Under Wille's arrangements, the group immediately found an empty battleground, and even had a professional referee to preside over the judgment, creating a full atmosphere.
Seeing that someone was about to battle, many people in the club gathered around.
Because Adrian was a new face, everyone was quite curious!
And when they learned it was a 'Double Battle,' which was relatively rare in the Johto region, everyone became even more interested and discussed animatedly.
Many people had just seen that Adrian was brought in by Wille and quickly went to inquire for information, but Wille just smiled and said nothing.
Because he didn't know much about Adrian either!
However, this scene, in the eyes of others, seemed somewhat profound, and so the number of spectators grew.
"Both contestants, please take your positions!"
The referee held up small flags with both hands, signaling the two sides to choose their participating pokémon.
Because Double Battles have no distinction of first or second move, both sides must first determine their pokémon.
Otherwise, if one side releases their pokémon first and the other then adjusts their participating pokémon accordingly, it would be unfair.
Seeing Shu on the opposite side take out two poké balls, Adrian also threw out a poké ball: "Go, Gyarados!"
Accompanied by an earth-shattering roar, the massive Gyarados appeared on the field, exuding immense pressure.
"What a fierce Gyarados!"
"The size of this Gyarados is a bit excessive. Compared to it, my Gyarados is just a tiny tot."
"That kid seems to have something going for him; no wonder he's with Wille."
Everyone was full of admiration and envy for Gyarados, and at the same time, their curiosity about Adrian was greatly heightened.
"Pi Pichu"
However, when Pichu entered the field, everyone was stunned, and many almost burst out laughing.
They had always thought this Pichu was Adrian's pet pokémon; they didn't expect it could also battle?
This kind of pokémon would probably cry for a long time after one punch, right?
At least evolve once before coming!!!
"Good luck!"
Seeing Gyarados, Shu smiled and directly released two pokémon.
On her left was a pokémon resembling a bulldog, predominantly light purple with black stripes on its wrists and neck, and heavy, large canine teeth on its lower jaw.
On her right was a pokémon that looked like a sheep but stood on two legs, with yellow skin, a red sphere on its tail and forehead, and yellow and black patterns on its neck, ears, and part of its tail.
"The Fairy-type Granbull! The Electric-type Ampharos!"
Adrian's eyes narrowed slightly as he commented, "Full of Johto flavor!"
As expected of a contestant who reached the top forty-eight in the Silver Conference, Shu's pokémon might not be incredibly strong, but they were certainly not weak, as they were all in their final evolutionary forms.
Especially that Granbull, which bared its teeth and snarled with a ferocious expression as soon as it appeared.
Immediately after, Pichu and Gyarados seemed to be intimidated, their expressions subtly changed, and their bodies involuntarily retreated half a step.
Before the battle even began, Adrian's side had already lost in terms of aura!
"Intimidate Ability? How troublesome!"
Adrian's expression darkened.
The Intimidate Ability can intimidate opponents when the pokémon appears, lowering the opponent's Attack stat, which can seize a certain initiative.
Especially for a physical attacker like Gyarados, the negative impact is significant.
However, Adrian was not flustered, because his choice of the Double Battle mode already had his considerations.
Both Gyarados and Pichu have obvious weaknesses and disadvantages.
The Water/Flying dual-type Gyarados has a four-times weakness; although this is a symbol of strength, it cannot be denied that it is a serious flaw.
Whenever it faces an opponent skilled in Electric-type moves, Gyarados must be careful.
As for Pichu, its advantage is its agility, but its weakness is its weak output and poor defensive durability; currently, it can only play a supporting role.
The last battle against Flint's Onix and Golem was actually a matter of information asymmetry, playing to their strengths and avoiding their weaknesses, which allowed them to win by exploiting the opponent's four-times weakness.
But if Gyarados and Pichu cooperate, with one as the main attacker and the other as the main supporter, then the situation changes.
With Pichu's 'Lightning Rod' Ability, Gyarados's four-times weakness is essentially gone.
And Pichu also has a shield, so it doesn't have to worry about its small body being beaten up; it just needs to focus on support.
However, just in case, Adrian communicated with the Fishing Space and decided to add some points.
After all, in pokémon battles, it's always better to win if possible.
First, Rain Dance was taught twice, advancing to the proficient level.
Next, Dragon Dance was taught six times, directly skyrocketing to the master level.
Then, Dragon Tail and Outrage were each taught twice, both advancing to the proficient level.
Finally, the Substitute move was taught only once, but it gave Gyarados a higher margin for error.
"Roar~"
In a flash, Gyarados's strength soared by a large margin, a veritable transformation.
Of course, others couldn't see Gyarados's changes.
In their eyes, after Adrian's Gyarados appeared, it only roared a few times towards the sky, its roar shaking the heavens, and its eyes burned with fighting spirit, fitting the stereotype of Gyarados as a 'mindless battle maniac.'
Only Gyarados turned back to look at Adrian, its eyes filled with resentment.
Trainer!!!
You had so many good things, why didn't you take them out earlier?
You made me get beaten up by Feraligatr!
"Battle start!"
Just then, the referee gave the command, announcing the start of the battle.
Left with no choice, Gyarados could only bury its dissatisfaction in its heart.
"Granbull..."
Shu waved her hand, ready to launch an offensive.
But just then, a dazzling light suddenly burst from Pichu's body, causing everyone present to temporarily lose their vision.
Immediately after, Gyarados's deafening roar came from the field, making people's eardrums ache.
Shu was indeed a trainer who had participated in regional tournaments, with rich battle experience; although her offensive rhythm was suddenly disrupted, she immediately had a countermeasure.
She closed her eyes and shouted, "Granbull, Snarl! Ampharos, Magnetic Flux!"
"Awooo!"
Although Granbull lost its vision, it didn't prevent it from roaring loudly with its eyes closed, its booming voice echoing continuously throughout the venue.
After being affected by the sound wave energy, a faint shadow immediately appeared on both Gyarados and Pichu.
Their Special Attack stats were lowered!
At the same time, invisible electromagnetic fields shot out from Ampharos, enveloping the entire field.
Although it also had its eyes closed, the magnetic field acted as its second pair of eyes, allowing it to clearly perceive the movements of all pokémon on the field.
Not only that, but when the magnetic field was set up, two shimmering lights appeared on Ampharos.
Magnetic Flux: An Electric-type move. By manipulating the magnetic field, pokémon with the Plus or Minus Ability have their Defense and Special Defense raised.
Clearly, this Ampharos's Ability was 'Plus.'
So Magnetic Flux not only provided it with perception but also boosted its defenses, achieving multiple benefits.
In the initial skirmish, the seasoned trainer Shu gained a complete advantage, not only lowering the opponent's Special Attack but also raising Ampharos's defenses, earning nods of approval from many people present.
Drip! Drop! Drip!
However, as a few raindrops fell, everyone finally noticed something was wrong.
By the time their vision returned, they realized that a dark cloud had appeared above the battleground inside the venue at some point.
It was raining