"We did it, the Aerial Prohibition Domain!"
Seeing this scene, Ethan smiled.
The principle behind this Aerial Prohibition Domain was naturally the move Smack Down.
Since this move had been trained by Rhyperior since it was young, its use was already extremely skillful.
Moreover, from childhood, Rhyperior had already learned to use the training method of the Smack Down move to strengthen its body.
And aside from body training, the most important point of that method was allowing Rhyperior to master the ability to apply the energy of the Smack Down move to other objects.
This type of applied energy was somewhat similar to what Vibrava had developed with its Levitate ability, and what Sandslash had achieved with the Defense Curl move.
During the competition for the World Championship qualification spots, Rhyperior had already managed to apply the Smack Down move onto itself, thus developing the Smack Down Domain.
Now, Rhyperior had taken the development of this move one step further, attaching it to the rocks and dust of the sandstorm, transforming it into the Aerial Prohibition Domain.
"Once the Smack Down move has been fully developed, Rhyperior can also become one of the cores of the team."
Ethan was very satisfied. His team combat system had improved once again, which also made his combat power in the wild even greater, providing more support for the exploration of the Secret Kingdoms.
...
Meanwhile, in the stands outside the field.
Unlike Ethan's good mood, the students from Harvard Pokémon University had rather unpleasant expressions.
Originally, they had thought that Susan, ranked as the second favorite to advance, could pose a threat to Ethan.
Even if she couldn't defeat him, she could at least cause serious damage to Ethan's Pokémon, affecting his performance in the following battles. But who would have thought that Ethan hadn't even sent out Vibrava or Charizard, and had still managed to secure the victory.
"It seems that in the group stage no one can stop this Ethan anymore," a student from Harvard Pokémon University lamented. Their only hope now was that, in the elimination stage, James could personally settle the grudge between them.
"Look, the list for the next battle is already out!"
"It's Johnson's match, and his opponent is... the number one favorite of this group!"
Seeing this, the students from Harvard Pokémon University were startled and directed their gaze toward the field.
In previous matches, Johnson's opponents had not been very strong. But this battle might allow them to see whether his true strength was as impressive as a certain student had claimed.
"He's very strong! His first Pokémon is already at the Quasi-Elite level. As expected from the number one favorite."
"Wait... my God! Johnson's Venusaur is also at the Quasi-Elite level! Will the first battle be a duel between two Pokémon of that level?"
As the battle on the field intensified, the spectators became completely absorbed.
And the final result left everyone stunned.
In three battles, both trainers sent out two Quasi-Elite level Pokémon and one close to that level.
In the end, Johnson won by a narrow margin, achieving the final victory.
"Two Quasi-Elite level Pokémon!"
"Both are very strong! If nothing unexpected happens, they will probably be the two who advance in the end."
After watching the battle, one spectator commented sincerely. Having two Pokémon at that level was usually enough to secure a place in the elimination stage.
"But did you forget about Ethan?"
Someone suddenly spoke, causing the spectators who were still immersed in the battle to freeze.
"Although Ethan is strong, only his Charizard has truly reached the Quasi-Elite level. That Vibrava only masters techniques that allow it to reach that level."
"If he really fought against them, Ethan would probably be inferior to those two."
Another spectator commented. Judging from the strength Ethan had shown so far, he did seem slightly inferior.
"This ranger Johnson really is strong. Maybe he really can stop Ethan in the group stage."
The students of Harvard Pokémon University began to feel hopeful again.
...
The next day
The battles continued.
In the next round, Ethan did not encounter a particularly strong opponent.
With Rhyperior and Magmortar sweeping the field, Ethan successfully advanced to the group final.
His next opponent would be precisely the dark horse of this group stage: Johnson, a powerful trainer with two Quasi-Elite level Pokémon.
If he lost, he would fall into the losers' bracket, where he would also have to face an opponent with two Pokémon of that same level.
"It seems that in this battle I'll have to reveal some hidden cards." Ethan showed a thoughtful expression. He planned to give it his all.
Soon, the group final arrived.
On both sides of the battlefield, Ethan and Johnson stood facing each other.
In the stands, the spectators held their breath, silently waiting for the battle to begin.
Even the students of Harvard Pokémon University remained quiet.
During this time, after deliberately investigating, they had also discovered some information about Ethan.
And when they learned that Ethan was actually an Elite-level Pokémon Researcher, everyone fell silent.
The strongest specialty of Harvard Pokémon University was not training, but research. Yet in their greatest strength, their pride had been completely crushed by Ethan.
At only 20 years old, Ethan had already become an Elite-level Pokémon Researcher!
This had already earned him the title of the youngest Elite-level Pokémon Researcher.
Moreover, his field of research was Pokémon evolution.
Becoming an Elite-level Pokémon Researcher by researching evolution meant that Ethan was already among the greatest achievers in that entire field.
It could be said with certainty that it wouldn't be long before he reached the level of Pokémon Professor.
Pokémon Professor!
Even Harvard Pokémon University had produced only a few.
And Ethan had not even graduated yet, but he was already close to reaching that achievement!
Amid the tense atmosphere throughout the entire stadium, the battle began.
"Do I start first? Then come out, Charizard."
Facing Johnson, who specialized in Grass-type Pokémon, Ethan sent out Charizard without hesitation.
"As expected... Charizard. Then my Pokémon will be this one. Go, Venusaur!"
With the opening of the Poké Ball, Venusaur appeared on the field.
In the very first battle of the match, both trainers released first-generation starter Pokémon!
(End of Chapter)