To Sham's surprise, the chilling cold wind did not appear. Instead, Slowpoke exhaled nothing more than ordinary air. Its already vacant eyes quickly dimmed as it fell into a deep sleep.
"How can this be?" Sham suddenly realized. "It's Torment..."
The Dark-type move Torment prevents the opponent from using the same move consecutively.
So that was the purpose of the dark veil that Hypno had thrown earlier—it had intentionally waited until after Slowpoke used Icy Wind before activating the move.
"That's right. Hypno foresaw that Slowpoke would continuously use Icy Wind to slow its opponent down, so it preemptively countered it with Torment, creating the perfect opportunity for hypnosis." Vivi smiled and issued her final command. "Hypno, use Dream Eater!"
"Hyp~" Hypno's eyes gleamed with a dark purple glow. A shadow, perfectly mirroring its shape, emerged from its body and lunged at the sleeping Slowpoke.
Slowpoke's once peaceful expression contorted into one of struggle, as though trapped in a horrifying nightmare from which it could not wake. Its complexion quickly became haggard.
On the contrary, Hypno looked revitalized as if it had just consumed a powerful tonic, even recovering from the injuries it had sustained from Icy Wind.
"Come back, Slowpoke." Sharm calmly recalled her Pokémon. Given the current circumstances, Slowpoke had no chance of making a comeback.
"Battle over! Vivi and her Hypno are victorious!" The referee dutifully announced the result.
"Sham, that Slowpoke isn't your strongest Pokémon, is it?" Vivi withdrew Solipai and approached with a friendly smile.
"My Pokémon were injured a few days ago, so they aren't in the best condition for battle right now." Sham's tone remained composed, showing no trace of disappointment.
Lucius, however, knew that wasn't the real reason. She was likely just keeping her trump cards hidden—whether among allies or strangers, she was unwilling to reveal her full strength.
As a member of Team Rocket, a structured battle like this hardly showcased her true power. In a real life-or-death struggle, where deception and ruthless tactics prevailed, that was when one's true strength was revealed.
"Miss Vivi, your Pokémon is very well-trained." Lucius suddenly spoke.
"I used to think so too, but after setting out on my journey, I realized just how small my world had been. The world is far bigger than what I once imagined." Vivi smiled humbly.
From the very beginning, she had taken note of this man. After all, when she had challenged Sham, Sham had first sought his approval.
"Indeed, the world is filled with trainers far stronger than we can imagine." Lucius nodded before asking, "Would you be interested in battling me next?"
Nanli was taken aback upon hearing Lucius' words.
Based on the battle just now, this girl's Pokémon barely reached the Elite level. Why would Archer suddenly want to battle her? Could it be that since Sham lost, Archer wanted to restore her pride?
At this thought, Nanli's gaze toward Sham and Lucius changed immediately…
Vivi Krantz's eyes, however, lit up with excitement. She nodded enthusiastically. "I'd love to!"
"The Pokémon battle between Z and Vivi Krantz, one-on-one, officially begins!"
As one of the most wanted criminals listed by the Pokémon League, Lucius naturally couldn't reveal his real name.
"Go, Magmar!" As the challenger, Lucius was the first to send out his Pokémon.
A flash of white light revealed a 1.5-meter-tall Pokémon with flames blazing on its head and tail, standing firmly in the arena.
"Huh? Why is it suddenly so hot?"
"Yeah, the temperature just spiked..."
Due to its Flame Body ability, merely standing on the battlefield caused wisps of white smoke to rise from where Magmar's feet touched the ground. Even those in the audience could distinctly feel the surrounding temperature rising.
"So strong..." Vivi Krantz's expression grew serious. Just from the sheer presence of this Magmar alone, she could tell it was far stronger than any opponent she had ever faced.
The standard for an Elite Four-level Trainer was to have at least one Pokémon at the King-class and more than five at the Leader-class.
As a pre-Elite Four candidate, Archer possessed six Leader-tier Pokémon. The moment one of them broke through to King-class, he would officially attain Elite Four status.
And this Magmar was actually the weakest of his entire team—it hadn't even evolved into its final form yet.
"In that case, let's go—Dragalge!"
A Pokémon with dark purple skin, its body wrapped in withered seaweed, resembling a seahorse, appeared on the battlefield.
"What kind of Pokémon is that?"
"It doesn't seem to be from Kanto or Johto... Looks really strange."
Many spectators in the audience had never seen a Dragalge before, and several pulled out their Pokédexes to scan it.
"I'm counting on you, Dragalge!" Vivi called out loudly.
"Oowa~!" Dragalge nodded in response to its Trainer.
This Dragalge had been with Vivi since her days back in Kalos, journeying and growing alongside her. It was her strongest and most trusted partner.
Lucius furrowed his brows slightly, a tinge of disappointment flashing in his mind.
It wasn't about Dragalge's strength—it was because he had originally intended to battle a Psychic-type Pokémon. If he could defeat one, he could take the opportunity to infect it with the virus and study how Psychic Pokémon's brains and mental capabilities reacted to the infection.
But his opponent had sent out a Poison/Dragon-type Pokémon instead.
Oh well, there would be plenty of opportunities later.
With that thought, Lucius suddenly realized that this was actually the first time since arriving in this world that he was battling as a Pokémon Trainer.
Haha, since it's already begun, might as well enjoy it. It'll be over soon anyway.
"Use Fire Punch." Lucius commanded.
Magmar's right fist instantly ignited, forming what seemed to be a massive fireball in its hand. Even before striking, the overwhelming heat surged across the battlefield.
Dragalge's expression changed—it hadn't even been attacked yet, and it already felt an insurmountable pressure from its opponent.
"Stay strong, Dragalge! Use Aqua Tail!" Vivi shouted.
As a Trainer, it was crucial to immediately redirect a Pokémon's hesitation or fear, preventing negative emotions from affecting its performance.
Dragalge steadied itself, determination flickering in its eyes. It swung its long tail, sending a meter-wide stream of water crashing toward Magmar.
Boom!
The surging water struck Magmar head-on, but the flames surrounding its body evaporated the water instantly, filling the battlefield with thick steam.
At the Leader-class, many Pokémon techniques exhibited additional effects, as did their abilities.
Magmar's Flame Body had already evolved to the point where it acted as a burning armor, shielding it from enemy attacks.
"Not bad," Lucius praised.
This Dragalge, both in terms of size and skill execution, was quite decent. Given time, it had the potential to reach the Leader-tier.
But for now, against Magmar, the gap was simply too vast. That Aqua Tail attack? At best, it was like giving Magmar a cool-down bath.
"Leader-tier…?" Vivi stared at the completely unscathed Magmar, a trace of shock flickering in her eyes.
She had expected this man to be strong—but for him to send out a Leader-class Pokémon right away? That was beyond anything she had anticipated.
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