Time flew by, and only two weeks remained until the entrance exam.
For the past half-month, Kai had never missed a day of training, and Charmander had made significant progress.
A bit of jogging while wearing the vest posed no problem for him now. He could also execute all his moves and melee skills smoothly. Kai anticipated that once the vest was removed, Charmander's strength, particularly his explosive power, would increase significantly.
After finishing their two-hour jog that morning, Kai and Charmander rested on a nearby bench. As they caught their breath, someone approached them.
"Hello."
"Hm?" Kai raised an eyebrow, sizing up the newcomer. Their soft features made it difficult for him to determine whether they were male or female.
The person had medium-length hair, stood around 1.7 meters tall, and seemed to be around the same age as Kai. A green, serpentine-like Pokémon—the Grass-type Snivy—accompanied them.
"I've been observing you for a while," the person said, causing Kai's eyebrow to raise higher.
"Sorry, I already have someone I like," Kai's response was quick.
"Eh? But I'm not here to confess..." The boy looked confused at first, but as he understood the implication of Kai's words, he exclaimed, "Wait! I'm a boy!"
Kai inspected him more closely, particularly his chest, before giving a casual nod.
The boy looked a bit uncomfortable under Kai's gaze. "Are you an apprentice trainer too?" he asked.
"Indeed," Kai nodded.
The boy let out a small sigh of relief. "If it's alright, could we have a Pokémon battle?"
"A battle? Sure," Kai agreed without hesitation.
"I'm Mao, and this is Snivy." The boy smiled, introducing himself.
Snivy, standing beside Mao, appeared indifferent, not even sparing Kai a glance.
"I'm Kai, and this is Charmander." Kai smiled back.
"I'm aiming to get into Silverwing High School," Mao said, rubbing the back of his head, slightly embarrassed. "Ever Since I got my starter Pokemon, I've been training here, but I've never had a proper Pokémon battle. I'm hoping to get some real experience before the exam."
"Silverwing High School?" Kai's eyes lit up at the mention of the prestigious academy.
"Yeah, what about it?"
"Nothing," Kai shook his head. "My situation is pretty similar to yours. I haven't had my first battle either."
"That's perfect!" Mao grinned in excitement. "So when should we start?"
Kai turned to Charmander. "What do you think? Ready for a match?"
Charmander stared at Snivy, releasing a few sparks from his nose with a playful grin. Snivy, unimpressed, flicked her vines dismissively.
"Well, why wait then," Kai's lips too curled into a grin, closely resembling Charmander's. "Let's begin right now."
Mao chuckled. "There's a battle arena nearby. Let's head there."
"Sounds good."
They walked over to a small arena not far away.
The Pokémon League had strict rules regarding arena sizes. For apprentice trainers like them, who had weaker and less destructive Pokémon, a 4x10-meter arena was the standard. More advanced trainers used larger arenas to minimize the risk of damage and to accommodate the greater power of their Pokémon.
Top-tier competitions, like the World Pokémon League, used 8x22-meter arenas to ensure trainer safety and give ample space for Pokémon battles.
Kai and Mao took their positions. Since there wasn't a referee, the battle would end when one side's Pokémon was unable to continue.
"I have a type advantage," Kai reminded. "Is that alright?"
"No problem!" Mao waved off the concern. His eyes then landed on Charmander's vest. "Shouldn't you take that off? It could get damaged."
"No need. It's durable enough," Kai replied.
The instructions mentioned that the vest was made with a special type of metal that had high impact resistance, built to withstand the rigors of Pokémon battles.
Mao shrugged, readying himself.
Together, they began the countdown:
"Three."
"Two."
"One."
"Go!"
"Snivy, close the gap! Charmander's weak in melee!" Mao commanded quickly.
With a sharp glint in her eye, Snivy darted toward Charmander. Her agility, combined with the small arena, let her reach Charmander in no time. As soon as she got close, she lashed out with her vines, wrapping them around Charmander's legs.
"Great! Pull Charmander down so that he can't use Ember!" Mao shouted. His commands were precise, reflecting the training he had done for the entrance exam of Silverwing's caliber.
But Mao had misjudged Charmander's strength. Despite Snivy's full effort, Charmander didn't budge an inch. Instead, he glared down at Snivy with fierce eyes.
"What?! Snivy's pulling force is 25 kilograms, and Charmander only weighs 8! How is he not moving?!" Mao was in shock.
"25 kilograms? That's not enough," Kai smiled. Charmander had gotten used to the vest's suppression, and in addition, the vest itself weighed around 10 kg.
"Well then."
Mao adapted quickly. Seeing that his current tactic didn't work, he decided to take a different approach.
"Snivy, use Slam!"
Snivy leaped into the air, her tail glowing with a bright white light as she swung it down toward Charmander.
"Metal Claw!" Kai shouted.
Charmander roared, his claws gleaming with a metallic sheen as he slashed upward, meeting Snivy's attack head-on.
Bang!
Snivy let out a pained cry as she was flung back, skidding across the arena floor. She didn't get up—she was knocked out.
"Snivy!" Mao's eyes widened in disbelief.
Kai scratched his nose and shrugged. "By the way, my Charmander is pretty good at close combat."