Chapter 348:
"Come on out, Seismitoad!"
With Arai Haruki's shout, a blue, toad-like Pokémon leaped from the Poké Ball.
Its skin was dark blue, its red eyes low and focused, its body covered in light blue bumps.
After Seismitoad appeared, the fighting spirit in Haruki's eyes visibly intensified, even flickering with a renewed desire for victory.
The reason was simple: Seismitoad was his first Pokémon.
It was also the Pokémon he had battled alongside the most!
[Pokémon: Seismitoad]
[Gender: Female]
[Ability: Poison Touch]
[Aptitude: Red]
[Individual Values: HP (28) Attack (28) Sp. Atk (25) Defense (29) Sp. Def (25) Speed (18)]
[Level: 62-65]
[Moves: Growl, Supersonic, Round, Bubble Beam, Mud Shot, Aqua Ring, Rain Dance, Drain Punch, Hydro Pump, Acid, Sludge Bomb...]
Hayashi Kaede wasn't surprised by the fighting spirit in his opponent's eyes. After all, it was normal for a young trainer to desire challenging strong opponents.
In fact, upon seeing Seismitoad's stats, a flicker of surprise crossed Hayashi Kaede's eyes.
This Seismitoad was unexpectedly strong.
A level between 62 and 65 should be considered quite powerful in this Pokémon League Conference.
Take Yūji, for example. Back in the Silver Conference, he only had one Top Tier-level Flareon but still managed to reach the Top 16.
But the strongest Pokémon Hayashi Kaede had brought this time was undoubtedly Gardevoir—a Mega Evolved Gardevoir, at that.
Its peak level reached a staggering 99... nearly legendary...
Although the video of Gardevoir's Sky Challenge had been posted online, its views and shares weren't particularly high, only garnering tens of thousands of likes. The shares were mostly from fans in Aogiri Town, so it was understandable that others wouldn't know about it.
But then again...
If Gardevoir took the field, wouldn't the outcome be pretty much the same, regardless of the opponent?
In that case...
Hayashi Kaede didn't overthink it. Since Gardevoir would have to battle eventually, he might as well fulfill his opponent's wish now.
He directly took out Gardevoir's Poké Ball and said softly, "I'll need your help, Gardevoir~"
With a light tap, a red light flashed, and an elegant blue figure emerged, landing gracefully on the battlefield.
Its crimson eyes gleamed, its white dress flowing gently in the breeze.
Under the gaze of countless spectators, Gardevoir landed gracefully before Hayashi Kaede.
"Gardevoir~"
A soft, ethereal voice came from Gardevoir as it turned lightly, its gaze settling on Hayashi Kaede.
Hayashi Kaede grinned. "Well, he's the one who wanted to challenge you..."
"Gardevoir."
Gardevoir nodded, indicating it understood.
It then turned and looked at the opposing Seismitoad, a gentle smile in its eyes.
After spending so much time at the breeding house, it was no longer the Pokémon that would view every human with caution.
Now, it was Hayashi Kaede's Pokémon, and it wanted to secure victories for him on the battlefield, sharing the joy of success with him.
That was also why it had proactively asked to participate this time.
It couldn't just watch the other Pokémon battle alongside Hayashi Kaede outside while it stayed home all the time, could it?
It also wanted to see... would Hayashi Kaede praise it after winning a battle?
...
Gardevoir didn't know that the moment it appeared on the battlefield, Hayashi Kaede's fan groups and the spectator stands erupted in cheers once again.
On one hand, they were amazed by Gardevoir's presence.
"Gardevoir?!"
"Whoa, a shiny Gardevoir! My god, did he save the world or something?"
"Holy— a blue Gardevoir! I've never seen one before!?"
In the Eastova region, Gardevoir was already a relatively rare Pokémon, let alone a shiny one.
And for the people of Eastova, they naturally had an affinity for Pokémon that were either cute or cool.
This shiny Gardevoir perfectly matched the Eastovan aesthetic.
"That smile, wow, it's so gentle... Sob sob, the way it's looking at that bumpy toad... Why does it feel like a mother looking at her child?"
"Hayashi Kaede... I've never heard of this trainer before... Interesting."
A small number of Kaede's fans were also cheering wildly in the stands.
"Gardevoir! Gardevoir!"
On the other hand, within the fan groups...
The moment Gardevoir appeared, several groups exploded.
"Gardevoir! Wow, Hayashi sent out Gardevoir in the first match! Is it because the opponent requested it?"
"It's over, it's over, this Seismitoad is done for. Haruki is brave, asking Kaede to use his strongest Pokémon..."
"Just thinking about the scene of Gardevoir dominating Seismitoad later gets me all excited!"
"Place your bets, everyone! How many moves will it take for Gardevoir to finish Seismitoad?"
"Gardevoir is Champion-level, right? Absolutely Champion-level. Does that mean it could rival Champion Kazephyr? Darn, why isn't there an exhibition match this year??"
They had witnessed Gardevoir's strength firsthand.
And precisely because they knew its power, they were certain that Gardevoir must be Hayashi Kaede's strongest Pokémon!
But usually, shouldn't the strongest Pokémon be saved for last?
"Is this your strongest Pokémon?"
Seeing the summoned Gardevoir, the fighting spirit in Haruki's eyes burned even brighter.
At this moment, even before the battle began, he could sense Gardevoir's immense power!
Because the other Pokémon Hayashi Kaede had sent out before, while strong, still held a desire for battle in their eyes.
But in this Gardevoir's gaze towards him and Seismitoad, he couldn't detect any thirst for combat. Instead, he saw ease and relaxation...
It almost felt... like the time he had visited a Pokémon community.
The elders in the community would look at their younger members sparring with a scrutinizing yet indulgent gaze.
"Come on, let me see what kind of strength gives you such confidence!"
Haruki waved his right hand. "Seismitoad, use Sludge Bomb!"
Seismitoad let out a calm, monotonous cry.
Upon hearing its trainer's command, the bumps on its body began to ooze purplish-black sludge. Simultaneously, a stream of sludge shot from its mouth towards Gardevoir.
The sludge exploded in mid-air like a bomb, scattering into bullet-like projectiles.
This was a simple application of Sludge Bomb: detonating it early to spread the concentrated sludge and increase the area of effect.
The exploded sludge covered an area of dozens, even hundreds of meters around Gardevoir. If hit by these sludge projectiles, the target would be poisoned!
However, Gardevoir looking at the incoming sludge, turned its gaze towards Hayashi Kaede.
"Hmm, Gardevoir, use Confusion to control the sludge?"