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At the moment, Liam had six Pokémon with him: Garchomp, Aerodactyl, Steelix, Arcanine, Pupitar, and Elekid.
Among them, Elekid was clearly not yet at a high enough level for an important battle like this, while Pupitar was only barely passable. Originally, Liam had planned to contact Professor Oak and have Nidoking and Arcanine swapped over—but now Professor Oak wasn't home.
So frustrating…
Should he call Lugia and Ho-Oh over instead?
Liam felt his headache getting worse. As he rubbed the Contract Ring on his hand, a sudden thought struck him.
The Contract Ring was the medium that connected Liam to those legendary Pokémon. After receiving feathers from Lugia and the others, he had fused them into the ring. In theory, as long as Liam wanted to, he could summon a whole group of terrifyingly powerful reinforcements at any time.
But after considering the enormous impact such a move would cause, Liam ultimately gave up on the idea.
Later on, the Ketchum couple didn't leave Liam and Delia's room until very late, heading off to the room that had already been prepared for them. Only after they left did Liam and Delia finally let out a long sigh of relief and sit together, quietly leaning against each other.
"Liam~ I've thought it through. After your matches are over, we'll head back. This trip has been so fulfilling~ I made lots of friends, saw so many Pokémon I'd never met before, and learned so many breeder techniques. Even though I only made it to the Top 16 in the League Tournament, I'm really satisfied. When I get back, I want to become a real Pokémon Breeder and help you take care of your Pokémon~ Oh, right! Liam, what do you think—if I open a breeding shop, will business be good?"
Delia rested her head on Liam's shoulder, her arms wrapped around his. As she talked about the future, her face lit up with excitement.
"Of course. Delia will definitely become the best Pokémon Breeder. When that time comes, your shop will be booming for sure."
Liam tilted his head down, resting it gently on top of Delia's, and answered with certainty.
After a full day of rest, the quarterfinal matches arrived.
The first match featured Steven versus Annon. Steven's presence was imposing—he had clearly come with strong conviction.
At this time, Liam and Delia, along with the Ketchum couple, were seated in the audience watching the match. Many spectators had already recognized Delia and cast kind, encouraging looks her way.
Soon, the battle began.
Steven and Annon put on an incredibly exciting series of matches for the crowd.
Steven's Pokémon lineup this time consisted of Metang, Sceptile, Lairon, Skarmory, Magneton, and Baltoy.
Annon's Pokémon were Charizard, Houndoom, Xatu, Quagsire, Heracross, and Hitmonlee.
Steven was already at a disadvantage in terms of battle experience, and on top of that, many of his Pokémon were type-disadvantaged. Although he managed to force all of Annon's Pokémon onto the field, he ultimately lost narrowly and stopped at the Top 8.
With that, the three boys and girls from Hoenn had all fallen at Annon's hands. Their shared fate was almost uncanny.
Next came Axu's match. His opponent was Fang. Their battle was also impressive, but Fang seemed to be in poor condition and was ultimately defeated, suffering elimination at Axu's hands.
The remaining two matches followed, with two unfamiliar competitors advancing.
Another day of rest followed.
As rankings climbed higher, the competitors grew stronger, and Pokémon sustained heavier damage. If a Pokémon's stamina or injuries hadn't fully recovered, it would have a significant impact on the next battle—something no trainer could afford to be careless about.
Taking advantage of this rest period, Liam intensified his pre-battle training, focusing especially on Pupitar and Elekid.
The results of the special training were immediate. Amid constant drills, Pupitar let out an enraged roar and began to evolve—finally evolving from Pupitar into Tyranitar, officially becoming one of Liam's main forces.
"Roar~"
After evolving, Tyranitar regained proper arms and legs. The first thing it did was scoop Liam up and rub him against its rock-hard armor to show affection.
"Ahhh! Ouch, ouch, ouch! Hahaha! You evolved again, Littl—no, with this size you can't be called that anymore. From now on, I'll change your nickname to Big Stone. You'll need to give it your all in the upcoming challenge matches~"
Even though Tyranitar's armor hurt like hell, Liam didn't dodge or complain. He simply patted Tyranitar's massive head and laughed.
Tyranitar happily nodded in response.
[Ding!]
Pokemon: Tyranitar
Type: Rock/Dark type
Species: Armor Pokémon. Arrogant by nature, loves battle. With its indestructible body, it constantly seeks combat. Its massive frame overflows with power capable of leveling mountains. Legends say that when Tyranitar goes on a rampage, mountains collapse and rivers break apart, forcing maps of the affected areas to be redrawn.
Ability: Sand Stream
Nature: Carefree
Gender: Male
Moves:Bite, Leer, Sandstorm, Screech, Rock Slide, Scary Face, Assurance, Dark Pulse, Crunch, Earthquake, Thunder Fang, Fire Fang, Ice Fang
Egg Move:Iron Tail
TM Moves:Hidden Power, Protect, Big Stone Edge, Rock Tomb
Base Stats: Total 600
HP: 100
Attack: 134
Defense: 110
Sp. Atk: 95
Sp. Def: 100
Speed: 61
Evaluation: Excellent! After long-term energy accumulation, the Tyrant of the Sand is ready to bare its fangs! Its potential is outstanding—strongly recommended for further training!
...….
Liam was extremely satisfied. Big Stone fully lived up to the title of "Tyrant of the Sand." With some further move optimization, it would be able to stand on its own completely.
After careful consideration, Liam exchanged for the TM of Stealth Rock and the held item Smooth Rock, teaching and equipping them to Tyranitar with a wicked grin.
Another rest day passed.
On the following day, the League Tournament semifinals began. Annon and Axu were placed in separate brackets. Both defeated their respective opponents and advanced to the finals.
This meant that the champion of this Silver Conference would be decided between two of Liam's close friends.
Afterward came the usual rest period. Liam continued training his Pokémon in the forest outside Silver Town, preparing for the battles ahead.
Tomorrow, the League Champion would be decided, and then the Champion Challenge would begin—waiting for Liam.
Although he was confident in his team, he knew better than to be careless.
Yet while Liam was focused on training, he failed to notice that behind a distant tree, a figure wrapped in chilling black mist was silently watching him.
After observing for some time, a PokeBall appeared in that person's hand—
—and opened.
Whoosh!!
A sharp sound ripped through the air!
Liam reacted instantly. An ambush?!
He spun around and leapt backward at full speed—
—but he was far too slow.
The instant he turned to retreat, a massive mouth snapped shut around his entire head.