Chapter 182: A First Glimpse of Brilliance

"Combusken, prepare yourself for your first battle after evolution!"

At Ron's call, Combusken's blood began to boil—it fixed its predatory gaze on its opponent.

Unlike the fervor-filled Combusken, the combative Scyther, much like the other Pokémon they'd encountered before, struggled to muster any fighting spirit under the watchful eyes of Machamp and his gang.

"Scyther, go ahead and fight. Don't worry—Machamp and his gang won't interfere. Are you scared?" Ron teased.

Worried that Scyther might not understand, Gardevoir even repeated the message using telepathy.

For a brief moment, Scyther hesitated; then suddenly, it seemed to ignite with passion—so much so that the phantom image of flames flickered behind it. Truly, the world of Pokémon never ceases to amaze.

Wielding its twin blades, Scyther signaled for Combusken to launch the attack.

"Combusken, use Agility!"

With its Speed Boost ability in mind, if Agility landed successfully, Combusken's speed would surge by three stages in one go.

Naturally, Scyther wasn't about to let Combusken grow stronger without a fight—it flapped its wings and lunged in for a sudden assault. Its razor-sharp blades gleamed coldly as it followed up with a Quick Attack.

"Combusken, fall back and use Ember to break off Scyther's advance!"

Following Ron's order, Combusken quickly retreated, trying to put distance between itself and Scyther.

Unfortunately, Scyther's own speed was no slouch; Combusken couldn't widen the gap as easily as hoped.

Combusken then unleashed an Ember attack to block Scyther's charge, but Scyther, brandishing its blades, sliced through the flames—albeit at the cost of its best chance to press the attack.

Realizing the tide was turning, Scyther swiftly retreated and activated Agility.

"Combusken, use Agility and charge forward!"

Buoyed by the boost from its previous Agility, Ron ordered Combusken to use Agility once again.

As they dashed, the distance between Combusken and Scyther rapidly closed. Mimicking Combusken's earlier Ember, Scyther attempted to disrupt with Vacuum Wave, but Combusken dodged it with ease.

"Combusken, block Scyther's escape routes with Ember and then charge in using Peck!"

At Ron's command, Combusken fired two successive Ember attacks to seal off any chances for Scyther to dart left or right.

Gathering flying-type energy at its beak, Combusken then launched a frontal assault.

In the ensuing high-speed chase, both Scyther and Combusken executed their Agility moves in rapid succession.

Halting its retreat, Scyther counterattacked head-on, unleashing its inherited Steel Wing—choosing to engage Combusken in a full-on, hard-hitting duel.

"Just collide with it, Combusken—use Counter!"

As the flying-type energy dissipated, a red glow enveloped Combusken, and just then, Scyther charged forward with Steel Wing.

Like two speeding cars colliding, the two clashed.

Sure enough, Combusken was knocked back, and the red radiance from its body burst forth as a shockwave that slammed into Scyther, flinging it backward.

"Combusken, continue the charge! Use Ember to open the path, then follow up with Scratch!"

The double rebound, packing a force of 140, caused Scyther to pause briefly before it slowly struggled to rise.

Leaping from the ground with the aid of its flapping wings, Scyther managed to evade the Ember attack.

Sensing danger from above, it looked up to see Combusken soaring upward as well. With a swift strike—its Scratch connecting—Scyther was finally knocked down.

Though the evolved Blaziken of Combusken was said to be powerful enough to leap across 30-story buildings when fully unleashed, the current Combusken couldn't do that yet.

Still, it was beginning to show its true potential. Seizing the opportunity as Scyther plummeted toward the ground, Combusken unleashed an Ember attack; a burst of flames erupted, engulfing Scyther entirely.

Landing steadily, Combusken again used Ember on Ron's orders. The combined damage from the earlier Counter rebound, the Scratch, and the twin Ember strikes left Scyther completely unable to continue fighting.

After the victory, Ron deliberately eased up on the number of battles, preferring instead to let Combusken acclimate to its evolved form.

Once Combusken grew fully accustomed to its newfound strength, Ron had Nidoking instruct it in Flamethrower while Machamp taught it Fire Punch and Thunder Punch.

This cumulative training was the advantage of nurturing multiple Pokémon over time—the skills gradually build upon one another.

Not content with simply wrapping up that bout, Ron shifted his focus to Gardevoir.

Now that Gardevoir had reached a preliminary elite level, Ron's next goal was to help her break through to the Mid Elite level before the upcoming Indigo League.

According to tournament rules, the final battles would require teams of six Pokémon.

With Combusken on his roster, Ron barely managed to round up six Pokémon.

Although Gyarados was available as a substitute, he recognized that the strength of Gardevoir and the others was indispensable—hence, Ron reserved extra time for specialized training.

During a break, Gastly emerged from Ron's shadow and cheerfully played with Machamp and the rest.

Ron was genuinely curious how powerful Gastly could become when nurtured by his own Fighting Aura while dwelling in his shadow.

Alas, as a Pokémon still in its infancy, Gastly wasn't fit for battle, so Ron kept his curiosity to himself until Gastly had matured a bit more.

He had even instructed Gastly that it must not leave his shadow without permission—not because he feared it would startle others, but because he intended to keep his trump card hidden.

After all, whether others knew you had a Gastly or not could make all the difference; who knows when it might yield an unexpected advantage?

Moreover, given Ron's current affiliation with Team Rocket—aligned with Giovanni's faction—it was all the more reason to conceal some of his Pokémon, as they might come in handy one day.

When the break ended, Gastly returned to Ron's shadow to resume its nurturing by his Fighting Aura before gradually drifting off to sleep.

Meanwhile, Gardevoir's psychic energies spread out as she began searching for a worthy opponent.

Limited by the constraints of her psychic abilities, Gardevoir couldn't instantly level up by six stages; this battle was merely a foundation for her future advancement.

Inside the Bamboo Grove Gym, Bellossom stood motionless, exuding a subtle yet unmistakable aura of sharpness.

Noticing this, Frostmoon and Farfetch'd looked on in astonishment.

Frostmoon had originally thought that before departing, Bellossom might not even be able to grasp the edge of its "Sword Heart," but he was astonished to see Bellossom achieve it so quickly.

If this trend continued, wouldn't Bellossom master the secrets of the Sword Heart even before leaving?

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