"This Gyarados's Ability is actually the very rare Moxie. I used to think its Intimidate Ability was underdeveloped, not as good as Granbull's, which was why it couldn't be effective."
"Granbull's defeat not only left Shu without her main damage dealer, but it also significantly boosted Gyarados's Attack. Plus, with Pichu's Lightning Rod, Ampharos is basically useless. It looks like Shu is destined to lose this match."
"That unfamiliar kid is exceptionally good, both in terms of training level and battle command. Shu's loss isn't unfair at all!"
"I wonder if this kid will participate in this year's Silver Conference? If he does, he'll be a formidable opponent."
...There were many trainers watching in the club, all with varied expressions, and many even showed apprehension towards Adrian.
However, they all agreed on one point: Shu's defeat was inevitable.
But Shu herself didn't seem to think so; though she was a girl, she was as passionate and combative as any boy.
She would never surrender easily until the very last moment.
"Ampharos, Shinny!"
Taking a deep breath, Shu, her face solemn, launched her attack once more.
Buzz!
A blinding white light, even more dazzling than Pichu's earlier, suddenly flared. Many people in the audience quickly closed their eyes, but many others, who were a step too slow, grumbled and cursed.
Caught off guard, Adrian also lost his vision.
"Kuru~"
Seeing Adrian, Gyarados, and Pichu all tightly closing their eyes due to Shinny, Ampharos immediately moved its legs and charged towards Pichu.
Its tail, which had a red orb, began to glow with green light, lashing out at Pichu like a whip, the sound of it cutting through the air.
Dragon-type move: Dragon Tail!
First, defeat Pichu to remove Gyarados's quadruple weakness protection, then turn around and finish Gyarados off with a single Thunder.
With Pichu's physical defense being almost zero, a single hit would be enough to knock it out.
Therefore, there was still a chance to turn the tide!
But Adrian was not flustered, because he believed Gyarados could handle it.
Just as the electromagnetic field covering the entire arena after using 'Magnetic Flux' was Ampharos's eyes.
For Gyarados under 'rainy weather,' all the raindrops in the arena were its second pair of eyes.
As long as it was hit by a raindrop, it was destined to be unable to escape its perception.
Every move Ampharos made was within Gyarados's perception.
"Aoo-hoo~"
With a roar, Gyarados moved like a dragon and a snake, acting as a sturdy fortress, directly shielding Pichu behind it.
Immediately after, streams of water once again appeared on its body, and it lunged forward like a vicious dragon.
Rumble!
Water splashed everywhere, and the less agile Ampharos was struck by Gyarados, pushed back dozens of meters by the waves, plowing a deep furrow in the ground.
"Kuru~"
By the time the water splashes dissipated, Ampharos was left with only a sliver of health, severely injured and unable to get up.
Seeing this, Gyarados spewed icy cold air from its gaping maw.
Before long, Ampharos was covered in ice crystals, its eyes spinning in circles as it lost its ability to battle.
Immediately after, Gyarados roared wildly again, its aura steadily rising.
Clearly, Gyarados, having won again, once more activated its Moxie Ability.
Gyarados's Attack power increased again!
"Ampharos is unable to battle!"
Seeing this, the referee quickly raised his hand to signal and announced the match result: "Therefore, the winner is Adrian."
It was only then that everyone's vision returned.
Although they hadn't witnessed the battle firsthand, everyone present was an experienced pokémon trainer with rich battle experience.
Just by the sounds of the battle, they could pretty much guess the cause and effect.
Clap, clap, clap!
Enthusiastic applause erupted; everyone clearly thought this pokémon battle was excellent, and this was also an acknowledgment of Adrian's strength.
"Well done!"
Wille's applause was particularly fervent.
Because Adrian was someone he brought, and now that Adrian performed so brilliantly, it reflected well on him.
Many people even gathered around, once again asking him about Adrian's information.
But Wille maintained an inscrutable demeanor, refusing to say anything about Adrian.
Because he truly didn't know much, and he was afraid of speaking too much and making a mistake.
"I lost!"
Only Shu was somewhat dejected, having thought this match was a sure win, but never expecting to lose so badly.
Because Adrian's pokémon were almost unharmed, and on the contrary, they continuously strengthened their abilities during the battle, growing stronger and more courageous with each fight.
It was a complete cakewalk for him!
"Hello, I'm Jon Dickson."
Just then, Jon Dickson stepped out from the crowd and approached Adrian.
Adrian's gaze shifted, but he quickly returned the greeting: "Hello, I'm Adrian from the Kanto region."
"So you're from the Kanto region, no wonder everyone doesn't recognize you and finds your face unfamiliar."
Jon Dickson looked enlightened, but then stated his intention: "Are you interested in having a pokémon battle with me too? Your strength is formidable; watching your recent battle made my blood boil."
Adrian tactically took half a step back, lamenting in his heart: "Huh? Me, battle the Silver Conference Champion?"
Although Jon Dickson hadn't won the championship yet, and his strength might not have reached the level of a Silver Conference Champion.
Even so, he was probably not far off!
At the very least, he definitely had the strength of a top-four regional tournament competitor, far surpassing someone like Shu who hadn't even passed the preliminary knockout rounds.
This could be seen from how Wille felt inferior when facing him.
With Adrian's current strength, going up against him would probably just be a gift!
It was just that the cooperation between Gyarados and Pichu earlier was too outstanding, which gave Jon Dickson the illusion that 'Adrian is very strong.'
Adrian quickly waved his hand, saying: "I only have two pokémon, and they've just been through a battle, so I'm afraid they can't fight you."
"Oh? So, is this Gyarados perhaps your starter pokémon?"
Jon Dickson raised an eyebrow and asked: "And this Pichu, did you just catch it recently?"
Adrian looked surprised and said: "Huh? How did you know?"
"Indeed!"
Jon Dickson nodded, not at all surprised.
Many powerful trainers, when traveling to other regions, only bring one starter or main pokémon, then catch and train new pokémon in the new region to form a team, and incidentally challenge the regional tournaments.
This is a very common occurrence!
And in Jon Dickson's eyes, the Adrian before him was clearly just such a case.
"Then let's battle another time when there's an opportunity."
Jon Dickson waved his hand and left.
He wanted to battle Adrian, but he hoped the opponent would be Adrian's main team, not this half-baked team.
After Jon Dickson left, many others also came up to chat with Adrian, who politely responded.
However, considering he had to wake up early tomorrow to go to the Whirl Islands, after a short while, Adrian excused himself and returned to his room to rest... The night passed uneventfully.
The next morning, Adrian, who had stayed overnight at the mountain villa, arrived at the Blackthorn City Pokémon Center, then boarded the flying mount of Nixie, the president of the Fishing Association.
This was a large bird pokémon, with a huge body, a wingspan of three meters, and beautiful feathers.
It was none other than the Normal/Flying dual-type pokémon—Pidgeot!
Pidgeot's flying speed was extremely fast, almost like lightning.
From Blackthorn City to the Whirl Islands, it might take ordinary people several days or even longer, but Pidgeot only took half a day to arrive.
And that was even with two people slowing it down on its back!
"Look quickly, those are the Whirl Islands!"
In the sky, President Nixie pointed to the jagged series of archipelagos on the sea and introduced: "The waters around these islands are full of whirlpools; Water-type pokémon must master 'Whirlpool' to pass through."
Adrian craned his neck to look down and indeed saw numerous whirlpools surrounding the islands, clearly visible from the sky.
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