Chapter 27: Rematch with the Champion

"Alright, Sandshrew, come over and take a break."

Ryoma said to Sandshrew, who was exhausted from using moves continuously in the arena.

"Sha!"

Sandshrew called out tiredly and scampered to Ryoma's side, grabbing a bottle of Miltank milk Ryoma handed over and gulping it down.

"Good job! With these two moves evolved into a combination technique, you should be able to hold your own against those intermediate Trainers now!"

Ryoma showed no hesitation in his praise while taking out his notebook to record Sandshrew's training process for today. He noted that there were still some areas that needed enhanced training.

"Sha, sha, sha!"

Hearing Ryoma's words, Sandshrew immediately puffed up its chest with pride.

"Go wash off, we're finishing early today, and I'll take you for some Big Meals!" Ryoma said with a slight smile.

"Sha!"

Upon hearing there were Big Meals, Sandshrew's eyes shone brightly.

Then it dashed to a tap on the construction site, turned on the water, and stood directly under it, letting the water splash all over its body.

About ten seconds later, Sandshrew shivered all over, quickly running away from the tap to a clear area, shaking off the water and gasping for breath, as if it had just been through a fierce battle.

Seeing that Sandshrew had completely overcome its fear of water, Ryoma smiled in satisfaction, recalled Sandshrew, and headed toward the Pokémon restaurant in the city.

...

At seven o'clock in the evening, Ryoma brought Sandshrew to Starry Sky Pokémon Club.

"Sha~"

Sandshrew appeared in the Battle Arenas and then looked longingly toward the entrance, calling out pitifully.

"Don't look so sad; I told you that guy Yuto has gone to school and won't be around for a while," Ryoma laughed as he watched Sandshrew.

"Sha~"

Seeing this, Sandshrew looked even more dejected.

I miss Yuto, I miss Big Meals, and those late-night snacks...

"Alright, alright, even though the food has been a bit lacking lately, there's no need to show it so obviously, right?"

"Sha~"

It's tough to get through the days without money.

"Okay, I know, I know."

"I called you out this time because I wanted to discuss something."

"How about we pull off a job tonight? If we can defeat a Champion, that's 10,000 yen, which is much more than Yuto's 1,000 yen!"

"Sha sha Sha!"

Upon hearing Ryoma's proposal, Sandshrew's eyes lit up, but this little guy is quite clever; he quickly raised all his tiny paws and began chirping excitedly.

"One, two, three, four, five, six; I know, I know, 10,000 yen in hand, with 6,000 yen yours."

"Sha sha Sha!"

Seeing this, Sandshrew shook its small head even more vigorously; then its little eyes twirled before it lay down and raised its two tiny feet.

"Seven, eight, nine, ten..."

Ryoma's face darkened. Sandshrew has three claws on its little paws and two on its feet; together they make exactly ten.

This little guy means he wants it all!

"Fine, you can have it, but all the money from Defending the Title belongs to me!"

"Even if it's only 100 yen per match, every little bit counts!"

A gleam flashed in Ryoma's eyes.

"Sha sha Sha!"

Hearing Ryoma's promise, Sandshrew, rolling on the ground, happily got up and waved its hand in agreement.

Isn't it just 100 yen?

I'll reward you!

After discussing with Sandshrew, Ryoma put Sandshrew away and then went straight to the registration area to sign in.

"Dear Trainer, you are the eighth Challenger in this Battle Arena. The current one on the field is the sixth Challenger. Please prepare yourself," the attendant respectfully said.

"Two more before it's my turn?"

Ryoma nodded and, not daring to delay, hurried toward the contestant area. There wasn't much time left for him to observe.

Boom!

As soon as Ryoma arrived at the contestant area, he heard a loud bang.

He then looked over and saw a Persian pinning a Tauros to the ground with one paw, the huge sound coming from Tauros hitting the ground.

"What incredible power! That move must be Slash; it can actually take down a Tauros, known for its brute strength!"

Ryoma looked seriously at the Persian in the arena; this was clearly the Champion's Pokémon.

"The winner is decided, and Persian's strength is still as impressive as ever!"

The host, after seeing the referee declare the battle result, excitedly shouted into the microphone, causing the crowd to cheer.

"As impressive as ever? It seems this Persian is very skilled in close combat," Ryoma silently noted this information.

"Now, let's welcome the seventh Challenger to the stage!"

As soon as the host finished speaking, a Trainer with dyed blonde hair eagerly ran up to the stage, then threw a Poké Ball, and a Pinsir appeared in the arena.

"Pinsir, charge in, don't give your opponent a chance to breathe!"

The Pinsir Trainer immediately issued the order, fully understanding the essence of the rotating battle strategy.

"Click!"

Pinsir let out a loud roar, its strong brown body quickly charging forward, its right hand gleaming with white light as it unleashed the Fighting-type move Brick Break!

"Dodge it!"

Facing the aggressive Pinsir, Persian stepped lightly, and suddenly its figure flickered, disappearing from the spot, making Pinsir's Brick Break miss completely!

"Darn! After six battles, it's still that fast!"

"But my Pinsir has plenty of stamina; I'll wear you out!"

The Pinsir Trainer's expression turned fierce as he directed Pinsir to pursue relentlessly, confident that with just one Fighting-type move, he could take down the type-weak Persian.

"Persian, use Swift!"

The Champion clearly understood the Pinsir Trainer's intentions and calmly gave the order.

Although Pinsir's Fighting-type moves posed a significant threat to Persian, it was evident that this Pinsir specialized in strength.

However, as long as Persian avoided Pinsir's attacks, its brute force would be rendered useless!

The Champion's thought process was very clear: a classic kite strategy, making Pinsir cry out in frustration, but no matter what, it could not touch Persian, having to endure the onslaught of Swift again and again!

In the end, Pinsir was thoroughly overwhelmed by Persian's Swift, never managing to touch it at all and losing in a very frustrating manner!

"Hmm? The battle lasted longer than I expected!"

"Although Pinsir's stamina is indeed impressive, Persian's Special Attack seems noticeably weak."

"Is the focus on speed and physical attack?"

"If that's the case, I won't hold back in this battle!"

With confidence shining in his eyes, Ryoma stepped onto the stage at the host's invitation.