"Wow~ I haven't seen a little thing like you before. Do you want to challenge me?"

A Si's eyes lit up, and he became intrigued.

"I've seen trainers challenge before, but this is the first time I've encountered a Pokémon challenging on its own, so I’ll play along."

"I leave it to you! Go, Hitmonchan!"

He wasn't quite sure about the strength of this new breed of Eevee, so after a moment of thought, he sent out Hitmonchan, a secondary member of his team, just like the previous Machoke.

"Sonic Punch!"

Hitmonchan threw a punch almost the instant it landed.

The fierce wind from the punch even created a howling sound in everyone's ears.

The punch accurately struck the side of the Moonlit Eevee's face.

However, even so, it did not knock it away.

The corner of the Moonlit Eevee's mouth curled up, revealing a mischievous smile at Hitmonchan.

"Hah!"

With a twist of its neck, a dark spiral shockwave hit Hitmonchan at point-blank range.

Dark Pulse!

Hitmonchan crossed its arms in an "X" shape; although its surface had some abrasions, it was not seriously harmed.

A Si was taken aback. "A new attribute's ultimate move, but it seems to be not very effective against a Fighting-type like Hitmonchan. Hmm, I should take note of this and tell Professor Oak later."

He had a good relationship with Professor Oak's late son and had kept in touch.

Professor Oak even mentioned that he would send his grandson to train with A Si once he grew a bit older.

The Moonlit Eevee quickly retreated.

It thought that this opponent's strength was not as exaggerated as that purple giant rat from last night, but it surprisingly hurt when it hit.

Is this what they call “type advantage”?

If that’s the case…

Thinking of this, the claws of the Moonlit Eevee's right front paw slightly curled, digging into the sandy soil.

Smack!

Immediately after, the Moonlit Eevee flicked its right front paw, sending a spray of yellow sand flying towards Hitmonchan.

This was to interfere with the enemy's line of sight, aiming to reduce accuracy—"Sand Attack"!

Hitmonchan instinctively raised its hands, covered with red gloves, to shield itself from the yellow sand.

The Moonlit Eevee's gaze hardened, and its body emitted a white light as it charged towards Hitmonchan in an instant.

In a flash!

"Hitmonchan, use Flame Punch from the upper left!"

Although its vision was temporarily blocked, its trainer was still there to command.

A skilled trainer and a skilled Pokémon working together can achieve more than the sum of their parts.

Many Pokémon tend to be disobedient because they believe their trainer's commands are inadequate and would rather fight on their own.

With its vision obstructed, Hitmonchan did not hesitate at all.

Its right fist ignited with flames, striking at a 45-degree angle towards the charging Moonlit Eevee.

"You have some strength, but without your trainer, it’s hard to unleash your full potential relying solely on yourself."

As A Si said this, the Moonlit Eevee was less than five centimeters away from the Flame Punch.

In an instant, the Moonlit Eevee suddenly lifted its head and released Dark Pulse towards the ceiling.

"What!?"

A Si and the other spectators were surprised.

Using the recoil from the full-force Dark Pulse, the Moonlit Eevee abruptly changed direction in mid-air.

This caused Hitmonchan's Flame Punch to miss completely.

And it didn’t stop there.

With a loud "bang," the gym's ceiling was pierced, creating a hole.

A large amount of debris fell onto Hitmonchan's head.

"Protect!"

A Si shouted.

Hitmonchan raised its hands high, resembling a French salute.

A pale blue energy overflowed from its body, forming a semi-circular, translucent shield.

The falling rocks hit down, but the barrier remained unshaken.

The game's ultimate skill "Protect."

Although it wasn't as magical in reality, as a gym leader's Pokémon, blocking a few falling rocks was still easy.

"Hey! It’s attacking!"

One of the spectators shouted.

From the side, they saw the Moonlit Eevee land on the ground using the recoil from the earlier Dark Pulse.

Hitmonchan's somewhat petite arms bulged with veins as it clawed forward like a beast.

A surprising strike!

"Bullet Punch!"

As a priority move, Bullet Punch was unleashed again.

If it had been used normally, it would have definitely struck the Moonlit Eevee first.

However, because Hitmonchan had just used "Protect," it was naturally a beat slower now.

Both Pokémon exchanged punches!

The Moonlit Eevee only felt its claws hit an incredibly hard steel surface, making it hard to advance.

"That was impressive, dodging Hitmonchan's Flame Punch with the recoil from Dark Pulse. Was that your idea or your trainer's?"

A Si said with his hands on his hips, smiling:

"But you still hesitated a bit. Tell your trainer to come challenge me; you won't beat my Hitmonchan relying solely on your own strength."

The Moonlit Eevee’s gaze hardened.

It was to keep up with its trainer’s pace that it had to keep getting stronger!

A pale white light once again overflowed among the Moonlit Eevee's dark mane.

Another flash!

"Hey, we have our quick move too, Bullet Punch!"

Hitmonchan's fists glimmered once more with a silvery sheen, resembling a metallic film, as it approached the charging Moonlit Eevee with butterfly steps, then…

Finding the perfect moment, it threw a punch!

The Moonlit Eevee instantly turned its head and opened its mouth.

Dark Pulse!

Using the recoil from Dark Pulse to move in mid-air.

"Hitmonchan, right down!"

But this time, A Si saw the Moonlit Eevee’s movement trajectory.

Hitmonchan immediately changed its attack.

A powerful uppercut slammed down!

It successfully hit!

"This move is interesting, but in front of a gym leader, the same move won't work twice."

A Si instructed:

"I can tell where you're going just by seeing which way your mouth is pointing… huh?"

As A Si finished speaking, he suddenly sensed something was off.

Upon closer inspection,

he found that the Moonlit Eevee's two front paws and one left hind paw were crouched on the ground.

But one right hind leg was propping against Hitmonchan's fist!

He felt that the little arm had developed quite a bit of muscle.

Did it use a power-up skill?

In the next moment, the Moonlit Eevee executed a side hook in mid-air, soaring up.

Its tail, glowing with a pale silver light, struck Hitmonchan hard on the side of its head.

Boom!

Hitmonchan flew back, creating a large dent in the wall.

"Hitmonchan, are you okay?"

A Si turned to look.

"Cha–bi–"

Hitmonchan stood up from the dust and responded to its trainer.

Fortunately, that guy's moves didn't have much effect on it.

It didn't hurt that much.

"Just now... was that a Steel-type ultimate move? Did it learn that just by watching Hitmonchan's Bullet Punch a few times?"

Like the Dark-type that hasn't been certified by the league yet, Steel-type has also recently been included in the league's textbook as a new attribute.

Therefore, A Si still didn't know what to call this move of the Moonlit Eevee.

Thud!

The Moonlit Eevee stumbled and knelt on the ground.

I'm at my limit…

"Boo–"

Leaving behind a deep gaze, the Moonlit Eevee jumped continuously, leaping onto the audience seats, and then jumped in front of a window in the gym.

From a high vantage point, it looked down at the crowd below for a moment, then leaped out.

Its trainer was probably coming back soon; it couldn't linger here any longer.