Chapter 363:
"Wait... this..." Someone scratched their head, utterly baffled. How could the same Milotic that just performed a scene worthy of a top-three finish in a Pokémon Contest now exhibit such a simple-minded, almost clumsy action and expression?
"It's over, it's over, so cute, so cute... How can there be such an adorable Milotic? I really want to raise one..."
"Wahh, at first I thought it was beautiful, then I thought it was so cool and fierce, and finally I found it so silly and adorable. It's over, I actually experienced three different feelings from one Milotic...."
"Sigh, Miss Sally still couldn't win..."
"Brother Kaede's Milotic is so strong too... It feels like every one of his Pokémon is ridiculously powerful. It's so strange. I usually never see him battling with his Pokémon near the breeding house. How can he make his Pokémon so strong without them battling?"
A resident of Aogiri Town watching on TV couldn't help but voice their confusion.
Down below, Hayashi Kaede also pursed his lips.
When Milotic brought Glaceon over, he was also stunned, not immediately understanding its intention.
By the time he realized, Glaceon was already right in front of him.
"Change..."
Above, Sally, seeing that Glaceon had woken up, breathed a sigh of relief. After a moment's thought, she finally decided to change the field.
Dealing with Milotic in the water was just too difficult.
"Field change initiated. Field selecting... Field—Sky!"
The cold mechanical voice made Saki, riding Togekiss, pause.
According to the commentator, among the six battlefield types, the probability of drawing each wasn't the same.
Fields like Sky and Lake Water typically had lower draw rates.
Yet, unexpectedly, her two matches had drawn both of these fields.
The lake water below was quickly covered up. Kaede waved to Milotic, signaling it to swim over and stand by his side.
Meanwhile, outside the battlefield in the audience area, a Metagross and a Gardevoir slowly rose into the air.
Their eyes began to glow, and then, hundreds of planks, similar to the ones before, flew up and settled at various heights across the battlefield, ensuring a landing spot roughly every five meters or so.
This was the Sky field.
To be honest, Kaede found this field quite interesting.
Initially, everyone thought the Sky field was a significant limitation for Pokémon that couldn't fly, while flying Pokémon would be in their element.
Because falling off meant an automatic loss.
But after a few matches, people realized it was much the same for everyone.
The densely packed planks covered the entire sky, and these planks were coated with the psychic power of Gardevoir and Metagross.
Kaede glanced at the two Psychic-type Pokémon.
Metagross: Level 79. Gardevoir: Level 81-82.
He heard they were brought here to help by a Psychic-type Elite Four member.
To destroy their arranged planks on a large scale and leave non-flying Pokémon without footing required consuming a massive amount of the attacking Pokémon's own energy.
But without destroying them, these covering planks severely tested the flying skills of Flying-type Pokémon.
If they weren't careful and crashed into a plank, it would cause some injury to the Pokémon.
Conversely, some agile Pokémon could nimbly maneuver between these planks.
"For the Sky field, it's not really suitable for you, Milotic."
Kaede patted Milotic, which let out a gentle call and obediently returned to its Poké Ball.
He then looked at his other Poké Balls.
For the Sky field, by name alone, the most practical choice would definitely be Pidgeot.
But actually, Pidgeot wasn't the most suitable.
Because... it was too big...
With a wingspan of four to five meters, even a slight flap of its wings would hit the planks created by Gardevoir and Metagross.
Unless it used its wind power right after appearing to blow all the planks away.
But that seemed too chaotic.
It might even attract the attention of the nearby Gardevoir and Metagross.
Aside from that, Gardevoir, Blaziken, Alolan Ninetales... they were all quite suited for this field.
Kaede didn't choose his Pokémon immediately. Instead, he watched his opponent. Since Sally lost the first match, she would send out her Pokémon first in this second battle.
"Sigh... For the Sky field, I'm counting on you..."
He watched as Sally slowly descended on Togekiss. After reaching the trainer's position, she didn't choose a new Pokémon but simply had Togekiss fly up again.
*'Choosing Togekiss?'*
Kaede raised an eyebrow, the information about this Togekiss appearing in his mind.
[Pokémon: Togekiss]
[Gender: Male]
[Ability: Serene Grace]
[Potential: Purple]
[Individual Values: HP (24) Attack (14) Sp. Atk (31) Defense (17) Sp. Def (20) Speed (28)]
[Level: 57-58]
[Moves: Growl, Metronome, Sweet Kiss, Magical Leaf, Encore, Safeguard, Air Slash, Aura Sphere, Sky Attack...]
A Serene Grace Togekiss?
A Togekiss with this ability, paired with the move Air Slash, is often called the "White Demon."
Togekiss can make the opponent flinch with the very first hit of Air Slash.
Translated into reality, that means a stiffening effect.
Some timid Pokémon might even lose the ability to battle directly.
Paired with this Sky field, and its appropriately sized body, it was the perfect fit for this terrain.
So, which Pokémon should he use?
Images of all his Pokémon flashed through Kaede's mind.
Among the Pokémon he had brought with him, only Alcremie and Pidgeot hadn't battled yet.
Pidgeot wasn't suitable for this field.
But Alcremie's strength...
Kaede recalled Alcremie's stat screen.
[Pokémon: Alcremie]
[Gender: Female]
[Ability: Sweet Veil]
[Potential: Red]
[Individual Values: ...]
[Level: 42-45]
[Moves: Decorate, Sweet Scent, Aromatic Mist, Charm, Metronome, Aura Sphere...]
[Description: Has received the blessing of the World Tree and possesses Aura.]
Level 42-45.
That's a difference of over ten levels.
He was a bit worried.
But the further the matches go, the stronger the opponents might become.
Then again, Alcremie's strength entirely depends on Metronome. Coincidentally, the opposing Togekiss also has the Serene Grace ability.
Should they try their luck?
This thought crossed Kaede's mind, and he found it increasingly plausible.
So he said, "Come on out, Alcremie~!"