Pokemon: With Title System

Chapter 7: Being Underestimated

"I'm such an idiot. Really."

All I had to do was leave it at that—why did I have to show off with my acting?

I could've stayed as a bystander, quietly slacking off in the office while watching the League and Team Rocket fight it out.

But now, I've dug my own grave.

From being the one enjoying the drama, I've become part of it.

He was so frustrated he wanted to slap himself. But on the surface, Asahi kept up his composed demeanor, maintaining his image:

"Rest assured, Master Lance, I will bring Team Rocket to justice!"

Lance nodded. A young man facing such a dangerous mission yet still displaying such determination—it only reaffirmed Lance's belief that Asahi wouldn't disappoint him.

However, considering the entire division had been wiped out in the last operation, Lance decided to conduct one final test to ensure Asahi could handle himself before sending him out.

He didn't want the last remaining member of the Kanto branch of the International Police to meet the same fate.

After a moment of deliberation, Lance said, "Let's have a battle."

"Huh?" Asahi blinked, not understanding what Lance meant.

Standing up, Lance explained, "Although I've reviewed your battle records, this time you're going up against Team Rocket. Before I send you out, I need to make sure you're strong enough to protect yourself."

"Don't worry, it's just a small test. I won't use my main team." Lance added this to reassure Asahi, in case he misunderstood.

Being underestimated?

Asahi was momentarily stunned. He, a man known as a nightmare to countless poachers, was being doubted for his abilities?

Are poachers really that low on the criminal food chain that even I'm being looked down on?

Still, while the thought of being underestimated annoyed him, Asahi didn't mind a battle with Lance. After all, he was curious to see if defeating Lance might unlock a title or some other reward.

With that in mind, Asahi smiled slightly and said, "Since you insist, Master Lance... let's do this!"

---

International Police Training Ground

The spacious training field was empty, save for Asahi and Lance.

Since it was only a simple test, there was no referee.

"The rules are simple: one-on-one, standard League battle format. The match ends when one Pokémon is unable to continue or one side surrenders," Lance explained.

Given the informal nature of the test, the rules were kept straightforward.

Asahi nodded, pleased with the arrangement.

After all, he only had one Pokémon that could fight—his Gardevoir. Asking him to use another Pokémon was out of the question.

What about his Dratini?

She's just a child!

Perhaps someday, Asahi might let Dratini spar against a few shorts-wearing Bug Catchers for training. But for now, there was no way he'd send her into such a tough battle.

Once Asahi signaled he was ready, both trainers tossed their Poké Balls at the same time.

Bang!

The Poké Balls opened mid-air, releasing two flashes of white light onto the field.

"Wooo~!"

On Lance's side, a sleek, blue figure materialized, letting out a clear cry.

"A Dragonair?"

Asahi recognized the Pokémon immediately. It must be one of Lance's second-string team members.

The exact strength of this Dragonair couldn't be gauged by looks alone—it would take a battle to find out.

Meanwhile, on Asahi's side, his shiny Gardevoir descended gracefully to the ground, enveloped in a soft, psychic aura.

"So, it really is a shiny Gardevoir."

Lance recalled the detail from Asahi's records. A shiny Gardevoir was exceptionally rare, and it had left a strong impression on him.

As for why Lance chose to send out a Dragonair, which was weak to Gardevoir's Fairy-type moves, despite knowing its typing...

What else could he do? He's a Dragon-type specialist!

Though others often ridiculed Lance for not resembling a true Dragon-type Elite Four member—constantly favoring Flying-type Pokémon despite his title—it was because those Pokémon were ones he had captured in his early years.

Later, to prove himself, he trained an entirely Dragon-type second team.

When he said he'd test Asahi using his second team, he wasn't going back on his word.

Besides, even if it was his second team, his Dragonair was still incredibly strong, boasting near-Elite-level power!

Using it to test Asahi, even with its disadvantage in type matchups, seemed perfectly reasonable to Lance.

These thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant, though only a few seconds passed in real time.

Due to the type disadvantage, Lance chose to strike first.

"Dragonair, use Aqua Tail!"

The Dragonair in the sky slightly adjusted its posture, locking onto Gardevoir's position before rapidly diving down.

In just a moment, it had crossed half the battlefield.

As it closed the gap, Asahi clearly saw Dragonair's tail gently swish, drawing on the power of water to form a crashing wave that hurtled toward Gardevoir!

"What smooth movements!" Asahi praised.

Such elegance and strength combined—it was the result of years of rigorous training, no doubt!

An ordinary trainer might have suffered a serious blow right off the bat.

But was Asahi an ordinary trainer?

Clearly not!

Facing the incoming wave, Asahi simply snapped his fingers.

"Deal with it!"

The next second, Gardevoir, in sync with his intent, raised its shimmering blue arm. Its eyes gleamed with the same azure glow as it gently gestured toward the oncoming tide.

Splash!

The surging wave was stopped by psychic energy, and the tidal force, mixed with a powerful psychic blast, reversed direction instantly. The overwhelming backlash sent Dragonair, the Aqua Tail's user, reeling, spinning chaotically in the air.

"What!?"

Lance hadn't anticipated this outcome. Before he could react, Gardevoir waved its hand again.

A dazzling, rainbow-colored light emanated from Gardevoir, condensing into an intense beam that hit the disoriented Dragonair squarely.

Dazzling Gleam!

Boom!

Dragonair was struck head-on by the radiant attack. The tremendous force sent it flying back at an even greater speed, slamming hard into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

As the smoke cleared, Lance stared at his unconscious Dragonair. Then, he looked up at Asahi and his Gardevoir, lost in thought.

Had he misjudged something?