"Won…?!"
"This is probably the fastest time the Top Champion has ever lost!"
After watching this fastest battle from start to finish, Rika now had a baseline understanding of Hikaru's strength!
It was just… how should she put it?
So shocking she couldn't even begin to process it!
This guy… he might actually be close to Champion level!
Well, he was the final boss of a challenge facility, so having strength at that tier did make sense.
But still… it was unbelievable.
Although Glimmora often appeared in the Top Champion's assessments, like in various campus activities, Top Champion Geeta didn't only have one Glimmora.
As for today's match, besides the opening surprise, and not expecting the opponent's move power to be that outrageous…
Forget it, Rika thought.
Maybe Geeta's tactic was wrong from the beginning. She shouldn't have sent out Glimmora at all!
If she'd sent out Dragapult, it definitely wouldn't have looked like this!
And that sword… it made her so excited her whole body was trembling. What was this feeling?!
Rika's expression became downright delighted.
Like she'd seen an incredibly interesting toy, but also with a trace of longing.
"This guy really has a Legendary Pokémon! That's his ace!"
That golden stance, that unique form, wasn't that enough to be called a legend?
Paldea really was on the upswing now, recruiting someone this strong to moonlight as an Elite Four member!
Though if you put him as the first assessment opponent…
The students' pass rate would probably drop to literal zero!
Of course, there was also one very important issue.
Looking at the broken windmill, Rika felt her scalp go numb, and that joy and excitement started draining away.
S-she had to get someone to fix it quickly! At least finish repairs before Brassius wrapped up his work!
She hurriedly called and sent the message to the construction crew she'd contacted earlier. They immediately said it was no problem. Fixing a windmill was nothing.
"Whew. Good thing that last move was fired upward. Otherwise, there's no way this windmill would've survived."
"By the way, what move was that?"
"Steel Beam." Geeta answered Rika's question. "It's called the strongest Steel-type finisher. Up to now, it's been difficult to document, and the learning threshold is extremely high. I once witnessed it in faraway Galar."
"I never expected I'd have the chance to see it again."
"And the power of that Steel Beam was far beyond the one I saw back then."
Rika's eyes widened. "The strongest Steel-type finisher… Steel has a move like that?"
Watching Aegislash's King's Stance fade away, she couldn't help thinking.
Looks like I really need to carve out time to train.
How do you even beat that Aegislash? Right now, she couldn't see a path at all.
Maybe start by challenging weaker Steel-type Pokémon first?
Haa… then she really won't have enough time…! And there's work too. She suddenly didn't want to do it anymore.
"Battling… hehe…"
The momentum of a new target wrapped around her soul, and all those old feelings of insecurity vanished like smoke.
Hikaru floated over with Aegislash. "Looks like my battle satisfied you, Top Champion."
"It satisfied me tremendously." Geeta didn't hold back her praise. "This is the first time I've ever lost so miserably."
Hikaru waved it off, also letting out a quiet sigh of relief. "As long as you think it's fine."
"Originally, I didn't want to use Steel Beam. That move harms your own stamina too. For Steel-types, it's a double-edged sword. But I figured, since this was a Steel-type test, if I ended it with a Rock-type move or something… that wouldn't feel right."
"Normally, this is also one of my trump cards."
"A Rock-type move? Could it be this Aegislash…" Geeta's gaze sharpened, then she sighed.
"I see. So there was a possibility of defeating me with even less, without consuming stamina."
"Your earlier suggestion really was correct. I shouldn't have let Glimmora take the field. I underestimated you."
"But you've also made me feel battle intent again, for the first time in ages. Maybe I've stayed in Paldea too long. I've actually become this dull to battling. That's not good."
"…"
"From now on, perhaps I need to intensify my training too. I need to regain that old battle sensitivity. Thank you for your guidance."
Paldea's folkways were simple and honest. This wasn't sarcasm. They truly were simple and honest.
So in a place with fewer top-tier experts, Geeta suddenly realized she had, without noticing, become absorbed in League management, Area Zero research, and cultivating the new generation.
For a pure Pokémon Trainer, once you stop being passionate about battling, your strength will inevitably decline.
Even if you keep training, the best training is real combat.
The lack of challenge facilities and peers at the same level meant that if she wanted to train, she could only go into the wild and look for powerful Pokémon. Thankfully, Paldea did not lack strong wild Pokémon. If anything, it was starting to feel like an overabundance.
However, she was the League chairwoman and the Top Champion. Many things didn't require her personal involvement, but that also indirectly caused her to lose some of the "experience" that came from battles.
"All failures are built up day by day. Perhaps, from now on, I need to adjust my workload."
Hikaru's eyes flickered. "Oh. The Top Champion wants to keep getting stronger too?"
Geeta answered matter-of-factly, "Hehe. Of course. Even if I wear many hats, I'm still a Pokémon Trainer."
Hikaru said, "In that case, I actually have a good plan. It's still in the planning stage, though. Once it's ready to be implemented, I'll come find you again."
Geeta looked puzzled. "A plan? A challenge facility, perhaps? Or opening a new Gym?"
Hikaru laughed. "Haha, of course not. I'm not planning to work here long-term."
"But it's something even more convenient, and even more interesting than that."
"Please look forward to it, Geeta-san."
You want me to work for you?
No, no, no. Just like the salary I'm collecting from you now, it matches the overtime you're making me do.
Since Geeta-san wants to regain her battle sensitivity, what could be more convenient than having her guard a tower in Eternal Battle Reverie?
The important part is: it only takes your sleep time, and doesn't interfere with your normal work at all.
And it's not like there's no pay.
Eternal Battle Reverie has rewards too, okay? The premise is that you need "performance." Performance!
In fact, once you pull these powerful Trainers in, you might even unlock an enhanced "human-god melee" mode. Just like in the game, powerful Trainers temporarily team up with Legendary Pokémon, then block challengers.
But wouldn't that be a bit too hard?
And for battle-loving Legendary Pokémon, picking a temporary partner in a dream is basically an "interview" for Trainers. In their long lives, it's rare to have a chance to go all out like that.
Especially Hoenn's two supreme legends. In reality, every time they fight, humans and Rayquaza always force them to stop. Fine. Then go fight in Eternal Battle Reverie. Even if you brawl all the way to the gates of the Hall of Origin, nobody will drag you apart!
"A kingdom in the dream, linking several other dimensions together. Sinjoh's Pokémon Forest as the trade district, the Dream Sky Isle as the residential district, the Entralink as the staging district, the Distortion World as the survival district, and then the Dream-Sky Tower as the challenge district?"
Hikaru only imagined a tiny slice of the other-dimensional kingdom's future.
And suddenly, he felt this idea wasn't bad at all!
Isn't this just a region-wide, ultra-massive challenge facility?
Hikaru had turned into a total riddler, but Geeta didn't get annoyed. She only smiled and nodded.
"How many more surprises can you bring me?" Geeta said softly. "Then I'll go ahead and look forward to it."
Rika waved her hand. "It's definitely going to be something fun. Oh, and bring me along too. I'm your rival, right?"
"You sure?" Hikaru looked at Rika with a strange expression.
This is you volunteering for "overtime," okay? Don't blame me later, Rika-san!
If this really succeeds one day, you'll definitely get to enjoy the best battles.
Hikaru muttered to himself.
(End of Chapter)
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