"Challenge? No, no, no..." Giselle laughed softly when she heard Misty's words and shook her head. "I think you misunderstood.
I didn't say 'challenge.' I meant an *invitation to battle*, not a challenge."
"As the top student of the Pokémon Research Academy, I'll conduct a *coaching* battle against you," Giselle declared with her arms crossed, radiating pride.
In her view, it was only natural to act this way.
Though she had not yet graduated, her skills had already surpassed the beginner level, placing her in the intermediate ranks of Pokémon trainers.
She believed that had she experienced a League competition, her abilities would already be on par with a seasoned Pokémon trainer.
"Coaching battle..." Giselle's words carried a condescending tone, though Misty and Brock felt more amused than insulted.
They couldn't help but wonder how Giselle would react after actually battling Ash.
Though they didn't know Giselle's true strength, they were well aware of Ash's abilities—or rather, they hadn't fully comprehended them yet.
Ash had consistently managed to defeat Bronze-level Pokémon using what seemed like ordinary Pokémon, demonstrating that his own skills as a trainer far surpassed those of others at his level.
From their perspective, there was no way the Pokémon Research Academy's top student, even Giselle, could match Ash's strength—unless, of course, she had vastly superior abilities.
But if that were the case, it was unlikely she would still be at the academy and not already in the League.
Misty and Brock both believed that Ash, while still young and not fully matured as a trainer, was already qualified to compete in the Pokémon League and even achieve a solid ranking.
Considering Ash had only been on his journey for less than two months, that alone was impressive.
"Coaching battle..." Ash wasn't irritated by Giselle's arrogance. Instead, he smiled, and Pikachu, perched on his shoulder, gave Giselle a disdainful glance.
"If you're that confident, I'll leave it to you, the top student of the Kanto branch of the Pokémon Research Academy, to coach me."
Ash's tone was calm, but there was a subtle undercurrent of sarcasm as he mocked Giselle's introduction.
Giselle clearly caught the meaning behind his words, but the students around her were oblivious. They thought Ash was scared, so they mocked him further.
"I hope you'll still have that attitude later!" Giselle, annoyed by Ash's subtle insult, led her group of students to the school's battle hall.
Ash and his companions followed. Any thoughts of resting could wait until the battle was over.
"Principal, shouldn't you intervene and stop this?" At the entrance of the cafeteria, an older man and a serious-looking young woman watched the scene unfold.
The young woman glanced at the departing students and then at Ash, concerned.
"No need..." The man, whom the young woman had addressed as principal, smiled and shook his head slightly.
It wasn't that he wasn't worried his students might lose—he actually hoped they would lose, and lose badly.
The school's atmosphere had become too self-satisfied, and he wanted his students to be humbled by a defeat.
In recent years, most of the trainers passing through the area had been weak, as this wasn't a typical route toward any major gym.
Even those who did show up were never a match for Giselle, which both reassured and disappointed him.
The principal was proud of his granddaughter, Giselle, for being the top student, but it was a hollow victory when none of the competition could push her.
He had long hoped for someone strong enough to change the school's stagnant attitude.
"Let's follow along and watch. I'm hoping this trainer can stir things up and shift the school's mindset..." The principal sighed as he spoke, though his tone carried little hope.
The young woman nodded silently, knowing how much the old man had invested in the school. She couldn't help but feel a glimmer of hope as she looked at Ash's determined figure walking away.
---
"This is the Battle Hall of the Pokémon Research School?!" Brock exclaimed as they entered a massive building, easily the size of a Pokémon Center.
The hall had just one floor but housed at least ten battle arenas.
Each arena was as large as a standard Pokémon battle field, but the designs varied. Some were water-based, with a pool filled with rocks acting as platforms.
Others were grass fields, where the tall grass could hide smaller Pokémon.
One even had mountainous terrain, with large rocks towering over the field and a small waterfall cascading into a pond below.
"It's so extravagant..." Even Misty, who was a gym leader's sister, couldn't help but be impressed. These were practice fields, yet they surpassed the quality of many competitive battle arenas.
A nearby student noticed their awe and smirked. "What, haven't you seen something like this before?"
"Nope, never seen something like this," Ash admitted casually.
He wasn't embarrassed—after all, what difference did the fancy fields make? All it showed was that the school had money.
Seeing Ash openly admit it, the student puffed up like a proud rooster, grinning with satisfaction.
"Which field do you want to battle on?" Giselle asked, standing confidently before them. "You can choose any of these."
Ash glanced around, his eyes scanning the various fields, before finally settling on the most ordinary, regulation battle arena.
While the other fields seemed interesting, Ash knew that regular battle arenas gave him the best chance to fully demonstrate his strength.
The unfamiliar terrain in the more elaborate arenas might introduce too many unknown factors.
Though he had battled in rocky or water-based fields before, the mountainous and swampy terrain were new to him, and he didn't want to take any unnecessary risks.
Ash wasn't one to underestimate any opponent. He always fought with full effort, because he hated the idea of losing.
His goal wasn't just to become a great trainer but to be legendary—an undefeated champion.
"I'll go with the standard battle field," Ash declared.
"Fine by me..." Giselle responded with a light smile, unfazed by his choice.
She walked to the side of the field, while her fellow students scattered around, cheering for her. They were confident Giselle would win this battle with ease.
"Go get her, Ash! Don't lose to that stuck-up girl!" Misty called out from behind, her dislike for Giselle evident.
"Don't worry," Ash replied, flashing a thumbs-up without looking back. He had no intention of losing here. He couldn't afford to.
---
Adios