The second way to use Ice Ball

Inside the Pokémon Center on Cinnabar Island's coast, Yin left his injured Feraligatr with Nurse Joy, then sat in the public lounge in gloomy silence.

Although that annoying dean's attitude had really rubbed him the wrong way, the skill he had displayed in battle and his grasp of timing had actually moved Yin a little. His pride had simply forced him to come back first and wait until the so-called opening ceremony before reporting in.

"I want to challenge the Sandstorm King, Gongping."

Lu's soft voice came from the television. The sight of several trainers around him cheering passionately for Lu made Yin slowly raise his head to look at the live broadcast.

Was this boy the champion of Kanto's latest Regional Conference? But he seemed to have chosen that Sandstorm King instead of challenging Lance?

It looked like the Kanto Region had another new King.

Yin had been focused entirely on the Silver Conference lately and had no idea who the Kanto Region's newest King was. At that thought, he grew curious about this reputed Sandstorm King.

He had to be a very strong trainer, or this boy wouldn't have singled him out for a challenge.

On the mountain on Cinnabar Island, Gongping was directing some staff as they set up the venue when he suddenly received a call from Lorelei.

"Gongping, the winner of this Regional Conference specifically asked to challenge you."

Lorelei's rapid stream of words made Gongping blink. "Isn't it usually the regional Champion Leader who battles the Regional Tournament champion? Why is someone challenging a King?"

"In principle, they can challenge anyone..."

Gongping really wanted to refuse to participate, but the Pokémon League clearly would not allow that. Although Lu's request put them in a difficult position, now that it had happened, they could only have Gongping return to the Indigo League as quickly as possible.

Sitting aboard the Pokémon League's airship, Gongping quickly browsed the information on the Regional Tournament's winner. When he saw Lu's photo, his hand holding his coffee paused, and a trace of complexity entered his eyes. "Bean Sprout..."

Lu had been autistic since childhood and had little desire to interact with the outside world. Later, his parents had entrusted Gongping and Rosa with helping him overcome his emotional barriers, so back then, Gongping and Rosa had taken Lu on a journey through the Unova Region.

Remembering how Bean Sprout had appeared at the venue during his last match against Will, he realized he should have guessed that Lu might also be a contestant in this Regional Tournament. As he recalled, though, Trip had been the one to give him the nickname Bean Sprout.

"Who's this Bean Sprout?"

Several years earlier, inside the Pokémon Center in Miura Town in the Unova Region, Trip had finally met Gongping and Rosa again after traveling for a while, only to discover a little child following them. "When did you two have a kid this big?"

"Trip, do you have a death wish?"

Dodging Gongping's flying kick, Trip walked up to Lu with a smile. "What an adorable little girl. How about giving your big brother a hug?"

Frightened by this fellow who had suddenly appeared, the timid Lu hid behind Rosa and burst into loud tears, prompting Gongping to push Trip away. "You really are destined to stay single forever. Women just don't like you."

"Can you two behave yourselves for once?"

Rosa gently soothed the inconsolable Lu, then turned and scolded the two frivolous young men.

Returning to the present, Gongping rubbed his head wearily. Looking at the Indigo Plateau before him, he reluctantly opened his computer and began adjusting his Pokémon lineup for this battle.

Several hours passed between Gongping being notified of the match and his arrival at the Indigo Plateau. In the meantime, the conference's planned closing ceremony had been forced to move to a later time, while several senior Pokémon League officials waited for Gongping in the sweltering heat.

"Next time, have all of the Elite Four attend the closing ceremony."

One council member had completely lost his patience, his expression hardening as he spoke. They had only been attending as guests for the closing ceremony, which should not have taken more than an hour, but today this boy had held them up for several hours.

Another, more easygoing council member chuckled at his angry colleague. "They already attended the opening ceremony together. If they have to come to the closing ceremony too, they still have work to do."

"But what if this happens again?"

"Heh, we can only blame King Gongping for being so charming that even these boys who have only just started out become his fanboys."

To outsiders, Lu's insistence on challenging Gongping suggested that he must be a huge fan. After all, their fighting styles were very similar-equally fierce and brutal, as though they had come from the same family.

Wearing a black dress, Lu, whose features were delicate, paid no attention to the discussion around him and simply waited.

To keep the audience from getting bored, Gongping contacted Lorelei and asked her to get in touch with the Cerulean Sisters to hold a large-scale water ballet at the venue. The three sisters, who aspired to become stars, were very excited to perform on a stage like the Kanto tournament.

However, Misty's absence from the performing group upset some of her fans, with some even leaving. This forced Misty, who had been watching from the stands, to come forward and appease them.

The scene became chaotic for a time. Besides the Cerulean Sisters' performance, Agatha also asked Professor Oak to recite poetry at the venue. It worked very well: most of the audience grew drowsy, calming their agitation.

With all eyes on him, Gongping finally arrived from Cinnabar Island at seven that evening.

This old guy was the Sandstorm King?

On the other side of the television, Yin nearly spat out his water. He had never imagined that his dean would turn out to be the Sandstorm King.

Was the gap between him and a King really that great...?

At the arena, when Gongping appeared, a trace of anger crossed Lu's face in the stands, and he slowly walked toward the command platform.

"Do you hate me, Bean Sprout?"

Looking at the silent boy opposite him, whose face was full of resentment, Gongping felt a flicker of complicated emotions...

His autism, which Rosa had originally healed, had now left him even more withdrawn than before. Gongping clenched his fist, then his gaze turned cool again. "In that case, don't regret battling me."

"Destroy you... Go!"

They threw their Poké Balls at the same time. On Gongping's side, the Pokémon that appeared on the field was the Alolan Sandslash that had fought Misty's Pokémon for so long during the Gym assessment battle!

On Lu's side, a Ninetales with a crystalline body suddenly appeared on the field. Its silvery-white sheen beneath the lights displayed its nobility and distinction.

On the Grand Stage, the announcer's voice rang out excitedly. "There it is, Lu's Ninetales from the Alola Region! If I remember correctly, this Alolan Ninetales has the Snow Warning Ability! It looks like Lu plans to counter Sandstorm with ice and snow, but he seems to have miscalculated one thing: Gongping hasn't sent out a Pokémon from his Sandstorm lineup."

The battle at the Cerulean Gym had attracted considerable attention, so many audience members also recognized Gongping's Alolan Sandslash.

"Sandslash, Ice Ball!"

"Ninetales, Ice Shard!"

All nine tails swayed at once, sending snowflakes flying through the air and turning them into sharp blades of ice that shot forward. Unlike Gongping's Ice Shard, which used an explosive burst to seize the initiative, Lu's Ninetales fought by firing ice blades to tear its enemies apart.

Amid the swirling wind and snow, many Pokémon had suffered severe injuries from these ice blades. Lu's brutality had much to do with the power of these formidable moves.

The ice blades swept toward Sandslash, but Gongping's Sandslash pushed off lightly. With Snow Cloak activated, it became a streak of white light and appeared behind Ninetales. Ice Ball struck Ninetales squarely in the back, and as it landed, Sandslash's true killing move arrived.

"Use Metal Claw!"

In an instant, a terrifying metallic gleam shone from Sandslash's claws. Ninetales turned and lashed out, only to strike Sandslash's afterimage. As Ninetales hesitated in confusion, Sandslash suddenly appeared on its right, clamped both claws around its neck, and slammed it forcefully into the ground!

Struck by the Steel-type move Metal Claw, Ninetales let out a miserable cry. Though it had not completely lost its ability to battle, a shocking wound had appeared on its body.

But Gongping's chain of attacks was not over. The Ice Ball fired at the start now slowly rose into the air. Surrounded by icy, snowy air, it actually transformed into two ice balls revolving around each other.

Rather than repeatedly growing larger like an ordinary Ice Ball, they increased in number. In game terms, it had become a multihit attack.

The sharp-eyed Brock praised what he saw. "This Sandslash seems much stronger than it was during the last Gym assessment."

Misty nodded at her companion's words. "Its attacks are much more powerful. Sandslash can perform this well in the snow. I also didn't expect there to be another way to use Ice Ball besides the one from last time..."

Alolan Sandslash had a completely different fighting style in the snow than it did without snow. Gongping had caught it precisely because he valued its terrifying destructive power in snowy conditions.

"Two different ways to use Ice Ball!"

At the arena, the Twin-Tailed Girl let out an excited shriek. "That's my idol for you! Gongping is so cool!"