Chapter 45: Are You Stupid? Former Companions

"The second one…"

After a brief moment of hesitation, Barry reached into his pocket, pulled out another Poké Ball, and tossed it forward.

"Go, Ponyta! It's up to you now!"

"Neigh~"

A small pony with flames dancing across its mane and tail appeared on the open field. Its four legs tensed, ready to strike at any moment.

"Come back for now."

Seeing his opponent's Pokémon, Paul thought for a moment before recalling his Ursaring to watch from behind.

"Urr~"

Ursaring nodded and dragging its heavily injured body, retreated to sit behind Paul, where it began to recover its strength while observing the battle.

Once Ursaring was back in position, Paul threw another Poké Ball.

"Elekid, get ready to fight."

"Bzzt~"

Elekid swung its arms energetically, already prepared to unleash its power.

"Elekid again?"

Seeing Elekid , Barry couldn't help but recall the devastating Thunder attack his Piplup had endured.

"Ponyta, use Flame Charge!"

"Neigh~"

Fiery flames engulfed Ponyta's body as it dashed forward with all its might, charging toward Elekid. Its speed increased as it ran, gaining momentum with every step.

The Flame Charge move allowed Ponyta to grow faster regardless of whether it hit its target. This created an ever-expanding advantage for Ponyta as the battle continued.

Ponyta's speed had already reached its peak, amplifying the power of its Flame Charge.

"Full power, Thunder Punch!"

Unfortunately for Barry, Paul and Elekid had no intention of dodging.

In an instant, Elekid vanished from its position. When it reappeared, it was directly in front of Ponyta, delivering a fully charged Thunder Punch straight to its target.

"Boom!"

The punch landed with immense force, and Ponyta's movements came to a sudden halt. The flames covering its body extinguished in an instant, and its small frame was flung across the field, skidding to a stop on the ground.

"How is this possible? That kind of power?"

Barry stood frozen, stunned by what he had just witnessed.

He had expected Elekid to be strong, but not this absurdly powerful. That Thunder Punch's strength rivaled, if not surpassed Ursaring's attacks!

What Barry didn't realize was the effort behind that single blow.

To deliver such a devastating strike, Elekid had pushed its training to the limit.

It combined its natural speed with Quick Attack for an explosive boost, utilized Magnet Rise for lateral maneuverability, and layered it with advanced Thunder Punch techniques refined through extensive practice in the forest.

With pinpoint precision and overwhelming force, Elekid had delivered a critical blow that toppled Ponyta in one move.

Paul didn't explain, choosing instead to seize the moment while Barry was in shock.

"Thunder!"

Elekid had already gathered its energy. The moment Paul issued the command, a massive bolt of lightning struck down from above.

"Ponyta, use Fire Blast!"

Ponyta, still lying on the ground, had no time to evade and could only counterattack.

Summoning its strength, it unleashed a powerful Fire Blast from its mouth, forming a fiery-shaped burst to intercept the Thunder attack.

"Boom!"

The two forces collided and exploded, filling the field with thick, obscuring smoke.

"Neigh~"

Taking advantage of the cover, Ponyta struggled to its feet. Just as it began to move, a spinning Focus Blast tore through the smoke and struck it squarely.

"Bang!"

Another explosion echoed across the field, and Ponyta collapsed to the ground.

"Bzzt~"

Elekid spread its arms wide, shook its head, and sighed dramatically, its face was full of mock disappointment.

"I wasn't even trying, and you're already down? C'mon kid, give me a challenge."

"Ponyta, you've done well. Take a rest."

Barry recalled Ponyta into its Poké Ball and stared at Elekid, feeling immense pressure.

He was down to his last Pokémon, while Paul still had three—Ursaring recovering behind him, Elekid only slightly fatigued, and one other fresh, unknown Pokémon.

Winning seemed nearly impossible.

As Barry hesitated over which Pokémon to send out, Paul unexpectedly called back Elekid.

"Return and observe. Switching Pokémon."

"Bzzt?"

Elekid squinted at Paul, visibly displeased.

"I finally got to stretch my muscles, and now you're benching me? Fine, fine, you're the boss."

Elekid reluctantly walked back to Paul's side, its expression filled with lingering resentment.

It glanced at Ursaring and noticed its injuries.

"Whoa, you got wrecked. What happened?"

"Urrr~"

Ursaring briefly explained the earlier battle.

Essentially, it had almost won but got caught off guard by a sneaky move from Heracross.

"You serious? What a rookie mistake."

Elekid rolled its eyes, its disdain evident.

"If they're not down, you keep hitting until they are. It's not rocket science."

"Urrr?"

Ursaring blinked, astonished.

"You can do that?"

"Obviously." Elekid smirked.

Meanwhile, Paul ignored the situation behind him and threw out another Poké Ball.

"Go, Turtwig!"

"Twig~"

Turtwig landed on the field, lowering its center of gravity and preparing for battle, its eyes brimming with determination.

Its first official match since being caught—it had to make an impression!

"Turtwig?! You caught another Pokémon?"

Barry vividly remembered that Paul hadn't had a Turtwig when they last met in the forest. Clearly, Paul had caught it since then.

Paul offered no response, silently waiting for Barry's final Pokémon.

After some deliberation, Barry made his choice.

"This is it! Piplup, you're up!"

Barry's Piplup had learned Drill Peck. Against Turtwig, it shouldn't be at a disadvantage—or so he thought.

"Pipluuup!"

Piplup emerged confidently, puffing out its chest and ready to battle. But the moment it locked eyes with Turtwig, it froze.

It recognized that Turtwig!

"Turtwig~"

Turtwig also froze for a moment before excitedly rushing over to Piplup, greeting it with joy.

Captured only recently, Turtwig never expected to reunite with an old friend from Sandgem Town so soon.

Piplup shared Turtwig's excitement, happily chatting away.

Back in the day, the two had been close despite Piplup's constant spats with Chimchar. Turtwig's calm demeanor often helped defuse tensions, even retrieving food from Chimchar to share with Piplup.

Without realizing it, the two had formed a strong bond.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you want to access advance chapters, please visit: patreon.com / PMadz_23