The next day, the Gym Leader tournament continued as usual.
And as the Indigo Plateau Conference drew closer and closer, experts from all over had already arrived at Indigo Plateau.
In the crowd, Grey even saw one of the favorites to win this Indigo Plateau Conference, the Masked Royal.
"I didn't expect this many people to come watch the quarterfinals. I'll have to be more careful in the upcoming semifinals and finals."
Grey's mind was focused entirely on Pryce and Giovanni.
The former truly had a record of defeating a first-class Legendary. Even with Reshiram and Kyurem in hand, Grey would still need flawless tactics to be fully confident in defeating Pryce.
The latter's publicly known battle strength was Champion level.
Grey could confirm that much.
He had used his authority to check Giovanni's Pokémon many times. Among them, the strongest was a Champion-level Nidoking, followed by Rhyperior.
He might not even need Reshiram or Kyurem. His own Annihilape might be able to sweep several of Giovanni's Pokémon by itself.
In terms of raw stats, Annihilape was still more than strong enough.
The troublesome part was that starting from the semifinals, the battles would become full six-on-six matches. That made Grey feel somewhat troubled.
At the moment, if Genesect and Mewtwo were included, his team happened to have exactly six Champion-level Pokémon. The sixth Champion-level Pokémon was Blaziken, which surprised Grey a little.
That had happened during the night. He would need to solidify its foundation later.
The foundation built through Sleeping Arhat Fist was very solid, but Grey still felt a little uneasy. He might as well do some last-minute reinforcement. Maybe it would be useful.
After finishing that, it was still the usual daily chat segment.
Steven Stone: Gym Leader Grey, I saw what you sent me last night. I've already had people check the major mines to see whether they have the Peat Block you mentioned. If there are any new discoveries, I'll tell you right away.
Dojo Annihilape: Sorry for troubling you so much, Mr. Steven. Thank you very much.
Steven Stone: You're welcome. With our current relationship, there's no need to say thanks or anything. If you have any requests, just tell me. I'll help you as much as I can. Aggron thumbs-up.jpg
Dojo Annihilape: No problem. Since Mr. Steven said that, don't blame me later if I become annoying. side-eye grin.jpg
Grey joked around with Steven.
This was the first time he had proactively asked Steven about an item, which also meant their relationship had deepened.
Reciprocity mattered, after all.
Steven had helped him this time, so Grey naturally remembered it in his heart. He planned to find an opportunity to repay him in the future, strengthening this mutually beneficial bond even further.
Human relationships were built on give and take, and Grey understood that principle well.
But when he thought about it carefully, he realized he seemed to have always been receiving favors from Steven.
If he really asked himself what concrete benefits he had brought Steven, he found himself at a loss for words.
That realization made him feel faintly guilty.
After all, even the strongest friendship could not withstand one-sided giving forever. If one side only kept accepting without ever giving anything back, even the deepest bond would eventually dry up like a river cut off from its source, gradually vanishing into the sands of time.
Well, he would just take things one step at a time.
Once he went to the Hoenn region later, if there were no problems, he would find a chance to wipe out the local organizations there.
That could count as his repayment to Steven.
The first battle in the upper bracket ended very quickly.
Muno's strength was even worse than Blaine's. He did not even force Pryce to bring out Swinub. In just a few minutes, his entire team was swept away.
The second battle was Sabrina vs. Koga.
Grey came to watch this match in person.
The result was unsurprising.
Sabrina still lost.
Her opponent was an Elite Four-level Trainer, while Sabrina's Pokémon were only at strong Gym Leader level. Losing was normal.
However, what surprised Grey was that Sabrina actually managed to take down two of Koga's Pokémon. She had only been just a little short.
In the afternoon, the third battle began.
Giovanni vs. Jasmine.
With type advantage plus Giovanni's Champion-level strength, Jasmine was also swept by a single Pokémon.
Then came the fourth battle.
Grey vs. Clair.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the final match of the Gym Leader tournament quarterfinals! I'm your commentator, Darknight. It's my honor to explain the battle between Gym Leader Grey and Gym Leader Clair today. Without further delay, let's look forward to their match!"
"Gym Leader Grey, I often hear my cousin mention you. You are a very powerful Trainer, and also a very responsible Gym Leader. In this battle, I hope I can learn something from you."
Powerful Trainers continued to improve through battle.
Clair knew she had no way to defeat Grey, so she only hoped she could learn something from this battle.
"Mm, I'm thinking the same thing."
Grey replied politely.
Then the battle began.
Grey sent out one of his Elite Four-level Pokémon, Gallade.
Gallade's current strength was close to Champion level. Grey was clearly planning to settle things quickly from the start.
Clair's Pokémon was a Dragonair.
Pokémon: Dragonair
Type: Dragon
Level: 57
Ability: Shed Skin
Moves: Extreme Speed, Rain Dance… and others omitted.
This was a Dragonair whose strength had already reached the level required for evolution, but it still had not evolved.
However, compared to Gallade, it was still far behind.
"Dragonair, Rain Dance!"
Clair knew she would have a hard time matching Grey's strength, so at this moment, she only wanted to perfectly display the tactical essence passed down through her family.
"Awoo!"
Dragonair raised its head and let out a long cry. A crystalline ball of water lifted from the tip of its tail and shot toward the clouds.
The jewels on its neck and tail glowed with blue light at the same time. Heavy dark clouds rapidly gathered in the sky, and in an instant, a fine curtain of rain covered the entire battlefield.
The rain soaked Dragonair's scales, and it comfortably stretched its body. Its sapphire-like scales carried a gentle sheen in the rain.
Just as it was enjoying that nourishment, it suddenly looked up alertly.
Within the curtain of rain, Gallade's figure had vanished without a trace!
Clair's heart tightened, and she understood in an instant.
Grey had definitely used Aura to command silently.
Gallade's sudden disappearance just now had clearly been Teleport!
Swish!
In an instant, the rain curtain was torn apart!
Gallade appeared behind Dragonair like a phantom. The psychic blade condensed on its elbow-blade drew a cold arc of light.
Clang!
The precise slash struck the back of Dragonair's neck dead-on. Psychic light burst together with splashing rainwater, forming a dazzling vortex.
"Awoo…"
Dragonair cried out in pain and fell toward the ground, losing the ability to battle.
"Holy crap, that move just now was way too cool!"
The audience instantly erupted!
Countless people stood up excitedly. Cheers swept across the entire arena like a tsunami, shaking the rain curtain into countless ripples.
"Did you see that?! That combo of Teleport into Psycho Cut!"
"That's what real tactical art looks like!"
The crowd excitedly high-fived one another, completely ignited by this smooth, flowing battle.
"Gallade." "It was nothing special."
Gallade's figure turned elegantly in the rain, lightly shaking raindrops from the tip of its blade, as though responding to the cheers filling the arena.
Clair recalled the Dragonair that had lost its ability to battle. There was not the slightest disappointment in her eyes. Instead, she raised a relieved smile.
"As expected of a Trainer who earned Reshiram's recognition. That kind of masterful command is truly breathtaking. I accept my loss in the first round wholeheartedly."
"However, my second Pokémon is one of the strongest members of my team!"
Bang!
The Poké Ball landed.
A deep-blue Pokémon that looked like a seahorse appeared on the battlefield.
Pokémon: Kingdra
Type: Water, Dragon
Level: 59
Ability: Swift Swim
Moves: omitted.
With the Swift Swim ability, Kingdra's speed could rival an Elite Four-level Pokémon, and it could even compete with most Elite Four-level Pokémon.
Clair raised her arm and shouted, "Kingdra, Dragon Pulse!"
"Dra!"
Kingdra raised its head and cried out. A deep-blue dragon breath surged out.
However, Gallade neither dodged nor evaded. Its arm blades suddenly erupted with sacred golden light!
A sharp Sacred Sword slash split open the dragon breath vortex. Amid the exploding fragments of energy, Gallade shot through the remaining shock wave like lightning, its blade tip aimed straight at Kingdra's brow!
At the critical moment, Kingdra's skin suddenly shimmered with a flowing, wave-like sheen.
Using the rain curtain as cover, it twisted its body like a swimming fish. The edge of Sacred Sword brushed past its slender neck, leaving only a scorching vacuum trail in the rainwater!
"So strong! Gym Leader Clair's Kingdra is no ordinary opponent either!"
The whole arena burst into commotion!
A Kingdra with Swift Swim could actually unleash such terrifying speed in the rain!
Even Gallade's lightning-fast Sacred Sword slash had been narrowly avoided by Kingdra with an almost warped, fluid posture!
Raindrops exploded into layers of ring-shaped mist along the path of Kingdra's high-speed movement, as though time itself had been stretched into afterimages by its speed.
"Hiss!"
The sound of people sharply inhaling rang through the audience seats. Many could not help standing up, staring in disbelief at that blurry blue stream of light on the field.
"Tch."
In the Elite Four seating area, Lance lightly shook his head. Beneath his cape, his fingers unconsciously tapped against the railing.
"The speed brought by Swift Swim is temporary in the end."
He looked at that blurry blue stream of light in the arena and murmured softly, "Once the rain clears, Kingdra will fall from the crest of the wave straight back into the mud."
The puddles at the edge of the battlefield reflected his faintly furrowed brows. "Every second of speed it enjoys right now is overdrawing the room it has to survive after the rain stops. Grey is probably already waiting for the moment this curtain of rain falls."
On the battlefield…
"Dra!" "No good! This guy's strength is too terrifying!"
Kingdra turned into a bolt of blue lightning and sped through the rain curtain. The high-pressure Hydro Pump gathering in its mouth fired continuously at Gallade like cannon shells!
But even with the speed boost from the rainy weather, those violent columns of water were still precisely intercepted before they could touch their target.
Gallade's leaflike arm blades flashed and danced, green blades of light shredding every Hydro Pump. The water mist bursting open in the rain bloomed into countless short-lived glass flowers.
When the strength gap between the two sides was as vast as a chasm, the advantage brought by weather support became like pouring a cup of water onto a burning cart of hay, insignificant.
A bead of water slid from Clair's forehead down past her jaw. She could no longer tell whether it was cold rain or anxious sweat.
She looked at Grey standing calmly across from her, her fingertips digging deep into her palm.
She had already poured out all of her tactics and inherited knowledge, yet she could not even make the other side's breathing falter.
In the rain curtain, Gallade's blade tip remained as steady as a rock.
To it, that storm-like offensive just now had been no harder than dealing with willow fluff brushing against its face.
"There really is an unreachable gulf between a Gym Leader and an Elite Four-level Trainer."
After fighting for quite a while, this was what Clair had learned.
"Hah… Then let's go all in."
So much time had passed that the rain was about to end.
A flame of resolve suddenly ignited in Clair's eyes. Her clear shout rang through the rain curtain.
"Kingdra, Draco Meteor!"
"Dra!"
Kingdra raised its head and let out a long cry. Dragon-type energy condensed in its mouth into a blazing white sphere of light, then shot into the clouds.
The dark clouds were instantly torn open. Countless burning meteors dragged streams of light through the air as they fell, covering the entire battlefield in dazzling dragon flames!
Hiss…
The burning meteors collided violently with the cold rain, erupting into rolling white steam that filled the sky. From a distance, the entire battlefield looked like a boiling sea of clouds.
"Gallade!" "Good! That's the kind of force I wanted! Finally, there's a move worth taking seriously!"
A blazing fighting spirit burst from Gallade's eyes. Its arm blade suddenly condensed into a sacred golden edge of light that seemed to stretch across heaven and earth!
It leapt upward against the falling Draco Meteor, and its brilliant Sacred Sword drew an arc of light that seemed to split the world open!
Everywhere it passed, meteors shattered one after another. The exploding sparks intertwined with the rain curtain, forming a golden downpour!
Hiss!
Meteor fragments fell like raindrops, striking the ground with countless fine impacts.
Gallade broke through the swirling dust and mist, Sacred Sword's momentum still undiminished. It turned into a bolt of golden thunder and stabbed straight toward Kingdra!
Before the blade tip even arrived, the sharp sword energy had already torn open a vacuum path through the rain!
The rainfall gradually died down, and the flowing water-light around Kingdra dimmed along with it.
Having lost the speed boost from Swift Swim, its speed returned to normal. It desperately twisted its body, trying to dodge, but in the end, it could not outrun the Sacred Sword edge cutting through the air!
Swish!
The instant the blade light fell, time seemed to be sliced into two halves.
The first half-second was Kingdra's pupils shrinking in terror. The second half-second was the cold light of Sacred Sword reflecting on its scales, drawing closer and closer.
Boom!
Sacred Sword came down heavily. The ground cracked on impact, and spiderweb-like fractures spread wildly outward.
Kingdra slammed into the center of the shattered battlefield. Flying stones and dust scattered everywhere, bringing this lopsided confrontation to a close.
"Kingdra is unable to battle. Gym Leader Clair, please send out your final Pokémon."
"So fast! Even though Gym Leader Clair's Kingdra was so fast, it still had no way to defeat Gym Leader Grey's Gallade. However, Gym Leader Clair has also shown an impressive side of herself. Being able to use a Gym Leader-level Pokémon to restrain an Elite Four-level Pokémon for so long is already enough to prove her strength."
It looked like a long battle, but in reality, it had not lasted more than ten minutes.
Once the rain ended, Kingdra became a complete target and was defeated by Gallade in one blow.
Darknight's words this time could also be considered saving face for Clair, and everything said was true.
"So strong…"
After having two Pokémon defeated in a row, Clair even felt that the young man before her might be more powerful than her cousin Lance.
A deep sense of helplessness rose inside her.
But Clair did not give up.
The blood of the Dragon clan flowing inside her told her to stand up and not give in!
"Dragonite! You're up last!"
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