Chapter 672 - 672: 669
[Currently running a discount on P@tr30n, 50% off!! for +30 chapters on all my fanfic!!]
"Damn it! Next up is the Relay Run, and the Trainers have to run alongside their Pokémon. I'm not going to lose!"
Whitney glanced at Hikaru standing beside the course and gritted her teeth. After the Hurdle Dash ended, she headed toward the cross-country track, but she did not see any of those three absurdly fast Pokémon along the way.
Just as I thought. They exhausted too much stamina. Sending out such fast Pokémon for the hurdles will put him at a disadvantage in the Relay Run!
Whitney prepared to show what she could really do in the next event. However, when she saw the Pokémon Hikaru had chosen, she stared blankly.
That green Pokémon wearing the enormous mask was back. She swaggered forward without a care in the world, clearly having the time of her life.
The snow leopard was panting, while the golden-armored knight was taking a break. Replacing them in the rotation was a Pokémon bouncing around amid crackling electricity.
And there was also a...
Motorcycle?
"Hey, referee!" Whitney shouted. "Isn't that guy cheating? He's driving a vehicle!"
"Agias?!" Miraidon cried.
How could anyone compare it to a mere vehicle?
It was the crystallization of futuristic technology, the ultimate form of biological evolution and every motorcycle stereotype combined!
"It's a special variant of a Pokémon called Cyclizar," Hikaru explained, greeting Whitney. "Haven't you seen one before? Cyclizar have lived alongside humans in the Paldea region for a very long time."
Whitney stood frozen for several seconds before issuing her declaration of war.
"I've never even heard of that Pokémon! Whatever, as long as it isn't actually a motorcycle. My Miltank still hasn't shown her true strength!"
"The Relay Run tests more than speed. Being fast isn't enough. You need endurance too! It's time for my Miltank to use Rollout!"
Whitney began warming up at the starting line. Hikaru also loosened his muscles slightly.
The Pokémon on the track were already growing impatient, especially Ogerpon. She had run directly from the previous arena while still wearing her enormous mask, attracting quite a bit of attention.
Then again, these two events were held back-to-back.
The announcer's voice rang across the stadium.
["In the Relay Run, competitors must race while avoiding rocks, statues, and other obstacles! First runners, take your positions!"]
"That's true," Hikaru said. "But haven't you heard? The Paldea region is best known for two things: vehicles and speed!"
The instant the starting pistol fired, Miraidon's electronic eyes blazed with light.
It might act timid in a wild battle, but it would bring down the hammer in an official competition!
Jet engines, activate!
Hadron Engine, engage!
High-speed driving mode!
Whitney's eyes widened.
"Wh-What is that thing?! It's so fast!"
The wind howled as Miraidon accelerated with incomprehensible force. It overtook every Pokémon running around the track and left the other opening runners far behind.
During the Relay Run, the Trainer running alongside the team decided when to swap Pokémon as each runner grew tired.
Miraidon, however, ran on energy.
It could keep this pace up all day!
"Still, I ought to give its teammates a chance to shine."
Hikaru glanced behind him.
Whitney was already far in the distance. Miltank's rolling could not increase her speed here. Her Rollout was not considered a move in this situation, but one of Miltank's natural behavioral characteristics.
"Agias!"
Autobots, transform and roll out!
Field Spell, Speed World!
"The event lasts ninety seconds! Complete as many laps as possible before time expires and shatter the mastery record!"
Miraidon entered the corner with a violent drift. Its tires screeched as it slammed on the brakes.
A bolt of electricity even faster than Miraidon suddenly shot past!
It raced around the course like a thunderbolt.
"Eleleleleleki!"
Hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry! It was Regieleki!
The electric pillar's eyes flashed continuously. It even had time to glance at all the Pokémon it had left behind.
Even if someone sent out Ninjask or Speed Forme Deoxys, neither could match it on this course!
With a base Speed of 200, it stood above the entire field!
Arrogance required plenty of backup energy!
Delinquency supreme! Fastest in the galaxy! Gotta go fast! Speed was important, so never let it drop by ten points!
["Let the electricity flow and transform into light!"]
"That thing's a monster!" someone shouted. "What kind of Pokémon is it? No, forget the Pokémon. That person is unbelievably fast too!"
Hikaru used Agility!
Whitney was left far behind. Even Jet, the professional athlete running at the front of the pack, stared in disbelief.
He had assumed the three Pokémon from the Hurdle Dash would be his most troublesome opponents.
He had never expected...
Another master!
Athletes, fighters, martial artists...
Experts from all over the world had gathered. Some wanted to test their strength and stamina, others had come purely for entertainment, while still others seriously regarded these sporting events as a warm-up before the main tournament.
As a result, both familiar and unfamiliar faces appeared throughout the various events, including several astonishingly powerful competitors.
The Pennant Capture event belonged to both the Speed and Skill categories, though it primarily tested technique.
Among powerful Trainers, one particular profession required exceptional reflexes and highly refined skills.
Ninjas!
Ninjas specialized in concealment and stealth, allowing them to rapidly approach or withdraw from targets on the battlefield. They assumed false identities to infiltrate enemy forces, gathered critical information through observation and eavesdropping, prepared poisons and traps, and excelled in close combat and assassination.
According to legend, four hundred years ago, in an era that almost perfectly matched several stories involving the Cianwood City pharmacy, the warlords of the Ransei region, and a Slowpoke's yawn bringing torrential rain, an unknown ninja created a revolutionary invention.
That ninja changed the next four centuries of competitive battling and brought about the rise of countless defensive Pokémon.
He invented the move Toxic.
In the past, Toxic's enormous distribution and universal usefulness allowed numerous Pokémon with absolutely no connection to poison to learn it. That gave birth to the age of Substitute-Protect-Toxic stalling. Walls and utility Pokémon flourished in competitive battles, using Toxic to contaminate the battlefield and throw the entire battling world into chaos.
Someone with a similar influence had also appeared in modern history.
In Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, players could discover a little-known detail after defeating Giovanni: the history of the Earthquake TM.
Giovanni himself had created and popularized it back when he still guarded Viridian Gym.
Once again, vast numbers of Pokémon with no connection to the Ground type gained access to the move. In theory, this later-generation revelation also corresponded perfectly with the secret techniques used by Giovanni, the Man of the Land, in Pokémon Adventures.
Several ninjas had entered today's Pennant Capture event.
Koga, one of the Indigo League Elite Four, had only planned to casually test his skills. His daughter, however, declared that she would challenge him here.
Once the competition turned into a battle between father and daughter, with an Elite Four member facing a current Gym Leader, the other competitors should have had no chance whatsoever.
But dark horses always appeared when least expected.
"What's going on?" Janine muttered, cold sweat pouring down her face. "Muk and Grimer used the Minimize technique. Their soft bodies can absorb almost any impact, so they should have taken first place in Pennant Capture!"
"They shouldn't lose their pennants even if other Pokémon crash into them."
"This was supposed to become a duel between Father and me..."
"You're right, Janine," Koga said. "How did things turn out like this? Where did those three Pokémon come from?"
"I haven't even seen their Trainer!"
Muk and Grimer had been gathering pennants when a small golden figure suddenly interrupted them.
The golden skateboarder planted its feet on the two piles of sludge and snatched away their pennants!
Janine paled.
"Poison bodies don't affect that little golden guy! It's a Steel type!"
"Pass me your pennants," Koga said after a brief silence. "Janine, focus on collecting more. For now, father and daughter must join forces."
Seeing that Muk's disguise and Minimize had both been defeated, Koga decisively recalled his first runner and sent out his second.
"Forretress!"
Forretress entered the arena while spinning at high speed.
"Cool!"
Gholdengo collected nine pennants and immediately returned to the waiting area.
The next Pokémon to enter was an empty shell emerging from the shadows.
Forretress's Tackle missed!
Its pennants were stolen!
["...Delightful!"]
Shedinja used Mind Reader!
Normal-type Tackle had no effect on a Ghost-type Pokémon. As for other attacks, anything that was not super effective would be completely blocked by Wonder Guard.
One, two, three, four, five...
Shedinja used spiritual power to seize nine pennants, then rapidly retreated.
"Knock away its pennants!" Janine shouted. "Drapion!"
Her second Pokémon was Drapion, a fake bug with the Dark type. A Dark-type technique could injure Shedinja!
Strictly speaking, offensive moves were forbidden during athletic competitions.
This, however, was ninjutsu.
Ninjutsu!
Otherwise, Ghost types would have far too great an advantage.
Drapion's enormous pincers slammed toward Shedinja.
"Forretress, use Fragments!"
Forretress normally clung motionless to the trunk of a thick tree. Whenever something approached, it reflexively launched pieces of its steel shell at the intruder.
That was one of Forretress's natural characteristics!
Calling it Stealth Rock or Spikes would make no difference. As part of its natural behavior, the ability was not considered a move and therefore did not violate the rules.
Koga narrowed his eyes and ordered Forretress to ram forward again.
Shedinja quietly hummed to itself, its fragmented thoughts working through the problem.
Its own natural behavior was to appear inside Poké Balls without anyone noticing.
Therefore, remaining unnoticed was its ecological characteristic.
If Forretress's shell fragments did not count as Stealth Rock, how could Shedinja's natural ability possibly count as a move?
That was what it meant to be a ninja.
And Shedinja was the true ninja slayer!
Its body flickered and vanished.
At the same instant, Drapion appeared directly in front of Forretress.
Ally Switch!
Through a mysterious power, Shedinja instantly exchanged positions with itself and a companion. That was how it appeared and vanished from various places without anyone noticing.
As for the definition of "companion," Shedinja only needed to decide that Drapion was its companion.
Whether Drapion agreed was irrelevant.
Countless fragments struck Drapion, startling both Koga and Janine.
Ninjutsu!
Actual ninjutsu!
The opposing Pokémon had not called out the technique, and no Trainer had issued a command. Therefore, nobody could determine whether it had been an ecological trait or a proper move.
Whatever the case, the referee pretended not to notice.
Koga looked astonished.
"What magnificent ninjutsu! I know Shedinja's name is derived from 'ninja,' but I never imagined one could calmly escape the combined assault of two ninjutsu masters..."
"The little golden Pokémon is dancing," Janine muttered. "I can't believe we lost to Pokémon we've never seen before. We'll win the next round!"
The third Pokémon to enter was Flutter Mane.
"Ha! Hababababa!"
Both of her teammates had reached the maximum score of nine pennants. She obviously could not afford to lose.
Otherwise, someone might steal her position as the second-best Ghost type, and her beautiful dream would suffer the ultimate humiliation!
["All you small fry can leave now! Ninjas? What utter nonsense! You want to compete in speed? I can beat you without even trying!"]
Flutter Mane swayed her long hair and drifted freely through the night sky.
She might be nocturnal, but sunlight actually made her even more active.
That was right. A sports stadium like this was under harsh sunlight!
Protosynthesis!
Flutter Mane's Speed rose by fifty percent!
All Koga and Janine saw was a Fairy-type hurricane.
Flutter Mane swept across the entire field. Using her enormous body and hair, she gathered every remaining pennant and carried them all back at once!
"Nine... No, she took every pennant on the field?!"
It did not technically violate the rules, but under ordinary circumstances, almost no Pokémon could accomplish such a feat.
That creature's speed was astonishing!
Today's lesson in the hidden truth of ninjas: the giant Misdreavus's true identity was none other than a ninja slayer!
["...What does 'small fry' mean?"] Shedinja asked.
["It means they're as useless as the cheap little fish sold at a market,"] Gholdengo explained. ["It doesn't sound insulting enough, though. If 'small fry' doesn't upset them, how about calling them 'mongrels'?"]
["Mongrels they may be, but each was once a warrior whose name resounded throughout the land... See? Doesn't that sound more insulting?"]
Regardless, they had won!
The small fry had actually proven somewhat useful.
["I can't tell you how sweet this victory is!"]
It was impossible to describe just how sweet this victory tasted!
Koga was profoundly shocked.
"That creature actually...!"
"Four hundred years ago, the ninja master Hanzo, who came from an unknown region, spoke of this!"
"Namu San! Such astonishing speed! Such terrifying air currents! A creature that uses pranks to spread chaos throughout the world, disgraces the name of ninja, and makes even saints close their eyes in horror!"
"Surely everyone has unconsciously remembered that saying by now!"
"Indeed! It is unquestionably true! Yeeart!"
The Skill Course continued with Goal Roll.
It was a four-way soccer match featuring three Pokémon from each of four teams, for a total of twelve Pokémon on the field simultaneously.
At the moment, however, all the contestants were staring in horror at a certain team that had barged into the game.
The robotic maiden curled herself into a ball.
Metang extended both arms and transformed into a spinning top.
Then there was Archaludon.
Global broadcasts of Galar's competitions had made the species familiar to people around the world, allowing several spectators to recognize it.
However, when Archaludon dropped to the ground, transformed into the straight form of a great bridge, and began spinning...
"Aaah!"
Terrified screams erupted from every direction.
What should have been a soccer game had turned into a murderous spinning-top competition.
The first two mechanical Pokémon transforming was one thing, but what was going on with Archaludon?
A man from Galar spoke with complete confidence.
"I know this! Archaludon is the evolved form of Duraludon. This Pokémon hunts by spinning like a top or an arrow and launching itself at its prey!"
"Stop making things up! Your Pokémon just got struck by Gyro Ball and fainted! It's disqualified! It got knocked unconscious by the ball, so you lose!"
"What's going on here? Stand aside!"
A muscular man studied the Steel-type team that had appeared on the field. He possessed an extraordinarily powerful physique and frequently trained beneath the great waterfall near Cianwood City.
He was a man who expressed everything through his roaring fists.
Chuck, Cianwood City's Fighting-type Gym Leader, held a highly respected position among the Fighting-type Gym Leaders of every generation.
"Ha! Fighting-type Pokémon are the perfect answer to Steel types! Spin, Hitmontop!"
Chuck's Hitmontop had existed only in his official character profile until the Black and White era finally brought it into the games. Before that, it had only appeared in Pokémon Adventures.
Still, there was nothing wrong with a Johto Gym Leader using Hitmontop, one of the new Pokémon introduced in the Johto region.
Especially now that this soccer match had become a spinning-top contest!
"This Pokémon spins on its head while fighting. Centrifugal force multiplies its destructive power tenfold!"
Hitmontop rushed onto the field. Its inverted head and violent kicking techniques instantly inflicted heavy damage on the Steel-type Pokémon.
It attempted to steal the special soccer ball from the three of them, kicking Archaludon with all its strength.
"Stop that thing that looks like Skyarrow Bridge!"
Whenever a Pokémon was struck by the ball, its exhaustion increased according to its own stamina, the opponent's power, and the distance the ball had traveled.
An exhausted Pokémon was more likely to faint after being struck by another shot.
Therefore, Chuck only needed to wear down his opponent!
However, Hitmontop's spinning assault failed to stop Archaludon.
["Hey!"]
Archaludon let out a meaningful roar. As Hitmontop spun away in surprise, Archaludon's Defense rose sharply.
One, two, three...
It had just been struck three consecutive times!
Ability: Stamina!
["I can spin with you all day!"] Archaludon declared.
Behind the great bridge Pokémon, Metang spun around and launched the soccer ball. The resulting whirlwind tore through the nearby Pokémon.
Meanwhile, Magearna happily rolled across the field!
Rollout, Shift Gear, and Soul-Heart!
A girl shaped like a ball naturally knew how to roll.
A mechanical doll naturally knew how to change gears.
A creation of the heart naturally absorbed energy.
Therefore, there was nothing unusual about a robot possessing Lock-On!
["Lock-On!"]
Magearna launched a devastating shot.
The ball followed a bizarre curve through the air and slipped past the defending Pokémon!
"The mechanical ball kicked the soccer ball into the goal! How is that even possible? And... did the ball just change direction in midair?!"
Magearna happily rolled aside.
This was the happiest moment since her birth!
Besides, Magearna was not the only one capable of using Lock-On.
Metang and its evolutionary relatives could also use Lock-On and calculate trajectories!
The Power Course began with Block Smash.
The goal was for Pokémon to break stacks of ten stone blocks as quickly as possible. Four teams competed simultaneously, but each team could only have one Pokémon smashing blocks at any given moment.
Maylene, the barefoot prodigy and Fighting-type Gym Leader from Veilstone City in the Sinnoh region, had entered the event.
She possessed impressive physical strength, but among all the martial artists present, Maylene was actually one of the weakest.
She could occasionally be found at a restaurant in Celadon City, where she participated in eating contests with Jasmine. Due to her poverty, she wanted to gorge herself on as much food as possible whenever she visited.
Like Maylene, Jasmine, the "Girl of Steel," could be seen participating in the Pokéathlon's Power and Stamina events.
"Block Smash... I normally eat only one Berry a day as part of my training, but this time, I'm completely full!"
"I ate a massive meal in Celadon City before coming here. I won't need to eat again for three days!"
"Brick Break!"
Maylene had traveled all the way from Sinnoh. Naturally, her good friend Candice had accompanied her.
Candice had also been asked to deliver a package to someone. She had not merely come here to compete.
Before meeting that person, however, Candice naturally joined the Block Smash event for fun.
"Witness the power of fighting spirit... Diamond Dust Punch!"
Regardless of how many blocks their Pokémon could break, the two Trainers themselves were quite a sight.
Maylene could shatter more than ten thick tiles with one punch.
Candice could only break around half as many.
"Ow!"
Then again, breaking ten tiles with a single punch already placed someone close to Mr. Satan's level of strength!
The force of Maylene and Candice's strikes made many nearby competitors break out in cold sweat.
Wait.
Wasn't this supposed to be an event where Pokémon smashed the blocks?
Nobody had asked the Trainers to compete personally!
Where had these superhuman Sinnoh natives come from?
"What kind of Trainer can break ten thick tiles with one punch? If she hit me, I'd faint on the spot!"
"I've heard that some martial artists are just as strong as Pokémon..."
"Now that you mention it, Magnus, the organizer of the Pokéathlon, supposedly once defeated a Machamp in arm wrestling."
"Are these people really human? I'm withdrawing!"
Of course they were human.
However, there was a limit to how far one could go as a human.
Maylene panted and looked toward the Pokémon beside her.
Like Candice, she had naturally chosen Medicham!
"Pure Power...!" Candice shouted.
"Brick Break!"
Despite the name they shouted, Medicham was not using the actual move. This was the crystallization of years of physical training and refined technique!
Medicham brought its fist down with tremendous force, neatly splitting ten thick blocks. The resulting pressure sent a gust of wind through the arena, and Maylene's expression kept changing.
Maylene was stronger than Candice in personal combat.
When it came to their skills as Trainers, however, Candice remained far ahead of her, even though both trained Fighting-type Pokémon.
And Candice was not the only one.
"Where did those Pokémon come from?"
Maylene stared into the distance, her eyes filled with curiosity and astonishment.
"Candice... We need to break the blocks faster!"
"Hmm? What did you say?"
Candice raised her head and looked toward a Pokémon beside Maylene.
An enormous sword gently swung downward.
A razor-sharp wave of sword energy tore through the air. Forget the blocks, even the arena itself looked as though it might be sliced apart!
Another Pokémon wearing a green cloak hurried over from the distance.
Candice blinked before suddenly exclaiming, "Hey! That Pokémon appeared during the Hurdle Dash!"
That was right!
It belonged to the Champion she had come here to find!
"Mr. Hikaru must be nearby!"
"You mean the Sage Champion?" Maylene asked, hastily looking around. "The famous scholar and martial artist?"
She could not see Hikaru anywhere.
Only two of his Pokémon had joined the Power Course team.
The first was a small Pokémon wearing a green cloak.
Wait!
She had changed masks, and even her cloak had changed color!
"Oger! Pon!"
["Masked Rider, transform! Embody Aspect, Hearthflame Mask!"]
Candice hurriedly raised an arm before her chest as waves of heat rolled across the arena. Curiosity filled her face.
"She's burning! Her mask grew larger, and it's glowing! What is she planning to do? She just pulled out a spiked club!"
"Why does someone have a weapon in a Block Smash event?"
Whether it was a sword or a club naturally carried by the Pokémon, both appeared to be parts of their ecology.
If that was true, Candice realized, defeating them would be impossible!
"There's an insurmountable wall between fighting barehanded and fighting with a weapon!"
"Pon! Oger!"
Ogerpon was overflowing with excitement.
She had entered several events in a row and was enjoying herself immensely.
At this point, she did not even need Swords Dance.
Energy gathered around her automatically, and the Hearthflame Mask radiated brilliant light.
Forget ten thick blocks. Ogerpon could smash fifty with one swing!
Bang!
She brought the club down in one tremendous blow!
"Ten at once!" Candice cried. "Twenty, thirty...!"
"M-Medicham, we can't lose!" Maylene shouted. "Put everything you have into Pure Power!"
Her Medicham was drenched in sweat. It pushed Pure Power to the limit and smashed away relentlessly, but it could not compete with a monster that possessed such overwhelming stats.
This could not be fair!
"Interesting!" Candice declared. "We'll put all our fighting spirit into it too! Switch with Abomasnow! Smash twenty at once, then thirty!"
Abomasnow rose onto its hind legs. Shaggy white fur covered its entire body, and thick brows hung above its pale purple eyes. Long strips of fur concealed its mouth, making it resemble a snowy giant with seeds growing from its body.
Abomasnow's offensive ability was far inferior to Medicham's in a contest of raw power.
However, switching Pokémon at the proper moment was extremely important.
More importantly, Abomasnow's higher level gave it better stamina.
"The team's excitement has reached its maximum!" Candice shouted. "Pass that fighting spirit to the next Pokémon! Any Pokémon that enters now will enter Excitement Mode!"
"Pokémon don't become fatigued while in Excitement Mode!"
"Smash all the remaining blocks at once! A critical strike powered by Diamond Dust!"
The battle appeared ready to turn around.
However, the final member of the opposing team was a tiny Pokémon resembling a fennec fox.
"A small Pokémon entered Block Smash? That's an enormous disadvantage! We're taking the championship!"
Maylene gritted her teeth.
"This is my one chance to turn everything around!"
"Aaah!"
"Hehe."
Victini watched the two girls furiously smashing blocks and took a deep breath. The V-shaped crest on its forehead blazed with scorching light.
Never ignore an opponent's strength simply because they were small.
Doing so would lead to disaster.
Now, Victini would create victory in this game!
It was a super member of the Mythical Expedition Team!
Its shooting skill was not its only strength. Its physical power was equally unmatched!
Victini raised one finger.
"Tini!"
Above heaven and earth...
Unlimited energy!
Bang!
Victini touched one finger to the stack.
Ten thick blocks instantly exploded into powder. A violent gust and shock wave shook the entire arena.
Every Pokémon smashing blocks nearby froze in terror, then collapsed one after another in disheveled heaps!
Maylene landed on her backside and stared blankly at the fennec-like Pokémon that had effortlessly reduced the blocks to dust.
"Wh-What just happened? That has to be a joke...!"
Rumble!
A second violent impact immediately followed.
Even Candice, who had barely regained her balance, looked bewildered and alarmed.
The surrounding voices grew steadily louder.
The tremor appeared to have come from the neighboring Ring Drop and Circle Push arenas!
Three enormous Pokémon had entered Ring Drop!
There was a Garganacl nearly three meters tall, a Ting-Lu weighing 699 kilograms with a massive vessel atop its head, and an underdeveloped Celesteela that still stood over six meters tall and weighed more than 999 kilograms!
Ring Drop resembled sumo wrestling.
Four Pokémon competed simultaneously and attempted to knock their opponents out of the arena. The match lasted sixty seconds, and forcing another Pokémon off the platform awarded ten points.
The Pokémon sent flying this time was...
"Steelix! Jasmine's Steelix has been knocked out of the arena! Unbelievable! How could this happen?!"
The crowd's shouts conveyed their astonishment.
The Pokémon resembling a rocket had directly launched Steelix, which had dominated the Stamina events, out of the arena!
Steelix's four-hundred-kilogram body had failed to move the colossal deer. Ting-Lu had lifted it off the ground, and then the rocket had...
["I-I'm sorry!"] Celesteela cried. ["I only turned around and brushed against you. Are you all right?"]
["It doesn't look like it can hear you anymore,"] Ting-Lu observed.
Had Steelix really disappeared from the Pokédex this time?
As Jasmine's Steelix collapsed, only one thought passed through its mind.
Its body was incredibly hard. A tiny impact could not possibly shake it.
Unfortunately, this particular "tiny impact" had been rather large.
A hundred years of strength...
All of it...
Once an Onix lived for more than a hundred years, its body's composition became as hard as diamond. Immense underground heat and pressure tempered it, while the iron it swallowed with the soil accumulated within its body until it finally transformed.
A hundred years of effort, all for nothing!
["A hundred years still wasn't enough..."]
Garganacl thought about how its own hundred and fifty years of strength had led to this point. It waved dismissively.
["Train for another fifty years and come back. Maybe you'll win next time."]
Jasmine stroked her unconscious Steelix, wearing a complicated expression.
"I thought Steelix was already enormous. I never imagined there would be Pokémon even larger than it."
"Is that Pokémon a Steel type?"
"Who is her Trainer? They must be a Steel-type expert too."
Over in the Circle Push arena, three dragons resembling Raikou, Entei, and Suicune were rampaging!
Circle Push was the second event in the Power Course. Four teams and twelve Pokémon entered simultaneously.
The Pokémon had to remain inside the circles that appeared on the field while pushing their opponents out.
The greater a Pokémon's physical strength, the greater its advantage!
Gouging Fire possessed the charging power of a horned dinosaur.
Raging Bolt possessed the strength of a sauropod.
Walking Wake possessed the ferocity of a raptor!
When it came to raw power, what creature could surpass a dinosaur?
Walking Wake lashed its tail and blasted an enormous Electrode out of the arena!
Eusine and Verity had followed the Rainbow Wing's presence and the Clear Bell's ringing to this location. However, when they saw the three Paradox Pokémon, both froze completely.
"My Electrode went flying!" Eusine exclaimed in confusion. "Are those three Ho-Oh's Legendary beasts? They look like them... They really do... Uh, do you think they look alike?"
"Why are you asking me?" Verity replied, equally bewildered. "I... don't think they look that similar."
"They all have crystalline crowns, but their faces, bodies, tails, and fur are completely different. They're just Pokémon that happen to look similar!"
"Could those three be biological relatives of Raikou, Entei, and Suicune?"
The two exchanged puzzled looks.
They did not know each other particularly well, but both had been guided by Ho-Oh. Naturally, seeing three dinosaurs that looked both incredibly similar to and completely different from the Legendary beasts left them utterly confused.
"This Clear Bell seems to be guiding us toward the wrong target," Eusine muttered. "Does that thing really resemble Suicune? It doesn't. It isn't elegant at all..."
"Graaah!"
Walking Wake heard Eusine's evaluation and immediately roared at him.
Oh?
Was Suicune really that popular?
Walking Wake had only heard about Suicune and had never met it, but it knew Entei!
The three dragons now possessed Ho-Oh's official seal of approval. Ho-Oh had even taught them special battling techniques.
How dare this man claim they were not Ho-Oh's Legendary beasts?
Answer the question!
While Eusine and Verity remained confused, they heard Hikaru's voice behind them.
"The legends of the Bell Tower and Ho-Oh's Legendary beasts," Hikaru began. "Raikou, Entei, and Suicune were respectively incarnated from the lightning that struck the tower, the flames that burned it, and the rain that extinguished the fire."
"In the distant Oblivia region, their legends are slightly different. Raikou represents Light, Entei represents the Morning Sun, and Suicune represents the Canal."
"As for these three, they're merely ancient Pokémon that happen to resemble Ho-Oh's Legendary beasts."
Lamp Jump required Pokémon to leap into the air and illuminate as many lamps as possible.
Each lamp could only be lit once before every lamp reset after eight seconds. If two Pokémon collided, both fainted and were unable to jump again for several seconds.
The event lasted sixty seconds!
Falkner, the Flying-type Gym Leader from Violet City in the Johto region, had entered the competition.
"That man is Falkner! He's a dazzling Flying-type Pokémon Trainer, famous for his cool and handsome appearance. However, he pales in comparison to his father. He's Johto's first major obstacle!"
"Still, this is supposed to be a jumping competition, yet he's using Flying-type bird Pokémon?"
It looked like cheating, but the rules permitted it.
As a result, an entire flock of birds had entered the event. The flightless Pokémon were furious, screeching and squawking in protest.
Thus began the single most humiliating episode for Ground-type Pokémon.
"I'll teach all of you to respect the magnificence of bird Pokémon soaring through the sky!" Falkner declared. "The wind is finally at my back!"
He looked extremely confident.
Aside from a certain Dragon Champion, nobody in Kanto or Johto could rival Falkner in the field of Flying-type Pokémon.
"I heard that Father recently participated in a high-altitude competition in the Hoenn region. He saw the Starship, the Wishing Star, and even the Dragon God..."
"Rayquaza, Hoenn's Legendary Pokémon, apparently possesses some connection to the Johto region as well. What a shame. If my family belonged to the Draconid people, perhaps we could have formed a bond with the Dragon God."
Most people focused on Rayquaza's draconic nature, but the Flying type was equally fundamental to it.
Ever since hearing about Dragon Ascent, the strongest Flying-type move, Falkner had wanted to witness it personally.
Unfortunately, no such opportunity had appeared.
He would comfort himself by winning this event instead.
He still had a long life ahead of him. Someday, he would surely have his chance.
Yes, that was how things would turn out!
"Skarmory's Keen Eye! Every lamp's location and activation order are under our control!"
Skarmory was another of Falkner's hidden trump cards.
He did not use one in HeartGold and SoulSilver, but he brought it out in the Pokémon Stadium series. It knew Steel Wing, Mud-Slap, and Sky Attack, and it held a Quick Claw.
As a Steel- and Flying-type Pokémon, Skarmory also possessed extraordinary endurance.
With that stamina...
Whoosh!
Blinding sunlight struck Skarmory's eyes.
A six-winged seraph blazing like the sun blocked its path!
Its armored steel wings rapidly heated beneath the intense temperature and began releasing scorching smoke.
"Skarr!"
Skarmory panicked and dropped to the ground.
A delighted Volcarona took its place.
The little bug looked around.
Why was the arena filled entirely with Flying-type Pokémon?
This was incredibly unfair to Bug types!
It needed to strike immediately!
Volcarona flapped its wings, and the intense sunlight unleashed a Solar Punch!
"I can't see anything! What kind of Pokémon is that?"
"It's a Solar Punch!"
"Look! Something inside the sunlight just... jumped!"
["Ha! Now you're panicking."]
Chi-Yu swished its tail and "swam through empty air without support" amid the flames and sunlight.
It twisted its body, finished warming up, and caused the jade beads around its eyes to emit scorching radiance.
Was that a tiny red carp?
A fish leaping over the Dragon Gate!
["Bounce!"]
The user sprang high into the air and attacked on the second turn. The move could sometimes leave the opponent paralyzed!
But even when Bounce was not being used as an attack, what kind of fish could not jump?
Bubbles could become a master of the Flying type too!
Falkner's heart skipped.
"Switch! Swellow!"
"Charge in with Guts!"
"Swaa!"
Falkner's Swellow was one of the rare Pokémon that carried a Flame Orb in battle. The item activated Guts, allowing it to unleash tremendous offensive power!
And when it came to guts, Flying-type Pokémon feared lightning, so only a Pokémon like Swellow could rely on its indomitable will to fly through thunderstorms!
"Swellow circles high in the distant sky! Once it spots prey living in the forest, it dives and seizes the target with its sharp talons! Nothing it marks as prey can escape!"
"Light the lamps!"
Falkner was overflowing with confidence.
Then, as Chi-Yu used Bounce and Swellow soared into the sky, a sharp-eared Pichu suddenly appeared before Swellow with the sunlight at its back.
Falkner froze.
Pichu...
On dry days, it accumulated electricity more easily and produced crackling sounds of static. Once fully charged, it energetically played everywhere.
When surprised, amused, or frightened by something, it would immediately discharge electricity!
"Even if it's an Electric type, there's nothing to fear!" Falkner declared. "For a moment, I thought it might be something dangerous, but it's only a Pichu. Come back after evolving into Raichu!"
He sighed in relief.
Even with its type advantage, a weak Pichu could not possibly generate much electricity.
How could such a faint current overcome the Flying-type Pokémon he had carefully trained?
That was what he thought.
Then thunder roared across the arena.
The Pichu began to fly!
Magnet Rise!
Falkner stared in horror as his Swellow fell from the sky with smoke rising from its body.
Splat!
"That Pichu can fly, and it possesses even more electricity than a Raichu! Is this for real?! Swellow fainted from a single touch!"
"D-Damn it! What kind of joke is this? Even Father's Pokémon got paralyzed!"
Lance patrolled the various Pokéathlon venues while observing the lively competitions.
The spectators were excited, the weather was excellent, and no incomprehensible troublemakers such as Team Rocket had appeared.
However, strange Pokémon were running wild throughout the different arenas.
They had properly registered as complete teams, and the name of the person who entered them was extremely familiar to Lance.
The proprietor's Pokémon?
Lance wore a complicated expression.
He looked toward Genesect and Aerodactyl competing in Disc Catch, along with an Aegislash that had arrived late.
The transforming iron insect capable of locking onto targets could be set aside for now.
The giant sword using spiritual power and its steel shield to strike flying discs and seize them could also be set aside.
But that Aerodactyl...
How could it predict the exact direction from which every disc would arrive?
Aerodactyl used Foresight!
Lance's own Aerodactyl did not know that move.
Still, seeing a Dragon Pokémon perform so impressively left him extremely satisfied.
Dragons truly were the strongest and most sacred creatures in the world!
What did they mean, Aerodactyl did not possess the Dragon type?
Did lacking the Dragon type somehow prevent it from being a dragon?
If it was a dragon, then it was a dragon.
Why should dragons be constrained by something so inconvenient?
The Trainer competing against them was Green.
She appeared to be using Disc Catch to train a particular ability.
Was this targeted training for evasive movement and precision attacks?
"These must all be Hikaru-dono's Pokémon. He has raised them exceptionally well!"
"With Pokémon like these as opponents, the results of the training are visible to the naked eye."
"Still, could Hikaru-dono possibly win every medal in this year's Pokéathlon?"
"To him, these athletic competitions are probably no more than entertainment before the Fighting tournament. Yet he has already shattered the records of several events."
"Truly terrifying...!"
Lance nodded repeatedly, highly approving of the performance displayed by the various Pokémon teams.
Then he looked toward Johto's star competitors.
"Hmm. Four of Johto's Gym Leaders have already lost in a row."
Whitney, Chuck, Jasmine, and Falkner...
They included several highly capable competitors, yet each had been completely overwhelmed in the event they specialized in.
It was practically a speedrun.
The Plain Badge, Zephyr Badge, Storm Badge, and Mineral Badge...
Had four Gym Leaders ever been defeated in a single day?
Compared to the Sage Champion who had suppressed disasters in distant regions, they clearly required much more training.
Still, it seemed one team had fallen behind.
Lance turned toward another arena.
Snow Throw.
One Pokémon resembled Weezing, another looked like an enormous snail assembled from dead leaves and bamboo slips, and the third was a tiny creature so light that snowballs and wind could easily send it flying.
So, not all Pokémon were suited to athletic competitions.
Still, participation was what mattered.
Someone skilled at throwing should have entered an event like Snow Throw. Pryce would not come here, though.
As for Clair, she had no interest in the Fighting tournament and therefore would not appear either.
Bugsy was busy researching insects.
Then again, defeating Bugsy probably would not mean much anyway.
That left Morty as Johto's only remaining Gym Leader.
However, Morty would never appear here.
"The people throwing those snowballs are outsiders who came to test their skills," Lance observed. "Using Aura to throw snowballs seems rather excessive."
"They can evade incoming snowballs, then follow the Aura ripples and strike their opponents with perfect accuracy."
"The name currently holding the highest score is... Korrina."
Just as Lance had said...
"Hey! Hah!"
The roller-skating battle girl was enjoying a sporting event unique to the Johto region, one that could rival the Olympic Games!
Before the formal World Martial Arts Tournament began, she wanted to warm up.
Her Lucario was unstoppable, pelting the opposing team with snowballs alongside its two teammates.
The unfortunate Pokémon being bombarded were Wo-Chien, Galarian Weezing, and Cosmog.
Cosmog could be set aside for now.
Whenever a snowball knocked it over, it simply remained where it had fallen and began absorbing dust and snow, enjoying itself immensely.
Wo-Chien's head was covered in snow.
Then there was Galarian Weezing...
["Ancient wisdom... Sage! Hurry up and think of something! Your Tickle can't even reach them!"]
["The legendary Super Kalosian has appeared! It's over! We aren't remotely strong enough to defeat her!"]
Galarian Weezing's eyes bulged.
Every other team was shattering records. Why was this the only group being beaten senseless?
Wo-Chien, however, remained completely calm.
["Wet snow melts into water when exposed to steam. When mixed with dead leaves and mud, it becomes what people call wet garbage, whose defining characteristic is that it decomposes easily."]
["Wet garbage will react with the poisonous gas inside your body and become an extremely hot toxic gas. However, because you are a regional form, that poisonous gas will instead become fresh air. The heat will remain."]
["In other words..."]
["Go! Use every last ounce of your surplus value!"]
["What are you talking about?"] Galarian Weezing asked. ["I don't understand!"]
Wo-Chien used Power Whip to absorb sunlight, then stuffed a mass of energy and dead leaves into Galarian Weezing's mouth!
["What I mean is that, for Cosmog and our team's championship, you must use Misty Explosion against that Super Kalosian!"]
["Now, Solar Beam, ignite!"]
Across the field, Korrina stared blankly.
"?"
That Pokémon was glowing.
It looked like...
An intense light engulfed Korrina and her team.
Only after the Pokémon wearing the gentlemanly smokestack unleashed a blast of superheated energy did Korrina realize what was happening.
Snow, dead leaves, and mud...
That was wet garbage.
Which meant...
"Oh," Korrina said. "It's a bomb."
"Huh?!"
It exploded!
☆Dun☆dun☆, what☆an☆end☆ing!
"Ten yen!"
(End of Chapter)
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