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After emerging from the Poké Ball and seeing the Clodsire opposite that was several times larger than itself, Eevee's body began to tremble slightly.
The Ability "Anticipation" had quietly activated without notice, informing it that the Pokémon across the field was no ordinary opponent.
Perhaps it was the strongest foe it had ever faced...
Trainer, didn't you say this battle wouldn't be difficult?
Big liar!
In a few breaths, the heavy sound of a heartbeat like a military drum suddenly reverberated throughout the arena. The tight rhythm drew everyone's attention.
This was...
Noticing Eevee's fur beginning to tremble, Geeta suddenly recalled a very fitting term.
Martial Tremor.
A phenomenon widely spread amongst fighters.
To be brief, when a strong individual faces a significant challenge, their body trembles due to extreme excitement or tension.
To the uninformed, it might seem like an instinctive reaction caused by fear, but in fact, it's quite the opposite.
This is the posture that emerges after fully entering a combat state.
"An Eevee with the heart of a warrior…"
Geeta raised an eyebrow, starting to look forward to Aiden's upcoming performance.
While everyone observed Eevee, Aiden's gaze was fixed on the Clodsire across the field.
[Clodsire (Female)]
[Type: Poison + Ground]
[Ability: Unaware]
[Moves: Toxic, Earthquake, Sludge Wave, Megahorn, Yawn, Amnesia, Toxic Spikes, Stealth Rock, Body Press...]
Just looking at the move set showed that its strength was absolutely astonishing; no wonder it was one of the Elite Four member's main Pokémon.
However, as Aiden had guessed, this Clodsire indeed lacked long-range attrition capabilities, so his plan remained viable.
"Eevee, it's time to show the results of our special training!"
Aiden took a deep breath and pulled out a black iron ball from his pocket.
Since the assessment rules stated that the gym leader goes first, Rika would not interrupt him before he made his move.
This gave him some time to narrate... no, to initiate Terastalization.
"To go straight into Terastalization at the start, indeed bold."
Rika stood still, observing Aiden's actions with interest.
Clodsire's two signature moves could both use type advantages to maximize damage reduction.
But Terastalization couldn't transform into dual types.
So...
It should be Steel-type, right?
After activating the Tera Orb, it immediately emitted a holy silver glow, with some mineral fragments floating down from the cracks.
Aiden quickly tossed it above Eevee's head.
As the Tera Orb burst spectacularly, countless fragments landed on Eevee's surface, quickly forming a thick layer of silvery armor.
At the same time, a hatchet-like symbol appeared on Eevee's forehead.
"Steel Tera Type Eevee? A good idea."
Geeta smiled slightly, almost instantly understanding Aiden's thoughts.
Rika excels in Ground-type strategies, but her ace Clodsire prefers to use toxins inside its body to disrupt opponents.
However...
Although Tera-Steel can effectively avoid Clodsire's Toxic, it also exposes a highly fatal weakness.
Clodsire's Ground-type moves will be super effective against Eevee.
But since Aiden chose Tera-Steel, it means he should already have a countermeasure prepared.
For example, carrying a balloon item?
"Eevee, Confuse Ray."
Immediately after completing Terastalization, Aiden issued a command to make the most of his first-move advantage.
If he didn't control the tempo first, there was a high chance that Clodsire would retaliate with Yawn.
These seemingly dull Pokémon mostly have the ability to use Yawn to put their opponents to sleep.
Hearing Aiden's command, Rika couldn't help but smile.
Confuse Ray is a special interfering move that causes the targeted Pokémon to become confused, possibly attacking itself.
Clodsire's speed is ridiculously slow, making it unlikely to dodge the move.
Since that was the case, there was no need to dodge.
The best defense is offense!
"Clodsire, Earthquake!"
After Rika's command, Clodsire reacted half a beat later.
But even though it was hit by Confuse Ray, its sluggish reaction meant it was temporarily unaffected. It quickly began resonating its elemental energy with the earth.
The ground rumbled incessantly, and the surrounding area started shaking violently.
As a Ground-type move, Earthquake's power was clearly not to be underestimated, yet Aiden couldn't help but frown.
Considering the fighting power of an Elite Four member's main Pokémon, the move's power seemed to fall short of his expectations.
Even for a less offensive Clodsire, using Earthquake should logically affect the nearby terrain.
He even considered deliberately guiding Rika to use Earthquake multiple times to get money from the League to rebuild a bigger Sunny Gym...
So she held back?
That makes sense. After all, it's just a gym assessment; going all out would be too bullying.
Because of this reason, the gym's battlefield was designed to be very spacious and as far away from inhabited areas as possible.
In the Pokémon world, competitions above the High Ball level are even held in specially constructed arenas to prevent changing the surrounding environment after a battle…
Aiden quickly figured it out and immediately shouted to Eevee:
"Eevee, jump!"
"Eevee!"
As Aiden gave the command, Eevee had already leapt high into the air.
"It's useless. The aftershocks of Earthquake last a long time. Unless you have flight capabilities, it's impossible to avoid all the damage."
Rika smiled elegantly, pointing out the flaw in Aiden's command.
Imagination and courage were good things, but evidently, he still lacked practical battle experience.
As Eevee jumped, she confirmed that Eevee wasn't holding a balloon, thus eliminating the possibility of using a balloon to glide and avoid Earthquake.
"That's not necessarily true!"
Aiden returned with a confident gaze, then turned to look at Eevee.
At the moment Eevee reached its maximum height and its body paused mid-air, the ax-shaped protrusion on its head suddenly split into two forks.
Then, it slowly rotated like a propeller.
As the bamboo dragonfly demonstrated its function, Eevee's body moved unnaturally left and right in the air, as if an invisible pair of wings had grown behind it.
Both Geeta and Rika were momentarily stunned.
It wasn't because Aiden had pulled out a peculiar little gadget that seemed much more flexible than a balloon.
In the Pokémon world, various strange items exist, crafted by artisans willing to create them, but hindered by cost, production efficiency, etc., most haven't been developed for specific functions and are collecting dust.
Their surprise stemmed from...
Aiden's opening Terastalization had another purpose?
Using the naturally appearing emblem on top of the head post-Terastalization as a decoy and hiding Eevee's carried item within it through visual effects?
Who could have thought of that?!
"Interesting."
Rika soon snapped out of it and looked at Aiden again with admiration.
Unexpectedly, she had underestimated this young man's creativity.
Though somewhat irritating, one must admit the effect was extraordinarily good.
It was worth stealing this trick; it might come in handy to catch people off guard in the future.
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