"That kid is incredible... I'm afraid Aaron might have to give up his position in a year."
Watching Volkner lose, Flint thought to himself with a solemn expression.
"Come back, Raichu. You did your best."
At this point, Volkner was fully aware that his loss was absolute. With a resigned sigh, he pulled out his Poké Ball and recalled his Raichu.
"You put on a good performance. You can still refine your move transitions and offensive flow."
Walking up to Torterra, Paul gently stroked its head as he spoke.
"Raaaa~"
Torterra, covered in battle scars, responded with a goofy smile. As it activated Forest's Healing to heal its injuries and regain stamina, it slowly withdrew its roots back into its body.
"This is the perfect item for you."
Paul took out the Cleanse Tag he had purchased earlier and placed it around Torterra's neck.
If this were the games, Leftovers or similar items would have been the ideal choice for Torterra.
However, in real battles, Torterra's rapid progress had made such sustain-based items unnecessary. With its Rooted Regeneration Strategy utilizing Ingrain, Synthesis, and Forest's Healing, it never had to worry about stamina recovery.
Instead, the real threat came from opponents who could lower or reset its stat boosts through moves or Abilities. With the Cleanse Tag, it was as if Torterra had gained Clear Body, allowing it to ignore such debuffs completely.
"Raaa~"
Torterra considered the item for a moment before using its roots to remove it. Carefully manipulating the tree on its back, it altered its shape slightly and embedded the Cleanse Tag into the trunk, perfectly concealing it.
It figured that keeping the item stored there was much safer than wearing it.
"That works too. Now, return."
Satisfied with the battle's outcome, Paul was in a good mood. He gave Torterra a pat on the head before recalling it into its Poké Ball.
"This is the Beacon Badge. I wish you success in the Lily of the Valley Conference."
Volkner handed over the badge and congratulated him.
"Much appreciated."
Paul accepted the badge with a polite nod before shifting his gaze to Flint, issuing a challenge:
"Flint, would you battle me?"
"Huh?! You just defeated Volkner, and now you want to take me on?"
Flint looked at Paul in mild surprise.
He had to admit, his Torterra was impressive. But to him, it wasn't anything extraordinary.
After all, he was an Elite Four specializing in Fire-type Pokémon—having a natural advantage over Grass-types like Torterra.
"I want to. But mainly, I want to test my Pokémon's strength."
Paul's voice remained calm.
Among his Pokémon, only Torterra and Electivire had the potential to hold their ground against an Elite Four-level Pokémon if given enough time to power up.
And if his opponent underestimated him, even his Ursaring had a decent shot at scoring an upset victory.
His other Pokémon, however, weren't quite ready for that level of competition yet.
Compared to moves like Work Up and Growth, stat-boosting moves such as Bulk Up, Nasty Plot, and Swords Dance were much harder to use continuously in the heat of battle.
"In that case, I'll grant your request. Let's see if you can get me fired up!"
With a grin, Flint turned toward Volkner and said, "Volkner, mind if I borrow your battlefield?"
"Go right ahead. I'll have the entire place restored in one go afterward."
Volkner glanced at the battlefield, now covered in traces from their previous battle and shrugged as he made his way to the spectator stands. He was curious to see how Flint's battle would unfold.
He was strong, but as a Gym Leader, he wasn't quite on the same level as an Elite Four member like Flint.
"How about a three-on-three battle format?"
"Sure."
"Then I'll lead with Infernape!"
Flint stepped into Volkner's previous position and immediately sent out his Infernape.
"Whoa-!"
The blazing Pokémon walked forward calmly, fire flickering around its body.
"Garchomp, get ready for battle."
"Gaaaar!"
Garchomp took to the field once again, its sharp eyes locking onto the new opponent.
"Earthquake!"
Paul gave the first command.
Garchomp stomped the ground with immense force, sending powerful seismic waves rippling toward Infernape.
"Earthquake!"
Despite the type disadvantage, Infernape showed no hesitation. As the tremors reached it, the Fire-type retaliated with its own Earthquake, completely neutralizing the incoming attack and sending shockwaves back at Garchomp.
"Bloodline Awakening! Dragon Dive!"
Garchomp soared into the air, executing a midair spin to activate Dragon Dance, before unleashing Outrage to enter Bloodline Awakening Mode. Locking onto its target with a fierce battle aura, it dived toward Infernape like a ferocious dragon.
"Flare Blitz!"
Infernape gathered flames around its body, leaping high into the air as it collided head-on with Garchomp.
BOOM!
The fiery explosion lasted less than a second before the draconic energy dispersed, revealing Garchomp's form as it was sent hurtling toward the ground.
"Sandstorm! Dragon Twister!"
Recovering midair, Garchomp immediately conjured a Sandstorm, engulfing the entire battlefield. It then followed up with Dragon Twister, trapping Infernape within a swirling vortex.
"Dragon Pulse!"
Seeing an opening, Garchomp unleashed a multicolored Dragon Pulse, forming the shape of a menacing dragon as it hurtled toward Infernape.
"Blast Burn!"
The fiery explosion tore through the battlefield, completely obliterating the Dragon Twister while shattering the incoming Dragon Pulse. The residual flames continued downward, heading straight for Garchomp.
"Dig!"
Without hesitation, Garchomp burrowed into the ground, narrowly avoiding the attack.
However, Infernape remained unfazed. Even as it began to descend, it had already prepared to unleash either Mach Punch to counter or Earthquake to flush Garchomp out the moment it touched the ground.
Yet, just as it was about to land—
The earth beneath its feet collapsed into Sand Tomb, swallowing it into a swirling pit of quicksand.
Caught off guard, Infernape momentarily lost its footing. Before it could react, Garchomp emerged from the sand, crunching down on its leg and dragging it deeper into the pit.
For most Infernape, this would have been the end of the battle.
But not Flint's Infernape.
"Close Combat!"
Using its free leg, Infernape delivered a crushing kick to Garchomp's head, dazing it for a moment. Without wasting a second, it followed up with a relentless flurry of punches.
The continuous strikes overwhelmed Garchomp, knocking it unconscious on the spot.
With the battle won, Infernape grabbed Garchomp's body and effortlessly leaped out of the Sand Tomb, tossing its opponent to the side.
"Whoa…"
Panting slightly, Infernape examined its hands now covered in small cuts. It also noticed injuries on its leg—the result of Garchomp's Rough Skin Ability.
"A Garchomp with the Rough Skin ability?"
Flint had noticed it as well, but he wasn't particularly concerned.
Given Garchomp's sheer strength, Rough Skin would only make Infernape feel a slight sting—nowhere near enough to cause significant damage.
It could still hold its ground!
"Return."
Paul silently withdrew Garchomp and pulled out another Poké Ball, tossing it onto the battlefield.
"Electivire, get ready for battle!"
"Vireee~!"
Electivire landed on the field, cracking its knuckles with an eager grin as it locked eyes with Infernape.
"You have an Electivire too?"
Volkner, upon seeing Paul's Electivire, immediately understood why Paul had been so composed during Garchomp's battle against his own.
A battle-hardened Electivire, its build clearly larger than most of its kind, and undoubtedly trained through constant sparring sessions—there was no question that it had significant experience in combat.
Even in terms of battle expertise alone, his own Electivire couldn't compare to Paul's. Let alone in other aspects.
Still, Volkner remained calm.
After all… so what if Paul had an Electivire?
No matter how strong it was, could it possibly surpass the one he had chosen to leave behind?
Absolutely not.
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