Chapter 692 692. A Rollercoaster of Emotions

Juan never expected things to turn out like this.

He had already treated Dragonite as his greatest threat, prioritizing Milotic's removal and focusing all his attention on defeating Dragonite. Yet even after doing that, he still underestimated Dragonite's power.

Dragonite's performance just now had been nothing short of spectacular.

Under the combined assault of two Pokémon unlike his Walrein earlier Dragonite had grown stronger as the battle progressed. Not only did it withstand the pressure, it even took the initiative to attack, forcing Politoed and Whiscash back step by step!

Although there were moments when the two Pokémon managed to land hits on Dragonite, anyone watching could see that Dragonite had maintained the upper hand the entire time.

But… how could it be this strong?

It was definitely a Pokémon capable of competing in the Ever Grande Conference right now and at the very least reaching the Top Eight!

Could this be that man's ace Pokémon?

Looking at Politoed and Whiscash floating motionless on the water's surface, Juan sighed and recalled them.

Still, the situation wasn't entirely hopeless.

After two battles and finishing the second while fighting two opponents aloneDragonite clearly looked exhausted. It probably couldn't continue into the third round.

And for the final round, Juan would send out his own ace Pokémon.

Without Dragonite, how would that man respond?

That thought lifted Juan's spirits slightly.

But then another thought struck him Kai still had three Pokémon he hadn't revealed yet. If Juan's Milotic had to face them one after another, things could easily turn against him.

By this point, Juan no longer dreamed of a decisive victory or teaching Kai a lesson.

Now he simply hoped he could win somehow… or at least secure a draw.

Yes his mindset had changed that quickly.

Just two battles had already shaken most of his confidence.

Kai returned Milotic to its Poké Ball. When Dragonite landed beside him, he gently patted its large belly.

"Good job, Take a rest."

He recalled Dragonite as well. When he looked up, he saw Juan releasing his final Pokémon.

The third round would now be a one-on-one battle.

And as expected, Juan's final Pokémon was his ace—Milotic.

Since arriving in Hoenn, Kai had encountered three Milotic so far: his own newly evolved one, Juan's, and the Milotic belonging to the Coordinator Robert, whom he met during the Lilycove Contest.

His own Milotic had only recently evolved and couldn't yet compare to theirs.

But soon, he would know exactly how Juan's Milotic measured up.

When it appeared, Juan's Milotic gracefully stretched across the platform, its scales shimmering under the Gym lights.

It was undeniably beautiful.

Clearly, just like its Trainer, this Milotic carried an air of elegance—and Kai could easily imagine how it had once captured the hearts of countless admirers.

So… what should he use against it?

Kai's fingers brushed across his Poké Balls before he made a decision.

Since he still had several chances to make mistakes, he decided to use this opportunity to train a Pokémon.

After all, chances like this didn't come often.

He tossed a Poké Ball.

A flash of light revealed Metang.

Seeing a Pokémon that hadn't yet reached its final evolution, Juan was briefly stunned.

First Milotic, which had only recently evolved—and now Metang?

Did this mean Kai simply had no stronger Pokémon left?

Or did he believe a Pokémon like this could defeat him?

Juan didn't understand Kai's thinking, but the situation looked like a perfect opportunity.

If he could win here, he might recover his dignity in front of Lisia—perhaps even turn the match around.

When the referee signaled the start, the two Pokémon attacked simultaneously.

Floating above a platform, Metang struck first with Confusion.

But in an arena surrounded by water, such an attack was unlikely to succeed.

Milotic simply slipped underwater, easily evading the psychic force, then quietly approached from below and launched a surprise attack.

Kai had anticipated this move, so Juan's ambush failed.

However, the maneuver brought the two Pokémon closer together—allowing Milotic to fully exploit its advantage in both terrain and strength.

The battle quickly became intense.

As Juan's ace Pokémon, Milotic proved incredibly strong. Despite Kai's careful commands and Metang's solid performance, Milotic eventually found an opening and knocked Metang down.

Metang plummeted toward the pool below, but Kai recalled it before it hit the water.

When the referee confirmed Juan's victory in that round, Juan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Good. One down.

Milotic still looked in decent condition. If it could defeat the next Pokémon too, victory would be within reach.

Unlike Juan's excitement, Kai remained completely calm.

He had already expected Metang to lose.

It wasn't that he lacked confidence in his Pokémon—rather, the earlier battles had shown him that Juan was actually a very capable Trainer. His Pokémon were strong; they had simply been overwhelmed by Dragonite earlier.

And among such a team, the ace—Milotic—was naturally even stronger.

For Metang, facing it was simply too difficult.

So next…

Without hesitation, Kai released another Pokémon.

With a flash of light, Eevee appeared on one of the platforms.

The small Pokémon immediately began jumping excitedly from platform to platform.

Juan raised an eyebrow.

Now this was getting ridiculous.

Metang was at least a second-stage evolution, but Eevee hadn't even chosen its evolutionary path yet.

Was Kai seriously challenging him with such a weak Pokémon?

For a moment, Juan even suspected Kai was mocking him.

Fine then.

He decided to crush every one of Kai's Pokémon and see how arrogant he looked afterward.

But once the battle began, Juan realized he had misjudged Eevee.

This Eevee actually performed better than Metang.

Its attacks, defenses, and agility were all exceptional compared to other Eevee. It wasn't harmless at all—it was surprisingly dangerous.

Even when Milotic knocked it into the water, Eevee paddled furiously and quickly swam back onto a platform.

It caused Milotic considerable trouble.

However, Milotic ultimately proved stronger. With its freedom to maneuver through the water, it eventually defeated the energetic Eevee—though it required more effort than expected.

Yet Juan couldn't smile.

Even though he won, Milotic's condition had deteriorated significantly. It wasn't badly injured, but its stamina was nearly the same as Dragonite's earlier exhausted state.

If Dragonite returned now, Milotic wouldn't stand a chance.

Juan sighed.

This Gym battle had become the most nerve-wracking match he had experienced since becoming a Gym Leader. His emotions had risen and fallen so many times that his heart could barely take it.

Kai recalled the unconscious Eevee and reached for another Poké Ball.

Juan's heart tightened as he watched.

Kai tossed the ball.

His fifth Pokémon appeared.

Fortunately for Juan, it wasn't Dragonite.

It was Combusken.

Juan stared in confusion.

A Fire-type Pokémon… in a Water-type Gym?

What kind of strategy was this?

Could it really ignore the type disadvantage?

Surely not—even Blaziken would struggle to defeat Milotic in such an environment.

But then Juan looked at Milotic's exhausted state.

…Maybe it actually could.

Kai's gaze sharpened.

After wearing Milotic down with Metang and Eevee, he had sent out Combusken to end the battle.

It was time to settle things.

From the moment the match started, Juan felt a much stronger offensive pressure from Kai.

Unlike the previous battles, Kai was now clearly pushing for victory.

Under Kai's commands, Combusken leapt between platforms, constantly moving while searching for openings.

In truth, Juan could have simply stayed underwater and worn Combusken down with Water-type attacks. Eventually, Combusken's stamina would fail.

But Juan was too impatient.

More precisely—he desperately wanted to defeat Kai in front of Lisia.

Knowing that Kai had intentionally sent out a Fire-type Pokémon to provoke him only made it worse.

Unable to remain calm, Juan abandoned the safer strategy.

Instead, he fought Combusken platform by platform, determined to defeat it directly.

Normally, this approach would still work—after all, Water types had the advantage.

But Juan made one crucial mistake:

He allowed Combusken to get close.

Kai seized a fleeting opportunity.

Combusken leapt forward and used Double Kick, knocking Milotic onto a platform.

"What!?"

Juan froze.

A fish out of water—facing a fighting chicken.

The outcome was obvious.

From the stands, Misty and Lisia both stood up, realizing the match had reached its decisive moment.

Combusken landed beside Milotic and launched a rapid combo:

Quick Attack → Peck → Scratch

Milotic's beautiful scales were soon battered and scarred. It struggled desperately to escape back into the water.

But Kai wouldn't allow it.

Blocking the path, Combusken struck again—

Double Kick, directly to Milotic's face.

Milotic was finished.

With a splash, it fell back into the pool.

Unfortunately, it hadn't jumped in willingly.

Combusken had kicked it there.

Juan stood silently, lips trembling in frustration.

And then something even worse happened.

A brilliant white light surrounded Combusken.

Juan immediately recognized it.

Evolution.

Not only had Kai defeated his strongest team…

But Combusken had evolved from the victory.

A true double blow to Juan's pride.

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