With Lance’s sharp eye for battles, he could tell that Blue was clearly the stronger trainer compared to Gary.

  This was evident in the way she repeatedly predicted Gary’s attacks with pinpoint accuracy.

  In terms of Pokémon strength, Clefable wasn’t weaker than Pidgeotto either.

  Yet, despite this seemingly superior combination, she was somehow at a disadvantage…

  It was hard not to think of a certain someone’s constant, overly confident predictions—

  And their apparent curse on Blue’s performance.

  Hearing Lance’s remark, August fell silent.

  It wasn’t that he actually believed he was a bad luck charm, but he had noticed something unusual about Blue’s behavior.

  Normally, she was incredibly sharp, always quick to come up with solutions even when facing disadvantages.

  But now, while her commands were still solid, her battle style seemed rigid—cking that usual spark of creativity.

  Staring at the Pidgeotto on the battlefield, a thought crossed August’s mind.

  Could it be… Blue’s struggling because of her fear of birds?

  As a child, Blue had been kidnapped by bird Pokémon, which left her with a deep-rooted fear of them. Even now, she wasn’t completely unaffected when facing bird Pokémon in battle.

  August frowned slightly, his concern growing.

  ---

  Blue was not having a good time.

  But it wasn’t because of her fear of bird Pokémon.

  As long as they weren’t directly attacking her, she could tolerate the discomfort—it was manageable.

  The real issue was something else entirely.

  Ever since she entered the finals, Clefable had missed several key attacks—moves that normally would have nded without fail.

  Meanwhile, Pidgeotto had not only dodged effortlessly but had also countered with precise, punishing blows.

  If she hadn’t kept her nerves in check and had Clefable heal with [Life Dew] while dodging, she would have lost already.

  But even with that effort, Clefable was at its limit.

  “…Clefable…”

  Blue lifted her gaze and saw Gary striking a triumphant pose, clearly ready to bask in the cheers of his personal cheerleading squad.

  There was no way she was letting him take this victory.

  A decision formed in her mind.

  "Clefable, use [Metronome]!"

  If [Thunder Wave] couldn’t nd, if [Thunder Punch] couldn’t reach, and if Clefable was already running on fumes—

  Then [Metronome] was her st resort.

  Hearing the command, the battered Clefable dodged yet another [Air Ssh], then raised its tiny fingers and wiggled them.

  Gary watched this unfold and nearly ughed. "Seriously? You think [Metronome] is going to turn this around?"

  Given how unlucky Blue had been with her attacks so far, there was no way she’d get something useful.

  "Let’s finish this, Pidgeotto! Use one st [Air Ssh]!"

  Pidgeotto let out a sharp cry and fpped its left wing forcefully—

  Swoosh!

  A crescent-shaped bde of compressed air shot toward Clefable.

  Normally, Clefable would have dodged under Blue’s command.

  But this time, it stood its ground.

  Its eyes held a determined glint as an unseen force surged through its body.

  In Gary’s stunned gaze, golden sparks suddenly crackled across Clefable’s surface.

  One arc.

  Two arcs.

  Within seconds, Clefable was surrounded by surging electricity.

  "W-Wait, this is—?"

  Before Gary could fully process what was happening, Clefable unleashed the gathered energy skyward—

  A thick bolt of lightning erupted with a deafening crack, shattering the incoming [Air Ssh] in midair.

  The golden current didn’t stop there.

  Before Pidgeotto could react, the [Thunderbolt] struck it dead-on.

  BZZZZT!

  Pidgeotto let out a screech, its feathers instantly fluffing out in a scorched mess.

  With a faint sizzle, the now-smoking bird plummeted to the ground.

  The referee stepped forward, took one look at the unconscious Pidgeotto, and raised his hand.

  "Pidgeotto is unable to battle! Clefable wins!"

  "...Pidgeotto!"

  Gary stared at his fallen Pokémon, utterly dumbfounded.

  He had almost won just a second ago.

  How—how had Clefable suddenly pulled off [Thunderbolt] of all things?!

  "Master Gary!"

  His cheerleading squad rushed in, showering him with words of encouragement and sympathy.

  Meanwhile, Blue let out a long breath, her tension melting away. She broke into a triumphant smile.

  "Well then, guess the championship is mine~!"

  Sure, there had been some unexpected setbacks, but in the end—

  Victory was still hers.

  ---

  August found himself on the receiving end of some very odd looks from both Steven and Lance.

  He opened his mouth to defend himself but hesitated.

  Had he been wrong?

  Had Blue’s losing streak not been because of her bird phobia—

  And instead… was he really just jinxing her with his commentary?

  After all, the moment he stopped talking, she immediately got a miracle win.

  Nope. Not thinking about it.

  If he thought too hard about this, even he might start believing he was cursed.

  Determined to change the subject, August cleared his throat.

  "Ahem, so—Steven, I heard you’re a rock collector? I happened to pass through Mt. Moon recently and got two interesting stones from the Clefairy there…"

  Hearing the word stones, Steven’s eyes immediately lit up with interest.

  August pulled out the meteorite and the unidentified fossil he had traded for with Pokéblocks.

  Steven picked up the meteorite first and examined it carefully.

  After a moment, he murmured, "This meteorite… it’s incomplete. It looks like it was once part of a much rger rock. See here?"

  He pointed at a jagged edge.

  "This break shows signs of an impact—some external force must have shattered it into pieces. And these crystallized edges… see how they melted under extreme heat? That suggests it was struck at least 10,000 meters above ground, or else the break wouldn’t have fused like this."

  With just a few gnces, Steven had already deduced so much information.

  Just as he was about to analyze further, Lance sighed in exasperation.

  "If you two want to study rocks, do it ter. We still have an awards ceremony to attend."

  Steven blinked, suddenly remembering the actual event they were here for.

  "Ah—right. My apologies. Let’s go!"

  ...

  Since this was only a friendly tournament, the ceremony was kept simple.

  There was no grand stage—just a basic award ptform.

  Blue stood at the center, grinning from ear to ear.

  Meanwhile, in the runner-up spot beside her, Gary was also ‘grinning’—though his expression was much more forced.

  "Tch… just barely missed it," he muttered, clearly displeased.

  If not for [Metronome] pulling through at the st second, the championship would have been his!