The final battle in the Dragon Gym took place without any spectators, and the live broadcast was interrupted. No one except the two combatants knew what happened in that battle, but numerous rumors about it spread across the internet.
Some people claimed Sawyer won the match. After all, everyone could feel the power of the Z-Move that soared into the sky that night, creating a super water whirlpool visible from outside the Dragon Gym.
Others insisted that Lucario must have won. The Fighting-type Pokémon's power was obvious to all, having directly defeated a King-level Pokémon with a crushing display of strength.
In truth, regardless of who won or lost, the result wasn't important. What mattered was that everyone now recognized Ryan's strength—and Lucario's. Ryan suddenly became an overnight sensation, trending all over the internet. Almost every news headline the following day focused on him:
"The Mysterious Champion"
"Lucario King, Aura Guardian"
"The Strongest Aura Warrior"
"SHOCK! Homeless Trainer Returns and Reveals Champion Status; Battles Water-Type Master Sawyer in Epic Showdown!"
Each headline was more exaggerated than the last, but the topic of Ryan remained trending, triggering widespread discussion among internet users. Many claimed they had personally encountered Ryan, witnessed him and Lucario performing heroic deeds, and even dug up details about Ryan's past experiences, posting photos of Ryan and Lucario together.
As Ryan's fame grew, the situation of the Rory's family became more delicate. Those who had originally coveted Rory's right of first access to the Secret Realm chose to forget about it entirely, never mentioning it again, with some even becoming notably submissive.
In recent days, many people in Starlight City had become friendlier toward Rory, while simultaneously attempting to gather information about Ryan in roundabout ways.
Of course, Rory couldn't reveal anything; he simply smiled and replied, "He's a close friend of my eldest son."
Seeing they couldn't extract useful information, these people changed tactics and inquired about Asher's wedding date and Jacob's marriage prospects.
Though in a good mood, Rory understood that the Jacob family received this favorable treatment entirely because of Ryan. If Ryan encountered any misfortune or severed ties with his eldest son, the family would revert to their previous situation—or worse.
Therefore, Rory never abandoned his marriage plans, but now he had higher aspirations and sought to find a better wife for Jacob.
According to Rory's thinking, everything still hinged on Jacob completing his university entrance examinations. If Jacob could be admitted to the country's most prestigious university and demonstrate talent in Pokémon research, more prominent families would be willing to form a marriage alliance with the Jacob family.
In this complicated atmosphere, time advanced to the day before school resumed, which was also the final day of Jacob and Kyle's agreed-upon Pokémon competition.
That afternoon, Kyle arrived as scheduled, a smile on his face and confidence in his eyes, as if he had already won the match. His demeanor showed none of the depression from yesterday's loss to Jacob. It seemed that overnight, Kyle must have prepared some secret weapon.
"Jacob, today is the day I'll have my revenge," Kyle declared confidently as they stood on the small battlefield.
"Don't be so sure of yourself. You lost to me yesterday," Jacob said with a smile.
"That was just carelessness on my part," Kyle said stubbornly. "Today is different. I've prepared a secret weapon for you. You definitely won't stand a chance."
"Really? Actually, if I can't beat you, then I can't beat you. Anyway, I just got my first Pokémon this summer, unlike you who's been training Pokémon for several years," Jacob replied nonchalantly, deliberately rubbing salt in Kyle's wounds.
"Stop it!" Kyle said angrily. "Jacob, you're so cruel. You're stabbing your good friend right in the heart. I must have my revenge today and show you how powerful I am as a senior trainer."
The two continued their banter as they released their Pokémon simultaneously. Jacob started with Noibat as usual, while Kyle sent out Charmander.
"Kyle, your Charmander has never once defeated my Noibat," Jacob laughed at Kyle, joking with him and launching a psychological attack.
It had to be said that Kyle's Charmander was quite unfortunate. It had battled against Jacob's Noibat several times, each ending in defeat.
"Your Noibat is too cheap! Why does it have such an annoying move like Supersonic? It's not fair!" Kyle couldn't help shouting. Almost every time, his Charmander was defeated by Noibat's Supersonic move. After falling into confusion, it was easily picked off by Noibat.
"That's called strategy. Stop complaining and let me see what secret weapon you've prepared," Jacob said with a smile, then commanded his Noibat to attack first. "Battle begins! Noibat, Gust!"
The Noibat flew into the sky, flapped its small wings, and stirred up powerful gusts of wind that swept toward Charmander. After several days of training, Noibat had become more proficient with Gust. Not only had its power increased, but its execution speed had also improved significantly.
"Charmander, Ember!"
Seeing Noibat fly up to avoid close combat, Kyle didn't hesitate to have Charmander use Ember. This was Charmander's only means of dealing with Noibat from a distance. Charmander spat a small flame from its mouth that flew toward Noibat.
"Noibat, fly higher and dodge the Ember attack!"
The battle talent of Noibat's King-level aptitude was becoming apparent. It moved with exceptional agility in the air, unlike other Flying-type Pokémon who weren't as proficient in flight at this early stage. Noibat could even make complex directional changes, easily evading Charmander's Ember attack.
Meanwhile, Noibat's Gust successfully struck Charmander. In the first exchange, Noibat gained a slight advantage.
"I knew I couldn't hit you," Kyle had already anticipated the strength of this Noibat. He realized that with Charmander's current proficiency with Ember, it would be difficult to hit Noibat unless it got closer. "Let me show you my secret weapon—Charmander's Smokescreen!"
Upon hearing the command, Charmander immediately spewed a large cloud of smoke from its mouth, instantly filling the battlefield and concealing itself completely.
"Oh? You learned a new move?" Jacob was surprised. He hadn't expected Charmander to learn new moves. The strength of this Charmander was improving rapidly. It seemed today's battle would be more interesting.
Kyle displayed a proud expression and looked at Jacob. "My Charmander and I are getting stronger. I told you today would be my revenge battle."
Noibat stared at the billowing smoke below, having completely lost sight of Charmander. It hovered in the air, uncertain what to do.
"Ember!"
Suddenly, a small fireball shot out from the smoke toward Noibat. The unexpected attack caught Noibat completely off-guard, and it was hit directly by the Ember. Fortunately, being part Dragon-type, Noibat was resistant to Fire-type moves, so the damage was relatively minor.
"Noibat, are you okay? It's just a minor injury, you can hold on," Jacob first checked on Noibat's condition. Having hatched not long ago, Noibat was still like a small child. Unlike Treecko, which already possessed firm resolve and tenacious character, now was the critical time to develop Noibat's fighting spirit.
A strong Pokémon needed not only powerful abilities but also battle awareness and courage. If it avoided conflict or lost heart after sustaining slight injuries, no matter how powerful its potential, it would be wasted. In this regard, Jacob's Treecko was exemplary, possessing an almost perfect personality, self-discipline, and bravery.
"Noiii!"
Hearing Jacob's encouragement, Noibat responded with a determined cry and fixed its gaze firmly on the smokescreen below.