As locals of the Magic City, many of them had watched Nathan's battles from the audience stands.
But now, everyone wondered—could he maintain that same composure and strength when facing a serious Gym Leader?
To this, Nathan's answer was a firm yes.
"Zeraora, dodge and then launch an attack on Electivire's flank!"
Without activating synchronization, Nathan stared intently at Electivire and issued his command.
Although Electivire's Thunder Punch seemed average, Nathan didn't dare underestimate Ethan.
This wasn't like the regional tournament in Magic City.
To become a Gym Leader—none of them were simple opponents.
Especially Ethan—he stood out even among Gym Leaders.
"Zoar!"
Letting out a low growl, Zeraora responded without hesitation to Nathan's cautious command.
Zeraora quickly pulled back from the side, confirming that Electivire's attack couldn't reach her.
Then—Chidori was unleashed!
At this point, Chidori had gone from being a trump card to practically a basic attack.
After all, Zeraora frequently fought opponents above her level, and aside from Chidori, most ordinary moves failed to make a decisive impact.
"Electivire, use your elbow to strike instead! Show them what we're made of!"
But seeing Zeraora's Chidori, Ethan didn't show a hint of surprise. Instead, a confident smirk appeared on his face.
In the next instant—
Electivire, who had just been using Thunder Punch, transformed the move mid-motion!
That seemingly bulky body turned the punch into an elbow strike in a flash!
What was even more surprising—
The electric current from Thunder Punch fully transferred to the elbow without any error!
Thunder Punch, No, Thunder Elbow clashed directly with Chidori.
Electivire didn't just hold his ground—he used the force to push Zeraora into the air!
If Zeraora didn't have aerial mobility, it would've been subjected to a seamless combo of Ora ora ora! right then and there.
…
"You know, Nathan—you and I are a lot alike."
As Electivire chased relentlessly after his opponent, Ethan suddenly spoke.
"Huh?"
Nathan tilted his head, confused. He truly didn't see how Electivire and Zeraora were similar.
"No, seriously. I think we're very similar—at least in how we train our Pokémon."
Ethan gave a faint smile and continued:
"I used to try combining the things my Pokémon were best at, to bring out their fullest potential."
"But even the Elite Guardians can only create combo moves within the same type."
"But you, Nathan—you're different. Your understanding of moves and wild imagination are beyond what normal people can comprehend."
"Just like me! No—far better than me!"
"Electivire—Thunder and lightning eight extremes!"
After his reflective words, Ethan suddenly shouted.
Electivire's entire body surged with lightning.
A moment later—it began to use... martial arts?
Yes, not just any martial arts—
It was a lethal, ancient combat technique!
At that moment, Nathan had a revelation:
Perhaps he and Ethan really were the same kind of people.
Pokémon had extremely limited energy.
You could see that even in his past life's anime—take Meowth, for instance.
After learning to speak human language, its combat ability practically disappeared.
It was essentially just a person in a Pokémon's skin.
Meowth had invested all its potential into learning language and developing its brain.
The same principle applied in this world.
A Pokémon could either pursue intelligence and forsake its supernatural strength,
or walk the path of battle alongside its Trainer—and leave everything up to fate.
Both Nathan and Ethan had chosen what most wouldn't dare—
Rather than have their Pokémon specialize in just one area, they explored the unknown field together.
This path was unquestionably risky.
If their exploration failed, it could cap the Pokémon's potential and weaken them compared to others of the same level.
But both Nathan and Ethan walked this path anyway.
The difference was—Nathan had his system, talent and a mind enriched by his previous life.
Ethan, sadly, lacked natural talent, resources, and imagination.
"I see… In that case, I guess we really are kindred spirits."
"Zeraora—Lightning Release Mode!"
With newfound clarity, a smile crept onto Nathan's face.
He had indeed come to the right place.
If Zeraora was going to reach the Elite level, there was no better place for it.
"Zoar!"
Sensing Nathan's intent, Zeraora's body exploded with lightning as well.
But unlike Electivire's Third Raikage-style moves,
Zeraora resembled someone who had eaten the Rumble-Rumble Fruit—her entire body transformed into a storm of blue and gold lightning!
Even though Electivire's Eight Extremes strikes were precise, brutal, and fast,
Nathan didn't even have time to give detailed commands without using synchronization.
But Zeraora, with her vast battle experience and honed instincts,
dodged one lethal blow after another.
The battle looked intense and dangerous,
but Zeraora never truly took a hit.
"Compared to Beedrill and Scyther, Electivire's speed just doesn't cut it," Nathan thought, shaking his head.
From the moment he captured Zeraora, Nathan had trained her by sparring against Beedrill and Scyther.
What came out of that was not just reflex—but nearly precognition.
Unless Electivire exceeded a certain speed threshold,
or Zeraora ran out of stamina—
hitting her was practically impossible!
Even Ethan, who had expected a tough fight, felt a growing sense of helplessness.
Below the Elite level, Electivire was his strongest and most well-trained Pokémon.
Combining Eight Extremes with electricity gave him the upper hand against many opponents, even those with a type advantage.
But compared to Nathan—he and Electivire still fell short.
What was more shocking—Zeraora had just reached level 46 after the Magic City regional tournament.
"So… this is what true genius looks like?"
That thought crossed Ethan's mind—but he shook it off quickly.
"Electivire, stop wasting effort. If we can't keep up, switch to a wide-area attack!"
"Eight Extremes —Million Volt Impact!"
Even though Electivire continued using martial arts imbued with electricity,
his punches and kicks suddenly carried terrifying power!
Each stomp shattered the solid battlefield.
Each strike created thunderclaps and sent shockwaves into the air!
"Wow—so strong! Is this the Gym Leader's true power? Isn't it way too much?!"
"When will I ever reach that level? I can't wait!"
"Ha! As if! Our Gym Leader's a genius. You? Not even close!"
The watching Gym apprentices gasped in awe at Electivire's electrifying martial display.
…
"So this… is what a Pokémon battle really looks like?"
No one noticed the little girl—around ten years old—who had appeared nearby.
Her big, sparkling eyes were fixed unblinking on the battlefield.
…
"Tch… Million Volt Impact? It's not the full version—probably only 30% of its actual power."
"Gym Leader Ethan… Electivire can't maintain this form for more than three minutes, can it?"
Nathan clicked his tongue at the sight of Electivire's devastating state.
Honestly, calling this mode "Super Saiyan form" couldn't be more accurate.
"So, you saw through it. Hahaha!"
Exposed, Ethan burst into hearty laughter.
"So—will you go all out now, or keep dodging with Zeraora?"
This was an open provocation—but also a psychological tactic.
Unfortunately for Ethan—this was exactly the kind of game Nathan enjoyed.
"Zeraora—Bond Evolution!"
Nathan's eyes suddenly turned golden, and he struck a pose identical to Zeraora's.
Their movements synced in perfect unison.
The light of evolution enveloped Zeraora—
transforming her into an even more dazzling, cool, and unstoppable Bond Form!
But neither Nathan, nor Ethan, nor the Gym apprentices noticed—
That little girl had settled into the area, her sparkling eyes locked on Nathan and Zeraora.
"That's it… That's what I was looking for…"
She mumbled softly, her pink lips moving as she slowly approached from the outer edge of the Gym.
(End of Chapter)
(TN: Again, another warning, starting this point, you might see errors, mistranslations and such because I just started translating this novel again after a month so I might forget some stuff.)