Chapter 289:
"That's it, Elite Four Kaito, defeat them!"
"Why does it feel like Elite Four Kaito and I are challenging completely different levels?"
"Woohoo, finally we get to see someone pass the third level..."
"Youngster Hayashi's Breeding House has really made it, now even an Elite Four trainer comes to challenge."
"Looking at this, the third level will be passed soon too. I wonder how far Elite Four Kaito's Charizard can go..."
Listening to the discussions around him and looking at the proudly standing Charizard in the center, Hayashi Kaede's mouth twitched.
An Elite Four member was also challenging the Sky Challenge?
That's right, the challenger standing in the middle of the crowd was none other than the currently known youngest Fire-type Elite Four member in the league—Kaito.
Charizard's Flamethrower attacks, one after another, streaked across the sky, accurately leaving small scorched marks on each Pidgeot.
After being hit, the Pidgeots had no choice but to land helplessly.
The third level, which everyone else found extremely difficult, was handled so easily by this Charizard.
But at this moment, Kaito in the center of the field was inwardly shocked.
Don't be fooled by how easily Charizard knocked down each Pidgeot.
This was because these Pidgeots were restricted by various conditions.
They couldn't fly high, couldn't leave the restricted field area—in the wild, for a Flying-type Pokémon, this was almost like having their wings clipped.
Yet even under such conditions, these Pidgeots were still holding back!
And the extent to which they were holding back... was surprisingly similar.
Whether it was their dodging or attacking frequency and speed, they were almost identical!
It was as if they were carved from the same mold.
This not only showed their excellent control over their own energy but also indicated their move mastery had reached the peak?
If it were just one, he wouldn't think much of it.
After all, from what he'd seen, many powerful trainers' Pokémon could achieve such move mastery.
But they couldn't achieve such astonishingly similar move mastery across so many Pidgeots.
Even the same species of Pokémon had individual differences.
To have so many Pidgeots moving with the same rhythm was simply unbelievable.
The third level was quickly passed.
The fourth level had eight Pidgeots attacking together, and they weren't holding back as much.
Each of them had energy levels of almost over thirty.
Combined with their move mastery, Charizard successfully knocked down all the Pidgeots with 48 seconds remaining in the two-minute time limit.
Next, Kaito didn't immediately continue the challenge.
Instead, he looked around and shook his head.
If he continued, he could probably succeed, but he'd have to ask Charizard to release large-area flames.
In this forested area, with so many spectators around, Charizard might not be able to control the flame energy precisely.
"Ah? You're not continuing?"
Looking at the stopped Charizard and Kaito, the people around started clamoring.
"Didn't you pass the fourth level?"
"One more level, one more level!"
"The fourth level! Oh my, I can't imagine what the reward for passing the fourth level is!"
Even as the crowd clamored, Kaito shook his head and shouted to everyone, "There's not much point in challenging further. This mode is designed for novice trainers, so it doesn't mean much for Charizard."
Hearing this, someone immediately shouted at him.
"Don't say that, Elite Four Kaito! You haven't challenged the final level—the Sky Challenge Plus version is absolutely insane!"
Kaito smiled and shook his head.
These Pidgeots, although not weak and with high move mastery, were still quite far below Charizard's level.
"Is anyone going to tell Youngster Hayashi that someone passed?... Hey, Youngster Hayashi is here!"
Earlier, because Charizard was challenging, people hadn't noticed the sides.
But now.
With the challenge over, someone immediately spotted Hayashi Kaede watching from the back.
"Youngster Hayashi, what are the rewards for the third and fourth levels?"
"The third level, the fourth level..."
Hayashi Kaede walked forward, looking at this flame-spewing Charizard.
[Pokémon: Charizard]
[Gender: Male]
[Ability: Blaze]
[Aptitude: Gold]
[Individual Values: ...]
[Strength: Level 82-83]
[Moves: Ember, Flamethrower, Flare Blitz, Dragon Claw, Heat Wave, Fire Fang, Slash, Scary Face...]
Compared to last time, the stats panel showed almost no changes, just a slight increase in energy level.
The reward for the third level was a higher quality Micle Berry Energy Cube.
As for the fourth level, to be honest, he hadn't even thought...
Thinking of this, Hayashi Kaede couldn't help but laugh inwardly.
But what he said was: "The reward for the fourth level depends on the Pokémon's type."
He looked at Elite Four Kaito. "It mainly depends on what kind of reward the challenger wants. For example, Charizard is a Flying and Fire-type Pokémon, so Elite Four Kaito can choose a Flying-type reward or a Fire-type reward."
"The Flying-type reward can greatly improve the Pokémon's move mastery in a short time, and the Fire-type reward works the same way."
By the fourth level, it was already an A-grade dish.
Although it was something Hayashi Kaede made casually, it would be considered quite precious outside.
"There really is such an Energy Cube?"
Kaito looked at Hayashi Kaede in shock.
This kind of Energy Cube that could improve a Pokémon's move mastery sounded completely unreasonable no matter how you thought about it.
But the evidence was right before his eyes.
Those Pidgeots had each shown him what move micro-management meant.
The later it got, the faster they activated Quick Attack, as if they could turn arbitrarily in the air as they wished.
They could even turn twice within less than three meters!
Making Charizard miss several attacks that should have hit.
This was outrageous!
Hayashi Kaede explained seriously: "Actually, it's about adjusting the energy flow rate within the Pokémon's body. If you conduct targeted move training during the short period after consuming it, the effects might be even better."
"Uh..."
Kaito looked at Hayashi Kaede with a skeptical gaze.
This explanation...
Although he wasn't a breeder, he felt there was something off about it.
He just couldn't pinpoint what exactly.
The people around them also whispered among themselves.
"It can even improve move mastery? Really?"
"Thinking about it seems absurd, but then again, it's Youngster Hayashi's Energy Cubes, so suddenly it feels reasonable?"
"Indeed..."
"Woo, I can't imagine how Youngster Hayashi creates these Energy Cubes."
Amidst such discussions, Kaito pondered for a moment. "I'll choose the Fire-type."
"Please wait a moment while i get it..."