"I lost..."
Reluctantly gazing at the exhausted Bellibolt, whose eyes were spinning in circles, Iono quickly acknowledged her defeat.
Then, the moment she recalled Bellibolt into its Poké Ball, she switched to a delighted expression and quickly approached Aiden in a few steps.
"That was an amazing battle! As expected, Junior is as strong as everyone says! No wonder you're the genius who can even defeat that cold-blooded interviewer Sister Rika!"
"Thank you for the match, Senior Iono."
Aiden gave a slight nod, showing a pleased smile, and leaned down to whisper quietly in her ear:
"I also have to thank Senior Iono for holding back. If Bellibolt had used Terastallization, perhaps the outcome would have been reversed."
To Aiden, this was merely a polite remark.
After all, they were all Paldea workers who often crossed paths, orbiting around President Rose's star, which never stopped moving; maintaining good relations with each other could only be beneficial.
However, to Iono, these words were somewhat thought-provoking.
"Hah, haha..."
Iono let out an uncertain laugh, and her lips couldn't help but twitch.
Was it that she didn't want to use Terastallization?
It was just that the pace of the entire battle was so fast that she didn't have time to use the Tera Orb!
As an Electric-type Gym Leader, she always carried a Tera Orb.
But unless she used Terastallization right from the start, using it later wouldn't make much sense.
Because she simply couldn't hit Riolu; throughout the whole fight, she was being led by Aiden's side...
Every offensive move initiated by Bellibolt was met with powerful counterattacks. Attempting to use Rest to regroup was instantly countered by a well-planned Low Kick.
Is this junior really a newcomer?
Just like everyone else, Iono couldn't help but think.
Although she was also a half-newcomer who had only recently taken over the Gym Leader position, she had been groomed since childhood as the heir to the gym leader.
She considered herself a professional, yet there was such a huge gap between her and her peers?
Sometimes, one must admit...
Geniuses do exist.
And now, the closest one seemed to be standing right in front of her.
Of course, besides realizing this, this battle indeed provided her with some insights.
At least through the recent battle, Iono had realized that her Bellibolt still had some weaknesses that needed addressing.
For example...
When facing opponents with a significant speed advantage, should she use Electroweb, which has a larger range and better slowing effect, instead of Thunder Wave?
Driven by curiosity, Iono immediately asked Aiden this question.
After pondering for a moment, Aiden answered:
"I remember that Bellibolt can learn the move Soak, right?"
Soak involves drenching the opponent with a large amount of special water, temporarily turning the hit Pokémon into a Water-type.
Aiden actually found this ability of Bellibolt quite strong; getting hit charges it up, making its subsequent Electric-type moves extremely terrifying.
Besides, Bellibolt is a frog Pokémon after all; it wouldn't make sense if it didn't learn some Water-type moves.
"If you are aiming for change, why not go all the way? Use Soak or Rain Dance to enhance the capture effect of Electroweb. How about that?"
"After all, with Bellibolt's solid build, it's unlikely to be one-hit KO'd."
Upon hearing this, Iono's eyes lit up.
And the two moves recommended by Aiden were both aimed at achieving the same effect—
Maximizing the power and coverage of Electric-type moves using the principle that water conducts electricity.
Whether Bellibolt gets hit or not, as long as the opponent is wet, it will be very hard to avoid an Electric attack.
If paired with Terastallization Electric...
The power would absolutely be terrifying!
"Indeed, you truly live up to your reputation, Junior~"
Iono was happy, but the other Paldea students in the live stream couldn't laugh.
[WTF bro you're making us catch strays! If you teach Iono's Bellibolt Soak, then my Krookodile's training would have been for nothing!]
[Oh wow, there are people who voluntarily increase the difficulty for Gym Leaders. I have to give Sunlight Gym a bad review now!]
[How can someone be so wicked?]
In response, Aiden calmly smiled, indicating he was completely blameless.
Gym Leaders on the Victory Road never use their full strength; they dynamically adjust their teams based on the challenger's abilities.
After all, the Victory Road selects champions, primarily evaluating the trainers rather than their Pokémon.
If they still couldn't win under such conditions where the Gym leader was holding back a literal sea, shouldn't they first reflect on their own issues and consider whether they haven't worked hard enough?
A year later, every time this batch of elite students, filled with lofty ambitions and aiming for the championship, stood before the Sunlight Gym, they would recall the figure that single-handedly drove the entire league to escalate the requirements to the extreme.
Bitter memories flooded their minds, and without fail, they would simultaneously pull out their phones.
Then, gritting their teeth, they would open the League app and angrily click a poor review for this gym, which may either leave an indelible mark in history or become infamous for generations.
Teacher Azure, you've done too many bad things!
…
After seeing Iono off, the Sunlight Gym finally enjoyed a brief moment of peace.
Only after watching the overly enthusiastic girl, who lacked boundaries, disappear did Miraidon finally muster the courage to step towards the gym door.
Then, it returned to its loyal... cat bed?
Because Miraidon had a habit of sunbathing, Aiden soon kindly laid out an extra-large cat pad on the side of the gym.
Hmm, Koraidon is an affectionate big dog, and Miraidon is a cool cat.
This makes perfect sense.
"Gao..."
Miraidon lazily raised its head and looked in a certain direction.
Although it always felt a bit improper lying here, in the face of warmth and comfort, it decisively chose to abandon its dignity.
Such leisurely days seemed to only exist when it first appeared in front of those humans.
However, those beautiful memories didn't last long.
Miraidon didn't know how it suddenly appeared in that facility, but it was true that the pair of doctor spouses accidentally saved its life.
So even though they obviously had other purposes, Miraidon was willing to temporarily stay by their side and do what it could.
For example, subduing those strange-looking creatures they summoned later.
Such days continued until the very last day.
When that cruel person crossed time and space, reappearing before it with a sinister grin...
Miraidon shook its head and immediately stopped reminiscing.
Let the past be the past; there's no way it could return to that cursed place anyway.
This little guy seems to have no idea what kind of existence it truly is, and it doesn't even seem to regard itself as a "Pokémon" in human terms...
But that's fine; after losing almost all its power, it seems battles are no longer its responsibility.
Enjoying the warm sunbath, Miraidon lay in the cat bed, thinking this way.
Just as it was about to fall asleep, a familiar voice suddenly rang in its ears.
"Hey, Miraidon, looks like you're doing pretty well here."
The child of that couple appeared in front of it, smiling and waving to greet it.
"Gao..."
After giving a perfunctory greeting, Miraidon immediately turned its head away.
Sure enough, I can't protect anything...
But it doesn't matter anymore.
As long as I openly admit that I'm useless, I won't get hurt again.
—
A/N: Here, I made some adjustments:
According to the Scarlet and Violet storyline, Arven should feel somewhat resentful towards Miraidon at this point because he feels it took his parents away from him (the reasons are complex). This seems to be the real reason he initially found an excuse to pass the ball to the protagonist...
But writing it this way doesn't feel right, so I slightly adjusted the setting. I still hope the Pokémon world can be more beautiful and harmonious~
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