A rather comical scene unfolded on the battlefield.
The one holding the initiative—Pidgeot—was growing slower with each rotation in the air. Even the force behind its attacks had weakened significantly compared to the beginning.
Meanwhile, Gabite, who appeared to be passively enduring everything, was swaying unsteadily—
Yet stubbornly refused to fall.
Just as Lu Ming began to feel suspicious, Oliver suddenly shouted:
"Gabite! Hang in there!"
Lu Ming glanced at Oliver and saw genuine "anxiety" on his face.
He relaxed internally.
So they've reached their limit.
Good.
Time to finish this.
"Pidgeot! Use the technique the Gym Leader just taught us—end it in one move!"
"Piiiidgeot!"
Pidgeot hovered midair, breathing heavily. The earlier barrage had nearly drained it dry.
Why is this thing so durable?!
On the ground, Gabite—who had been enjoying the steady flow of Flying-type energy—suddenly noticed the attacks had stopped.
He raised his head.
"Roar?"
Why'd you stop, little bro?
Pidgeot flapped fiercely.
A gale exploded across the battlefield.
Thanks to the arena's energy barrier system, none of the external trainers were affected unless the attack exceeded the protection threshold.
Seeing the wind gather—
Gabite's eyes lit up.
Ah.
Charging up a big one, huh?
Perfect.
Within the raging wind, Pidgeot's wings flashed white, releasing multiple Air Slashes.
Hidden within the violent gusts—
The blades became nearly invisible.
"This is one of the Gym Leader's signature techniques," Lu Ming declared proudly. "Using Tailwind to mask Air Slash—making it impossible to detect!"
Yinuo gasped.
"He even taught you that move…"
Gabite tried dodging—
But several hidden Air Slashes struck him cleanly.
He looked increasingly miserable.
What Lu Ming and Yinuo didn't realize was:
Some of the slightly misaligned Air Slashes—
Gabite deliberately adjusted his position to absorb them head-on.
The concealment was too effective.
Neither observer noticed.
Oliver even cooperated with a frustrated sigh.
"…Damn it."
Soon, exhausted from earlier overexertion, Pidgeot released a few final Air Slashes—
Then dropped to the ground, panting violently.
Oliver quietly connected to Gabite through Aura.
"Enough. He's out of stamina."
Gabite understood instantly.
After staggering two steps—
He dramatically collapsed.
Eyes shut.
Motionless.
Lu Ming exhaled deeply.
For a moment, he thought Gabite might outlast Pidgeot purely by endurance.
Thankfully—
Victory still belonged to him.
Yinuo announced loudly:
"Gabite has lost consciousness. The winner is Lu Ming!"
Oliver recalled Gabite.
"My strength still isn't enough. I'll come challenge again next time."
Lu Ming stepped forward, expression sincere.
"I apologize for earlier. You're strong. Especially at your age."
He paused.
"Next time you challenge, look for me. I won't charge you a challenge fee."
In his eyes:
Oliver had earned his respect.
Gabite's durability was outrageous.
The match had been razor-thin.
If not for the Gym Leader's newly taught technique—
The outcome might've been different.
And more importantly—
That Gabite was the perfect sparring partner.
An absurdly durable training dummy.
Meanwhile, Oliver's thoughts went in a completely different direction.
Free Flying-type energy supply?
Repeatedly?
What a generous person.
As the saying goes—
If you're shearing wool, shear it from the same sheep.
Oliver immediately nodded.
"Deal. I'll definitely challenge you again."
Lu Ming smiled, unaware.
He had just volunteered—
To become Gabite's long-term power bank.
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