Royal Candidate · Seventh Seat

As white light flickered, a green serpentine Pokémon appeared at one side of the battle arena.

It had a long leaf-like tail and a yellow collar-like structure around its neck. Its black vertical pupils gleamed as a noble aura spread outward. The Grassy Terrain, already reduced to a complete mess, gradually showed signs of reviving.

The Pokémon used by this Unova Region trainer named Mia was actually a Servine, just like Ye Lan's!

The two Pokémon were basically identical in appearance. The only differences were that Ye Lan's Servine was clearly a head taller than the other one, and its tail looked far more powerful as well.

What was more, despite suffering from burns, Ye Lan's Servine remained just as cold and proud, without losing an ounce of its momentum.

In contrast, the other Servine exuded an even more noble air.

"Friends in the audience, a dramatic scene has appeared! This battler named Mia is also using a Servine!"

"Can Ye Lan's Servine continue its winning streak against one of its own kind?!" Little Li's voice rang out, and the audience began to look forward to the match.

Mia had only begun appearing frequently at the battle arena during the two days Ye Lan had gone to the Wilderness Zone. With her remarkably high win rate, she had already made an impression on some of the spectators.

With Ye Lan setting a precedent and Mia suddenly emerging, many people could not help but wonder: Were the Unova Region's three starters truly all this promising, or did these two simply have unique training methods?

On the battle platform, neither Servine attacked first. Instead, they slowly moved along the edge of the field, constantly scrutinizing each other's every movement.

The two snakes kept changing positions. If not for the difference in their size, viewers unfamiliar with them would have nearly been unable to tell which Pokémon belonged to which side.

"Sss!" ×2

Almost simultaneously, rain-like green Magical Leaves collided fiercely in midair like machine-gun bullets.

The explosions caused by the clashing energy blasted the Grassy Terrain, which had only just regained a little vitality, into flying fragments of grass once more.

Thanks to the mystical law of "the one on the right always wins beam struggles," Ye Lan's side had barely managed to gain the upper hand at first.

However, just moments later, the number of the opponent's Magical Leaves had more than doubled!

Overwhelmed, Ye Lan could only have Servine use Protect to block them and buy a brief moment to recover.

The other side's use of Grass-type energy was exceptionally ingenious. Ye Lan could not help but covet such skill.

It was then that the other Servine's data appeared before Ye Lan's eyes:

Name: Servine (Royal Candidate · Seventh Seat)

Gender: Male

Type: Grass

Ability: Contrary (Hidden Ability)

Moves Mastered: Energy Ball, Grass Knot, Protect, Leech Seed, Growth, Giga Drain, Solar Beam, Sunny Day, Magical Leaf, Leaf Tornado

Egg Moves: Glare, Razor Leaf

Rank: Peak Intermediate

Evolution Progress: 68%

Such a luxurious move list nearly blinded Ye Lan, this country bumpkin, with sheer splendor.

Energy Ball, Grass Knot, and Solar Beam alone were not moves a Servine could normally learn. All of them required purchasing TMs.

That was one thing, but the moment Ye Lan saw Sunny Day, he knew that this trainer from the Unova Region likely had no ordinary background.

Sunny Day forcibly changed the weather to sunlight and increased the power of Fire-type moves. For a Grass-type Servine, it was clearly a disadvantageous move.

Yet under sunny weather, the powerful Grass-type move Solar Beam was enhanced, and its release speed increased dramatically.

Learning Sunny Day now was clearly meant to strengthen Solar Beam and prepare for the future lineup. This entire combination required TMs to learn, showing just how formidable Mia's family was.

"What exactly does 'Royal Candidate · Seventh Seat' mean?"

Ye Lan frowned. From Servine's move list, he could see that the opponent specialized in energy-control moves, and her tactical intentions were obvious.

It was the words "Royal Candidate · Seventh Seat" on the system panel that caught Ye Lan's attention. He had never seen anything like it before.

"Perhaps Unova really has some hidden family that has lived alongside Serperior for generations? Looks like I'll have to visit Unova when I get the chance."

At the center of the battle arena, as the Magical Leaf barrage ceased, the smoke and dust gradually dispersed. The light barrier formed from Protect's energy was covered in dense, crater-like dents.

With a boom, the barrier shattered like glass, and Servine's figure vanished immediately afterward.

"Use Iron Tail horizontally!"

"Use Grass Knot to stop it!"

The two Servine used their moves almost simultaneously. Vines burst from the ground, but they failed to hinder Ye Lan's Servine in the slightest. Its Iron Tail swept through them like a metal blade as it pressed toward its opponent.

Its powerful tail slashed out like a sword, sending the incoming Energy Ball flying. Servine did not slow down and continued closing in.

It knew very well that the opponent's mastery over Grass-type energy far surpassed its own.

Only close combat gave it a chance to defeat this powerful member of its own kind.

Noticing light flickering ahead, Servine coiled its tail beneath itself like a compressed spring, then leaped into the air and dodged the long-prepared Solar Beam from the front!

"?!"

The shock this sight brought Mia was no different from seeing a Caterpie Mega Evolve into Rayquaza with her own eyes.

Her small mouth fell open slightly. She simply could not understand how such a slender Servine body could perform a movement of such difficulty.

"What explosive power! Grandma was right—the trainers outside are just as formidable!"

It was as though little stars kept popping up in Mia's azure eyes.

Not even the Serperior belonging to the clan elders possessed such explosive strength.

The current situation was already extremely unfavorable for her.

The opponent's fierce assault left her no time to control the rhythm of the battle. As both sides were Grass-types, Grass-type moves could inflict only limited damage.

As for control moves, Grass Knot had been easily neutralized. Glare, the move the Snivy line was best at, was completely useless as well.

Mia had also clearly watched Ye Lan's previous battle, where he had commanded Servine to close its eyes and evade Hypnosis by sensing incoming attacks.

Even setting that aside, the opposing trainer was equally knowledgeable about Servine. The moment he saw even the slightest sign of Glare's startup motion, he could predict it in advance.

That was also why neither side had used the move. It would simply expose an opening to the other.

"I should have listened to Grandma and learned Hidden Power before setting out on my journey."

The battle on the field did not pause for even an instant. After Ye Lan's reminder, Servine began using Leaf Blade to intercept the opponent's ranged attacks.

Maintaining a move for a long time consumed an enormous amount of a Pokémon's stamina.

Iron Tail was Servine's strongest move at the moment. It had to be saved for the finishing blow.

As the distance between the two Servine steadily closed, the battle had gradually turned into a contest of strength between Vine Whip and Leaf Blade.