"Piplup, I choose you!"
Bang—
With a flash of white light, Piplup made a dazzling entrance!
"Piplup!"
It's finally my turn to shine!
Looking at the tiny Piplup, the Gym Leader's expression turned serious.
The presence this little Piplup emanated was incredibly strong!
"So cute!" Liza raised her hand, looking as if she really wanted to pet the little Piplup.
"Sister! We're the referees now!" Tate quickly pulled his sister back, reminding her sternly.
"Oh, right!"
"Now, the Gym battle between Gym Leader and Challenger Steven officially begins!"
As Tate's raised hand fell, Steven launched a fierce attack.
"Hydro Pump!"
"Piplup!"
Piplup took a deep breath and unleashed a thick jet of water.
Claydol had Ground typing, which was weak to Water-type attacks.
A powerful Hydro Pump could deal massive damage!
"Psychic, block it."
Buzz!
Claydol's multiple eyes glowed blue simultaneously, creating an eerie sight.
Splash—
The swift water jet was blocked, splashing wildly across the surrounding ground.
"Whirlpool!"
Piplup mimicked Aggron, raising its little foot and bringing it down hard.
Though it looked somewhat comical.
Suddenly, a swirling vortex of water appeared beneath Claydol, trapping it inside.
"Teleport!"
Claydol's figure flickered, vanishing from within the vortex.
The next moment, it reappeared directly above Piplup.
"Piplup?"
Where did it go?
"It's above you! Use Bubble Beam toward its head!"
Piplup reacted decisively and looked up, indeed spotting Claydol floating above.
Whoosh—
Countless bubbles erupted from Piplup's mouth.
The invisible shockwave formed by Claydol's Psychic was blocked!
The move Teleport allowed a Pokémon to move freely around the battlefield.
It could teleport anywhere on the field, or even back into its Poké Ball to swap with another Pokémon.
"Piplup!"
That was close! I almost got hit!
"Ice Beam!"
Piplup quickly adjusted its stance, opening its small yellow beak and condensing a small ice-blue orb of light.
Three zigzagging rays of light shot out from the orb!
"Teleport to dodge, then use Earth Power!"
Claydol's figure flickered again, and Piplup's Ice Beam missed, striking the ceiling instead.
A thick layer of ice instantly formed on the Gym's ceiling, emitting cold mist.
"Piplup!"
It keeps running away!
Piplup said indignantly.
"Don't get distracted—move right, now!" Steven's expression remained calm, but his words came rapidly.
Only then did Piplup react, putting effort into its short legs and breaking into a sprint.
Rumble!
A crack suddenly appeared on the ground as a rock column erupted upward.
"Piplup!"
Piplup lunged forward with all its might, narrowly avoiding Earth Power.
"Use Charm!"
"Piplup?"
Bro, you want me to use Charm?
Are you serious?
"Psychic!"
"Hurry!"
Seeing the opponent attack again, Steven quickly urged.
The reluctant Piplup made a pitiful expression toward Claydol.
"Piplup~"
Please don't be so mean to me, okay?
Claydol froze, tilting its body and looking at Piplup with curious eyes.
"Now, Hydro Pump!"
Piplup's face flushed slightly—this was truly embarrassing for a Piplup!
An increasingly powerful aura surged around Piplup's body.
Torrent was activated!
Wait...
How can you activate the Torrent ability from embarrassment?!
Whoosh—
Hydro Pump transformed into a towering tidal wave, crashing violently toward Claydol!
Even if Claydol reacted and tried to block with Psychic or dodge with Teleport, it was useless.
Because Piplup's attack covered the entire battlefield!
Crash!
The massive wave came crashing down, and Piplup achieved a magnificent sweep!
Fortunately, the battle arena had emergency systems to handle such situations.
Beyond the battle area, devices activated to reduce the energy of Pokémon moves.
This prevented people outside the arena from getting caught in the crossfire.
"Ptooey—"
Steven rose from the gradually settling water, spitting out a mouthful.
Originally, he hadn't intended for Piplup to trigger its Torrent ability.
After all, with Piplup's current strength, handling Claydol should have been manageable enough.
The Gym's drainage system quickly activated.
Now everyone's clothes were soaked.
"Piplup!"
Piplup looked at Steven's miserable state and fell to the ground, laughing heartily.
The previous feeling of embarrassment was completely gone.
"Ahem! Claydol is unable to battle—Piplup wins!"
Tate, who had struggled to his feet, coughed twice before quickly announcing the result.
Very professional!
"Return, Claydol." The Gym Leader recalled Claydol into its Poké Ball, slicked his wet hair back, and retrieved a second Poké Ball.
Although he knew this battle would be challenging, he still chose to send out his next Pokémon.
"My second Pokémon is this one!"
The second Pokémon resembled a crescent moon. It had red eyes on both sides of its body and a distinctive beak-like structure at the front.
The Rock and Psychic-type Lunatone!
It was a meteorite Pokémon from space!
Rock-types were also weak to Water, so it might even be defeated in one hit.
"Your strength is truly impressive, Steven." The Gym Leader suddenly praised.
Indeed, with this level of power, how could he be just a Trainer with six badges?
He should have used his full strength to test Steven's abilities from the start.
That way, he wouldn't have been caught so off-guard.
"Return, Piplup."
Steven recalled the still-laughing Piplup into its Poké Ball, then pulled out Riolu's Poké Ball.
"You're too kind."
The Gym Leader chuckled lightly, saying nothing more.
"Go, Riolu!"
Bang—
This battle was Riolu's first official Gym battle!
Riolu took its stance, expression focused and serious.
Its attitude seemed far more disciplined than Piplup's.
Psychic-types were strong against Fighting-types, but Riolu also had Steel-type moves, which could counter Rock-types.
To win efficiently, Riolu needed to close the distance to Lunatone.
"Quick Attack!"
"Meteor Beam!"
Riolu pushed off with its hind legs, bursting forward at incredible speed toward Lunatone!
Dark, starry points of light emerged around Lunatone's body, resembling the stars in the night sky.
Bang—
Riolu's punch connected with Lunatone, while Lunatone silently endured it.
A Normal-type Quick Attack wouldn't deal much damage to it.
"Bullet Punch!"
If you successfully close in with Quick Attack, then be prepared for Riolu's relentless assault!
"Riolu!"
Riolu fiercely swung its fist, striking Lunatone's body with blinding speed.
Bang bang bang—
Lunatone was forced backward repeatedly, while Riolu pursued relentlessly!
The rapid-fire Bullet Punches continuously damaged Lunatone!
Lunatone's charge finally completed, and its body emitted a brilliant yellowish glow, engulfing the Riolu before it in an instant!
Boom!
Riolu was blasted out of the bright area, tumbling once in midair before using the friction of its claws against the ground to stop itself.
Lunatone, having finished its attack, wavered unsteadily.
After enduring so many punches, it was remarkable it hadn't fallen yet.
"Miscalculation." The Gym Leader muttered with a frown.
At first, the aura emanating from Riolu wasn't particularly strong, so he wanted to take advantage of Meteor Beam's charging period for the Special Attack boost.
Who would have thought that the power Riolu unleashed in an instant would even surpass Piplup's!
And who knew Riolu could be so cunning!
At this point, we should invite Riolu's mentor, Scizor, to say a few words.
First, this is called efficient use of power.
It's not called being cunning.
Second, so what if I am cunning?
Anyone who calls me cunning can come to the battle arena to receive a friendly pinch from Scizor~