Chapter 238: Battle with Officer Jenny

"Then I'll leave this matter in your hands, Officer Jenny!" Rex sincerely thanked Officer Jenny.

"Just wait for my good news. This shouldn't take more than a few days."

Officer Jenny happened to have some free time over the next few days, so she could help Rex get the Breeding License for his farm.

"Then I won't disturb your training any further!" Rex, seeing that the matter was settled, didn't want to take up more of Officer Jenny's time, so he took his leave.

"Rex, hold on a moment. Since it's rare to get the chance, how about we have a Pokémon battle?"

Just as Rex was about to leave on Swellow, Officer Jenny suddenly invited him to a battle.

Officer Jenny had watched Rex's performance in the Hoenn Tournament through the live broadcast and was amazed by his displayed strength.

She thought that her Arcanine had been evolved for a while now and wanted to test her training efforts through a battle with Rex.

In this peaceful little town, there weren't many trainers that Officer Jenny considered as worthy opponents. Even if there were, most of them were out traveling or advancing on bigger stages.

This was also why Officer Jenny found it somewhat strange that someone of Rex's age would be content being a farmer. She thought he should be traveling to different regions to quickly improve his strength and knowledge.

Soon, both Rex and Officer Jenny took their positions. This time, Rex only had Swellow with him, as even the usually lurking Haunter had gone off to play with the shiny Mareep.

So, the battle was set between Swellow and Arcanine. Swellow hovered in the air, fixing its sharp gaze on Arcanine, while Arcanine stood majestically, returning the stare.

"Swellow, Air Cutter!"

"Arcanine, Flamethrower!"

Almost simultaneously, Rex and Officer Jenny gave their commands.

Without hesitation, Swellow launched a barrage of wind blades at Arcanine, while Arcanine unleashed a column of fire from its mouth, colliding with the wind blades.

As the wind blades and flames clashed, the air echoed with explosions. However, Arcanine's Flamethrower, being continuous, eventually broke through the wind blades and surged toward Swellow.

"Swellow, Aerial Ace!"

Following Rex's command, Swellow quickly circled around the column of fire, disappearing from sight. When it reappeared, it struck Arcanine with full force.

"Arcanine, Extreme Speed!"

Although Arcanine took the hit, it quickly recovered. Under Officer Jenny's command, it unleashed Extreme Speed while Swellow was still close.

Arcanine's lightning-fast attack caught Swellow off-guard, sending it flying through the air.

As Swellow was knocked back, Arcanine didn't relent. It followed up, flames smoldering in its mouth, preparing to bite down on Swellow with its Flame Wheel attack.

Just as Arcanine was about to bite Swellow's wing, Swellow swiftly recovered. With a slight flap of its right wing, it dodged Arcanine's Flame Wheel and ascended diagonally.

Not giving up after missing, Arcanine used its powerful legs to leap towards the ascending Swellow like an arrow from a bow.

"Swellow, Hyper Beam barrage!"

Seeing Arcanine mid-air, unable to dodge, Rex commanded Swellow to counterattack.

"Boom!"

A massive beam of energy shot out from Swellow's mouth, hitting the airborne Arcanine, halting its ascent. Seconds later, another Hyper Beam struck, sending Arcanine crashing to the ground.

After being hit by two consecutive Hyper Beams, even with its strong physique, Arcanine was starting to feel the effects. It landed, panting heavily, though its fighting spirit burned in its eyes.

Seeing the third Hyper Beam coming, Arcanine didn't dodge. Instead, it countered with a Flamethrower of its own, colliding with the beam.

"Boom, boom, boom!"

As Hyper Beams continued to come, Arcanine met them with Flamethrower, creating a stalemate in the battle.

Officer Jenny, gripping her hands tightly, couldn't hide her excitement. Since her Growlithe had evolved into Arcanine, she had been training it diligently according to her family's training manual but hadn't experienced such an intense battle until today.

Although Officer Jenny usually appeared laid-back at the Fallarbor Town police station, her desire for battle remained strong.

If not for her strong sense of justice, she might not have become a police officer, ensuring peace in the area. Even though Fallarbor Town was peaceful, she focused on improving Arcanine's strength to be ready when real trouble arose.

Rex also started seeing Officer Jenny in a new light. He hadn't expected that beneath her carefree demeanor and love for speed, she would have such strong abilities as a trainer.

"Swellow, Brave Bird!"

"Arcanine, Flare Blitz!"

Seeing that the long-range battle had reached a deadlock, Rex ordered Swellow to launch a full-on attack, and Officer Jenny wasn't willing to back down, as close combat was also Arcanine's strength.

Surrounded by flying-type energy, Swellow dived like an arrow, while Arcanine, engulfed in blazing red flames, charged upward to meet it head-on.

"Boom!"

As Swellow and Arcanine collided, the clash of energies caused a massive explosion, sending shockwaves that pushed Rex and Officer Jenny back a few steps.

Once the dust settled, Arcanine was lying on the ground, panting heavily, its tongue lolling out, but still ready for another round.

Meanwhile, Swellow reappeared in the sky, bearing many wounds, with fire energy clinging to it, continuously causing damage.

Rex knew that while Swellow's injuries looked severe, it wasn't near its limit yet. In fact, the burn was activating its Guts ability, significantly boosting its attack power.

"Officer Jenny, I think we should end the battle here. Both Swellow and Arcanine have taken substantial damage."

Rex didn't push Swellow to continue attacking and instead suggested ending the match.

Although Rex was confident of victory, this was just a friendly battle, and there was no need to push Arcanine to the point of serious injury.

"Alright, I've seen what I needed to. I now have a good understanding of Arcanine's strength."

Officer Jenny agreed readily to Rex's suggestion.

She had only wanted to gauge her Arcanine's abilities through the battle with Swellow. Now that she had a better understanding, there was no need to continue the fight.

(End of Chapter)