Although he had won, his losses were just as severe. Three Elite Class Pokémon had lost their lives in the gladiatorial match.
His opponent had fared even worse, losing five Pokémon, including his starter Pokémon, Charizard. Only his Arcanine, the most resilient of them all, had survived.
Even Arcanine was barely clinging to life. Even if prolonged treatment eventually restored its health, it would struggle to regain much fighting strength.
Unless he had made other preparations, this Pokémon Trainer's career was all but over.
In truth, most of the Pokémon Trainers who came here to fight were in the same position. They had reached the end of their careers and used their Pokémon's remaining lives to earn enough money to live out their own days in comfort.
These gladiatorial matches organized by the Arena offered enormous financial compensation, whether the participants won or lost.
"Are you sure you want to go out there? You really could die!" Xiao Ran asked gravely as he looked at Sylveon beside him in the preparation room.
He was torn, too. Sylveon had been stuck at the peak of entry class, unable to advance, but a gladiatorial match like this was far too dangerous. With its current strength, it could easily lose its life.
Never mind Sylveon—even the Psychic-type Gardevoir and the Legendary Pokémon Diancie had no guarantee of surviving.
"Vee~~~" Sylveon cried resolutely.
"Yiyi says it'll make sure to protect itself. It wants to grow stronger as soon as possible!" Diancie translated.
"All right! But you must be careful. Keeping yourselves alive comes first!" After a long silence, Xiao Ran finally agreed.
"Don't worry! We'll be fine!" Diancie nodded, and the other Pokémon each voiced their agreement.
Milcery and Swablu, however, seemed a little dejected, knowing they could not take part.
There was nothing