Klein's words were sharp, making Silver's expression twist in anger. His eyes darkened with frustration.
"Feraligatr, use Water Gun! Catch that Swinub!"
A blast of water shot forward, but despite Swinub's seemingly clumsy appearance, it reacted swiftly, vanishing into the snow each time. However, Feraligatr didn't stop its attack, adjusting its aim to different spots where Swinub might reappear.
After several rounds of this game of hide-and-seek, Feraligatr gradually predicted Swinub's movements, gaining an advantage and increasing the pressure on Klein's Pokémon.
Silver's training was decent—despite taking damage from Freeze-Dry earlier, Feraligatr managed to suppress the cold and maintain a strong offensive. This kid did have potential.
This time, as the Water Gun surged forward, Swinub's eyes finally became serious. Instead of dodging, it met the attack head-on, countering with another Freeze-Dry.
A gust of cold, dry air surged forward, freezing the Water Gun in midair. Yet, instead of stopping, Feraligatr used this moment to lunge forward, jaws wide open for a powerful bite.
Boom!
Swirling mid-air, Swinub's residual Freeze-Dry energy swept up the surrounding snowflakes, creating a protective vortex around itself. The moment Feraligatr came into contact with the icy storm, the accumulated cold from its previous wounds intensified, making its already blue skin turn a sickly shade of pale.
Taking advantage of Feraligatr's weakened state, Swinub's fur bristled as its Snow Cloak ability activated once more. It vanished seamlessly into the snowy battlefield, leaving only the sound of falling snowflakes behind.
"Use Hail again, then follow up with Freeze-Dry."
"Feraligatr, dodge it!"
Above them, the flurry of snow rapidly thickened into an avalanche-like downpour. Under Swinub's command, the silvery-white storm crashed down on Feraligatr.
This time, the hail was even stronger than before. Feraligatr was swept off its feet and slammed into the ground. With Freeze-Dry working in tandem with the blizzard, the giant crocodilian Pokémon was soon encased in ice, appearing completely immobilized.
Seeing that the battle was over, Swinub gleefully turned around, ready to run back to Klein for some well-earned affection—
"Not yet!" Silver suddenly shouted. "Feraligatr, Aqua Tail!"
A faint blue glow pulsed around Feraligatr's body. In the split second that Swinub let its guard down, a surge of water erupted, forming a thin protective membrane around Feraligatr, melting the ice encasing it. The beast roared, water surging along its tail as it lunged toward Swinub with renewed force.
Torrent ability activated.
Watching Silver's confident smirk, Klein remained unbothered.
"Swinub, Ice Shard."
Just as Feraligatr was about to strike, a single six-pointed snowflake appeared in midair.
Boom!
A sudden explosion of Ice Shards rained down on Feraligatr, detonating before it could land a hit. The water-type Pokémon let out a pained cry, unable to withstand the barrage.
Despite its Torrent-boosted Aqua Tail, Feraligatr's remaining health was its greatest weakness. The Ice Shard attack, with its priority move advantage, completely shattered Silver's final attempt at a comeback.
From an outsider's perspective, the battle seemed evenly matched. But in reality, Klein had simply been using Swinub to assess Silver's potential.
Silver clenched his fists, staring at Klein.
"Who are you? You're not just some random old man."
Recalling Feraligatr, he finally took a good look at the "ordinary-looking" adult in front of him. Before Klein could respond, Silver swiftly picked up the discarded exam paper from the ground and coldly walked away.
"I'll attend the opening ceremony. But when the time comes, I'll defeat you again—so you'd better be ready to hand me my graduation certificate early."
Klein smirked. "Fine. But if your grades don't meet the requirement, you'll only get a completion certificate, not a diploma."
After Silver left, Klein received another call from Giovanni. Upon confirming that nothing serious had happened, Giovanni let out a sigh of relief.
"Apologies. Since I wasn't around to raise him, the boy turned out a bit rebellious."
"It's fine. Since you're sponsoring the school, I'll do my best to teach him properly. If his studies ever fall behind, I'll make sure to provide extra lessons."
Besides the standard curriculum, Klein now felt it was necessary to introduce political education to the school. The students needed to develop well-rounded morals and values.
And, most importantly, they needed to stop calling him old man.
Meanwhile, at the Indigo League Tournament, the competition had finally come to an end after over a week of battles.
A young prodigy from Hoenn, a girl named Fawn, had stormed through the tournament, crushing every opponent in her path and claiming the championship title for the Kanto season.
As per Indigo League tradition, the tournament champion was granted the right to challenge any Elite Four member or even the regional champion in a final exhibition match.
Typically, these challenges were three-on-three battles against the Champion, and thus, Lance was already stepping onto the award stage with a smile.
"So, Fawn," the host announced, "who will you be challenging?"
Standing center stage, the long-haired girl's gaze remained distant, as if everything around her was irrelevant. Her detached demeanor was eerily reminiscent of Klein from the previous season.
Yet, unlike Klein, whose battles were calculated and precise, Fawn's fighting style was brutal.
Ash's rival, Ritchie, had his Pikachu utterly annihilated by her Venusaur, leaving the poor electric-type bloodied and unconscious in the dirt.
Some spectators even whispered that she was more ruthless than Klein.
At least when Klein battled, he still showed moments of kindness toward Pokémon.
But Fawn? Judging by her past matches, she was more like a bloodthirsty monster.
Fawn's cold voice echoed through the stadium.
"I challenge Sandstorm Elite Klein."
A stunned silence fell over the crowd.
Him again?!
The host hesitated, suddenly at a loss for words. Fawn's expression remained calm, but her eyes sharpened.
"Is that not allowed?"
Lance, who had already stepped onto the stage, quickly intervened. "It's not that it's not allowed… It's just that Elite Klein is currently handling business on Cinnabar Island."
"That's fine. I'll wait for him."
Her tone left no room for negotiation.
The stadium fell into an awkward silence—no one had expected the tournament champion to skip over the League Champion and go straight for an Elite instead.
Lance, who had already taken the stage, was left standing there awkwardly.
A beat passed.
Then, the audience erupted into cheers.
"Support Fawn!"
"You got this, Fawn!"
"Such a cute girl—she has to win!"
Apparently, cuteness outweighed everything else.
When Klein battled, the audience saw him as brutal.
When Fawn did the same, they called it bold and straightforward.
From the stands, Misty, holding Togepi in her arms, crossed her arms with a frown.
"I really don't like this girl's attitude toward Klein," she muttered in annoyance.
(End of Chapter)