The moment Ash turned around, the Croconaw suddenly let out a roar as the surrounding water energy surged violently. The entire battlefield began to churn, the sea responding to its command as vast currents gathered and twisted together, gradually forming a massive water dragon.
"Roar!!!"
The water dragon roared with overwhelming momentum, its presence rivaling that of a true Dragon-type move. It pressed forward relentlessly, suppressing Kingdra before crashing into it head-on. In an instant, the water dragon swallowed Kingdra whole, and towering waves erupted across the battlefield.
"Kingdra!!!"
Cries of shock echoed from all around.
As the waves slowly subsided, Kingdra's figure finally reappeared in everyone's sight. Its eyes had turned blank, its body floating lifelessly on the water. If not for the occasional faint movement, one might have thought it had already fainted completely.
"The Ash player wins! That Water-type move from Croconaw just now rivaled the power of a Dragon-type technique. The sheer pressure was incredible!"
After a brief silence, the commentator's voice broke through, igniting thunderous cheers across the arena. The attack had completely stunned the audience.
After losing its ability to battle, Kingdra transformed into a red beam of light and returned to its Poké Ball.
Amidst the roaring cheers, Ash remained calm, as if he could not hear anything at all, and quietly walked back toward the player area.
"Tch, acting cool again," Sabrina muttered from the audience, clearly displeased.
"Pika... Pi...!"
Pikachu, who was being held by Sabrina, struggled slightly and patted her arm. She had unconsciously tightened her grip too much, nearly making it hard for Pikachu to breathe.
"Although I expected it, I didn't think you'd actually come."
After returning to the player area, Ash walked up to Lorelei and spoke.
"Of course. After all, it's the Mystic Water from the Whirl Islands. Any Water-type specialist would be tempted to come and try their luck. What I didn't expect was you showing up here."
Lorelei crossed her arms slightly as she spoke.
"Aren't you preparing for the Johto League? And the regional tournament after that? How do you even have time to participate in the Whirl Islands competition?"
"The Johto League isn't urgent. There's still plenty of time. As for the regional tournament, that's even further away. Two years is more than enough."
Ash adjusted his cap slightly, his gaze shifting toward the people standing beside Lorelei.
"Besides, I'm more interested in battling Champion-level trainers."
Among them, he recognized Chie Aoyama, but the other two were unfamiliar to him.
"These two are members of the Elite Four from the Hoenn and Kalos regions. They were also drawn here by the Mystic Water."
Lorelei noticed Ash's gaze and introduced them.
"Nice to meet you. I didn't expect you to be even stronger than the rumors suggest. Truly deserving of your reputation."
"And to think a pure Water-type Pokémon could display power comparable to Dragon-type moves. That was eye-opening."
The two spoke one after another.
The woman with short blonde hair and a composed demeanor was an Elite Four member from Hoenn, while the elegantly dressed man, carrying himself like nobility, was from Kalos. His refined appearance made him seem more like a prince than a trainer.
"Ash Ketchum. I believe you already know enough about me."
Ash nodded slightly. He showed no excessive politeness. As the Champion of Kanto, his status stood above that of Elite Four members.
"Oh, right. Since you're already here, that saves me the trouble of looking for you."
Lorelei suddenly spoke again, causing Ash to focus.
"I've gathered all the materials needed for the Rare Candy."
Ash's pupils shrank slightly.
Even with the resources provided by the Takahashi and Aoyama families, he had still been unable to complete the formula for the Rare Candy. Yet Lorelei had already collected everything.
That genuinely surprised him.
Beside them, Chie Aoyama and the two Elite Four members exchanged subtle glances.
They clearly understood what that meant.
The effects of a Rare Candy were no secret to high-level trainers. Each region maintained its own intelligence network, especially when it came to advanced medicine and training resources.
After all, the pharmaceutical field was a highly lucrative and fiercely competitive industry.
Earlier, they might have looked down on Ash's strength, but now they had no choice but to acknowledge his achievements in pharmaceutical research. Combined with the power he had displayed in the previous battle, their perception of him had completely changed.
Both the Hoenn and Kalos Elite Four members felt a chill in their hearts.
To them, Ash was almost monstrous.
Champion-level trainer. Master craftsman. Pharmaceutical expert.
Any one of those achievements alone was already incredibly difficult to attain, yet he possessed all three.
"By the way, how much material do you have?"
Ash shifted the topic slightly before continuing in a calm tone.
"The refinement of Rare Candy carries a risk of failure. If you only have enough materials for a single attempt, I suggest you reconsider."
His words were directed at Lorelei.
After all, once the Rare Candy was successfully refined, half of it would belong to him. The remaining portion might not be much.
Since Ash possessed the complete method for refining Rare Candy, he naturally understood the yields.
One set of materials could typically produce around four to six Rare Candies, and that was assuming no failures.
"Relax."
Lorelei smiled faintly as she raised a hand and gently twirled a strand of her wine-red hair. Today, she had let her long hair fall freely, giving her a softer and more approachable aura.
"Based on the information you provided, we gathered enough materials for three batches. My father spent quite a lot to complete the collection."
"Three batches..."
Ash narrowed his eyes slightly as he calculated.
"If all of them succeed, you're looking at roughly twelve Rare Candies. Even accounting for possible failures, you should still end up with at least eight. That's already a very solid result."
Hearing Ash's analysis, Lorelei's smile deepened slightly.
She clearly needed Rare Candies to strengthen her Pokémon. With this opportunity, she might finally have a chance to break through to the next level.
The quasi-Champion realm.