The next day!
Champion League proceeded as scheduled, and spectators from all over gradually entered the venue. Among them was a group dressed in unusual attire; they were Trainers from the Grass Star Style Dojo, here to cheer for Grayson.
"Senior Brother Grayson already has one loss. If he loses again this time, he'll miss out on the Elite Four matches that follow."
Among the Grass Star Style supporters, someone said worriedly.
"It shouldn't happen, right? Even though this opponent is supposedly some Contest Master, he's about the same age as us. Senior Brother Grayson is the most outstanding Trainer our Grass Star Style has produced in nearly ten years."
As several of them continued whispering, Mia, standing nearby, finally couldn't stand it anymore and snapped fiercely,
"Shut up, all of you. Just watch the match properly. Seven Stars City is only an ordinary city in the Kanto Region. There are many powerful Trainers out there. Some have even become Elite Four members or Champions at your age. Don't underestimate anyone."
Mia seemed to hold considerable authority within the Grass Star Style. The moment she spoke, the other disciples immediately fell silent and lowered their heads.
This group of Trainers in dojo uniforms was naturally the focus of attention in the stands. Mia truly didn't want to be mocked because of these sheltered fools, so she had no choice but to scold them.
The match between Contest Master Terrance and Grass Star Style successor Grayson was one of the most highly anticipated battles recently. Although it hadn't yet caught the attention of Trainers at the Elite Four level, many Champion League contestants who had never faced Terrance before had almost all gathered at Ever Grande Stadium, hoping to glean something from this battle.
"Terrance, we're here to cheer for you!"
In the stands, three sneaky figures kept wandering around the venue.
If Terrance had carefully scanned the audience, he would definitely have recognized them as James, Jessie, and Meowth.
Though they looked suspicious, the trio was actually selling snacks and drinks while moving through the crowd.
"Meowth cookies! Magikarp soda~~"
How they managed to sneak into an event on the level of the Champion League was unknown, but their original purpose certainly wasn't to cheer for Terrance.
"What do we do? The brat has already left the Orange Archipelago. Not only did we fail to catch Pikachu, we also didn't manage to develop Magtonium. So much time has passed, how are we supposed to explain this to Terrance and Boss Giovanni?" James said anxiously when the three of them regrouped.
Because they diverted part of the research funds to build machines to capture Pikachu, progress on the Magtonium project had slowed somewhat. But who could have expected that even with such heavy investment, Pikachu would still escape?
In the end, even the expensive customized machine had been destroyed…
And when Team Rocket's trio later focused solely on researching Magtonium, they realized they had fallen into a huge pit. They simply couldn't manufacture it at all.
"Over the past two months, we've produced all kinds of stones with various functions, but not a single one matches the description of Magtonium…"
"If Boss Giovanni finds out we poured in so much funding and still failed to accomplish the mission, will he fire us?"
"Good thing Boss Giovanni hasn't been paying attention to our movements lately. Otherwise, it'd be hard to report any progress, meow."
"Sigh… what a annoying feeling!!"
The trio sighed in unison. With Ash having left the Orange Archipelago, they no longer had the energy to follow him. They decided to completely settle matters concerning Terrance first.
"Let's just cheer for Terrance for now. Maybe if he finds out we came all the way to the Hoenn region to support him, he'll be touched…"
Little did the three of them know that Terrance had never expected them to succeed in the first place. As time passed, he had already guessed what they were up to and was simply waiting to enjoy the show.
Amid their discussion, Terrance and Grayson had already arrived at the battlefield.
Although it was their first time meeting, both were deeply curious about one another.
It was Terrance's first time facing a Trainer devoted to the study of a single specialized style, while Grayson placed great importance on the strength of this prodigious Trainer, Terrance.
"Grayson, don't underestimate the title of Contest Master. A so-called Contest Master is the culmination of countless styles. The styles we see as schools of thought are merely techniques in their eyes, and they've mastered many such techniques. Dojos are, in the end, products left behind by a bygone era. That's an undeniable fact. Sigh… if Grass Star Style is to flourish, it will depend on your generation."
Recalling the words of the old leader of the Grass Star Style Dojo, Grayson grew even more cautious.
In truth, Dojos weren't much different from Crown Academy—both were relics of an older age. Though both had integrated into modern society, their philosophies were entirely different.
At the referee's signal, the two nodded slightly to each other, and their Poké Balls were swiftly thrown into the air.
"Go, Carnivine!"
"Go, Beautifly!"
With the Poké Balls released, the battling Pokémon were decided: Carnivine vs. Beautifly!
Terrance's choice left many who had followed his previous matches staring in shock. This was the first time in the Champion League that Terrance had sent out a Pokémon other than Pupitar, Gardevoir, or Ninetales!
"That's the Beautifly he used to dominate the Hoenn region Pokémon Contests," someone recognized the moment it appeared.
"So it's this Beautifly…" At the same time, Grayson's gaze deepened. He had conducted some investigation into Terrance and had gathered records of most of Beautifly's public performances.
In his view, Beautifly's peak moment was the flying technique it displayed during that joint Coordinator and Trainer entertainment event.
The level of that flying technique was enough to pose a threat to his Pokémon.
Of course, if Grayson had known that this Beautifly had once battled Champion Diantha's ace Mega Gardevoir in the Kalos region, who knew what he would have thought?
Carnivine, a Grass-type Pokémon, is based on a Venus flytrap. Beneath its yellow stem speckled with green are red and green vines that resemble tentacles, and notably, its leaves can be used like arms.
It's a rather rare Pokémon.
From what Terrance understood, Carnivine's most troublesome aspect was its binding ability. Once prey was ensnared, there was practically no chance of escape.
"Beautifly, Silver Wind!"
The moment the Pokémon took their positions, Terrance gave the first command. A silver storm burst forth in front of Beautifly like a surging torrent, roaring toward its opponent.
"Carnivine, Vine Whip!"
Grayson's order was puzzling. Using Vine Whip against Silver Wind seemed like a self-destructive move. But when Carnivine swayed its body and lashed out with two Vine Whips like extended arms, a shocking scene unfolded.
The Silver Wind, sweeping in like a tidal wave, collided head-on with the twin vines. The two Vine Whips, seemingly imbued with astonishing force, tore straight through the tornado in an instant, brutal and overwhelming!
"So this is Grass Star Style, an extreme training method for Grass-type Pokémon, refining their body parts until they shine like stars, isn't it?" Terrance said with a smile.
Grass Star Style was divided into two branches, inner and outer. As the names suggested, one trained the visible parts of Grass-type Pokémon, while the other trained their hidden aspects. That Vine Whip tearing through the tornado directly demonstrated the practical combat value of this breeding technique.
Clearly, this was a training technique whose value might even surpass Steven's Float Stone breeding method. No wonder it had been passed down to this day.
The Silver Wind was torn apart, yet Terrance showed neither surprise nor concern. The shredded storm did not dissipate; instead, it continued to swirl and gather around Beautifly.
Soon, Beautifly was enveloped in a cloak of wind.
Terrance's tenth Champion League battle had finally begun in full force - Wind Domain versus the Inner and Outer Grass Star Style!
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