Chapter 356:
"Which Pokémon is he going to send out? Someone mentioned yesterday that he seems to be a Breeder! That he's only competing in the Pokémon League Conference to have fun with his Pokémon."
"A Breeder? You've got to be kidding me! This is a Breeder? What kind of talent is that?"
"So young and already on the Pokémon League Conference stage, and now you're telling me he's a Breeder?! No way!"
"Hey, don't doubt it. Brother Kaede is a Breeder, and one of the top-tier ones at that!"
"I'm guessing that this time, Brother Kaede will probably send out different Pokémon again!"
Opinions varied among the crowd above, while below, Hayashi Kaede took a deep breath and walked onto the field with the middle-aged man.
Based on the opponent's Pokémon, Kaede held three Poké Balls in his hand.
They were for Dragonite, Blaziken, and...
There wasn't much to say about this match; the opposing uncle Pokémon were all quite average, so there wasn't much need to try out other Pokémon.
Might as well let everyone make an appearance and get some experience, blitz through it straight away!
"I'm counting on you, Magneton!"
"Go, Dragonite!"
The two calls came one after the other, almost simultaneously.
But the Pokémon that emerged were worlds apart.
The Magneton that appeared was only about one meter tall, its body formed by three Magnemite combined.
Its white eyes had only tiny black dots for pupils.
It looked a bit dopey.
The Dragonite that emerged, however, had a chubby body flying in the air, landing... well, in the sky.
"Dragonite?"
As soon as Dragonite appeared, it looked around at the scene, its usually gentle expression now revealing excitement.
Hehehe, finally my turn to shine?
It let out a long roar towards the sky.
A massive cry instantly resounded throughout the entire stadium.
Its enormous size, its resonant roar.
Just by appearing, it immediately caused a stir throughout the spectator stands.
Everyone's attention was instinctively drawn to this Dragonite.
"Dra... Dragonite?"
Someone exclaimed in disbelief, staring incredulously at the Dragonite on the field.
"Oh my god, I never thought I'd see a Dragonite in the Eastova region in this lifetime!"
"Is Dragonite this big? I didn't study much, don't trick me; the Pokédex says Dragonite's height is around two meters, right? This one is almost three meters, damn it!"
"Damn, this aura... it's terrifying."
"Dragonite! Contestant Hayashi Kaede has actually sent out a Dragonite! This is a Pokémon that's almost extinct in the Eastova League!"
Up above, the announcer's eyelid twitched upon seeing Dragonite.
If in previous matches, even though Alolan Pokémon appeared, he didn't find it particularly novel—because in recent years, the Eastova region had indeed introduced many Alolan Pokémon.
But Dragonite....
As nearly the fastest and strongest Pokémon on the sea, its traces hadn't been seen in the Eastova region for decades.
If Dragonite itself is rarely seen, forget about Dratini and such.
So, upon seeing Kaede's Dragonite, it was hard not to be surprised.
Up in the sky, Kazephyr's eyes also lit up. "I forgot about this Dragonite."
"Need to find time to ask if it's male or female, see if we can arrange something."
Despite being embroiled in his own matchmaking troubles, at this moment, the idea of setting up Dragonite for matchmaking flashed through Kazephyr's mind.
It would be best if it were female.
A female Dragonite laying an egg would hatch into a Dratini~!
That way, in a few decades, Dragonite wouldn't be an almost extinct Pokémon in the Eastova League.
Once this idea appeared in his mind, he found it increasingly feasible.
But before that, he needed to ask Kaede's opinion.
After all, this Dragonite was his Pokémon.
As he was thinking, a cool voice beside him brought him back to reality.
"This is..."
It was Rosaline. Looking at this Dragonite, her eyes held some surprise.
Others might not know, but she had recently traveled in the Kanto region and happened to visit the Dragon's Holy Domain of the Blackthorn Clan—the place where they raise Dragonite and other Dragon-type Pokémon.
But the Dragonite there weren't this big either?
Moreover, judging by the aura of this Dragonite entering battle mode, its strength was very high.
It had even reached the level of her main team Pokémon.
She couldn't help but look down at the Dragonite's trainer.
A young man who looked to be at most in his early twenties, with somewhat dark skin.
"This boy is quite the trainer," she exclaimed in admiration.
"You mean Hayashi Kaede?" Kazephyr chuckled happily, feeling he had found a topic. "He's the one I recommended..."
Before he could finish, Kaito beside him widened his eyes. "What? You recommended him? So the champion this year is fixed?"
"What are you saying? What are you saying? I didn't say that! Who becomes champion still depends on their own ability!" Kazephyr quickly shook his head to avoid suspicion.
But such words made Rosaline even more confused.
What did he mean the champion is fixed?
Isn't this only the second round?
Although this Dragonite is strong, what level of competition is the Pokémon League Conference?
Every year, there are some strange trainers or dark horses emerging, among them even trainers with Legendary Pokémon.
This Dragonite is very strong, and has high hopes of winning the championship.
But it's not absolute, right?
At the very least, the trainer she recommended specialized in Ice-types.
Rosaline was somewhat puzzled, but she didn't ask further.
But then, her eyes slowly widened.
She stared almost directly below.
Kazephyr corner of his mouth twitched in bewilderment. "So that Blizzard from before was caused by Alolan Ninetales... outrageous, truly outrageous...."
....
On the battlefield, as soon as the two Pokémon appeared, Magneton acted as if facing a great enemy. Its previously somewhat dull gaze focused, looking at the opposing Dragonite, and it even turned its head to glance at its own trainer.
As if asking, "Is this my opponent?"
However, the match had already begun, and its trainer could only nod at it.
"The match begins!"
The middle-aged uncle took a deep breath. As the announcer's voice fell, he immediately gave the first command, "Magneton, use Thunderbolt!"
The opponent's Pokémon's strength was clearly superior, so he naturally had no reason to hold back.
Lightning flashed as Magneton exerted itself to use Thunderbolt.
"Dragonite, use Twister!"
Since it was a blitz, Kaede naturally didn't bother with precise move control or dodging the opponent's attacks.
Dragonite flapped its short, fleshy wings, and in the blink of an eye, a huge tornado formed.
Where the tornado swept, the Thunderbolt Magneton had just gathered was instantly torn into scattered currents, dissipating across the field, leaving only electric sparks.
As for Magneton, facing this tornado nearly tens of meters high, its tiny pupils could only expand infinitely.
Finally, it got lost within.
When the tornado dissipated, Magneton was already lying dizzily on the ground.
With just one move, Magneton lost the ability to battle!
Witnessing this scene, the middle-aged uncle across the field was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and sent out his second Pokémon—Venusaur!
Facing the second Pokémon, Kaede was equally direct, "Go, Blaziken!"
"Use Flare Blitz!"
After a whirlwind of blazing flames, Venusaur also fell powerlessly to the ground.
Next was the third, Nidoqueen.
Kaede still didn't hold back, calling out Alolan Ninetales.
Similarly, a Blizzard descended. The howling snow layers almost covered the entire battlefield, hitting Nidoqueen with an almost blanket-like assault that also took it down in one move.