Water Capital—Shuizhou City

Incineroar set off once more on the journey to Shuizhou City. Finally, on the evening of the seventh day, the travel-worn trainer and his two Pokémon arrived at their destination—Shuizhou City.

After a week of battles, Carbink and Incineroar had both made considerable progress.

Pokémon: [Incineroar (wearing a blue scarf)]

Type: [Fire-type]

Gender: [♂]

Ability: [Intimidate]

Item: [Charcoal]

Level: [30]

Moves: [Fake Out, Fire Fang, Flamethrower, Bulk Up, Shadow Claw, Fire Blast, Flare Blitz...]

Before advancing to the Elite Level, Incineroar had encountered a particularly troublesome Elite Level Golem.

When Incineroar, who had insisted on fighting alone, used Flame Charge, his surging emotions caused the flames released from his Flame Bag to engulf him as he slammed into Golem.

The immensely powerful Flame Charge still defeated Golem.

Driven by his high spirits after defeating a powerful foe, Incineroar pushed through in one go and reached the Elite Level.

Through the panel, Su Hao discovered that Incineroar had clearly gained Flare Blitz among the moves he learned upon reaching the Elite Level.

It seemed that Flame Charge had evolved into Flare Blitz when Incineroar defeated Golem.

Pokémon: [Carbink] [Mutation 50%]

Type: [Rock, Fairy]

Gender: [♀]

Ability: [Clear Body]

Level: [34]

Item: [Diancie Mega Stone]

Moves: [Dazzling Gleam, Meteor Beam, Reflect, Light Screen, Protect, Safeguard, Power Gem, Moonblast, Trick Room, Iron Defense, Psychic, Moonlight...]

System Note: This is a special Carbink that was fortuitously bathed in Xerneas's Fairy Aura before her birth. Her mutation progress has already passed the halfway mark, and Diancie's traits are gradually emerging on her body. Let us prepare to welcome the future Diamond Princess—Diancie!

Ever since Carbink's mutation progress reached 50%, the diamonds on her body and the color of her eyes had completely turned pink.

At the same time, her control over Rock and Fairy Energy grew increasingly refined. In terms of precision, she could already create intricate rock figurines at will. In terms of power, Elite Level Pokémon were no longer a match for Carbink. Furthermore, she could now instantly cast moves that required charging without any reduction in power.

Whenever they encountered Pokémon on the road that even Incineroar could not handle, Carbink would take the field.

Once, they encountered an Elite Level Late Stage Steelix in a mountain range. This Steelix was even larger than the one shown in the Pokédex.

Every move Steelix used came with violent tremors, making it look just like Godzilla, the monster from a movie from before Su Hao's transmigration.

Faced with a Steelix that casually unleashed Rock Slide and Hyper Beam, Carbink activated Dual Screens and simply stood her ground, trading moves with Steelix.

If you used Rock Slide, she used Moonblast to blast apart the energy rocks you created. If you used Hyper Beam, she used Meteor Beam to break straight through it and hit you.

As the exchange continued, Steelix's injuries steadily worsened, while Carbink restored her stamina with Moonlight, a move Su Hao had taught her through the system despite it not originally being part of her Movepool.

The more it fought, the weaker it became, while the opponent only grew more energetic. Even the hot-tempered Steelix began to consider retreating.

So, after another Meteor Beam broke through Hyper Beam and knocked Steelix to the ground, Steelix lost its nerve and directly chose to Dig away.

Shuizhou City, a city surrounded by water.

Small canals crisscrossed throughout the city, and exotic buildings had sprung up around them.

Though the canals extended in every direction throughout the city, they eventually converged and flowed completely into the sea beside it.

Within Shuizhou City, people often traveled not by car, but by small boats.

As one of the Divine Land Alliance's famous tourist destinations, Shuizhou City saw a constant stream of visitors, and its tourism industry was highly developed.

Su Hao's purpose today was not to tour the city. He planned to properly experience the culture and scenery of the Water Capital after completing the Gym Challenge.

When he arrived at Water Boat Arena, a massive complex of buildings appeared before Su Hao.

Damn... is this what a tourist city is like? This entire Gym is twice as large as Rising Sun Gym... (ﾟдﾟ≡ﾟдﾟ)

The entire Water Boat Gym consisted of multiple buildings, with the largest arena being used for Gym Challenges.

Water Boat Arena was just like Spikemuth Arena in Pokémon Sword and Shield, with its vast battlefield and numerous spectator seats. It could easily host a full-fledged tournament!

At the Gym reception desk, Su Hao presented his Pokémon League Gym Challenge approval letter.

At the sight of the approval letter, the receptionist's eyes lit up. She led Su Hao to the VIP room to wait for a while, then trotted out in her high heels with a click-clack.

After quite some time, Su Hao, bored out of his mind as he drank hot tea, finally met the right person.

She was a middle-aged woman with her hair styled in the trendiest bun of the day, shaped like gorgeous clouds on the horizon and piled in glossy black atop her head. Dressed in an exquisite cheongsam, she walked with elegance and restraint. Judging by her appearance, she must have been a refined young lady in her youth.

The woman slowly sat across from Su Hao and parted her lips. "Hello, Student Su. Your father has already mentioned you to everyone. You're here to challenge the Gym, right?"

"Yes, Gym Leader Jie Wei. I came here to challenge the Gym and obtain a Beginner Gym Badge." He nodded and spoke to her clearly and methodically.

Jie Wei covered her mouth and chuckled. "Hehe, Gym Leader Su has educated Student Su very well indeed~"

"You flatter me."

The two then exchanged another round of polite compliments, and after several more pots of tea, they finally got to the point.

"As for the Gym Challenge, I'm afraid it can't be held today. It'll have to be tomorrow," Jie Wei told Su Hao.

"Gym Leader Jie Wei, may I ask why?" Su Hao asked in confusion.

"Here's the thing: Pokémon Battles are a major activity watched by everyone, and a Gym Challenge can attract a very~ large audience."

"And running our Gym costs quite a bit of money, so naturally, we need to make a little money wherever we can!"

"So tonight, I'll announce that a Gym Challenge will be held at Water Boat Arena tomorrow evening. Residents who enjoy Pokémon Battles and tourists visiting Shuizhou City will naturally buy tickets to watch."

"Of course, as the challenger, you'll receive a share of the ticket sales during the Gym Challenge. Your father and I are acquaintances, so I definitely won't cheat you~"

"You get twenty percent of the ticket sales, and I get eighty percent. After all, I'm handling the venue and marketing. Any more than that would be impolite~ Student Su, you only need to count your money."

Jie Wei explained everything with a smile, unhurried from beginning to end.

Su Hao felt that Jie Wei's proposal was practically free money. He only needed to accept this unexpected windfall, so there was nothing to hesitate over.

"I have no objections, Gym Leader Jie Wei." Su Hao nodded decisively.

"Then it's settled. Remember to dress formally when the time comes~ There might even be television coverage and online livestreams~"