Pokémon: Unlocking The Path to Supremacy

In the battle arena, Vigoroth beat its chest with both hands and roared, its body radiating an even stronger white glow.

With the same ferocious momentum, it charged straight toward Combusken, determined to take it down with a final blow.

However, just as it was about to collide, Combusken suddenly flickered away, its movements unnaturally fast—it had used Agility to dodge with ease.

With its Speed Boost Ability, Combusken was growing faster with every passing second, making it effortless to avoid attacks.

Seizing the opportunity, Combusken activated Double Team, creating multiple illusory copies that rushed toward Vigoroth from all directions.

Vigoroth's stamina was already running low, and facing so many identical Combusken at once left it momentarily flustered.

Before it could recover, the real Combusken struck—a well-aimed attack sent Vigoroth flying backward.

The Normal-type Pokémon hit the ground hard, unable to rise again.

"Vigoroth is unable to battle! Combusken wins!"

The referee's announcement echoed through the gym.

"Yes! Combusken won!"

May jumped up excitedly.

But then she noticed her father's expression.

Norman's face had darkened slightly—he had lost to Aoki again.

May, still caught in the excitement, suddenly had a thought:

If she and Aoki ended up together, would she forget about her father in the future?

Max, noticing her reaction, couldn't help but mutter, "Sis, whose side are you even on?"

May snapped out of it, realizing she had been a little too happy about her father losing.

Mitsuko, their mother, chuckled softly, covering her mouth. "It seems May has already found her future home. She even forgot about her father."

May's face turned bright red, and she lowered her head in embarrassment.

Norman, however, wasn't too bothered.

He recalled Vigoroth to its Poké Ball, patting it gently.

"Well done, Vigoroth. You fought hard."

This particular Vigoroth was newly trained and hadn't mastered many moves yet.

Against a Fighting-type opponent, it had an inherent disadvantage.

Besides, as a Gym Leader, his role was to test and train challengers, not overwhelm them.

Still, Aoki's Combusken was exceptionally well-trained.

Had it been an ordinary Pokémon, defeating Vigoroth would have been much harder.

"Alright, it's your turn, Linoone."

Norman threw his next Poké Ball, and in a flash of light, Linoone appeared on the battlefield.

Name: Linoone

Strength: Superior

Potential: Quasi-Elite

Aoki analyzed it calmly.

Given Linoone's base stats, this was a well-bred specimen—above average for a Gym Pokémon, but still not on the level of Norman's true ace Pokémon.

Still, for an average trainer, this Linoone would be extremely difficult to defeat.

"Linoone, use Sand Attack!"

At Norman's command, Linoone dashed forward at high speed.

As it neared Combusken, it suddenly kicked up a large cloud of yellow sand, aiming to blind its opponent.

Combusken instinctively raised its right arm to shield its eyes.

"Combusken, use Agility!"

With Aoki's swift command, Combusken darted sideways, narrowly avoiding the attack.

As it moved, multiple afterimages flickered across the field—not Double Team, but the sheer speed enhancement from Speed Boost.

"It's getting even faster…" Max muttered, worry creeping into his voice.

"If this keeps up, Linoone won't be able to keep up with Combusken at all."

Norman, however, remained calm.

A confident smile played on his lips, as if he had already foreseen this scenario.

Even if Linoone was outmatched in raw speed, he had other ways to counter it.

"Linoone, use Roar."

Linoone hesitated for a brief moment, but quickly let out a powerful, commanding roar that echoed through the gym.

Combusken, in the middle of its high-speed movement, suddenly stiffened, eyes widening in surprise.

And then—

With a flash of red light, Combusken was forcefully recalled into its Poké Ball.

Aoki's next Pokémon was automatically sent out in its place.

"Frogadier !"

The croak-headed frog, who had been watching from the sidelines, was abruptly dragged onto the battlefield.

Max's eyes widened in realization.

"That's it! Roar forces a Pokémon to switch out. That means Combusken loses all its Speed Boost increases!"

May clenched her fists. "That's bad… Aoki was in control before, but now the momentum has shifted!"

Aoki, however, didn't seem fazed at all.

He smirked slightly. "Alright then. Frogadier , use Bubble Beam."

Without hesitation, Frogadier opened its mouth, releasing a stream of shimmering blue bubbles that shot toward Linoone.

"Dodge it!"

Linoone swiftly leaped aside, narrowly avoiding the attack.

The bubbles struck the ground, exploding into small bursts of mist.

However—

Frogadier 's head twitched slightly, and the attack adjusted mid-air.

Bubble Beam veered off course—

—and continued chasing after Linoone!

"Linoone, keep moving! Close the distance and use Headbutt!"

Linoone expertly zigzagged across the battlefield, dodging the incoming bubbles as it charged toward Frogadier .

Frogadier stood its ground, unflinching.

"Double Team!"

In an instant, multiple Frogadier illusions appeared across the battlefield.

Linoone hesitated, momentarily unable to distinguish which one was real.

But Norman wasn't so easily shaken.

"Linoone, stay calm. Use Double Team as well!"

With a quick movement, Linoone created its own set of illusions.

Now, the field was filled with multiple Linoone and Frogadier copies, each mirroring the other.

A stalemate.

Norman folded his arms. "Now, let's see how you handle this, Aoki."

Aoki chuckled.

His Viridian Force had already told him which Linoone was the real one.

"Frogadier , Water Pulse. Left front."

Frogadier didn't hesitate.

It gathered water energy in its palms, forming a spinning sphere of condensed water.

Then, with a precise flick of its hands—

The Water Pulse shot forward.

Norman's eyes widened in surprise.

"Linoone, dodge!"

But it was too late.

The attack collided head-on with the real Linoone, sending it soaring backward.

It landed with a heavy thud, momentarily stunned.

A perfect hit.

May gasped. "How did Aoki know which one was real?"

Norman narrowed his eyes. He wasn't expecting Aoki to see through Double Team so effortlessly.

Still, he wasn't done yet.

Linoone struggled back onto its feet, but Aoki had already spoken his next command—

"Frogadier , follow up with Poison Jab!"

Frogadier 's fists glowed purple, the venomous energy crackling as it dashed forward—

And Linoone braced itself for impact.

The battle was far from over.