"Ding! Absol has defeated Scyther and gained 758 experience points. Level increased. Current level: Lv.50!"
Two defeats in a row.
And in the end, Scyther still fell at the hands of Aiden Flint's Absol, completely taken down by the Future Sight cast earlier!
This left Hu You with only his final Pokémon—
His starter.
A pseudo-Elite high-tier Pokémon from the Hoenn region's starter trio—
Swampert!
Come to think of it, among the Hoenn starters, Swampert was the only one Aiden had yet to obtain.
He had always liked this Water/Ground-type Pokémon.
But throughout his journey so far, he had never encountered one.
"Ding! Swampert's current stats are as follows:"
Pokémon: Swampert
Level: 56
Ability: Torrent
Type: Water / Ground
Potential: Purple
Mega Evolution: Locked
Moves: Earth Power, Hydro Pump, Focus Punch, Earthquake, Aqua Jet, Ice Punch…
Facing this level-56 Swampert, Aiden didn't switch Pokémon.
Instead, he let Glaceon continue the battle.
"Glaceon, use Ice Beam!"
"Swampert, don't give up! Charge forward and use Focus Punch!"
As both trainers gave their commands, Glaceon and Swampert moved simultaneously.
In the next moment, Glaceon let out a sharp cry as icy energy rapidly gathered in its mouth.
A beam of freezing light shot forward, racing straight toward Swampert!
Swampert slid across the icy battlefield, dodging the Ice Beam while charging forward, its fist glowing with intense Fighting-type energy!
Just as the punch was about to land—
A layer of green light suddenly appeared, blocking Swampert's attack.
Protect!
The one move that could have turned the tide… was completely nullified.
With its attack failing, Swampert showed clear frustration.
Hu You's expression also darkened with unwillingness.
But there was nothing they could do anymore.
"Time for the counterattack. Glaceon, use Razor Leaf!"
Razor Leaf wasn't a particularly powerful move.
But under a four-times type advantage—
Swampert's HP was instantly drained!
At such close range, there was simply no way to withstand Glaceon's full-power strike.
"Finish it—Iron Tail!"
As Glaceon cried out, a brilliant flash of light erupted.
Iron Tail slammed into Swampert's body, sending it flying!
The massive impact force made Swampert slide across the battlefield, finally crashing into the barrier at the edge of the arena!
And at that moment, Swampert had completely lost the ability to battle.
"Ding! Glaceon has defeated Swampert and gained 972 experience points. Level increased. Current level: Lv.60!"
"Ding! Congratulations! Glaceon has突破 the Champion-level threshold!"
Among Aiden's second-tier core Pokémon, Glaceon was the first to break through to the Champion-level realm.
It became the eighth Champion-level Pokémon under Aiden's command!
"Ding! Glaceon's current stats are as follows:"
Pokémon: Glaceon
Level: 60
Ability: Snow Cloak
Type: Ice
Potential: Gold
Bond Evolution: Locked
Mega Evolution: Locked
Moves: Yawn, Curse, Charm, Ice Shard, Ice Beam, Ice Fang, Iron Tail…
Affinity: 254
Experience: Met in the Golden City Reserve, successfully evolved with the trainer's help, and finally stepped into the Champion-level tier after its strength surged.
Hobby: Gluttonous, likes sleeping beside its trainer's feet.
"Congratulations, Glaceon. You've gotten much stronger again. Keep it up."
After receiving Aiden's praise, Glaceon immediately ran to his side, rubbing against his leg with a happy expression.
"Swampert has lost the ability to battle! Glaceon wins! Since all three of Hu You's Pokémon have lost the ability to battle, the winner of this match is Aiden Flint!"
"Let's congratulate Aiden Flint for advancing to the Top Sixteen and earning the right to enter the main stadium for full-team battles!"
As the referee's voice echoed through the arena, the entire audience erupted in cheers.
The three-on-three matches had taken place in the subsidiary arenas, which could only accommodate twenty to thirty thousand spectators.
But the main stadium—where only the Top Sixteen could compete in full-team battles—could hold more than a hundred thousand people.
From now until the finals, every match would be held there.
The atmosphere there was on an entirely different level.
After several days of intense battles, the final Top Sixteen lineup was officially determined.
First match: Ash from Pallet Town in Kanto vs. Paul from Veilstone City in Sinnoh.
Second match: Two unknown trainers.
Third match: Tetsuya from Mauville City in Hoenn vs. an unknown trainer.
Fourth match: Two unknown trainers.
Fifth match: Aiden Flint from Littleroot Town in Hoenn vs. Morrison from Verdanturf Town in Hoenn.
Sixth match: Blue from Cerulean City in Kanto vs. an unknown trainer.
Seventh match: Ye Yue from Littleroot Town in Hoenn vs. Greenstone from Mossdeep City in Hoenn.
Eighth match: Two ordinary trainers.
Seeing the matchups, Aiden glanced at Ye Yue with some surprise.
This guy was also from Littleroot Town?
Why had he never seen him before?
As if understanding Aiden's thoughts, Ye Yue smiled.
"I really am from Littleroot Town, but after getting my starter Torchic, I never went back. I've been traveling everywhere since then. It's normal that you didn't know me."
After hearing that, Aiden nodded.
So they were actually from the same hometown.
Interesting.
As the tournament progressed, the first match was Ash vs. Paul.
Aiden went to watch the battle together with May and Brock.
When everyone asked who would win, Aiden answered without hesitation—
Ash.
In the original storyline, Paul had always been Ash's greatest rival in Sinnoh, and Ash had almost never beaten him early on.
But now, Ash's strength had grown rapidly.
From recent matches, Aiden had noticed that Ash had brought back many of his old Pokémon.
With Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and others returning, even if Paul went all out, defeat was almost inevitable.
Sure enough, once the battle began, Paul sent out Hariyama first.
In response, Ash sent out Swellow.
Flying-type against Fighting-type—
Swellow easily took the first victory, defeating Hariyama.
Then, relying on sheer perseverance, it even managed to bring down Paul's Torterra.
Seeing that, Aiden could only sigh—
As expected of Swellow, the ultimate bug-level Pokémon.
…
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