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"The current competition is the Hulbury Stadium Challenge! Trainer Chris will challenge Gym Leader Nessa of Hulbury Stadium. Both sides may use three Pokémon each. When one trainer has no available Pokémon remaining, the battle will conclude!" the announcer's voice boomed across the arena.
"Please send out your Pokémon, both trainers!"
In the massive stadium, tens of thousands of spectators filled the stands, eagerly watching the match. Two trainers, dressed in their athletic competition gear, prepared for their duel on the enormous battlefield.
"Gym Leader Nessa, I would like to ask—how does one get to the Isle of Armor?" Just as Nessa was about to throw her Poké Ball, Chris suddenly called out loudly across the field.
Chris had no choice but to ask now. During the heat of battle, trainers rarely had opportunities for extended conversation. If he waited until after the battle ended, he would likely be escorted out before he could even pose his question properly.
If he wanted answers, he had to take advantage of this moment.
Nessa paused, visibly confused about why someone would bring this up right before their battle commenced. "Let's discuss that after we finish this match," she replied with a slight frown.
As she spoke, she gripped her Poké Ball more firmly.
"I hope you'll actually follow through on that promise after the fight..." Seeing that his opponent was unwilling to elaborate now, Chris resigned himself to continuing with the battle and drew his own Poké Ball.
Both trainers simultaneously hurled their Poké Balls high into the air.
With brilliant flashes of silver light, two Pokémon materialized on the battlefield.
The first Pokémon Nessa sent out was a Quagsire at level seventy.
The light blue, plump creature had a slippery-looking body, paired with two tiny eyes that resembled sesame seeds. Its entire demeanor conveyed just two words: blissfully unaware!
It appeared as carefree as any Marshtomp Chris had ever encountered!
The Pokémon Chris deployed was his Totem Venusaur.
Water-type Gyms were naturally perfect matchups for Grass-type Pokémon. However, Chris's luck proved even better than expected—the Pokémon he faced was a Quagsire with dual Water and Ground typing, making it quadruple weak to Grass-type moves!
The referee confirmed both sides were ready and immediately announced, "Battle begin!"
"Venusaur, use Petal Blizzard!" With such a clear advantage, Chris saw no need for elaborate strategies and chose to strike first decisively.
Venusaur's massive, hill-like body swayed slightly as countless pink petals and emerald leaves began dancing around it. Within mere seconds, they had condensed into an enormous pink tornado that surged toward Quagsire with tremendous force, making escape seemingly impossible.
Even so, the battlefield in the Galar Region was significantly larger than those in other regions. Due to the prevalence of Dynamax battles, the venues had been expanded to accommodate at least two Dynamaxed Pokémon simultaneously.
"Quagsire, use Dig!" Nessa commanded immediately.
Since evasion on the surface battlefield was impossible, the solution was to hide beneath it.
The Ground-type Quagsire was naturally proficient with Dig. Its smooth, loach-like body effortlessly slipped into the soil beneath its feet, disappearing underground in an instant.
Seeing Quagsire dodge his Petal Blizzard with Dig, Chris actually smiled and immediately issued another command.
"Earthquake!"
Venusaur lifted one massive foot slightly, then brought it down with tremendous force. Suddenly, with the Grass-type as the epicenter, dense cracks appeared across a five-meter radius, and invisible seismic waves spread throughout the entire battlefield.
"Quagsire, surface immediately!" Nessa shouted urgently.
Unfortunately, her warning came too late.
When a Pokémon using Dig is struck by Magnitude or Earthquake, the attacking move's power doubles significantly.
Just less than one meter from breaking through to the surface, Quagsire was directly overwhelmed by the Earthquake's devastating force.
"Quagsire is unable to battle! Venusaur wins!" the referee announced the first result.
The stadium fell somewhat quiet. The crowd had been vocally supporting Nessa since Chris's entrance, creating quite a noisy atmosphere.
There was no helping it—Chris simply wasn't a popular contestant or model trainer.
Regarding Nessa's appearance, Chris's assessment could be summarized in just two words: "Black Pearl."
She truly was strikingly beautiful, though Chris had to admit she didn't quite match up to Jasmine in his personal opinion.
Nessa withdrew her Poké Ball and recalled Quagsire, pondering an important question as she did so.
Why could the Grass-type Venusaur use the Earthquake move?
The answer lay in Technical Machines and move tutoring.
Earthquake was a move that Venusaur could legitimately learn through various methods. Chris had specifically taught this combination—Earthquake paired with Petal Blizzard—because unless facing a Pokémon capable of flight or teleportation, this strategy was nearly guaranteed to succeed.
Right now, the results were quite satisfying.
Nessa didn't hesitate and immediately threw out her second Poké Ball.
The Pokémon that emerged was a Golisopod at level seventy.
Its carapace resembled fine steel armor, covering its body like an impenetrable fortress.
This brought back memories for Chris—the former Team Skull leader Guzma, whom he had previously defeated in the Alola Region, had used Golisopod as his ace Pokémon.
"Golisopod, use First Impression!" Nessa immediately launched her counterattack.
Golisopod instantly pushed off from the ground and charged forward, its pair of razor-sharp claws coated with a layer of pale green-white energy as it rushed toward Venusaur.
Despite wearing heavy armor that normally hindered speed, First Impression was a unique move. It could only be used immediately upon entering battle, but it possessed tremendous power and higher priority than most standard moves.
Priority essentially meant increased speed in execution!
Within moments, Golisopod had arrived directly in front of Venusaur.
"Petal Blizzard!" Chris commanded.
Immediately, peach-colored petals began swirling rapidly around Venusaur's massive form.
This time, however, the petals didn't transform into a large pink tornado pushing outward. Instead, they circled tightly around Venusaur, spinning at incredible velocity.
When Golisopod's First Impression claws struck the upper layer of petals, it felt as though it had slashed into an extremely thick block of mud. The initial cut seemed easy, but the deeper the claws penetrated, the more difficult forward movement became.
Not only that, but Golisopod soon discovered that its sharp claws, now embedded deeply within the swirling petal storm, had become hopelessly trapped in the "muddy" vortex and couldn't be extracted.
The surrounding petals began rotating even faster, and the pink twister seemed to reform once again.
Indeed, it was reforming, but with a crucial difference from the previous version.
This iteration had a smaller scale but generated a much more powerful storm.
As for Golisopod's current situation? It had been caught up by the pink tornado and was now spinning helplessly through the air. When it would eventually fall back down remained anyone's guess.
Nessa watched helplessly, unable to issue any meaningful commands in time.
This defensive application of Petal Blizzard—transforming offense into defense—was a technique Chris had learned from observing battles at Star Moon Gym.
As a trainer aspiring to become a Pokémon Master, Chris approached gym challenges not merely to defeat opponents, but to learn valuable lessons from each encounter.
Gym battles in video games typically provided breeding experience points after victory.
In real-world gym battles, however, trainers could only acquire new knowledge and techniques through careful observation and practical application during combat.
The crowd watched in stunned silence as Golisopod continued its aerial journey, caught in Venusaur's masterfully executed defensive maneuver. Chris had successfully demonstrated that sometimes the most effective strategy involved turning a typically offensive move into an impenetrable shield.
Nessa gripped her final Poké Ball, realizing she was facing a much more experienced and creative trainer than she had initially anticipated. This battle was far from over, but Chris had certainly proven his tactical prowess in these opening exchanges.