Each effortless victory strengthened Tidis's conviction.
Surely this level of strength would earn the Gym Leader's recognition!
With that thought, Tidis climbed faster. The steep stairway could no longer hold him back.
Soon, four enormous stone statues came into view. He had reached the Final Battlefield!
As he gazed at the imposing Pokémon statues, each posed differently, a flicker of longing and shock crossed Tidis's eyes.
"These are Gym Leader Ishida's prized mainstays... Steelix! Swampert! Aggron! Tyranitar!"
Across the enormous battlefield, Yong was already waiting.
Every rookie Trainer who reached this place wore that same expression.
After seeing it so often, he no longer found it surprising.
"Welcome to the Final Battlefield! I'm the Gym Leader, Shiyan Yong!"
Tidis came back to his senses, reined in his surging emotions, and said earnestly,
"Hello, Gym Leader Ishida! I'm Tidis, from Santalune City."
"You've raised your Gyarados well. If I'm not mistaken, you're pursuing a specialization?"
Yong smiled faintly and asked in a gentle voice.
Somehow, despite all his preparations and mental conditioning, Tidis still felt nervous facing this young Gym Leader...
The other boy simply stood there quietly, yet facing him felt like standing before a mountain so towering that its summit lay beyond sight. The pressure was immense.
Yong certainly wasn't doing it on purpose.
It was just that the longer he remained in contact with the Stone Plate, the more his own Mental Will came under some sort of influence...
He still had no way to rein in the aura he naturally gave off during battles.
"Y-yes!"
Tidis nodded, speaking a little too quickly.
"I set out on my journey to become a Water-type Pokémon Master! I want to see every Water-type Pokémon!"
At those words, the image of a girl involuntarily surfaced in Yong's mind. He nodded with