"Okay."
Gary nodded and sat aside to rest.
Juan was Wallace's mentor, so his strength was unquestionable. Although he wasn't quite on the level of the Elite Four, his Pokémon were certainly elite-tier in their own right.
Considering the high-level Rare Candy that was being offered as the mission reward, Gary figured Juan would take this seriously and use at least one Elite-level Pokémon. That Pokémon would most likely be Milotic.
Still, Gary wasn't fazed.
After all, Juan's Milotic had once been defeated by Ash's Pikachu. Gary felt confident that his own Latios wouldn't struggle too much.
The ten-minute break was over.
Gary and Juan returned to the battlefield.
This time, the field had been altered. No longer a standard pool, it now featured a hybrid design with land and water. The center was a large pool surrounded by land, with a few small platforms scattered across the water's surface. But the majority of the field was aquatic.
Standing in the referee's box, Sebastian announced, "We will now begin the one-on-one singles match. Challenger Gary, please send out your Pokémon first."
Since Gary had won the previous round, he was required to send out his Pokémon first in this round.
"Breloom, it's your turn!" Gary called as he tossed a Poké Ball.
"Breeh-looom!"
A Breloom with distinct orange-red stripes appeared in a flash of light.
"Oh, a Shiny Breloom!" Juan exclaimed in admiration.
As a Coordinator himself, Juan had a deep appreciation for Shiny Pokémon. In the Contest scene, a Shiny could often draw in bonus points purely based on appearance.
Among the younger generation of rising stars in the Contest world, it had practically become a trend to have at least one Shiny Pokémon.
"Unfortunately, Breloom isn't a Water-type," Juan sighed, a hint of disappointment in his voice.
As expected of a Water-type specialist, Juan clearly preferred aquatic Pokémon. Had Gary sent out a Shiny Water-type, Juan probably would've been overjoyed.
"Kingdra, let's go!" Juan snapped back to focus and threw out a Poké Ball.
"Draaahh!"
A Kingdra emerged, its elegant seahorse-like form glistening as it floated above the water.
"[Level 45 – Kingdra – Quasi-Elite],"
"It's actually Kingdra?" Gary raised an eyebrow. He'd expected Juan to lead with something like Luvdisc, not one of his aces.
Still, at level 45, it wasn't too far beyond gym-level. However, Kingdra's dual Water/Dragon typing left it with only two weaknesses—Fairy and Dragon. That made things difficult for Breloom, who had neither advantage.
"Kingdra, use Bubble Beam!"
The match began as Juan took the initiative. Kingdra's snout flared, releasing a barrage of glowing bubbles that sped toward Breloom like bullets.
"Breloom, Mach Punch! Burst through those bubbles and go for Kingdra!" Gary commanded.
"Breloom!"
Breloom's claws shimmered with white energy as he charged forward, slicing through the oncoming Bubble Beam with rapid punches.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
The bubbles burst one after another under Breloom's blows. He surged through the assault and landed a solid punch right to Kingdra's side, sending the sea dragon reeling back.
"Now, Blizzard!" Juan barked.
Gary's eyes narrowed—this was bad. At such close range and with Kingdra submerged in water, Breloom wouldn't be able to dodge effectively.
"DRAAAAH!!"
Kingdra roared and unleashed a powerful Blizzard from its snout. The chilling wind flash-froze the space around it, driving Breloom backward. Shards of ice formed on Breloom's body, clinging to his limbs.
"Return, Breloom!" Gary said sharply, retrieving his frozen but still mobile Pokémon.
In this battlefield, Breloom was at a severe disadvantage. With Kingdra using the water terrain to its full advantage, Breloom would be forced to enter the pool to land any hits, giving Kingdra the upper hand.
Seeing Breloom retreat, Juan immediately thought of another of Gary's options—and winced. He knew what was coming.
"Gardevoir, let's go!" Gary called out.
"Garde-VOIR!"
The elegant Psychic/Fairy-type landed lightly on one of the dry patches, her gown-like figure glowing faintly in the sunlight.
Juan sighed internally. Gardevoir was a nightmare matchup for his Kingdra, but as a seasoned Gym Leader, he couldn't back down.
"Kingdra, use Agility to close the distance!"
Kingdra began darting across the water, its movements a blur as it zigzagged unpredictably. Gardevoir couldn't get a lock.
"Dazzling Gleam!"
"Voir!"
A brilliant pink light exploded from Gardevoir's body, illuminating the field and forcing Kingdra to slow down.
"Whirlpool, now!" Juan countered.
Kingdra roared through gritted teeth and summoned a Whirlpool to surround itself, shielding its body from the Fairy-type assault while using the current to lash out at Gardevoir.
"Psychic!"
Gardevoir's eyes flared blue. The swirling waters shattered under the force of her Psychic attack. Kingdra was thrown from the eye of the Whirlpool, crashing across the water's surface.
"Kingdra!" Juan called in alarm.
"Hypnosis!"
"Voirrr…"
Gardevoir teleported in front of Kingdra and unleashed a wave of hypnotic energy from her glowing eyes. Kingdra staggered, eyes fluttering.
It didn't fall asleep outright, but those few seconds were all Gary needed.
"Dazzling Gleam, now!"
With her body glowing in radiant pink energy, Gardevoir delivered a point-blank blast.
"DRAAAAAH!"
Kingdra screamed in pain and was launched across the water, skidding nearly ten meters before crashing to a stop.
It floated, eyes spiraling.
"Kingdra is unable to battle! Gardevoir wins!" Sebastian announced.
Kingdra was truly unfortunate. Stat-wise, it was impressive—boasting only two weaknesses and a strong typing—but its base stats were spread too evenly. None of its values exceeded 100, with 95 in both offenses, 85 in Speed, and 75 in HP. It was versatile, but lacked specialization.
"Return, Kingdra."
Juan calmly recalled his Pokémon and chose his next.
"Then… my fourth player. Let's go, Whiscash!"
He tossed another Poké Ball.
"Whiiiissscash!"
[Level 43 – Whiscash – Gym-level]
A large, chubby catfish splashed into the water with a loud plunk! Its blue body shimmered slightly as it settled into its aquatic element.
With its Water/Ground typing, Whiscash wasn't a bad pick. But Juan sending it out meant he had overlooked Gary's earlier use of Breloom.
Gary smirked slightly. "Gardevoir, return."
Juan remained calm, but internally, he braced himself for Breloom to reappear.
But Gary had other plans.
"Sceptile, I choose you!"