As Joel stepped onto the field, he nonchalantly glanced at Kalia. There was limited information about her since she hadn't competed before, but knowing she was merely a beginner Trainer felt like an insult to him.
"Is there no one else left in Sebas? Sending out a beginner Trainer against me?" Joel spoke calmly, his eyes filled with disdain.
The Trainers from the Sebas region were rendered speechless. Indeed, it seemed odd to face the Strongest Group with only a beginner Trainer. The fifth group had two mid-level trainers; why weren't they willing to take on the challenge?
Despite their inevitable defeat, dispatching a beginner Trainer for the first match appeared overly passive.
The arena erupted in noise as many spectators from the Sebas region demanded that the fifth group make a substitution, calling for their strongest, Gustav, to step up. Even if they couldn't win, sending a mere beginner Trainer was too embarrassing.
Amidst the chaos, Taro suddenly spoke up:
"A beginner Trainer is more than enough to handle you. Do you believe me?" Taro declared unexpectedly.
Instantly, the crowd fell silent, turning in surprise towards Elite Four Taro. What did this mean? What was the Elite Four implying?
Joel's expression also shifted; despite Taro being an Elite Four member, he couldn't tolerate such disrespect and retorted, "Taro, although you're my senior, isn't it unfair to imply that I'm inferior to a beginner Trainer?"
Taro glanced at Joel and replied calmly, "I am not insulting you, nor is there any need for that. Let our battle decide who truly holds the advantage."
With those words, Taro turned towards Kalia. Having reviewed her profile from the League, he was confident in her capabilities. He smiled and said, "Kalia, don't disappoint us too much."
Taken aback, Kalia nodded resolutely, "Thank you, Elite Four Taro. I'll do my best."
She refrained from claiming certain victory, as the battle had yet to begin, knowing a loss would be embarrassing. However, she was indeed no less skilled than Joel.
Joel glared at Kalia, deeply angered by Taro's comment implying his inferiority to a beginner Trainer. Determined to prove him wrong, he resolved to decisively defeat Kalia.
The battle commenced swiftly.
As spectators watched Kalia with a hint of skepticism, they considered Taro's belief that she could match Joel's skill. Clearly, Taro wasn't speaking recklessly, suggesting that Kalia might genuinely possess significant strength.
However, it was true that Kalia was indeed a beginner Trainer. If she already possessed mid-level skills, why would she still be classified as a beginner?
As the referee announced the start of the battle, both Kalia and Joel released their Poké Balls. In the previous match, Joel had primarily relied on Gigalith and Excadrill, utilizing Sandstorm weather to employ a wear-down strategy.
The Ellie region differed from the Sebas region; wild Larvitars were rare here. Consequently, Joel hadn't focused on training Tyranitar. Had he done so, his Sandstorm lineup could have been even more formidable.
"Go, Gigalith! Unleash the Sandstorm!" Joel shouted, launching his Poké Ball with Gigalith as his first choice, aiming to capitalize on its Sand Stream Ability for a Sandstorm effect.
Meanwhile, Kalia's chosen Pokémon entered the field - none other than Sceptile. As a Grass-type, Sceptile naturally held an advantage over the Rock-type Gigalith.
Moreover, with Sceptile's speed, the stationary Gigalith stood little chance of landing a hit. The matchup heavily favored Sceptile against Gigalith.
"Sceptile, use Giga Drain first, then close in and employ Leaf Blade!" Kalia issued her instructions swiftly. Gigalith had strong defensive capabilities, so she aimed to have Sceptile start with ranged attacks using Giga Drain before relying on its speed to approach closely and defeat Gigalith with Leaf Blade.
Whish-whish!
Sand began swirling across the battlefield, gradually forming a Sandstorm weather condition.
"Gigalith, unleash Rock Blast! Crush Sceptile!" Joel roared loudly, characteristic of Trainers from the Ellie region who preferred intimidating their opponents through sheer volume.
Gigalith's massive body made mobility challenging, but it didn't lack long-range moves. Energy around Gigalith coalesced into rocks, which hurled towards the distant Sceptile one after another.
However, having trained extensively under Takeshi, Sceptile's evasive skills were remarkably strong. Not a single rock managed to strike Sceptile as it effortlessly dodged them all.
Joel's Gigalith clearly showed signs of well-practiced accuracy with Rock Blast, yet even then, not once did it land a hit on Sceptile.
Sceptile darted left and right, evading skillfully. Once Gigalith exhausted its Rock Blast barrage, Sceptile extended its arms, unleashing Giga Drain just as the Sandstorm swirled overhead, enveloping it completely.
The Sandstorm pelted Sceptile's skin with grit continuously, but such minor injuries were negligible for it and could not hinder the execution of Giga Drain.
Gigalith remained immobile on the ground; evading Giga Drain was virtually impossible, allowing Sceptile to directly absorb its energy.
"How is it missing every time?" Joel exclaimed, surprised. Although Sceptile possessed impressive speed and agility, his Gigalith had diligently trained Rock Blast for six months specifically to counter long-range Pokemon effectively.
Yet, incredibly, this beginner Trainer's Sceptile managed to dodge all attacks without being hit even once.
Once Sceptile's Giga Drain connected, it swiftly absorbed a significant amount of energy from Gigalith, quickly recovering from the damage inflicted by the Sandstorm.
"That's quite impressive."
"This Sceptile reminds me of the Mienshao at the Fighting-type Gym—there seems to be some resemblance."
"Sceptile indeed has a considerable advantage against slower Pokemon like these. It now depends on whether Joel switches his Pokemon or not."
From the outset, Sceptile gained the upper hand, effortlessly dodging attacks while successfully landing Grass-type Giga Drain on Gigalith—a double-effective move. This instantly tipped the balance in Kalia's favor.
"Gigalith, return!" Realizing the unfavorable situation, Joel swiftly prepared to recall Gigalith into its Poké Ball.
However, at that moment, Sceptile had already reached Gigalith, and with its Leaf Blade, delivered a fierce slash onto the Rock-type Pokémon's body.
Despite consecutive hits from Giga Drain and Leaf Blade, Gigalith did not immediately lose its fighting ability but sustained significant damage.
After witnessing Gigalith's injuries, Joel recalled it back into the Poké Ball. The early disadvantage left him visibly displeased, as he had initially hoped for a decisive victory over Sceptile.
"Go, Skarmory!" Joel promptly sent out his second Pokémon, revealing a Steel- and Flying-type Skarmory, which held considerable advantage against Sceptile attribute-wise.
The Steel-type resists Grass-types, while the Flying-type counters them effectively. Additionally, being airborne forced Sceptile to rely on ranged moves.
Kalia, however, chose not to switch her Pokémon. Against slower opponents, Sceptile excelled due to their inability to land hits on it. With its swift agility and mastery of advanced Combat Techniques and martial arts, unless facing equally fast Pokémon, no opponent could touch Sceptile without using guaranteed hit moves.