"What the heck?"
Silas's mind went blank for a moment.
Although he had come here with the intention of training Piplup and helping it evolve, wasn't evolving before the battle had even started a little too hasty?
Still, it was definitely a good thing.
The only unfortunate part was the money he'd spent on the match.
Well, he could just treat it as a test of Prinplup's strength after evolution.
Thinking this, his hands didn't slow down in the slightest. He quickly pulled out a piece of top-quality Sea Incense from his spatial backpack and lit it.
This was one of the training materials Silas had purchased earlier from Goldenrod Department Store.
Besides wanting to prepare in advance for his future Water-type ace Pokémon, another reason he bought it was because of the special Water Gem Suicune had given him.
And at this very moment, that Water Gem was attached to Piplup.
Over the past few days, Piplup had spent plenty of time holding the Water Gem, comprehending and absorbing the Water-type energy contained within it.
According to Professor Rowan, aside from that function, placing a Water Gem on an unhatched Water-type Pokémon Egg while Sea Incense was burning nearby could provide a one-time boost to the Pokémon's potential.
Later, Silas had even asked Professor Rowan's assistant, Maya, to conduct simulations and data projections.
According to Maya's research conclusions, using the same method during a Pokémon's evolution could produce a similar effect, although slightly weaker.
The likely reason was that during the Egg stage, the energy generated by the Water Gem and Sea Incense could envelop the entire Egg more effectively, resulting in a more complete transformation of the Pokémon's potential.
According to Zero's calculations, the success rates were approximately 86% for Egg enhancement and 68% during evolution.
Honestly, those odds had surprised Silas.
Not because they were too low.
Because they were too high.
Even high-quality Evolution Stones couldn't produce such obvious results.
Then again, considering the item had come from Suicune, one of Ho-Oh's legendary guardians, perhaps such effects weren't strange at all.
A unique fragrance soon spread throughout the battlefield.
Ryuji quietly gave his Chinchou a meaningful look.
Chinchou immediately understood what its Trainer meant.
Although somewhat embarrassed, it could clearly feel the Water-type energy in the air and began absorbing it with a reddened face.
Ryuji remained perfectly calm.
Being a Trainer wasn't easy these days.
What was wrong with taking advantage of a little free resource?
Besides, Silas was using the highest-grade Sea Incense available on the market. An item capable of helping Water-type Pokémon absorb additional Water-type energy wasn't cheap at all.
Still, Ryuji couldn't help wondering why someone would burn it during evolution.
Could there be some special effect?
He was curious.
But not curious enough to investigate.
Even if he learned the secret, he probably couldn't afford to replicate it anyway.
Compared to relying on his not-so-wealthy parents to fund his Trainer journey, Ryuji preferred earning resources himself.
That was one of the reasons he worked at Battle Park.
And his strong placement in a regional tournament proved he wasn't doing badly.
Under the combined effects of Sea Incense and the Water Gem, the evolution light surrounding Piplup lasted visibly longer than normal.
Though not by much.
Four or five seconds later, the evolved Prinplup appeared in the water.
As it climbed onto one of the floating platforms, its far more imposing appearance was fully revealed before Silas.
Two golden crest-like extensions now connected to its beak.
Its forelimbs had become significantly larger.
Its claws were more distinctly separated and noticeably sharper.
Most obvious of all, its feathers had darkened, and the white bubble-like markings on its belly had increased to four.
"Prin!"
Prinplup released a dignified cry.
Though it didn't yet possess the overwhelming imperial presence of the Emperor Pokémon, Empoleon, the foundation of that majesty had already begun to emerge.
The Chinchou that had been quietly absorbing Water-type energy instinctively backed away.
For some reason, it had just sensed tremendous pressure from the opposing Pokémon.
The yellow orb at the end of its antenna flickered continuously.
Its cross-shaped pupils made it impossible to discern what it was thinking.
However, Ryuji immediately noticed something was wrong.
"Chinchou!"
His shout caused Chinchou to flinch.
"Wi~"
Chinchou turned and responded, indicating that it was fine.
Ryuji didn't know what Chinchou had sensed.
He simply assumed that Prinplup's evolution had placed considerable psychological pressure on it.
"Don't worry. The opponent is still three or four levels lower than you. We have a real chance.
"If we win this battle, we can exchange the reward points for plenty of good food."
He encouraged his Pokémon.
Chinchou nodded firmly.
Meanwhile, after examining Prinplup's condition, Silas was thoroughly satisfied.
[Prinplup
Category: Penguin Pokémon
Type: Water
Height: 1.0 m (Species Average: 0.8 m)
Weight: 28 kg (Species Average: 23.0 kg)
Ability: Torrent
Moves: Metal Claw, Bubble Beam, Swagger, Water Pulse, Rain Dance, and others.
Level: 18 (Normal)
Potential: Champion]
Perhaps due to absorbing the Water Gem, Prinplup had not only improved its potential but had also learned several additional Water-type moves.
The appearance of Rain Dance in particular surprised Silas.
Thinking about it, his team now possessed nearly every major weather-setting move.
Sandstorm, Sunny Day, Hail, and Rain Dance could all be deployed by various members of his team.
Compared to the Silas who had competed in the Indigo Conference just a few months ago, both he and his Pokémon had improved dramatically.
"Then, the battle between Prinplup and Chinchou will now officially resume."
The nearly invisible referee finally stepped forward.
Her announcement interrupted both Trainers' thoughts.
As the paying customer, Silas naturally seized the initiative.
"Prinplup, use Water Sport!"
"We won't lose in momentum either, Chinchou! Use Thunder Wave with alternating positive and negative currents!"
Ryuji immediately countered.
Among Water-type Pokémon, Chinchou and its evolution Lanturn possessed tremendous advantages in mirror matches.
Besides their obvious Electric typing, their potential Hidden Ability, Water Absorb, was another major factor.
Combined with Volt Absorb, many Chinchou and Lanturn were among the best Pokémon when it came to resisting type disadvantages.
Their naturally high HP also made them exceptionally durable.
Of course, if they possessed Illuminate instead, then all one could do was pray.
Chinchou and Lanturn with Illuminate were far less suited to competitive battling.
Their true value lay in the deep sea, where they could help humans explore dangerous underwater regions and gather resources.
Pale-blue water currents and yellow electrical currents intertwined.
Standing atop the floating platform, Prinplup created a curtain of water before itself, preventing Thunder Wave from advancing any further.
A fun fact:
Pure water does not conduct electricity.
Of course, "pure" was relative.
But at the very least, Chinchou's electrical output wasn't powerful enough to overcome the insulating effect of the highly purified water Prinplup had created.
Before Ryuji could react, Silas issued another command.
"Prinplup, use Water Pulse!"
One of Silas's greatest strengths as a battle commander was revealed once again.
Thanks to Zero, he never needed to waste time using probing attacks to determine an opponent's Ability.
The status panel clearly indicated that this Chinchou did not possess the Hidden Ability Water Absorb.
That meant he could freely attack with Water-type moves.
Otherwise, not only would he fail to deal damage, he would actually heal the opponent.
"Huh, his judgment is getting faster and faster."
From a corner of the spectator stands, a familiar figure had somehow appeared without anyone noticing.
Cynthia took a bite of the crêpe in her hand.
"Mmm chocolate and vanilla really are a great combination."
She narrowed her eyes in satisfaction.
"BOOOOM—!"
The violent crash of rushing water sounded at the same moment she took another bite of her crêpe.
The concentrated mass of Water-type energy exploded the instant it struck Chinchou.
The shockwave sent Chinchou disappearing beneath the surface immediately.
Ryuji couldn't understand how Silas had determined Chinchou's Ability so decisively.
"He was way too confident about that."
Fortunately, Chinchou's Water/Electric typing meant that even without the Water Absorb Ability, Water-type attacks didn't deal especially heavy damage to it.
A moment later, it surfaced again, paddling with its fins and tiny feet.
"Chinchou, use Confuse Ray, then close in and use Spark!"
Ryuji launched another offensive.
To be fair, his strategy was excellent.
At close range, no matter how skilled Prinplup was at controlling water, it wouldn't be able to completely block electrical attacks.
The gap in strength between the two Pokémon simply wasn't large enough for that.
Meanwhile, the Ghost-type move Confuse Ray would create the perfect opportunity to close the distance.
Naturally, Silas wasn't about to let Prinplup be struck by Confuse Ray. Confusion was an incredibly troublesome status condition.
"Prinplup, use Bubble Beam!"
Bubble and Bubble Beam were two completely different moves.
The latter possessed greater power, faster activation speed, and, true to its name, many of the characteristics of a beam-type attack.
The two differently colored rays collided in midair.
Unlike the spectacular clashes of many other moves, these attacks gradually began to consume one another.
At the same time.
Below the surface, Chinchou continued closing the distance toward Prinplup.
Tiny arcs of electricity gradually began flickering across its body.
"What a pain."
Silas frowned.
Just like burns from Fire-type moves, paralysis from Electric-type attacks was one of the most annoying status effects to deal with.
Simply taking extra damage from a type disadvantage wasn't the real problem.
The debilitating status effect that followed was what truly interfered with the flow of battle.
"Prinplup, dive underwater."
After a brief moment of consideration, Silas chose to take advantage of Prinplup's superior speed and prevent Chinchou from getting close.
Before evolving into Lanturn, Chinchou wasn't particularly fast underwater.
However, once Prinplup entered the water, it could no longer maintain a constant shield of pure water around itself.
Seeing Prinplup dive beneath the surface, Ryuji immediately changed tactics.
"Chinchou, use Electro Ball!"
The electrical arcs dancing across Chinchou's body quickly gathered at the ends of its antennae, forming two shining spheres of electricity.
With a flick of its body, the Electro Balls shot forward.
"Prin!"
Its wing-like flippers beat rapidly.
Prinplup exploded forward at remarkable speed, attempting to shake off the pursuing Electro Balls.
Yet the seemingly slow projectiles were actually incredibly fast.
They quickly caught up.
Bzzzt—
The sound of electricity filled the water.
Prinplup's face twitched involuntarily.
As an Empoleon, it wouldn't fear Electric-type attacks nearly as much.
But it wasn't an Empoleon yet.
Although its superior Speed reduced Electro Ball's base power, Prinplup still suffered considerable damage.
"Prinplup, use Water Gun!"
Taking advantage of the brief opening created when Chinchou switched moves, Silas immediately launched a counterattack.
Streams of Water Gun blasts rapidly struck Chinchou one after another.
The frequency of the attacks completely exceeded Ryuji's expectations.
In barely one or two seconds, Prinplup had already fired at least five Water Guns.
Even underwater, that rate of fire was absurd.
The results were equally obvious.
Despite its resistance, numerous injuries appeared across Chinchou's body, and it began breathing heavily.
Its two antenna lights flickered again.
This time, it wasn't fear.
It was exhaustion.
"One more time! Use Electro Ball!"
Estimating Prinplup's remaining stamina, Ryuji gritted his teeth and committed to the same strategy.
This time, however, Silas responded differently.
"Prinplup, get close and use Pound!"
"What?!"
Ryuji's eyes widened.
Under his astonished gaze, Prinplup didn't retreat.
Instead, it charged directly toward Chinchou.
Chinchou clearly wasn't prepared for that either.
Caught off guard, it panicked.
With a few agile spins, Prinplup dodged both Electro Balls.
By the time Chinchou attempted to redirect them for another attack, Prinplup had already arrived directly in front of it.
"Prin!"
Raising both glowing white flippers high into the air, Prinplup brought them down like blades.
BAM!
A blurred figure shot diagonally upward from beneath the water, broke through the surface, and crashed onto one of the floating platforms.
The cross-shaped pupils in Chinchou's eyes had already turned into spirals.
"Prinplup wins!"
The referee announced the result cleanly and decisively.
The shift from defense to offense had occurred in an instant.
"I learned something today."
Ryuji sighed as he recalled Chinchou.
Looking up, he intended to ask Silas about Daissy's contact information.
Only to discover that Silas had already disappeared.
In a corner near the battle platform, Silas looked curiously at the woman standing before him.
"When did you get here?"
The woman was none other than Cynthia.
"This is related to the earlier Team Rocket incident, remember? I'm here as part of the security force."
Cynthia casually replied while eating her crêpe, seemingly unconcerned about the information she had just revealed.
"There's activity here too—"
Before Silas could finish his question, a sudden voice interrupted him.
"Well, well. No wonder you didn't come pick me up. So you were busy flirting with a beautiful lady."
Brock arrived alongside the loudly complaining Haruto.
...
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