The battlefield of the Sootopolis Gym was less of a field and more of an exquisite water stage.
At its center were several large rock platforms, polished to a mirror-like shine.
Surrounding them was a ring of rippling blue water, crystal clear to the bottom.
Beyond the pool was the spectator area for the apprentices.
The air was thick with damp, fresh moisture, mixed with a faint saltiness, as if a sea breeze had been channeled directly inside.
"Now, let's begin."
Wallace's voice broke the silence. Without any unnecessary words, he gave a light wave of his right hand.
He didn't start by releasing Juan's Pokémon; instead, he used his own main team.
"Milotic, Swampert, show your elegance and power."
Two beams of red light shot out.
A Milotic was the first to appear; its serpentine body was even more slender and beautiful than what was shown in the pokédex.
Its cream-colored body was adorned with blue and pink diamond-shaped spots, and its tail fin was like a large unfolding fan, reflecting a rainbow-like luster under the lights.
It didn't land on the stone platform but instead coiled directly in the pool water in front of Wallace, revealing only its upper body in a noble posture.
Immediately after, with a dull low growl, Swampert slammed heavily onto another stone platform, kicking up a visible shockwave.
Its body was covered in thick blue skin, and orange fin-like organs extended from both sides of its head, radiating a sense of power.
In those small eyes, there was a steadfastness that could not be underestimated.
One was level 48, the other level 49.
Ariel's pokédex scanned the two Pokémon, and his heart sank slightly.
These weren't ordinary Gym battle Pokémon.
Milotic was a high Special Defense wall, while Swampert had balanced defenses; furthermore, its Water and Ground typing only had a single 4x weakness to the grass-type. And in his team, there was no grass-type.
This was a classic stall-and-chip lineup—tanky, hard-hitting, and with incredible sustainability.
"Weavile, Greninja, it's your turn."
Ariel also threw his Poké Balls.
The black and red Weavile landed silently, its crimson eyes locked onto its opponents. Its sharp claws sliced through the air with a faint hiss, radiating a dangerous aura.
Greninja appeared in a standard ninja crouch, its long tongue wrapped around its neck like a scarf. Its gaze was as calm as water, yet hidden within was a sharp edge.
The atmosphere instantly froze.
"The battle begins!" an apprentice announced loudly.
"Milotic, Muddy Water!" Wallace made the first move.
Milotic elegantly raised its head and spat out a stream of murky water. It didn't attack directly but instead exploded in the center of the field, turning into a dense mist that instantly shrouded the entire battlefield, greatly obstructing vision.
Ariel frowned.
Changing the field environment at the start to lower accuracy—this was a classic opening for an attrition battle.
"Swampert, Protect!" Wallace's second command followed immediately.
Swampert crossed its arms, and a green energy shield flickered into existence before it.
This was to guard against a first-strike Sucker Punch or ambush from his high-speed Pokémon.
Wallace's thinking was meticulous, giving no openings.
"Greninja, Double Team! Weavile, rush in and test them!"
Ariel's commands were concise and clear.
Greninja's form blurred as several identical figures scattered, weaving through the mist, making it hard to distinguish the real one.
Weavile pushed off with its limbs, its body almost hugging the ground as it turned into a streak of black lightning, lunging straight for the protected Swampert.
*Thud!*
Weavile's sharp claws struck the Protect shield hard, producing a muffled sound, but it failed to budge it even an inch.
At that moment, the curve of Wallace's lips widened.
"That's it! Swampert, Hammer Arm!"
The moment the Protect effect vanished, Swampert's thick arms glowed with white light. It ignored the Weavile in front of it entirely and instead slammed a fist down onto the stone platform beneath its feet!
*Boom!*
The entire stone platform shook violently, and a powerful shockwave radiated outward with Swampert at its center!
"Not good!" Ariel's heart skipped a beat.
It was an area-of-effect attack!
Weavile bore the brunt of it, sent flying by the force. It tumbled twice in the air before barely landing, letting out a groan of pain.
For Weavile's Dark and Ice typing, a Fighting-type move dealt 4x damage!
Meanwhile, most of Greninja's Double Team clones were shattered by the impact.
"Milotic, Ice Beam, lock onto that Weavile!"
Wallace's offensive was as relentless as a tide.
From within the mist, an icy blue beam shot out with precision, passing through multiple afterimages and heading straight for the just-stabilized Weavile.
"Greninja, cover with Water Shuriken!" Ariel reacted immediately.
The few remaining Greninja clones raised their hands simultaneously, and several star-shaped shurikens made of water whistled out, colliding with the Ice Beam mid-air. They exploded into a cloud of cold vapor, further thickening the mist on the field.
"Gym Leader Wallace is so strong..."
In the spectator area, an apprentice couldn't help but whisper in admiration.
"Yeah, he completely took control of the rhythm from the start. Using Muddy Water to lower accuracy, then using the vibration from Hammer Arm for an AOE strike to force the opponent's positioning, followed by Milotic's precise finishing blow... The coordination is seamless."
Another apprentice analyzed, eyes full of worship.
"That challenger named Ariel isn't weak either; his Pokémon are very fast and his reactions are timely. But... Gym Leader Wallace's tactics are too stable, like an iron wall. There's simply no breakthrough point."
The situation on the field was exactly as they described.
Ariel's Greninja and Weavile were both fragile, high-speed attackers—one a special attacker, the other a physical attacker.
Facing a combination like Milotic and Swampert, which had high HP and defense plus recovery moves, they were fighting a very frustrating battle.
Every attack was either tanked by the opponent's solid defense or avoided with Protect or evasion.
Conversely, every counterattack from the opponent made his heart race.
Swampert's Hammer Arm and Earthquake made Weavile and Greninja hesitant to get close.
Milotic's Muddy Water and Scald not only dealt damage, but Scald also had a chance to inflict the burn status. Once a physical attacker like Weavile was burned and its attack power halved, it would be essentially useless.
"Weavile, Ice Punch!"
"Swampert, block it! Use Rock Tomb!"
Weavile's right fist condensed with frost as it tried to dash forward, but Swampert slammed its hands onto the ground. Several massive rocks rose from the earth, forming a stone wall that perfectly blocked Weavile's path.
"Milotic, Recover."
Taking advantage of the gap, a soft green light washed over Milotic, and the health it had lost from the earlier shurikens was instantly restored.
The corner of Ariel's eye twitched slightly.
Troublesome.
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