When night fell, Kakashi had originally planned to take Froakie back to the inn.
Unexpectedly, Froakie didn't want to go back.
"You mean to say you want to stay here for the night?"
Kakashi looked at Froakie and asked again.
"Froak, froak."
'Yes, I want to train with my master in the morning.'
Froakie nodded.
He was now a frog with a mentor, determined to train hard so that he could go on missions with Kakashi sooner.
"Alright, then I'll go ask Dr. Vegapunk if I can stay here with you."
"Froak?"
'You're staying too?'
"Yes."
Kakashi didn't find anything wrong with this.
When on missions, you never leave your partner behind. You always stay together.
Kakashi quickly found Vegapunk and was given a camping tent and a complete set of camping gear.
"If you want to truly understand Froakie's life, my suggestion is that you stay here with him for a week. That way, your bond will grow significantly."
Vegapunk offered Kakashi some advice.
"I see... Alright."
Kakashi hesitated for a moment.
However, considering there was exactly one week left until the competition and nowhere else to go before that, he decided to stay here and accompany Froakie for some solid training.
"So, for the next week, please allow me to stay here, Doctor."
"Sure."
Pokémon Club, Entertainment Street.
"The Blue Beast of Konoha, Might Guy, has arrived!"
"Woof woof woof!"
'The Blue Wolf of Konoha, Riolu, has arrived!'
On the side of user Might Guy,
Guy and Riolu jumped onto the battlefield full of energy.
This was already their tenth battle today, and they had yet to win a single match.
This was because the Pokémon Club had almost become a place for the participants to warm up, and there were basically no new trainers.
And since Riolu had only recently left infancy, it was naturally not a match for these participants.
Despite this, Guy and Riolu were still full of energy, continuing their battle matches without rest.
All day, they had been running back and forth between the Pokémon Center and the Pokémon Club.
"Oh, it's him again."
Sabo stood on the sidelines, smiling helplessly.
It was the first time he had seen a competitor use his real name, even Whitebeard used the alias Whitebeard.
Initially, Sabo had noticed Guy because of Riolu.
Riolu, just like Growlithe, was used as an example during class.
Both Riolu and Growlithe would approach those with kind hearts and dislike those with evil ones. If a trainer had a Riolu, it was nearly impossible for them to be a villain.
Likewise, Riolu's evolved form, Lucario, was also used as a case study in the class Special Powers: Aura.
Riolu could use a power called "Ripple".
This power could not be used to attack but could communicate emotions and facilitate mental connection between allies.
When Riolu evolved into Lucario, "Ripple" would evolve into "Aura", a power with an extremely broad range of uses.
Having studied these concepts,
Sabo was fairly certain that Guy and Riolu would become powerful and well-known trainers in the future.
But for now, it seemed they still had a long way to go.
"He's quite an interesting gentleman, isn't he?"
Standing beside Sabo were two others, one of whom was Brook, who was helping Sabo train Typhlosion.
"No, no, no, as interesting as he is, he still falls short compared to you."
On Sabo's other side was his roommate and close friend, breeder Thatch.
The three of them were chatting away while watching the battle.
On the other side of Riolu was a Cacturne.
The trainer's name was Rosinante.
Indeed, it was none other than one of the Eight Flamebearers.
Trafalgar D. Law, inheriting the name "Corazon" Rosinante, was a rising star in the Pokémon world.
"It's that guy again..."
Law had already defeated the Blue Beast once earlier in the morning.
Law's evaluation of that battle was, "Extremely boring."
Magnezone had stood there letting Riolu attack, but Riolu couldn't make a dent, like scratching an itch.
Moreover, Law really disliked people who were always loud and obnoxious; he felt like spending time with such people would make him dumb.
He didn't know why he felt this way; it was just an inexplicable feeling.
Currently, Rosinante had showcased three of his Pokémon in the Pokémon Club: Magnezone, Cacturne, and Absol.
The other three Pokémon had not yet been revealed, and it seemed Law did not plan to expose them before the knockout rounds.
Among the three Pokémon, Magnezone was undoubtedly the strongest.
Its near-untouchable attribute advantage made every opponent feel uneasy.
Moreover, Magnezone was at a fairly high level, possibly over Lv. 40, which made many trainers tremble.
As for Cacturne and Absol, they weren't as dominant as Magnezone but were still above most trainers' Pokémon.
Cacturne not only looked fearsome but also fought with a brutal style, scaring many young trainers.
Absol excelled at kiting and maneuvering, harassing opponents to the point of breakdown.
"It seems it's that Rosinante player from the morning, Riolu. You must be careful!"
"Woof."
Riolu nodded and clenched its small fists.
"..."
'It's Rosinante, you fool, where on earth did this strange beast come from?'
Veins bulged on Law's temple as he heard Guy's words.
Guy hadn't tried to keep his voice down at all, or perhaps he wasn't even aware that his voice was loud.
"Cacturne, give that little mutt a good beating for me."
Law was already annoyed.
If people joked about him, that was fine.
But joking about the name "Rosinante" was unacceptable.
However, this was just a misunderstanding—Guy wasn't intentionally getting the name wrong, he simply couldn't remember it, or rather, Guy never remembered the names of his enemies.
The only name Guy might have remembered was "Hoshigaki Kisame", and that was only after Kisame had died.
"Riolu, let's burn our youth to the fullest in this battle too!!!"
"Awoo!!!"
With Guy and Riolu's roar, the next moment, Riolu dashed towards Cacturne with its little legs.
However, the overly dramatic display by Guy and Riolu did not silence the audience but instead sparked loud cheers.
That was the spirit of this era.
Here, there was no concept of something being too exaggerated; passion and enthusiasm resonated with the spectators and participants alike.
The cheers of the crowd further fueled Guy and Riolu's fiery youth.
"Riolu, use Steel Release: Metal Claw!"
Guy extended a hand toward Cacturne, as if he were the one battling.
As for the move Metal Claw, it had nothing to do with Steel Release—it was just that Guy had an obsession with adding the Steel Release prefix.
Riolu, though under level ten, had already learned four moves.
Quick Attack, Endure, Feint, and Metal Claw.
Although these were low-level moves, they were practical enough to be used for a lifetime.
"Awoo~"
Riolu ran toward Cacturne, extending its two claws, which glowed with a grayish-white light.
"Sucker Punch."
On the other side, Law and Cacturne were like a robotic duo without emotion.
The moment the move was used, Cacturne's figure disappeared from the field.
"Woof?"
Riolu lost sight of its target and looked around in a panic.
Although Riolu couldn't see, Guy could see Cacturne's position, which was one of the roles a trainer played in a battle.
Cacturne was already behind Riolu.
From the audience:
"Sucker Punch, a move that determines attack priority based on speed—quite terrifying."
Top student Sabo immediately recognized the move Cacturne used.
In the games, Sucker Punch was a move that always struck first, provided the opponent was also using an attacking move.
In the real world, however, it wasn't so foolproof.
Sucker Punch would judge both sides' speed; Cacturne had to be faster than Riolu to activate the first-strike effect.
As long as Cacturne was even slightly faster, it could attack first, no matter how close Riolu's claws were to its face.
[Behind you!]
Guy's voice echoed in Riolu's heart through the power of Ripple.
Riolu quickly swung its claws behind it, but it was still a step too slow—Cacturne's attack had already arrived.
Cacturne swung its leg, kicking Riolu seven or eight meters away.
Slam.
Riolu was knocked to the ground but quickly got up again, albeit looking a bit worse for wear.
"Awoo!"
Riolu clenched its tiny fists, signaling to Guy that it was okay.
"Good! Very good! This is youth!"
Guy was almost moved to tears, then shouted loudly, "Keep fighting, Riolu! The Blue Wolf of Konoha!"
"Bullet Seed, finish it."
(End of Chapter)
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