Pokemon: Sandstorm Elite

At the Cinnabar Island Pokémon Center, Silver sat in the public lounge with a sullen expression after leaving his injured Feraligatr in Nurse Joy's care.

That annoying disciplinary director… Even though his attitude was infuriating, Silver had to admit that Klein's battle awareness, tactical precision, and decision-making were all impressive. He had no choice but to acknowledge it.

Still, his pride wouldn't let him back down so easily. He'd wait until the academy's opening ceremony before formally enrolling.

"I challenge the Sandstorm Elite, Klein."

From the television, a soft yet determined voice rang out. The screen showed a young girl, Fawn, standing before a roaring crowd. The audience's excitement was palpable.

Silver lifted his head to watch the live broadcast.

"That girl must be the champion of Kanto's Regional Tournament… but instead of challenging Lance, she picked the Sandstorm Elite?"

Silver frowned. He had been completely focused on Johto's Silver Conference and hadn't paid attention to Kanto's new Elites.

"Who exactly is this so-called Sandstorm Elite? He must be strong if this girl is targeting him specifically."

Meanwhile, on Cinnabar Island, Klein was overseeing final preparations for the academy when his phone rang.

"Klein, the champion of this year's Kanto Regional Tournament has specifically requested to challenge you," Lorelei informed him in an urgent tone.

Klein blinked in surprise. "Isn't the final exhibition match usually against the Champion, not an Elite?"

"Technically, they can challenge anyone."

Klein wanted to refuse, but the League wouldn't allow him to back out. Even though the situation was unusual, since it had already been announced publicly, he had no choice but to immediately return to Indigo Plateau.

Sitting aboard the League's airship, Klein reviewed the files on this year's champion.

When he saw Fawn's picture, his fingers froze, and his coffee cup trembled slightly.

"Lil Sprout…"

Fawn had always been withdrawn as a child, barely speaking to anyone. Her parents had once asked Klein and Rosa to help her break out of her shell, which led to them taking her on their Unova journey together.

"I should have realized back at the Regional Tournament when she showed up in the crowd… Of course, she'd be a competitor."

And yet, despite knowing this, it still felt surreal.

Several years ago, in Unova's Mistralton City Pokémon Center…

Lucas had been traveling separately for a while and had only just reunited with Klein and Rosa. But when he saw the tiny girl hiding behind Rosa, his jaw dropped.

"When did you two have such a big kid?" he asked, dead serious.

"Lucas, do you want to die?"

Lucas narrowly dodged Klein's flying kick, then turned to Fawn with a teasing grin. "Such a cute little girl! How about a hug?"

The shy Fawn immediately burst into tears and hid behind Rosa.

Klein sighed, dragging Lucas away. "This is exactly why you'll be forever single. Zero charm with women, man."

"Do you two ever take anything seriously?" Rosa scolded, gently comforting the crying Fawn before turning to lecture the two childish idiots.

Back in the present, Klein rubbed his temples, feeling an odd mix of nostalgia and exhaustion.

By the time he arrived at Indigo Plateau, several hours had passed, delaying the tournament's closing ceremony.

The League's higher-ups were not pleased.

"This is ridiculous. We should just have the Elite Four attend both the opening and closing ceremonies next time," one of the League officials grumbled irritably.

"We can't expect them to be at every event," another official countered. "Besides, is this really such a big deal?"

"If it happens again, what then?"

"Hah, blame Klein. His charisma keeps attracting these young girls."

From an outsider's perspective, Fawn's insistence on challenging Klein made it seem like she was one of his die-hard fangirls. Their aggressive and violent battle styles were so similar that some even joked they were practically cut from the same cloth.

Dressed in a black dress, her delicate features framed by long, straight hair, Fawn stood on the battlefield, completely unfazed by the discussions around her.

She only silently waited.

To entertain the audience while they waited, Klein contacted Lorelei and asked her to arrange a performance.

The Cerulean Sisters were invited to perform an aquatic ballet, something they had long dreamed of doing on such a grand stage.

However, Misty's absence from the performance irritated some of her die-hard fans, leading to several of them leaving in protest.

This forced Misty—who had been relaxing in the stands—to step in and personally calm them down.

Adding to the chaotic atmosphere, Agatha had invited Professor Oak to perform a poetry reading.

The results?

Most of the audience fell asleep, effectively keeping the restless crowd under control.

At exactly 7 PM, Klein finally arrived.

Watching from the Pokémon Center, Silver nearly choked on his water.

"My disciplinary director… is the Sandstorm Elite?!"

Did that mean the gap between them was even wider than he'd thought?

Back at the arena, Fawn's expression darkened the moment she saw Klein. Slowly, she stepped forward onto the battlefield.

"You hate me, don't you, Lil Sprout?" Klein murmured.

Fawn remained silent, but her glaring resentment said everything.

The trauma from her past autism—which had once been healed by Rosa—seemed to have returned even stronger.

Klein clenched his fists, then took a deep breath. His gaze turned sharp and cold.

"Fine. Don't regret fighting me."

Fawn's voice was icy.

"I'm going to crush you."

The battle began.

Klein sent out his Alolan Sandslash, the same one that had fought Misty's team in the Gym inspection.

Fawn countered with a shimmering, crystal-like Ninetales. The silver glow of its Alolan form glistened under the stadium lights, radiating elegance and power.

The announcer's voice boomed.

"It's Fawn's Alolan Ninetales! With Snow Warning, it looks like she's planning to fight with ice instead of sand—but she seems to have overlooked something… Klein didn't bring a sandstorm Pokémon!"

The Cerulean Gym battle had been widely watched, so many spectators recognized this Sandslash.

"Sandslash, Ice Ball."

"Ninetales, Ice Shard!"

Fawn's Ninetales whipped its tails, unleashing a blizzard of razor-sharp ice shards. Unlike Klein's Ice Shard, which detonated upon impact, Fawn's attack was sharp and precise, slicing through opponents like thrown daggers.

Her aggression had already injured many Pokémon throughout the tournament.

But Klein's Alolan Sandslash barely reacted. It moved with flawless speed, vanishing into the snowy battlefield with its Snow Cloak ability.

A sudden thud echoed as Sandslash's Ice Ball struck Ninetales from behind.

Before Fawn could react, Klein followed up.

"Metal Claw."

Ninetales turned, but all it saw was a fading afterimage.

A moment later, Sandslash's metallic claws grabbed Ninetales by the throat and slammed it into the ground.

A deep wound split across Ninetales' body.

The battle was far from over.

Above them, the first Ice Ball that Klein had launched had not disappeared.

Instead, it had split into two smaller orbs, rotating around each other.

Watching from the stands, Brock's eyes widened.

"This Sandslash… it's gotten even stronger since the last Gym inspection!"

Misty nodded. "Not only that, but Klein's showing us a completely different way to use Ice Ball."

A twin-tailed girl in the stands screamed in excitement.

"Two different Ice Ball techniques?! Klein-senpai is so cool!"

(End of Chapter)