Chapter Sixty-Eight: Those Silent Loves Within the Passage of Time (Unrelated to the Main Story)

Chen Ou watched the three faces filled with shock with great interest. Frankly, if he hadn’t come as an inspector, and this scene was witnessed by the audience and posted on social media, Chen Ou would have become famous in an instant. After all, even the most worldly netizens would admit they’d never seen anything like this before. The Gyarados was probably just as bewildered. Having lived so long, it had never swum through waves of fire. A new experience for a dragon, checked. Of course, if it could, it would rather not.

Soon, a blue dragon, scorched and battered, shot out from the fiery waves. Gyarados, gasping for breath, eyes blood-red, dove into the water and submerged itself. As expected, though Charizard’s Flamethrower was absurdly powerful, it couldn’t instantly defeat a Gyarados whose strength surpassed it by half a tier. Chen Ou wasn’t disappointed; this already surpassed the level of an ordinary Charizard. If it were another Charizard, Misty’s Gyarados would dare to take the Flamethrower head-on. But if it had to withstand Chen Ou’s Charizard’s attack, it would lose its life right then and there.

So Chen Ou, facing Misty’s furious gaze, shrugged shamelessly, making it clear he wouldn’t explain himself. Misty could only suppress her emotions, cast a pained glance at Gyarados at the bottom of the pool, and then calmly observed the battle for her next move.

Chen Ou, a crafty fellow, had no intention of going on the offensive. After all, Charizard’s tail flame was vital—if extinguished, it would be disastrous. Clearly, he didn’t plan to switch Pokémon either. Charizard would inevitably face such challenges; it was better to gain experience in a safe battle than to lack it in a wild fight or against a real enemy, risking fatal consequences. In other words, endure injuries now to avoid death in true combat.

As for the etiquette assumed between trainers… Was it ever standard for gym leaders to go all out against rookie trainers? Never mind Chen Ou’s intentions—was it proper or not? Chen Ou, after all, was notoriously double-standard.

“Gyarados, Rain Dance!” Misty’s command reached Chen Ou’s ears, and he raised his eyebrow. It seemed Misty didn’t intend to confront him head-on. In Misty’s team, Pokémon suited for a Rain Team… In a 6v6 match, there were many choices, but in 3v3… Poliwrath, Kingler, Floatzel. Chen Ou’s expression turned thoughtful.

“Charizard, watch your footing,” Chen Ou gave a rather meaningless instruction. With the battle in a stalemate and a defensive counterattack strategy, being passive was inevitable.

“Gyarados, Hydro Pump!” Gyarados burst from the water and unleashed a Hydro Pump at Charizard—a direct attack with little chance to dodge. Chen Ou decided to have Charizard withstand it, to test its limits.

“Charizard, full power, Flamethrower, hold your ground!” Charizard unleashed its maximum firepower, and the fiery wave collided head-on with the Hydro Pump. Scalding steam enveloped the entire arena.

Chen Ou knew Misty’s move was to force him to generate steam, so she could switch Pokémon or approach Charizard unseen. But there was no avoiding it; Charizard couldn’t withstand the attack outright, and so a direct clash was the only defense. Here, Chen Ou was tactically passive—a sign of his inexperience. If he had a Pokémon capable of clearing fog, he wouldn’t be so constrained.

Still, since he’d guessed Misty’s intention, this bit of passivity didn’t matter. As long as he wasn’t caught off guard, it wasn’t a problem. Chen Ou was confident—whatever tricks Misty played, she would lose. He had Entei as backup, after all. Surely no one would use such a legendary Pokémon in a League tournament, would they? How shameless could one be?

Darkrai: …

Chen Ou: Say that again!

Misty didn’t let the battle stagnate for long. Her style was straightforward, and thinking to use steam as cover was already a step toward strategic combat. Even Chen Ou wasn’t always scheming in every action—living like that would be exhausting.

“Floatzel, Aqua Jet!” Misty’s shout hadn’t even finished when an orange figure, wrapped in water, darted through the steam and struck at Charizard’s face.

“Charizard, Slash!” Chen Ou reacted swiftly; Charizard’s claws flashed white, and with intense heat, it slashed at Floatzel.

Misty showed no intention of retreating, her gaze unwavering as Floatzel attacked. It was clear she intended to fight Chen Ou to the end. Chen Ou remained silent. In moments like these, he wouldn’t show weakness, and neither would Charizard—the true, unyielding warrior.

Floatzel and Charizard collided. Floatzel rammed Charizard’s belly hard, causing Charizard to grimace in pain and glare fiercely. Its slashing force increased—a hot knife slicing through butter—and tore through Floatzel’s watery shield, striking its ribs viciously.

Floatzel winced but didn’t pause; instead, it began to gather water in its mouth, preparing a Water Gun for Charizard. Charizard responded in kind, its jaws glowing as it readied its most powerful Flamethrower.

At this point, neither Chen Ou nor Misty could issue commands. In such fleeting moments, only the Pokémon could seize the opportunity. Trainers who never direct their Pokémon aren’t worthy of the title, but those who dictate every move aren’t qualified either. Trainers stand outside the battle, their perspective limited. If a moment of opportunity is missed, the fight only drags on.

And so… this battle was about to end.

In the eyes of Chen Ou, Misty, Asu, and Sakura, a column of water and a wave of fire flashed by, and then two figures flew apart in opposite directions. Charizard and Floatzel crashed into the walls, finally coming to a stop. Dragon and weasel alike struggled to get up, but Charizard managed to stand, albeit barely.

Chen Ou shifted his gaze from Charizard to Sakura. Though she was startled, she hadn’t forgotten her duty as referee.

“Floatzel has lost the ability to battle. Misty, please choose your next Pokémon!”

Before Sakura finished speaking, Misty had already recalled Floatzel, whispering into its Poké Ball, “Thank you, Floatzel.”

Floatzel’s ball shook, as if apologizing. Misty shook her head, smiling as she returned Floatzel to its ball.

On the other side, seeing Floatzel withdrawn, Charizard turned and flashed Chen Ou a triumphant grin. Chen Ou bared his teeth in a smile and gave a thumbs up.

Then, with a thud—

“Charizard has lost the ability to battle. Chen Ou, please choose your next Pokémon!”