Mobile Turret vs. Fixed Turret

Su Hao recalled the Out of Battle Incineroar into its Luxury Ball and handed it to the Pokémon Center nurse waiting nearby. The match continued.

"That was truly outstanding. Even when your father had just entered university, he wasn't as strong as you are now," Jie Wei said with a sigh. Incineroar had actually taken out two Pokémon she had carefully raised.

Moreover, Su Hao had likely used Wave Power, a Special Ability classified under Psychic-type powers.

Among the younger generation Jie Wei knew, Su Hao was the most talented person she had ever seen.

"Thank you for the praise, Auntie Xie. This is my last Pokémon." Su Hao flashed a toothy grin and took out Carbink's Luxury Ball, aiming it toward the field.

"You didn't catch any other Pokémon on the way here?" Jie Wei was somewhat surprised. When Su Xu had contacted her in advance, he had mentioned that Su Hao currently only had two Pokémon. She had assumed Su Hao would catch a Pokémon that countered Water-type Pokémon along the way.

"I didn't encounter a suitable one, but she's very strong too."

During their journey, Su Hao had discovered that Carbink possessed a mysterious and powerful force within her. If that power were triggered, it could unleash unmatched Combat Power.

Jie Wei did not dwell on it for long. Once Su Hao finished speaking, both sides released their Pokémon.

A red flash passed, and a Pokémon with sharp eyes, an air of looking down upon the world, and an imposing kingly presence appeared. It closely resembled the emperor penguins from Earth before Su Hao's transmigration.

Pokémon: [Empoleon]

Type: [Water + Steel]

Gender: [♂]

Ability: [Torrent]

Level: [Early Professional Level]

Item: [Mystic Water]

Moves: [Hydro Pump, Whirlpool, Mist, Ice Beam, Blizzard, Flash Cannon, Surf...]

Empoleon was classified in the Pokédex as the Emperor Pokémon. His appearance closely resembled an emperor penguin.

His feathers were black, while his wings, tail, belly, and the area around his head were edged with blue metal. The metal along his wing edges was especially sharp, capable of easily cleaving through floating ice.

As the Emperor Pokémon, Empoleon's most eye-catching feature was undoubtedly the three crown-like horns extending from his beak. The crown was golden and exceptionally majestic.

As a Professional Level Pokémon, Empoleon was the strongest opponent Su Hao had encountered so far.

Professional Level was a dividing line in a Pokémon's strength. Pokémon that crossed into Professional Level could be said to have undergone an elevation in their Life Essence. Their offensive power, defense, and energy reserves were beyond comparison with Elite Level Pokémon.

[Gym Leader Jie Wei has sent out a Professional Level Empoleon! So, what will challenger Trainer Su Hao send out?]

The camera shifted, revealing a Carbink that looked somewhat different from ordinary Carbink.

Her silver-gray mineral body and white fluff were the same as an ordinary Carbink's, but her diamonds and eyes were pink instead of the usual blue and light blue.

[Eh? This Carbink's coloration seems a little different.]

[Could she be a rare Shiny Pokémon with an unusual coloration?!]

The Commentator sounded extremely surprised. Everyone knew that Shiny Pokémon differed in color from ordinary individuals, and Shiny Pokémon often possessed Special Abilities or talents to some degree.

"How is Carbink supposed to fight Empoleon? With her head?"

"Don't tell me this Shiny Carbink is also a Professional Level Pokémon. How long has it been since high school students received their Starter Pokémon? My kid is still at Novice Level."

The spectators in the stands were separated by the Energy Shield, unable to sense the pressure radiating from either side's Pokémon, so they did not know the gap in strength between them.

However, anyone with even a little common sense knew that Carbink, as a Rock and Fairy Pokémon, was highly vulnerable to Water-type attacks and had a Four Times Weakness to Steel-type attacks. Meanwhile, both Rock-type and Fairy-type moves were resisted by Empoleon. The matchup was absurdly unfavorable.

Jie Wei was also somewhat dumbfounded. She should have asked about Su Hao's Pokémon beforehand. Who knew why he had brought two Pokémon that were hard-countered by Water-type Pokémon to challenge a Water-type Gym first?

Trainers also had to consider personal relationships, especially since Su Xu and she were on good terms.

Now, with her Professional Level Empoleon against Su Hao's Elite Level Carbink, she did not even know how she was supposed to go easy on him.

Jie Wei's ever-smiling lips twitched, but there was no turning back now.

Since Empoleon had already been sent out, they could only continue the battle.

Su Hao had no idea Jie Wei was having so many thoughts. Through the Aura connecting him and Carbink, he felt Carbink's determination to win.

She had seen everything Incineroar had done inside the Luxury Ball. Since her little brother had worked so hard, then as his big sister, she could not lose either!

"Both sides are ready. The match continues!"

"Empoleon, Ice Beam." Jie Wei sighed. Though she could not bear it, if Su Hao could not defeat Empoleon, there was no way she would give him this Badge.

"Carbink, Ancient Power!"

Water and ice were closely related. Most Water-type Pokémon could use Ice-type moves, and the same was true in reverse.

A freezing beam burst from Empoleon's mouth, its extremely low temperature seeming to freeze even the air.

Not to be outdone, Carbink created a massive amount of rock and gathered it before herself, forming a sturdy Rock Wall in front of the Ice Beam.

The Ice Beam slammed straight into the Rock Wall. Under the ravaging frigid energy, the wall was instantly coated in ice before shattering apart. At the same time, the Ice Beam lost its momentum and gradually dissipated.

She actually blocked it?

Jie Wei was surprised, but her commands did not stop. "Blizzard!"

The next second, a Cold Current that seemed capable of freezing the world appeared before Empoleon and surged forward, freezing everything in its path.

As the Cold Current approached, Su Hao once again commanded Carbink to create a wall, but this time, one with even greater hardness.

"Rock Slide!"

Transparent stone pillars like icicles erupted from the ground one after another, once again forming an airtight wall.

The stone pillar wall successfully blocked Blizzard again, but the battlefield changed from a pitted Rock Field into an icy field blanketed in frost!

At this moment, Empoleon, who had originally been standing in place like a fixed turret, began performing figure skating across the ice!

"What's wrong? You can't win by defending the whole time, you know. Hydro Pump!" Jie Wei reminded him.

Empoleon's speed instantly rose by several levels on the icy field. While skating, he continuously spat thick, high-pressure water columns at Carbink.

Carbink independently activated Light Screen and created Rock Walls to block the Hydro Pumps coming from every direction.

Seeing that Jie Wei intended to defeat Carbink through sheer firepower suppression, Su Hao was not worried in the slightest.

As a future Mythical Pokémon, Carbink's Mutation progress had already reached fifty percent. The changes in her were not limited to her color. Her total energy, offensive power, physique, and control precision were gradually approaching those of naturally noble Mythical Pokémon—except for the commoner Phione of the sea.

In terms of energy reserves and firepower, Carbink was confident she was no weaker than Hashirama Senju!

After telling Carbink to prepare for a firepower counterattack, Su Hao shouted, "Let's do it too—Flash Cannon!"

Five silver points of light appeared around Carbink, expanded, and then... blasted outward!

The points of light unleashed metallic energy cannons, firing in unison at the rapidly moving Empoleon!

Faced with the incoming barrage, Empoleon could only block half of it even after spitting out two water columns in succession. Left with no choice, he leaped high into the air to evade.

The moment Empoleon landed, Carbink's next round of volleys was ready.

Now Empoleon was the one skating across the ice to dodge, while Carbink stood still and poured out firepower.

After narrowly evading wave after wave of firepower coverage, Empoleon was beginning to suffer.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

After Empoleon had dodged an unknown number of volleys, Carbink finally stopped firing.

Jie Wei breathed a sigh of relief. What kind of monster was this Carbink? What Pokémon could maintain five simultaneous Flash Cannons without interruption for five minutes?

However, what she saw before her also made her frown.

After Carbink's Flash Cannons plowed through the field Empoleon had frozen, the solid ice shattered, and the level battlefield had completely turned into a pile of rubble. Even if Empoleon froze the field again, he would no longer be able to skate on it.

"Very interesting. I, Jie Wei, declare Carbink the strongest among all the Elite Level Pokémon I've ever seen!"

?

A question mark appeared over Su Hao's head. He did not know whether Auntie Xie was making a meme reference or sincerely meant it.

"But I imagine your Carbink has already exhausted her energy! Otherwise, she wouldn't have stopped using her moves!"

No, she hadn't.

Su Hao really wanted to say that, but Jie Wei gave him no chance to speak and immediately shouted.

"Empoleon, Surf!"

The middle-aged auntie, who had just been graceful and refined, suddenly became fired up for no apparent reason!

A towering Giant Wave, twice as large as the Surf Azumarill had used, crashed forward and swallowed Carbink whole!

[Carbink has been engulfed by Surf! Is Trainer Su Hao's run about to end here?!]

In the stands, the spectators who had thought the battle might turn around all sighed. When they saw Carbink suppress Empoleon in reverse, they had thought Carbink might have a chance to turn the tables. What a pity.

"Dazzling Gleam."

"Nani?!"

Pink brilliance shone from within the raging Giant Wave. The next moment, a massive pink sphere burst through the wave, blasting away Empoleon, who had been controlling it, in the process.

After calming the towering Giant Wave and casually blasting Empoleon away, Carbink's figure gradually emerged.

At this moment, Carbink was surrounded by pink radiance, while gem-like points of light continuously flashed and vanished around her.

She was so beautiful, like a noble princess.

For some reason, that thought flashed through every spectator's mind at once.

Empoleon shook his somewhat dizzy head, only managing to stand again after quite a while.

Once he got up, Empoleon looked at the sight before him with a completely bewildered expression.

?

A question mark seemed to physically materialize above Empoleon's head.

At this moment, ten moons hung above Carbink's head!

Overflowing Fairy Energy transformed into ten exquisite pink moons above Carbink.

Yet the Fairy Energy, which should have been filled with a dreamlike aura, instead radiated terrifying destructive intent.

"Moonblast!"

The ten shining moons descended at the same time with Su Hao's command, and a terrifying pink mushroom cloud instantly erupted across the battlefield!

As energy waves raged, the Energy Shields around the spectator stands and before the contestants lit up once more.

After a long wait, the pink smoke finally dispersed.

Empoleon lay unconscious inside a massive crater.

Carbink remained as elegant as ever, bowing to the spectators in the stands, Jie Wei, and the referee.

Empoleon: ?