"Ding! Charizard defeated Alakazam, gained 695 EXP. Level increased—current level: Lv.45!"
"Ding! Current status of Charizard:"
Pokémon: Charizard
Divinity: None
Level: 45
Ability: Blaze
Type: Fire / Flying
Potential: Gold
Bond Evolution: Locked
Mega Evolution: Locked
Moves: Dragon Claw, Dragon Breath, Dragon Tail, Flamethrower, Fire Blast, Steel Wing, Dragon Rage…
Affinity: 200
Experience: Met in the scientist town. A Charmander personally chosen by Professor Oak, inheriting excellent Dragon-type talent. After final evolution, it gained even greater power.
Hobbies: Loves battling and flying.
At this point, after Charizard defeated Alakazam, all five of Aiden's original starter Pokémon had already taken the field—and each had delivered outstanding performances.
Seeing her Alakazam fall so easily, Ao could hardly believe it. She stared at Aiden in disbelief.
"You… how could you know where my Alakazam would appear? That was just luck, right?"
"Heh."
Hearing her question, Aiden replied with a faintly teasing smile.
"Did you really think you're the only Psychic here?"
The moment those words left his mouth, Ao froze completely.
She was a Psychic—someone who had always admired Sabrina, the Gym Leader of Goldenrod City known as the Queen of Psychic-type Trainers, and regarded her as her role model.
Throughout her battles, whenever she encountered a difficult opponent, she would use her psychic powers to support her Psychic-type Pokémon, and it had never failed her.
But today, she had run into another Psychic.
And the most terrifying part was that she hadn't sensed anything unusual from Aiden at all.
If that was true, then it could only mean one thing—
Aiden's level as a Psychic was far beyond hers.
"Impossible! If you were really a Psychic, how could I not sense anything at all?!"
Grinding her teeth, unwilling to accept reality, Ao immediately threw out her second Poké Ball.
"Go, Gardevoir!"
Ao's Gardevoir was already level 50, with impressive strength. In response, Aiden calmly released his own Gardevoir.
This one was the elder sister.
Compared to her younger counterpart, her total psychic power was greater, while the younger one excelled more in the raw power of techniques.
Honestly, if Ao hadn't run into Aiden, with her strength and her level as a Psychic, she might have been able to break into the Top 16.
But unfortunately, she had encountered the worst possible opponent.
And she had even tried to show off in front of him.
"Whoa! This just got interesting! Both Trainers have sent out Gardevoir! We still don't know how Aiden managed to predict Alakazam's Teleport earlier, but it's clear that his strength is still overwhelming!"
Ignoring the commentator's excitement, Aiden gave his command calmly.
"Gardevoir, Psychic."
Ao refused to back down.
"Gardevoir, we'll use Psychic too!"
As the two Gardevoirs locked eyes, two massive waves of psychic power erupted in midair.
To ordinary spectators, nothing seemed to happen—they couldn't see psychic power, nor could they tell who had the upper hand.
In the next instant, Ao's Gardevoir realized how terrifying its opponent was.
Without hesitation, Ao poured all of her psychic power into supporting her Gardevoir.
Even so, the combined strength of Ao and her Gardevoir was still no match for Aiden's Gardevoir.
After a brief stalemate, Ao's Gardevoir was blasted away, crashing heavily into the ground.
Clutching her head, she let out a pained cry.
In this clash of psychic powers, Ao and her Gardevoir had been completely crushed by Aiden's Gardevoir.
And this was with Aiden still holding back.
If he had truly unleashed his power, the girl and her Pokémon might have ended up mentally shattered.
Since Gardevoir had taken the brunt of the damage, Ao—who had also used psychic power to support her—was affected as well.
For a moment, Trainer and Pokémon collapsed at the same time, leaving the audience utterly confused.
Fortunately, most of the damage had been absorbed by Gardevoir, so Ao herself wasn't seriously injured.
"Gardevoir has lost the ability to battle! Gardevoir wins! Contestant Ao, please send out your next Pokémon!"
"Ding! Gardevoir defeated Gardevoir, gained 750 EXP. Level increased—current level: Lv.58!"
After losing another Pokémon, Ao finally understood something.
Aiden was far stronger than she had imagined—far beyond what she could possibly challenge.
But even so, she refused to surrender.
Enduring the pain in her mind, she released her final Pokémon.
"Please… I'm counting on you, Mr. Mime!"
"Ding! Current status of Mr. Mime:"
Pokémon: Mr. Mime
Level: 48
Ability: Soundproof
Type: Psychic / Fairy
Potential: Purple
Mega Evolution: Locked
Moves: Psybeam, Safeguard, Dazzling Gleam, Reflect, Psychic…
"Mr. Mime, huh? Then this battle is yours—Donphan."
As Aiden switched Pokémon once again, a Donphan unlike any ordinary one appeared on the field.
"Don—!"
With a powerful roar, the shiny Donphan fixed its gaze on Mr. Mime.
"Now, Ao has only one Pokémon left—Mr. Mime! Meanwhile, Aiden still has three Pokémon that haven't even lost the ability to battle!"
"And up until now, every Pokémon Aiden has used has been different! This really makes people look forward to his future matches!"
Hearing the commentator's words, Phoebe of the Elite Four curled her lips slightly.
"This kid is really charging forward with unstoppable momentum. Looks like Hoenn's Champion might change again this time. If Steven and Wallace are both willing to become Elite Four members, then wouldn't I be pushed out of my position?"
Thinking of that possibility, Phoebe couldn't help feeling a bit troubled.
After all, the authority and privileges of Champions and Elite Four members within the Pokémon League were enormous.
If she lost her position, life would definitely become much harder.
…
"Donphan, use Rollout!"
"Mr. Mime, use Light Screen!"
Pure defense was useless.
Facing Donphan's terrifying charge, the Light Screen shattered instantly.
Along with it, Mr. Mime was sent flying across the battlefield.
…
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