Elite Four Li Yao: How on Earth Did Ethan Think of This Counter?!**
The moment Entei appeared, the entire stadium fell into stunned silence.
On the battlefield, Guan Yi slowly exhaled and chuckled.
"Well now, nephew… you really know how to surprise people."
Ethan smiled calmly.
"Uncle Guan, you flatter me."
"Becoming partners with him was just luck."
"But for this assessment, I won't be holding back just because it's you."
Guan Yi burst out laughing.
"Good! I like that confidence."
"In that case—let the assessment begin!"
The referee's flag dropped.
"Professional Four-Star Trainer Assessment—Begin!"
First Match
"Entei—Fire Blast!"
At Ethan's command, the youthful Entei let out a deep roar.
Its mane whipped violently in the air.
Humm—!
A massive fireball, as thick as a water barrel, rapidly condensed in Entei's mouth.
The smile on Guan Yi's face vanished instantly.
He could clearly sense the terrifying concentration of Fire-type energy within that attack.
"Venusaur—Protect, now!"
Venusaur immediately gathered its energy, forming a defensive barrier around itself.
But—
"Entei!!"
With a thunderous roar, the fireball exploded outward.
A gigantic flaming kanji erupted forward at blistering speed.
Venusaur's shield—only a third complete—was swallowed whole.
"Venu—ROAR!!"
A painful cry echoed as Venusaur was engulfed in the inferno.
Guan Yi stood frozen.
Less than a second.
A move like Fire Blast—normally requiring noticeable charge time—had been completed almost instantly.
That was absurd.
But in truth, it wasn't.
Over the past month and a half, Entei had consumed enormous amounts of high-quality Fire-type resources.
Between Ning Yunmei's tailored meals and the Fire-type opportunities Ethan obtained on Sea Cliff Island, most of them had gone straight into Entei.
With no side effects.
And as the legendary Fire Emperor, Entei's natural control over fire was already monstrous.
This was simply its normal performance.
When the flames dissipated, Venusaur lay scorched and motionless.
One hit.
Defeated.
The stadium erupted.
"What the hell—Venusaur just went down like that?!"
"This Entei is insane!"
Even Guan Yi stared at the fallen Pokémon in disbelief.
Venusaur wasn't even close to his main ace—but its stamina was exceptional.
Yet it hadn't survived a single blow.
"That attack power…" Guan Yi muttered.
He recalled Venusaur and handed it to staff for immediate treatment.
"Well then," he said with a grin,
"Looks like I need to get serious."
Second Match
"Go—Cacturne!**"
A two-meter-tall, humanoid cactus Pokémon bristling with spikes appeared on the field.
"Cacturne… Overlord-tier, early stage," Ethan noted quietly.
"Cacturne—Sucker Punch, then Stomping Tantrum!"
Cacturne vanished in a flash.
The next instant, it reappeared directly above Entei, Ground-type energy surging around its leg as it kicked downward like green lightning.
Spectators immediately started analyzing.
"That's Guan Yi's famous Cacturne!"
"It's way faster than normal ones—nearly double the speed!"
"Entei might be in trouble!"
To the audience, it looked like Entei had been caught off guard.
But just as Cacturne's kick was about to land—
Ethan's lips curled upward.
"Entei—Sacred Fire. Now."
Entei's eyes gleamed.
Instead of panic, excitement flashed across its face.
It was as if the opponent had leapt straight into its jaws.
"EN—TEI!!"
Golden-red flames erupted from Entei's body.
Not ordinary fire—
but Sacred Fire, the divine flame bestowed upon Entei's kind by Ho-Oh itself.
This fire could not extend more than three meters from Entei's body.
Its strength lay in close combat.
And Guan Yi had delivered Cacturne right into that range.
Entei surged forward.
Cacturne—powerful though it was—was notoriously fragile.
Head-on collision.
Sacred Fire.
The result was instant.
Cacturne was blasted away like a snapped kite, crashing into the ground and losing consciousness on the spot.
The stadium went silent.
Moments ago, spectators were confident in Cacturne's advantage.
Now?
Another one-shot.
"…Again?" Guan Yi exhaled, half laughing.
"I really am getting my face slapped today."
Despite his words, his smile only grew wider.
This assessment had one purpose—to gauge Ethan's true level.
And Entei alone had already exceeded expectations.
Calm under pressure.
Perfect timing.
Absolute trust between trainer and Pokémon.
This wasn't a borrowed team.
These Pokémon were unquestionably trained by Ethan himself.
Still—
Two Pokémon down.
As a Five-Star Trainer and national-level Gym Leader, Guan Yi wasn't about to end things there.
Third Match
"Old partner… looks like it's your turn."
With a sharp motion, Guan Yi threw his next Poké Ball.
A large green wyvern with broad wings took to the air.
"Is that—Tropius?!"
One of Guan Yi's six core Pokémon.
Overlord-tier, mid stage.
"Sunny Day!"
"Then—Hurricane!"
Tropius roared as sunlight flooded the stadium.
Green light flared across its body.
"Leaf Guard? No… Chlorophyll," Ethan muttered, frowning.
Under sunlight, Tropius's speed surged.
A violent hurricane formed, sweeping across the entire battlefield.
If not for the barrier, spectators would've been blown over.
Inside the storm, Entei struggled.
Too much wind.
Too little oxygen.
The Sacred Fire around its body sputtered… and went out.
"This won't work," Ethan realized instantly.
"We can't stay in the eye of the storm."
"Entei—move with the wind. Extreme Speed!"
Entei obeyed without hesitation.
The battlefield turned surreal.
Above—Tropius controlled the hurricane.
Below—Entei sprinted along the spiraling airflow.
And as Ethan watched the wind currents, his eyes suddenly lit up.
"The oxygen didn't disappear," he thought.
"It was carried upward by the storm."
Then—
"Entei!" Ethan shouted.
"Release all your Fire-type energy into the wind!"
"Maximum output—Flamethrower!!"
The command stunned everyone.
Even Guan Yi froze.
But Entei trusted Ethan completely.
"EN—TEI!!"
Fire exploded from Entei's body.
The flames were instantly seized by the hurricane and hurled skyward.
In the next second—
The hurricane turned into a firestorm.
"Holy—!"
"He's using Tropius's own wind to burn it?!"
The crowd erupted as realization dawned.
Tropius never had time to react.
Engulfed by fire from every direction, it screeched once before plummeting from the sky.
Defeated.
Entei skidded to a halt on the battlefield, panting heavily.
Three Pokémon.
All defeated.
The VIP box.
Li Yao shot to his feet, staring at the scene in disbelief.
"Tropius… lost?"
"Using the opponent's Hurricane as a weapon…"
He clenched his fists, eyes burning with shock.
"Just how did Ethan come up with a counter like that?!"
To read advanced Chapters, head over to p@treon:
patreon.com/kakashiTL