"The Imperial City Club, huh? And here I was hoping to face one of the other two clubs first to warm up a bit... Looks like Slowking won't be able to use the double Rest tactic anytime soon."
Seeing the match list, Ethan let out a sigh. It seemed he could only rely on other strategies.
On the other side, the members of the Imperial City Club also showed slight changes in their expressions upon seeing their opponent.
At first, they didn't take the Ironvale City Club seriously, but after yesterday's battle, that Slowking with an unknown recovery ability had left everyone stunned.
At this point, no one dared to underestimate the Ironvale City Club... solely because of Ethan's presence.
"Ethan, we finally face each other again." Lucien Foster looked across the field; his lips slowly curved into a smile.
"Ethan's strength is increasing way too fast." Marcus Foster sighed as he also observed Ethan.
As fellow students from the same university, Marcus had practically witnessed Ethan's entire growth.
Especially with that Sandslash... even now he still didn't understand: how had such an ordinary Pokémon reached that level?
"Lucien and Marcus."
Ethan also glanced at the two cousins.
Honestly, among all the members of the opposing club, the only one he truly couldn't guarantee he could beat was Lucien—especially without being able to use Slowking.
"It's still your turn... Show everyone how much you've grown."
Ethan took a deep breath as a Pokéball appeared in his hand. He stepped onto the platform.
At the same time, Lucien also walked onto the stage. Their eyes met, filled with anticipation.
"So I'm the one attacking first, huh?"
Ethan sighed and threw the Pokéball. The figure of Sandslash appeared on the field.
The moment the audience saw the Sandslash with special red spines, they were shocked. What surprised them even more was that Ethan didn't send out Slowking—the hero of the previous battle—but Sandslash.
"Sandslash?"
"He's strong, but he's no Slowking."
"There must be some kind of limitation to that recovery ability he showed yesterday."
"Most likely it comes with some huge cost. That must be why he can't fight today."
Many of the powerful trainers present had already deduced why Ethan didn't use Slowking.
And, for some reason, they all let out a sigh of relief.
That made sense! If that recovery ability could be used without a price, that thing would already be invincible. This explanation was much more reasonable.
"Sandslash, huh?"
"I originally wanted him to face your Slowking again. We prepared quite a bit for that, but it's a shame your Slowking can't enter."
"Then let's change the matchup. Last time, these two didn't get a definitive result either."
Lucien looked at Sandslash and sighed softly. Then he put away the previous Pokéball and took out a new one, enlarging it in his hand.
"Go, Garchomp!"
A white flash shone, and a shark-shaped Pokémon appeared, with a dark blue body, an inverted yellow star on its nose, and wings on its forearms.
It was Garchomp, a dragon/ground-type Pokémon— a pseudo-legendary in its final form!
"So Gabite finally evolved into Garchomp?"
"I've heard that Lucien grew up with dragon-type Pokémon since he was little. Apparently Dragonite, Salamence, and even this Garchomp were raised alongside him. Otherwise, with how slowly pseudo-legendary species grow, reaching their final form isn't exactly easy."
Ethan's eyes gleamed as he recalled the rumors from Dragon Valley about Lucien. He couldn't help but sigh.
Yes... this is what a child of destiny looks like.
Too bad that this time he was facing the true protagonist... himself.
"GAARRCCHH!"
As soon as it appeared, Garchomp immediately recognized its opponent and roared with rage: it had clearly recognized Sandslash.
In that past battle, it was still a Gabite. It had almost secured victory, but in the end, it was dragged into defeat by Cacturne's Destiny Bond. That moment had been etched into its memory, and today... was the time to settle the score.
"Sandslash vs. Garchomp!"
"Even though they're both ground-type and have similar styles..."
"How is a Sandslash supposed to compete with a Garchomp? They're on completely different levels!"
The spectators shook their heads slightly. To them, the result was obvious.
"Come on, Ethan. I want to see the true strength of that Sandslash."
Lucien knew full well the level of Ethan's Pokémon.
Last time he had lost due to a trick. In a real 1v1... Ethan had no choice but a frontal confrontation.
"In that case... Sandslash, use Rapid Spin!"
Ethan's eyes lit up as he issued the command.
Sandslash planted its feet on the ground and began spinning at high speed.
"Use Dragon Claw!"
Garchomp wasn't intimidated. Its claws were wrapped in dragon-type energy as it attacked.
But Sandslash had no intention of colliding head-on; using the speed of Rapid Spin, it dodged quickly.
Even so, as a Pokémon capable of flying at sonic speeds, Garchomp's instant acceleration was terrifying. Without needing to use any move, it reached Sandslash in an instant and struck with Dragon Claw.
Chii!
The clash between Rapid Spin and Dragon Claw generated brutal friction.
BOOM!
Sandslash was sent flying from the impact, while the Dragon Claw dissipated in the air.
Garchomp had clearly dominated the first exchange, though it wasn't yet a decisive advantage.
"Sandslash, use Rapid Spin again!"
Hearing Ethan's command, Lucien's eyebrows twitched slightly, and he ordered Garchomp to use Dragon Claw once more.
(End of chapter)