into its core, momentarily stunning it.

Before Rudy could react, Kai issued his next command.

"Disarming Voice."

A soft, ethereal hum echoed through the battlefield, hitting Starmie head-on.

It staggered, struggling to keep up.

Rudy gritted his teeth. "Starmie, fight back!"

'Too late' Kai's eyes flashed. "End it—Dazzling Gleam!"

A brilliant burst of blinding light erupted from Gardevoir, engulfing the battlefield in a radiant explosion.

BOOM!

When the light faded, Starmie lay flat on the ground, unmoving.

The result was clear.

The referee hesitated for a moment, but there was no denying it.

"Starmie is unable to battle! The challenger wins!"

Rudy stood frozen, completely stunned.

Three rounds.

Three defeats.

He had been utterly crushed.

For a long moment, Rudy didn't say a word. Then, with a heavy sigh, he recalled Starmie, staring at the Poké Ball in his hand.

There was no excuse.

He had lost fair and square.

Finally, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a Gym Badge. Without a word, he tossed it to Kai.

"You win," he muttered. "This badge is yours."

Kai caught it effortlessly.

At first, he considered saying something with a bit of sarcasm, but before he could, Rudy turned around and walked away without another word.

He didn't look back.

Kai watched him go, then shrugged.

Oh well.

He looked down at the badge in his hand.

It was the Spike Shell Badge shaped like a spiky seashell with a pink gemstone embedded in the centre.

Compared to the last two badges, it wasn't particularly flashy.

But that didn't matter.

Just as he was about to store it in his case, a gasp rang out from the sky.

Kai looked up just in time to see Sabrina leap over the railing of the hot air balloon!

"What—?!"

Mahri and Rudy's subordinates all screamed in shock. Even Rudy, despite himself, whipped around in alarm.

"Is she insane?! That's a death drop!"

Kai reacted immediately.

With a sharp whistle, he summoned Charizard, vaulting onto its back and soaring toward her.

Sabrina, meanwhile, had been preparing to levitate herself down using her psychic powers.

But when she saw Kai rushing toward her, she smiled softly and chose not to use them.

In one smooth motion, Kai caught her in mid-air, holding her securely as Charizard carried them away.

Sabrina gazed up at him, her expression unreadable.

"Now that you've got the badge," she murmured, "Shall we move on?"

Kai smirked. "Obviously. There's nothing worth staying here for."

Leaning in, he kissed her lightly before nudging Charizard forward.

"Charizard, don't land. Just keep flying. We're heading straight to the next Gym."

"ROOOAAAR!"

With a powerful flap of its wings, Charizard shot forward, leaving behind Rudy, Mahri, and the rest disappearing into the distance.

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