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Chapter 41 - Lillie's Battle

Chapter 41: Lillie's Battle

Arriving at the Ice Arena, the first match wasn't over yet, but it was almost finished. Nidoking versus Pinsir. Nidoking currently had the upper hand, and the outcome was soon decided, with the Nidoking trainer emerging victorious.

A short while later, the second match began, and Lillie also entered the battlefield. Ryan cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted, "Come on, Lillie! Fight hard, you can win!"

Hearing his voice, Lillie turned to look at Ryan, spotted him in the stands, and gestured confidently, "I'll win this!" This scene was captured on camera and broadcast to the Alola region, within the Aether Foundation. Lusamine and Gladion sat in chairs, watching Lillie compete. Lusamine smiled and said, "Lillie looks much more cheerful now. Oh, and that boy's name is Ryan, right? They're traveling together. It seems Lillie has developed feelings for him."

"Hmph. Even if he's strong, if he dares to hurt Lillie, I'll battle him myself," Gladion said firmly.

"My, my. Gladion is strong too, you know. Are you thinking about traveling as well?" Lusamine smiled knowingly.

"Yeah, I want to go out and explore for a while. Lillie's gotten stronger now, so she doesn't need my protection anymore. I'm planning to visit the Hoenn region after Lillie returns," Gladion said seriously.

"Alright. Just come back when you're ready," Lusamine smiled, reaching to pat his head. "You're still my child after all."

"I know," Gladion said, gently pushing Lusamine's hand away from his head.

The scene shifted to the Pokémon School in Alola. Professor Kukui and the students - Lana, Mallow, Kiawe, and Sophocles - were gathered around the television, watching Lillie's battle intently. Kiawe said with some envy, "That's amazing! I wish I could participate in a tournament like this too. The opponents must be incredibly strong."

Professor Kukui smiled and said, "They are indeed. When I was younger, I went to Kanto to challenge the League, but unfortunately, I was defeated by several gym leaders. I had to return home and focus on my research career."

"Really? Wow, Lillie is incredible!" Mallow said excitedly. "Though I'm not really interested in battling. I prefer cooking."

"Lillie mentioned in her last call that Ryan, the guy in the stands, is really skilled at fishing. I'd love to have a competition with him someday," Lana said, staring at Ryan on the TV screen.

"Well, what do you all think? Should we go and cheer Lillie on in person?" Sophocles suggested.

"That's a wonderful idea. I'll talk to Principal Oak. I can bring you all along, and we could meet Ryan too," Professor Kukui said.

The group then began planning their trip to Kanto, where perhaps many new adventures awaited them.

The scene shifted back to the arena, where the commentator shouted enthusiastically: "In the red corner, we have Lillie from the Alola region, and in the green corner is Satsuki from Celadon City! Both are skilled trainers, but here, only battle prowess matters!"

"This will be a three-on-three battle! The second match of the Ice Arena begins!" the referee announced.

"I can't afford to lose! Go, Golem!" Satsuki declared.

"I have my own reasons for winning. Go, Nidoqueen!" Lillie sent out her Nidoqueen, recently evolved using a Moon Stone.

"Golem, use Rollout!" Satsuki commanded first.

"Nidoqueen, use Ice Beam to stop it!" Lillie countered.

Golem rolled toward Nidoqueen, who responded with an Ice Beam, creating a wall of ice in front of her. Golem crashed into the ice barrier, shattering it but also coming to a complete stop.

Seeing her opportunity, Lillie declared, "Perfect timing! Nidoqueen, Earthquake!"

Nidoqueen stomped powerfully on the ice field, sending devastating shock waves that cracked the ice surface layer by layer, dealing massive damage to Golem.

Satsuki called out desperately, "Hang in there, Golem! Mega Punch!"

"Defend yourself!" Lillie commanded.

Golem's right fist glowed with white energy as it swung at Nidoqueen. But Nidoqueen raised a protective barrier, successfully blocking the attack. Lillie then declared, "Nidoqueen, finish with Ice Beam!"

The Ice Beam struck Golem directly, knocking it unconscious. The referee raised his flag, declaring, "Golem is unable to battle!"

"Return, Golem. You did well. It's your turn, Slowbro!" Satsuki immediately sent out Slowbro, who had a type advantage against Nidoqueen.

"Come back, Nidoqueen," Lillie said, reaching for her Poké Ball.

"Not so fast! Slowbro, use Mean Look!" Satsuki quickly instructed.

Mean Look successfully prevented Nidoqueen from being recalled, trapping her on the battlefield. Lillie frowned. In official League matches, Pokémon could only use four moves - a rule that tested not only a trainer's preparation but also their strategic thinking and adaptability. Nidoqueen had already used Protect, Ice Beam, and Earthquake. Lillie considered her options before saying, "Nidoqueen, Thunderbolt!"

Ryan nodded approvingly from the stands. Official League battles were indeed different from casual battles, where the four-move restriction put real pressure on a trainer's tactical skills. In many battles he'd witnessed, trainers would cycle through the same few moves repeatedly, but here, every decision counted.

Thunderbolt successfully struck the notoriously slow Slowbro, but Slowbro remained standing, looking dazed as usual - making it impossible to gauge how much damage it had taken. Ryan could tell that Slowbro's health had dropped by about a third, indicating it had been well-trained.

"Slowbro, use Future Sight!" Satsuki commanded, and Slowbro immediately launched a psychic energy blast high into the air.

"Nidoqueen, use Thunderbolt again!" Lillie ordered.

Slowbro's terrible speed made it an easy target. Another Thunderbolt connected solidly. Satsuki bit her lip and said, "Slowbro, use Psychic!"

Invisible telekinetic force lashed out at Nidoqueen, dealing significant damage. Lillie responded with another Thunderbolt, finally defeating Slowbro. But before she could celebrate, the delayed Future Sight attack descended from above, knocking Nidoqueen unconscious.

Both trainers recalled their Pokémon and sent out their final team members. Satsuki sent out Vileplume, while Lillie chose Alolan Ninetales. Ryan sighed with relief and said to himself, "Lillie's got this."

Concerned that Lillie might not have prepared for this matchup, Ryan had previously taught Alolan Ninetales the move Blizzard using a TM. Hail combined with Blizzard would be devastating against a Grass-type like Vileplume.

As Ryan had predicted, Lillie shouted, "Ninetales, use Hail, then Blizzard!"

"Don't let it succeed! Vileplume, use Sleep Powder!" Satsuki called out.

"Ninetales, switch to Safeguard!" Lillie commanded.

Hail was successfully activated, and snow began falling across the battlefield. As Vileplume's Sleep Powder drifted toward Ninetales, the fox Pokémon quickly surrounded itself with a mysterious protective barrier, rendering the sleep-inducing powder completely ineffective.

"Vileplume, Razor Leaf!" Satsuki said anxiously.

"Blizzard!" Lillie shouted.

Vileplume launched sharp leaves at Ninetales, but the long-prepared Blizzard swept across the entire ice field with tremendous force, overwhelming the Grass-type attack and freezing Vileplume solid.

The referee raised his flag and declared, "Vileplume is unable to battle! The winner is Lillie from the Alola region!"

Ryan stood up and applauded enthusiastically, congratulating Lillie on her well-earned victory in the first round.

(End of Chapter)

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