"Return, Dragonair."

  Lance recalled his fainted Dragonair back into its Poké Ball.

  To be honest, this result had caught him off guard.

  His original pn was to test Gardevoir with an initial [Aqua Tail] and then adjust his strategy based on August's response.

  But he hadn't expected such a sharp counterattack—Gardevoir's [Psychic] attack and [Dazzling Gleam] were executed in perfect succession, leaving Dragonair with no room to recover.

  Swift, decisive… August's battle style was a perfect match for an International Police officer.

  "It seems assigning you to the International Police was the right decision!" Any trace of Lance's earlier testing mindset had vanished. "I underestimated you earlier—your strength is more than enough to investigate Team Rocket."

  Lance was quick to admit his misjudgment.

  There was no shame in it—Elite Four members were still human, and humans could misjudge things.

  August, however, didn't care about that.

  What he cared about was whether he had unlocked a new title in his system!

  Ever since Gardevoir had defeated Dragonair, he had been watching his system panel closely. But no matter how long he waited, there was no notification of a new title for beating Lance.

  Does beating his secondary team not count? Do I need to defeat his main team to get a title?

  August mulled it over.

  It made sense—after all, a secondary team didn't truly represent an Elite Four member's full strength. Winning against it was, in a way, just a lucky break.

  With that in mind, August thought for a moment, then looked up.

  "Elite Four Lance, how about a battle between our strongest Pokémon?"

  Lance, who had just clipped Dragonair's Poké Ball back onto his belt, froze.

  He gave August a strange look. "I admit your Gardevoir is strong, but… are you sure you want to challenge my main team?"

  Lance couldn't help but feel August was getting a bit overconfident.

  His main team consisted of Pokémon that had followed him for years, the ones that had built his reputation, the ones that had fought countless battles at his side.

  They were nothing like his Dragonair.

  August, of course, understood that.

  But opportunities to earn a title from Lance were rare. He was about to be sent on assignment, and who knew when they'd meet again?

  And besides, this was just a friendly match—losing wouldn't cost him anything.

  Not to mention… he had a trump card.

  With that thought, August nodded. "I'm sure."

  Lance smirked. "If you insist… then I'll grant your request!"

  To be honest, having his Dragonair taken down so easily had left him itching to regain some dignity.

  Of course, as an Elite Four member, he couldn't ask for a rematch outright—that would be beneath him.

  But now that August had delivered the challenge himself, how could he refuse?

  Since the previous battle hadn't caused any real damage to the field, they didn't bother resetting it.

  Once again, August and Lance stood at opposite ends of the battlefield.

  But this time, Lance's expression was far more serious, and August, too, wore a focused look.

  "I'll be using Gardevoir again," August announced.

  He only had Gardevoir who could actually fight—there wasn't even another choice.

  Under the watchful eyes of August and Gardevoir, Lance hesitated briefly before reaching for a Poké Ball.

  "In that case… I'll use this one."

  Bang!

  A Poké Ball soared through the air, bursting open.

  "ROOOAARRR!"

  A deafening roar echoed across the battlefield.

  An overwhelming, ferocious presence surged toward August and Gardevoir like a tidal wave.

  As the white light dissipated, a scarlet figure emerged in the air.

  "A red Gyarados?"

  August's expression turned subtle.

  I show off a shiny Gardevoir, and you answer with a shiny Gyarados?

  That's some weird competitive energy you've got there.

  Of course, that was just his internal commentary.

  From a tactical standpoint, sending out a non-Dragon-type Gyarados against Gardevoir made perfect sense.

  As August and Gardevoir sized up Gyarados, the massive serpent also locked eyes with its opponent.

  "ROOOOAAARRR!"

  With another roar, Gyarados gred menacingly at Gardevoir, its eyes burning with aggression.

  In game terms—this was [Intimidate] activating.

  A weaker Pokémon might have been paralyzed with fear from such a presence, if not outright terrified into making mistakes.

  But… Gardevoir was not the type to back down.

  At first, she flinched in surprise, but the very next second, she gred right back at Gyarados, completely unfazed!

  Afraid? What's that?

  A Gyarados? Ha! Back at the nature reserve, I used to chase entire swarms of them!

  Watching Gardevoir's reaction, August chuckled.

  Her fearless nature sometimes gave him headaches in daily life, but in battle? It was nothing but an advantage.

  Gyarados, meanwhile, was caught off guard by Gardevoir's defiant stare.

  And then—it got angry.

  It felt challenged.

  Lance, who had been observing closely, took note of Gyarados' rising aggression.

  For a Pokémon like Gyarados, which drew power from its fury, controlled anger wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

  Taking advantage of its emotions, Lance waved his hand.

  "Gyarados, use [Hurricane]!"

  Upon hearing the command, Gyarados twisted its massive body violently in midair.

  The air within the training field trembled as powerful winds gathered around it.

  As Gyarados moved, the swirling air coalesced into a massive cyclone, surging toward Gardevoir!

  Faced with the oncoming storm, August remained calm.

  "Gardevoir, [Double Team]!"

  Gardevoir's figure blurred.

  One became two, two became four, four became eight—in just a few seconds, the battlefield was filled with countless Gardevoirs.

  To the naked eye, there was no telling which was real and which were mere illusions.

  And then—[Hurricane] struck.

  Wherever the cyclone passed, illusory Gardevoirs were shredded apart like mist, vanishing one after another.

  But by the time the winds dissipated, the real Gardevoir was nowhere to be seen.

  "She dodged it?"

  Lance wasn't too surprised—after all, this was the same Pokémon that had taken down his Dragonair in two moves.

  If she hadn't avoided the attack, that would've been unexpected.

  Of course, he already had a countermeasure in mind.

  If Gardevoir wanted to evade attacks, then he'd make sure she had nowhere to run.

  "Gyarados, [Surf]!"

  "ROOAARR!"

  Upon receiving the command, Gyarados spewed forth a stream of water.

  At the same time, the air around them was filled with the sound of crashing waves, as if the sea itself was responding.

  The next moment—

  BOOOOM!

  A towering wave, over three meters high, materialized out of thin air.

  It surged forward like an unstoppable tsunami, engulfing the entire battlefield in its path.

  "A hurricane followed by a tidal wave, huh…"

  August smirked.

  "Gardevoir, disperse it."

  ---

  T/N: hurrican katrina more like hurrican toriall