“Then, how about this move, young man?”

Sakaki waved his hand lightly, not revealing the name of the move.

However, Nidoking had already raised its long tail high and brought it crashing down onto the ground in the next moment.

Years of built-up synergy had allowed Nidoking to instantly grasp his trainer's intent from Sakaki's subtle movements.

In the next second, the surrounding sandy ground surged like waves.

It seemed to form two large hands that pressed toward the center where Espeon was.

The power of the earth!

Ground-type moves often have a large attack range.

But they have one weakness...

“Espeon!”

Su Sheng flicked his index finger upwards.

Espeon leaped into the air, soaring high.

As long as it was airborne, it could avoid most ground-type moves.

This tactic had already been confirmed by Ash in the anime.

“Indeed, being high up can counter 99% of ground-type moves, but young man, non-flying Pokémon have severely limited mobility in the air!”

As a man whose nickname contains the word "earth," Sakaki naturally understood this weakness of ground-type Pokémon.

Almost the moment Espeon jumped, Nidoking opened its mouth wide.

Gathering in front of its mouth was a shallow orange, high-density energy ball resembling a tailed beast ball.

That was the Fighting-type True Qi Ball!

In the game, this move has a power of 120!

But its accuracy is a pitiful 70.

The ultimate Electric-type move, Electromagnetic Cannon, is similar.

Many high-power moves are often difficult to control in terms of precision due to their excessive destructive power.

But... a Pokémon without flying ability in the air is often a sitting target!

At this moment, unless you're a member of the MAC team, you can't possibly miss!

“Launch.”

Sakaki said with a light smile.

Whoosh—

The power of the True Qi Ball was indeed impressive.

As it was launched, the friction in the air caused a painful ringing in the ears.

Even if it wasn't Nidoking's signature move, once this hit, Espeon would not be able to stand!

“Substitute!”

At Su Sheng's command,

a wave of energy split from Espeon’s body and rapidly formed an identical clone in front of itself.

This was the “Substitute” shield created at the cost of its own stamina.

Boom!

The True Qi Ball struck the Substitute.

An exaggerated wave erupted, directly sending Espeon flying through the air like a kite with a broken string!

“Again with Thunder Punch.”

Sakaki commanded.

Nidoking fixed its gaze on the falling Espeon, calculating where it would land.

It rushed forward a few steps, charged its right fist with electricity, and waited below.

Like an athlete poised to smash a falling shuttlecock.

Just as the descending Espeon was less than half a meter from Nidoking’s fist, Su Sheng suddenly spoke:

“Use Dark Pulse with all your strength.”

Upon hearing this, Espeon opened its mouth wide and released a dark spiral wave.

But this move was not aimed at attacking Nidoking; rather—

“Whoa—!”

The Dark Pulse Espeon released pushed her in the opposite direction like a rocket booster,

barely grazing Nidoking's fist and avoiding the attack.

“Can it be done like this?”

Sakaki's eyes brightened, surprised but more delighted.

“A surprise strike.”

Using the recoil from the Dark Pulse, Espeon arrived beside Nidoking, gathering power in its right hind leg.

With a rabbit-kick-like movement, it aimed to kick Nidoking's temple on the side of its head.

But...

Nidoking was quicker and turned its head.

Espeon's kick landed squarely on Nidoking's hard forehead.

Nidoking grinned evilly, taking the flying kick head-on.

It grabbed Espeon in its hand, slamming her forcefully down onto the sandy beach.

“Oh no, without realizing it, Nidoking has gotten serious!”

Sakaki raised an eyebrow slightly and looked at Su Sheng,

“Your commands are almost calculated to perfection.”

“But it’s a pity your partner seems to be out of sync.”

“Well, I’ve got a good understanding of your strength now, so this battle can…”

As he spoke, Sakaki made a gesture, signaling Nidoking to stop.

After all, the true purpose of Sakaki proposing this friendly match was not because of Espeon but to assess Su Sheng's potential.

Now that the goal had been achieved, there was no reason to continue.

Seeing this, Nidoking prepared to retract its arm.

However, just as it raised its arm, it sensed something was off.

Looking down,

it saw the little fox with its front paw on Nidoking’s left hand, its fangs biting into Nidoking’s wrist, and its crimson eyes staring madly at it.

This little brat!?

At this moment, Nidoking completely set aside its previous disdain,

regarding Espeon as an equal opponent worthy of respect.

“Beautiful.”

Su Sheng exclaimed sincerely.

“That gaze... it’s a determination to fight without yielding until a victor is decided.”

Sakaki recalled the past from Espeon's gaze.

When his Caterpie evolved into its final form, Beedrill, it had also shown such a gaze.

In human language, it meant—

I will fight for him!

“Then defeating you with all my strength will be the best reward for you.”

Temporarily forgetting the recent troubles surrounding him, Sakaki just wanted to enjoy this brief and pure moment of joy.

“Take her down, Poison Jab!”

Deep purple venom gathered on Nidoking's robust right arm, resembling a sharp poison blade aimed at Espeon.

“Dark Pulse!”

Espeon raised its head and released the dark spiral wave once again.

The two sides closed in on each other.

In the end, Espeon felt the world in front of her

gradually becoming blurred.

In the last moment before her vision turned completely dark,

a familiar figure and a pair of warm hands embraced her...

...

Espeon didn’t know how long she had been asleep.

She struggled to open her eyelids, taking several seconds to see the world in front of her clearly.

Where is this?

A strange ceiling, a strange bed, a strange room...

Looking again at the bandages wrapped around her,

Espeon recalled the last confrontation with Nidoking.

Did I... lose?

How long had it been since then?

Enduring the pain from her wounds, Espeon looked out the window.

Her master... and that man were standing outside on the beach, covered by the starry sky.

Espeon, in pain, jumped out of the window, wanting to tell her master that she was awake.

Then she heard that man’s voice:

“I checked, and your Espeon has been following that old lady for over seven years.”

Hearing Sakaki mention the topic that weighed heavily on her heart,

the joy that had just risen on Espeon's face instantly turned to shock, her footsteps halting abruptly.

“So what?”

Su Sheng, sitting beside her, sounded indifferent.

Sakaki's next words pierced Espeon’s heart like a sharp blade.

“The optimal growth period for a Pokémon is from 0 to 3 years; beyond 5 years, they basically can’t keep up.”