"Hmm? A Rhydon?" Peter's brows tightened slightly. Since this was the very first battle of the official match, the moment both sides released their Pokémon simultaneously was the critical moment for psychological warfare.
He had originally assumed that His Highness Aven possessed a large number of Grass-type Pokémon and would most likely send one out here. Even if Aven chose something like a Bibarel, Staraptor would still not be at a disadvantage. Yet he never expected that the opponent would send out a Rhydon instead.
Rhydon, being a dual Ground- and Rock-type Pokémon, naturally resisted Flying- and Normal-type attacks. On top of that, Rock-type moves had a super-effective advantage over Staraptor's Flying typing.
Of course, Rhydon's Ground-type attacks couldn't reach Staraptor in the sky, and given Staraptor's natural aerial advantage, Peter still felt confident—Staraptor should absolutely be able to fight in this match!
As Aven and Peter sized up each other's Pokémon in the arena, the audience outside the battlefield had collectively gone silent in shock, stunned and frozen in place. They clearly hadn't processed what had just happened or how two Pokémon had suddenly appeared in the arena at once.
Meanwhile, the nobles seated in the VIP section all stood up in unison. A sudden realization struck them—this sealing technique was apparently not exclusive to His Highness Aven. It seemed… others could wield it as well!
"Now, begin the battle!" Sutter forced down the excitement bubbling in his chest and shouted loudly.
"Staraptor, use Air Slash!"
"Rhydon, Stone Edge!"
The instant the commands were given, both Pokémon reacted immediately.
Air blades and sharp stones materialized almost simultaneously, then collided violently in mid-air.
This Rhydon wasn't one of Aven's main Pokémon—rather, it was an intermediate-level Pokémon, essentially one of the "subordinates" under his primary Rhydon.
To this Rhydon, the opportunity to battle on a stage like this was precious. It gave everything it had, pouring its full power into Stone Edge. It absolutely could not afford to lose and return home only to be trained harshly by its own leader.
Every time it remembered how its leader trained, shrouding its entire body in extreme heat and enduring heavy pressure underground—it felt a cold shiver run up its spine. No matter what, it had to fight with everything it had!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The two attacks clashed fiercely in mid-air, sending violent waves of energy roaring through the battlefield.
A moment later, the collision erupted into a massive explosion, the blast cloud spreading outward and obscuring the center of the arena entirely.
"What an intense battle! Those two are definitely both intermediate-level Pokémon!"
"Who do you think will win, Rhydon or Staraptor? Both of them are strong!"
The sudden explosion of action instantly captured the full attention of the crowd. They eagerly began voicing their predictions—after all, this kind of speculation was one of the main joys of watching a match.
"Hey, don't get too worked up. This is just a demonstration match. His Highness Aven has king-level Pokémon in his hand," someone in the audience said with a laugh.
"That's true… which is exactly why I need to pay close attention and learn how His Highness Aven battles," another trainer said, suddenly serious.
While it was only a demonstration, for them it was also the best opportunity to study real trainer battle techniques. After all, His Highness Aven was the founder of the trainer system.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
In the arena, the battle continued.
After a brief direct clash, Staraptor suddenly used Gust which cause an entire tornado to rose from the ground like a spiraling column, wrapping around its body completely!
Staraptor was now enveloped inside the tornado, as though a protective barrier had formed around it.
A tornado could be used offensively, but also defensively. This was a technique Peter had developed, demonstrating Staraptor's exceptional control over the winds!
"A tornado can be used like that?" the spectators gasped, eyes widening slightly.
This was a higher-level technique, modifying and developing a move beyond its basic form. Apprentice trainers had not even approached this level of mastery yet!
"Quite impressive. As expected, Peter truly is a natural trainer," Aven said, admiration flickering in his eyes. "Rhydon, take it head-on!"
Upon hearing Aven's command, Rhydon's gaze sharpened. It braced itself and withstood the tornado's force directly!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The tornado battered Rhydon relentlessly, roaring around it.
But this Rhydon, being one of the "fighting maniacs" under its leader, had undergone intense forging training. Its physical toughness was extraordinary.
Even as the tornado raged violently around it, Rhydon remained unmoving, its body rooted firmly to the ground. And with its natural resistance to Flying-type attacks, it endured the bombardment with brute force.
As the tornado continued to churn, Rhydon pushed forward step by step, forcing its way into the heart of the swirling winds!
"That's the moment—Stone Edge!" Aven's command rang out.
In the very next instant, all the Rock-type energy Rhydon had been gathering burst forth violently, shooting skyward toward Staraptor!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of thunderous booms echoed through the arena.
The tornado enclosing the two Pokémon suddenly shattered, revealing their figures within.
Staraptor's body was sent flying like a broken kite, falling rapidly from the sky as though its strings had been cut.
"Staraptor… lost?" the audience whispered in shock.
Just moments ago, Staraptor had clearly been dominating Rhydon. How had the battle reversed so suddenly?
But just as everyone thought the match was over, Staraptor opened its eyes mid-fall, flapping its wings desperately until it managed to halt itself in mid-air.
It hovered there, panting heavily. Rhydon's last strike had clearly dealt a massive blow—its stamina was severely depleted.
"RHYYY!"
On the ground, Rhydon bellowed fiercely.
Although it had been battered by the tornado, the damage it received was minimal.
Both had taken direct hits, but the results between them were worlds apart—and all because of typing advantage.
Rhydon resisted Flying-type attacks, while Staraptor was weak to Rock-type attacks. The swing in damage was massive!
"Staraptor actually endured it?"
"But it's already severely injured… the battle is basically over."
The crowd had seen many battles by now, so most of them had a decent intuition for judging the battlefield.
They also began recalling Aven's commands—how he had chosen not to dodge or counter the tornado, instead waiting until Rhydon could withstand it long enough to launch a finishing blow.
Clearly, everything had been within Lord Aven's calculations. This was the essence of trainer battles: the trainer and the Pokémon acting as a single unit. The Pokémon carried out the combat, while the trainer devised the tactics.
With this, the combined strength of trainer and Pokémon could become far greater than the sum of their parts. Even when at a disadvantage in strength, tactics could overturn the situation entirely.
"Rhyy!!!"
Rhydon seized the opportunity and charged again.
It stomped its foot into the ground, conjuring a barrage of stones that shot toward Staraptor with a thunderous roar.
Just as everyone believed the match was about to end, a sudden beam of red light struck Staraptor, turning its body into a streak of red energy.
The audience stared in confusion, following the direction the light moved—into the berry held in Peter's hand.
He calmly placed the berry away and took out another. A flash of white light burst forth, and a Bibarel materialized in the arena.
"He… switched his battling Pokémon?" the spectators exclaimed in bewilderment.
The moment Bibarel appeared, Rhydon immediately launched another Stone Edge, striking Bibarel squarely and blasting it backward.
However, unlike Staraptor, Bibarel wasn't weak to Rock-type attacks. Moreover, it had already prepared itself by fluffing up its fur to absorb impact, allowing it to take the hit steadily.
"In a 3-on-3 battle, trainers can switch out Pokémon mid-fight!"
"That way, trainers can withdraw the Pokémon at a typing disadvantage and send out one that has the upper hand!"
Taking advantage of the momentary pause in the fight, Sutter quickly explained the new battle rules, and many in the audience nodded in realization.
However, those who didn't know the truth wondered if such a maneuver was only possible because Peter had those special berry balls.
Meanwhile, the knights, patrol members, and rangers were stunned for a different reason—they understood that this would soon become the official battle rules for all trainers in the future.
And once they obtained Poké Balls, switching Pokémon mid-battle would become even easier, letting them maintain type advantage whenever possible.
However… that also meant a trainer's judgment would become more crucial than ever. When should a Pokémon be recalled? What should be sent out next? The timing and decision-making carried immense importance.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The battle raged on fiercely.
Both Pokémon specialized in close-quarters combat, so they immediately engaged in a direct melee clash.
But unlike the previous match, Bibarel now held overwhelming advantage—its Water-type attacks were four times effective against the Ground- and Rock-type Rhydon. That kind of typing advantage was no joke!
"Rhydon, come back for now," Aven said helplessly as he raised its Poké Ball and recalled it.
A four-times weakness was simply too severe. No amount of tactics could realistically overcome that kind of disadvantage.
Seeing Aven also withdraw his Pokémon, the audience slowly nodded with dawning understanding. If you can't win, just switch to another—that truly was the best way to compensate for a bad match-up.
(End of Chapter)