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The Pokémon Roy chose for the first battle was Blastoise! This choice caught everyone completely off guard.
After the Regional competition, Roy's Pokémon information was no longer a secret. Each of his Pokémon had become quite famous throughout the region. However, Blastoise and Ninetales had always been known as "double battle" specialists, unable to display their full combat potential in singles matches.
Throughout the entire Regional stage, Roy had never sent Blastoise into a singles battle except when facing weak opponents. Even Ninetales had only participated in one singles match, and that was only because Roy wanted to showcase a Z-Move. This pattern had been consistent and predictable.
This unusual choice sparked a bold theory among the spectators.
"Could it be that..." someone whispered in the crowd.
"Has the Water-type Z-Move been successfully developed?" Elon asked in surprise, his voice carrying across the guest seating area.
There was a deeper story behind this choice. Roy's Blastoise, had been adopted from his grandfather, Principal Finn. The Pokémon was actually related to Finn's own Earl Dervish Pokémon, another Blastoise, creating what could be described as an uncle-nephew relationship between the two powerful Water-types.
If Blastoise truly had mastered Water-type Z-Move and managed to defeat Empoleon in this battle, it would be like a nephew avenging his uncle. Finn's Blastoise would undoubtedly learn of the victory and feel proud of its young relative's accomplishment.
"Empoleon, stay alert," Sam warned his partner. He had clearly recognized the possibility of facing a Water-type Z-Move and understood the implications.
Right from the start of the battle, Sam immediately called for an aggressive opening move to prevent his opponent from having any time to set up or charge energy for a devastating Z-Move.
"Flash Cannon!" he commanded sharply.
Empoleon was a Water and Steel dual-type Pokémon, which meant there was no type advantage or disadvantage between it and Blastoise. If anything, both Pokémon possessed exceptional resistance to Water-type attacks due to their shared typing. Having Empoleon use a Steel-type move, which it excelled at, was the most logical tactical choice in this situation.
The moment Empoleon received the command, brilliant metallic light began to glow across its entire body. The energy condensed at the tip of its beak, and a powerful silver-white beam of concentrated energy erupted forth.
Like Blastoise, Empoleon was one of the Water-type starter Pokémon known for its proficiency in energy-based attacks rather than physical combat. The energy intensity of this particular Flash Cannon was truly remarkable, especially considering its incredible penetrating power.
However, something unexpected happened.
Facing the Flash Cannon that possessed enough force to bore a tunnel straight through a mountain, Blastoise simply covered its body with a shimmering golden energy field. Then, with casual confidence, it turned around so that its shell faced the incoming attack directly.
A transparent Light Screen materialized instantly around Blastoise. Its powerful shell began to glow with a brilliant white light as it prepared to meet the Flash Cannon head-on without any apparent concern.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion thundered across the battlefield. The blast of released energy swept across the entire arena, and the smoke and dust kicked up by the impact covered nearly half the venue. The spectators held their breath, waiting to see the result of this dramatic clash.
At the guest table, Sebastian was the first to react to what he was witnessing. His pupils contracted in disbelief.
"How is that possible!" he exclaimed, unable to maintain his composure.
The reason for his shock became clear to everyone as the smoke and dust gradually dispersed and revealed the aftermath of the attack.
There was Blastoise, with its round head, rotund body, and circular shell, smiling cheerfully with what could only be described as a rather dopey but satisfied expression.
But that wasn't the most important detail.
The crucial point was this: Blastoise's shell, which had been used as a shield against the devastating Flash Cannon, remained as smooth as a polished mirror without even the slightest trace of damage or scratches.
"What?" voices rang out from around the arena.
"What just happened?" others called out.
"I couldn't follow what happened, but I'm shocked," came another confused voice.
Chaotic voices and a mix of bewildered emotions erupted from spectators throughout the entire arena. The crowd was struggling to comprehend what they had just witnessed.
Sam and his Empoleon also forgot to continue their attack for a moment, staring in complete bewilderment at Blastoise. An uncontrollable whisper escaped from Sam's lips:
"Professional level?"
Yes, that had to be it. Only a Professional-level Pokémon could block Empoleon's attack with such casual ease. Moreover, it would need to be a Professional-level Pokémon that specialized in defensive capabilities to make such a powerful attack look so effortless.
During the Regional tournament, there had been a famous moment where Blastoise had pushed itself to its absolute limits and successfully resisted Jaxon's Swampert's full-power attack. That display of incredible defensive prowess was still talked about and praised by trainers and spectators alike.
It wouldn't be particularly surprising if this Blastoise had reached Professional level given that impressive performance.
But there was a major problem with this theory.
Why had it reached Professional level so quickly? How long had this Blastoise actually been in its supposed "Accumulation period"?
Sam couldn't accept this possibility, and he wasn't alone. All the trainers who were beginning to grasp the implications of what they were witnessing couldn't accept it either. The timeline simply didn't make sense for such rapid advancement.
Roy, maintaining his typical battle demeanor, would never explain his strategies or techniques to an opponent during combat. He spoke with his usual flat, emotionless tone:
"Water Pulse."
Enjoying the shocked reactions from the audience after making such a dramatic impression, Blastoise let out an excited cry.
"Kame!"
The two Hydro Pump cannons mounted on Blastoise's shell began to spray high-pressure streams of water that converged into a massive, swirling water sphere. The water sphere carried turbulent waves powerful enough to engulf the entire battlefield as it swept toward Empoleon with tremendous force.
Empoleon reacted quickly to the incoming threat. Its wings began to glow with brilliant metallic light as it prepared its counterattack.
Steel Wing was one of Empoleon's signature moves, and it had complete confidence in its ability to break through water-based attacks using this technique. As a Water-type itself, it had natural resistance to such moves and had never struggled against them before.
However, the moment Steel Wing made contact with the water sphere, Empoleon experienced something entirely unexpected. A tremendous surge of water pressure hit it, making it difficult to breathe for an instant.
Not only did Steel Wing fail to break through the opponent's water sphere, but Empoleon found itself struggling just to maintain its position and avoid being swept away by the incredible force.
"Poli!" Empoleon's pride wouldn't allow it to be pushed back, so it gritted its beak and held its ground with determination.
At that exact moment, a huge shadow fell across Empoleon's position.
Ten meters away, Blastoise displayed what could almost be called a friendly expression toward its opponent. However, the massive Hydro Pump cannons on its back were aimed directly at Empoleon with clear intent.
"Get out of the way!" Sam shouted urgently.
The thought "Come on, show me how you'll dodge this" flashed through Empoleon's mind just before it was struck directly on the head by the high-pressure Hydro Pump blast.
The move was executed flawlessly: Hydro Pump.
Empoleon was sent flying by the enormous water pressure, traveling hundreds of meters through the air before finally crashing into the specially reinforced alloy wall at the edge of the arena.
"Poli!" Despite the pain coursing through its entire body, Empoleon stood up with remarkable tenacity.
As a Water-type starter Pokémon, it had truly never experienced being so thoroughly overwhelmed by Water-type moves before. This was a completely new and humbling experience.
Using the water that Blastoise had scattered across the battlefield to its advantage, Empoleon immediately executed Surf. Water surged beneath its feet as it rode the waves, rushing toward Blastoise at high speed while following an irregular, unpredictable path to avoid another direct hit.
As it approached its target, Empoleon prepared its counterattack: Steel Wing!
Empoleon's wings transformed into steel-like blades as it slashed fiercely toward Blastoise's head. This was a calculated strategy.
The shell was obviously too hard to damage effectively, and Blastoise could retract its limbs at any time for protection. The head was the only vulnerable point that Empoleon could target.
If Blastoise retracted its head as well, it would lose its ability to see and coordinate its attacks effectively.
However, Blastoise's round head instantly withdrew into its shell, causing Empoleon's Steel Wing attack to slice through empty air.
"Clever turtle, you think you're so smart!" Empoleon thought with a mixture of frustration and grudging respect.
But Empoleon wasn't finished yet. It demonstrated remarkable agility by turning gracefully in mid-air. Its penguin-like wings weren't just for show—they allowed for brief periods of flight and excellent aerial maneuverability.
Spinning around in the air, Empoleon began to concentrate the power of Focus Energy throughout its body.
The move it was preparing was Aerial Ace!
Empoleon's plan was to land on Blastoise's shell and then use Flash Cannon directly into the opening of the shell where the head had retracted, delivering what should be a decisive blow.
Just at that critical moment, something unexpected happened.
The Hydro Pump cannons on Blastoise's shell suddenly erupted with two massive jets of dark blue water.
The color was unusual—a deep navy blue that caught Empoleon's attention immediately.
Empoleon suddenly sensed that there was some kind of strange power infused within these water columns. Under the influence of this mysterious force, the water streams that had initially been aimed toward the sky—making it appear as though Blastoise had missed its target—suddenly curved in a way that defied physics!
The move was still Hydro Pump, but now it was homing in on Empoleon with deadly accuracy!
BOOM!
The tremendous water pressure engulfed Empoleon once again, sending it flying toward the edge of the arena for the second time.
Empoleon stood up with stubborn determination and realized that the distance between itself and Blastoise had been increased to hundreds of meters. This was typically the ideal range for long-distance attacks and energy-based combat.
However, only someone with water for brains would choose to engage in a ranged battle against this incredibly powerful Blastoise.
Gritting its beak with determination, Empoleon used Surf once more, intending to recreate its previous close-combat approach and find a way to get within striking distance.
But Blastoise had other plans.
Having witnessed that particular combat strategy once, Blastoise wasn't going to provide another opportunity for the same approach.
The dark blue, high-pressure water columns erupted once again!
Empoleon, riding the waves with impressive skill, attempted to show off its flashy surfing abilities to avoid the attack. Despite its best efforts to dodge, it was struck by the curving Hydro Pump yet again and sent flying.
"It can't be avoided!" Sam's eyes widened as he stared at the abnormal behavior of Blastoise's water attacks.
This had to be some form of enhanced water-type energy manipulation. What kind of power had been incorporated into these moves to give them such properties?
The answer lay in a technique that few trainers had ever encountered.
It was the power of Aura.
By integrating Aura power into its water-type moves, the increase in raw power was significant, but that was only a secondary benefit. What made this technique truly terrifying was its special "directional tracking" function.
The homing ability that was characteristic of Aura Sphere had been successfully integrated into water-type moves, effectively increasing Blastoise's accuracy rate to one hundred percent.
Its water-type attacks could only be blocked or endured—they could not be avoided through evasion or dodging.
This was the technique known as Water Aura.