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"Don't push yourself so hard next time. This was just a Gym battle..."
Steven said softly, gazing down at the Poké Ball in his hand as he walked back to his position.
Steven returned to his spot, took out his last Poké Ball, and released the weakened Scizor.
Fortunately, the Stealth Rock was still active around the field.
As soon as Ludicolo entered the battlefield, it would be struck by the sharp rocks, losing its ability to battle immediately.
Steven was convinced his prediction was correct.
"Woo..."
A faint sound made Steven freeze in place.
Halfway down the deep crater, layers of dark sand fell away as the disheveled Milotic pushed through the debris, revealing itself fully.
Milotic hadn't lost its ability to battle yet?!
Was it because Metagross's stamina had decreased, causing its actual strength to drop below Champion level, that Milotic barely managed to survive without fainting?
Steven gritted his teeth and shouted, "Quick Attack!"
Milotic was already hanging on by a thread, even with its boosted Defense. Scizor's Quick Attack, enhanced by its Technician ability, would be enough to defeat Milotic in this condition!
Scizor dashed forward swiftly like a red streak of light, cutting across the battlefield.
"Water Gun!"
Wallace also saw that his Milotic was in extremely poor condition, and Scizor's state wasn't much better either.
He didn't even bother calling for Hydro Pump.
He simply called for the most basic Water Gun.
Bang!
Scizor swung its pincer, striking Milotic!
At the same moment, Milotic spat out a stream of water, hitting Scizor directly.
Scizor couldn't withstand the Water Gun attack either.
And so, both Milotic and Scizor collapsed to the ground.
"Milotic and Scizor are both unable to battle!"
"The winner is Gym Leader Wallace!"
With the referee's judgment, Steven ultimately lost this battle.
Wallace still had one Ludicolo remaining, though it wasn't in good condition.
The moment it entered the field, it would be struck by the rock spikes and lose its ability to battle.
But all three of Steven's Pokémon had already fainted, so Wallace's Ludicolo no longer needed to appear.
"You've given me quite a shock," Wallace said with a smile as he approached Steven, holding the Rain Badge.
Having debuted for nearly half a year, Steven had already managed to defeat his Milotic.
It seemed it was time for Wallace to work harder as well.
"This is the Rain Badge."
Looking at the Rain Badge Wallace extended toward him, Steven sighed softly and took it.
The phrase "I'll only give it to you if you win" before the match had just been a joke.
This was Steven's first time experiencing the feeling of receiving a badge even after losing.
"Wallace, I need to go to the Pokémon Center first to heal my Pokémon," Steven said, looking up with a wry smile.
"Okay, I'll come with you," Wallace nodded.
Normally, moves like Explosion were rarely used, except by members of certain unscrupulous organizations.
"referee, I'll leave the field repairs to you."
"Huh? Me?" The referee was startled, watching Wallace and Steven walk away side by side before saying:
"Yes... ε(┬┬﹏┬┬)3"
The Pokémon Center wasn't far from Sootopolis Gym.
Moreover, Explosion only placed a heavy burden on Pokémon—it didn't cause any hidden injuries or life-threatening danger.
Even if it did, the Pokémon Center's medical technology could perfectly eliminate all kinds of hidden injuries.
After Steven and Wallace exited Sootopolis Gym together, Steven calmly asked, "Wallace, you still held back a bit, didn't you?"
"Hmm?" Wallace looked slightly surprised.
"You could have used Aqua Ring to counteract the burn damage on Milotic."
"But you didn't."
"You noticed," Wallace chuckled, not bothering to hide it.
"Battling you was already like bullying you, but I didn't expect that even without using Aqua Ring, my Milotic would still be defeated by you."
Steven glanced at Wallace.
Thinking that he would soon have to pass on his responsibilities to him, Steven didn't dwell on these matters.
Upon arriving at the Pokémon Center, Steven and Wallace handed their Pokémon over to Nurse Joy for treatment.
Because Metagross's Explosion had caused severe injuries—though not life-threatening—the required treatment time was still quite lengthy.
Steven and Wallace sat in the Pokémon Center lobby, waiting and chatting.
Bang!
Piplup ran out on its own and flopped onto the sofa.
"Piplup... (o´・ェ・｀o)"
Piplup hadn't expected its trainer to be pushed to such an extent and still lose...
"Wallace, you might as well not use any held items..." Steven leaned back on the sofa. Arriving at the Pokémon Center, the weight in his heart lightened somewhat.
"Then wouldn't I lose?" Wallace rolled his eyes at Steven.
"Wouldn't losing be perfect? I'd get the Rain Badge legitimately," Steven chuckled.
You didn't necessarily have to defeat the Gym Leader to earn a badge in a Gym battle.
Under normal circumstances, as long as you gained the Gym Leader's approval, even if you lost the Gym battle, you could still receive the Gym Badge.
"We agreed to go all out. If I lost, how could I show my face?" Wallace said with a helpless expression.
After all, he was a man who could become the Hoenn Champion.
He just hadn't claimed the position yet.
But there was no rush—he would claim it soon enough.
"But in reality, you didn't really use your full strength either," Steven also rolled his eyes at Wallace.
Tit for tat.
Then, the two looked at each other and smiled.
"I feel like with a little more time, becoming the Hoenn Champion is practically guaranteed for you."
Steven gently shook his head and explained, "There's a little over two months left."
"Hmm? The Ever Grande Conference is only in about a month. Don't the winners have half a year to prepare?" Wallace asked in surprise.
"I have an agreement, and the deadline is in a little over two months."
"Wanting to reach the peak of the Hoenn Region Champion position after only half a year since debut—I must say, that's quite an ambition," Wallace chuckled.
"However, with you, it's not impossible."
Wallace himself had taken nearly a year to win the Conference and defeat the Elite Four.
After giving up the Champion position, Wallace hadn't spent much time training Pokémon. Instead, he'd turned his attention to Pokémon Contests.
After all, his mentor, Juan, was also a top Pokémon Coordinator.
"Every year, one or two monster Trainers always appear."
"Last year it was me, this year it's you."
It was clear that Wallace had great confidence in Steven.
"Let's not talk about that for now. Let's talk about what needs to be done recently," Steven waved his hand.
"What needs to be done?"
"Wallace, are you free sometime soon? I'd like to invite you somewhere," Steven said frankly.
"Where? The Ever Grande Conference is approaching, and there aren't many challengers left.," Wallace said indifferently.
"Where are we going?"
"I'll tell you when the time comes," Steven replied, as he couldn't quite remember the name of the place himself.
He would have to go back and check carefully to find out.
"Alright, just call me then. I'll definitely be there if I'm free," Wallace said with a smile, resting his arms behind his head.
Steven nodded.
Steven didn't know if there would be any unforeseen circumstances there, so it was better not to call Cynthia and put her at risk.
With Wallace as his bodyguard...
No, it should be said, as his friend.
Going there with Wallace, he probably wouldn't have to worry too much about unexpected events.
After all, Wallace was still an uncrowned regional Champion.