Hitmonchan blinked, processing the words. "Hit? (You said… Blaziken?)"
Su Feng nodded casually. "Yes. The Torchic you knew evolved into Blaziken recently."
A rare smile tugged at Hitmonchan's lips. "Hit… (He achieved his dream…)"
"Not yet," Su Feng corrected. "His goal is to become the strongest Blaziken. He's only halfway there."
"Hit. (That fool… He meant it all along.)" Hitmonchan chuckled, equal parts amused and awed. What he'd once dismissed as childish bravado had become reality.
A crimson blur burst from the undergrowth.
"Scree. (Su Feng.)"
Blaziken landed soundlessly beside them, still cradling the sleeping Growlithe. Su Feng immediately checked the pup.
"Why's Growlithe unconscious?"
"Scree. (Minor injuries. He collapsed after using Outrage—just exhaustion, not a coma.)"
After applying a berry-based salve to the pup's bruises, Su Feng raised an eyebrow. "What happened?"
Blaziken shrugged. "Scree. (Visited my old clan. Growlithe wandered in and… stirred trouble.)"
Su Feng deadpanned. "Trouble that required Outrage?"
Changing the subject, Blaziken tilted his head. "Scree? (Why call me back?)"
"To reunite you with someone."
"Scree? (Someone…?)"
Blaziken's gaze locked onto Hitmonchan. Though the fighter had bulked up since their Torchic days, the aura was unmistakable.
"SCREE! (TYROGUE!)" Blaziken's earlier gloom vanished, replaced by boyish excitement.
"Hit. (Blaziken.)" Hitmonchan's voice wavered. At 5'7", he now had to crane his neck to meet Blaziken's 6'7" frame. The runt he'd once towered over now radiated an aura that made his fighting instincts scream danger.
Yet pride won out. "Hit! (Fight me. Show me how far you've come.)"
Blaziken assessed him—this wouldn't be a contest. But refusing? Unthinkable.
"SCREE! (Bring it!)" Golden flames flickered around his wrists.
"Croak! (HOLD.)"
Greninja emerged from the lakeshore, water dripping off his sleek form. The直播间 chat erupted:
[Frog God's back!]
[Thought he'd hide till nightfall!]
[Why's he look so intense?]
[Since when can frogs look intense?!]
Ignoring the crowd, Greninja locked eyes with Su Feng. "Croak. (You once promised to make me your partner.)"
"Croak! (Beat me alongside Blaziken, and I'm yours.)"
Su Feng smirked. Prideful as ever—Greninja needed to lose convincingly to accept his place.
"Deal." He stepped behind Blaziken. "We'll fight as one."
Greninja's mouth twitched. Respect.
"Croak. (Begin.)"
Hitmonchan raised his mitts as referee. "Hit! (START!)"
Students abandoned their tents to watch. Blaziken vs. Greninja—a clash of titans rarely seen, even in Su Feng's streams.