"He also has a Venusaur that's even stronger, and a Victreebel whose strength is on par with Carnivine."
Terrance watched as Grayson threw out a Poké Ball, curious which of his main Pokémon he would send out. The next moment, a Ludicolo appeared on the battlefield.
"So it's not one of his three strongest Pokémon."
Ludicolo looked like a green bucket wearing a rain cape and a wide-brimmed hat resembling a lotus leaf. Its appearance was peculiar, but its abilities were exceptionally outstanding.
The instant Ludicolo entered the field, it began dancing cheerfully. In an instant, layers of dark clouds gathered overhead, and rain began to pour down rapidly.
Watching the rainwater constantly erode the wind pressure, Terrance's expression grew serious. Although the wind pressure deflected the rain and didn't affect Beautifly's flight, it would interfere with Beautifly's judgment. And on top of that…
"Swift Swim Ability?"
Swift Swim: In rain or heavy rain, the Pokémon's Speed is greatly increased.
This Ludicolo was a darling of rainy weather. Moreover, it could use Ice-type moves. Though it might not be as strong as the earlier Carnivine, it posed a greater threat to Beautifly.
"Come back, Beautifly." Even though Beautifly had successfully used Quiver Dance once and gained a significant early advantage, Terrance still recalled it.
"Playing with weather in front of me is nothing but showing off petty tricks," Terrance thought as he threw out a Poké Ball. In that instant, the falling rain seemed to freeze in midair, its descent slowing dramatically. A layer of frost coated the dark clouds, which began transforming into snow clouds.
"Snow Ninetales!"
Grayson exclaimed immediately.
As he watched Alolan Ninetales enter the field and instantly reverse Ludicolo's advantage, turning the battlefield into its own domain, Grayson's expression became even more solemn.
"Don't underestimate Ludicolo."
On the field, Ninetales controlled the wind and snow to form a series of mirrors, unleashing a finishing move intended to suppress its opponent. But unexpectedly, Ludicolo quickly condensed a green energy vine, seemingly intending to sweep past the Ice Mirrors and strike Ninetales directly.
Giga Drain?
This move caught everyone off guard. Terrance's eyes flickered as he tried to figure out his opponent's intent. The Ice Mirror had just formed and had not yet reflected any attack when the energy vine had already crossed over. Terrance had no choice but to have Ninetales divert its focus to block the incoming strike.
Using Grass-type energy to contend with Ice-type energy was undoubtedly wishful thinking. As wind and snow gathered, the energy vine was about to be frozen solid, yet at that moment, a surge of heat erupted from Ludicolo's hand, racing along the energy vine as flames blazed forward, radiating astonishing heat.
Fueled by the Grass-type energy itself, the heat burned even hotter. The flames shot from Ludicolo's fist straight toward Ninetales. A scorching wave surged forward, and Ninetales let out a soft cry and took a step back, momentarily shaken.
Under this intense heat, the wind and snow melted away, and the Ice Mirror dissolved. At the same time, Ludicolo hurled out a bolt of lightning energy, which rapidly devoured the moisture from the melted snow and exploded like thunder, engulfing Ninetales within it.
"Using Fire Punch combined with Giga Drain to break Ice Mirror and the snowstorm, then following up with Thunder Punch for damage?"
"I have to admit, that's an extremely ingenious tactic."
If Terrance was correct, this was a technique from the "Inner" Grass Star Style.
For the first time, Terrance felt just how interesting Champion League battles could be. This Grass Star Style Grayson was truly strong, unlike any opponent he had faced before. If the upcoming opponents were also of this caliber… that would make things even more exciting.
What Terrance and the League didn't know was that after Grayson's first defeat, he had been recognized as the successor of the Grass Star Style and received the legacy of the dojo's former master. His strength had since increased dramatically, and was no longer the same as before.
Grayson becoming Terrance's tenth opponent did not mean the next challengers would be stronger than him. Rather, even the League sometimes made mistakes when gathering information.
"No wonder becoming one of the Elite Four is so difficult. Only by defeating all these powerful Trainers can one earn the qualification to challenge the Elite Four. Those four seats representing the strongest Trainers of a region were never meant to be easily claimed."
As the smoke from the thunderous explosion cleared, an ice barrier appeared before everyone's eyes, drawing gasps from the crowd. Within the barrier made of ice and snow, Ninetales stood completely unharmed.
"Ninetales' control over Hail is quite ingenious as well," Grayson said seriously.
"Then let's battle," Terrance replied.
Soon, Ninetales and Ludicolo clashed once more. After witnessing the power of Ludicolo's Fire-type moves, Terrance grew wary of its Fire Punch. Originally Ludicolo's Fire Punch wasn't particularly strong, but when it used Grass-type energy as fuel, it erupted with enough force to threaten Ninetales.
What made it most troublesome was that Ludicolo could perfectly control this sudden surge of power.
"But so what!" Terrance did not deny Ludicolo's strength, but Ninetales was absolutely stronger!
At a certain moment, Ninetales gathered all the power of the snowy weather, condensing it into a colossal wave of ice and snow that surged forward, intending to decide the match in a single strike.
Terrance had considered that his opponent's power of fire could counter many of Ninetales' techniques. After weighing it carefully, he chose not to conserve stamina and instead opted for a direct, overwhelming assault. Though the energy consumption would be immense, it was the most effective and most reliable path to victory!
"As you wish."
At the same time, countless thin vines burst from the ground around Ludicolo, pushing through the snowy debris and rapidly intertwining into a massive vine.
Grass Knot!
Even as the giant wave of ice and snow bore down upon it, the vines continued weaving frantically. In moments, several enormous vines formed into a vast net. When Ludicolo unleashed its power of fire, Grass Knot was instantly ignited, forming a blazing fiery figure.
The fiery figure surged upward against the tide, colliding head-on with the icy wave. Ludicolo continued madly sacrificing fuel to intensify the flames. The combination of Grass Knot and Fire Punch was far more complex than it appeared; at least Terrance didn't believe he could replicate it perfectly. But that didn't stop him and Ninetales from crushing their opponent!
"I've lost."
The flames roared forward, melting layer after layer of ice and snow. But when the majority of their power was blocked by a rainbow-colored light membrane at the center of the icy wave, Grayson's pupils shrank. He could only watch helplessly as the massive wave of ice and snow completely engulfed and swallowed Ludicolo.
"The combination of Aurora Veil and Snowy Weather…"
"Ludicolo is unable to battle. Ninetales wins. Contestant Grayson, please send out your next Pokémon!"
Grayson's two consecutive defeats caused the observing disciples of the Grass Star Style to reveal worried expressions. Gone was the confidence they had at the beginning.
As the most outstanding disciple of the Grass Star Style and the next Dojo leader, Grayson's goal from the start had been the position of Elite Four master. He wanted to become the first Grass-type Elite Four in the past decade. But the path was proving far more difficult than he had imagined.
"Go, Venusaur!"
Taking a deep breath, Grayson solemnly threw another Poké Ball.
His ace, his very first Pokémon, Venusaur, who had followed him for nearly twenty years!
"Ven~usaur!!!"
At that moment, with a massive red flower blooming on its back, thick limbs stomping against the ground, fangs bared, and orange-red eyes glaring fiercely, Venusaur roared at Ninetales.
Its imposing aura directly surpassed every Pokémon Grayson had sent out before!
"Contest Master… can you handle it?" Grayson thought to himself.
****Please support on pat*eon for extra chapters; there is date to date subscription enabled on patreon. [There is a 7-day trial version availabe on patreon.]
https://www.pat*eon.com/dmtranslations
You can read ahead upto 65 chapters on my pa*reon.