As an exhibition match, the goal was to "perform," making the outco secondary. In fact, the line between winning and losing was intentionally blurred.
Still, perhaps by design, each participant used powerful moves with impressive visual appeal, especially Wallace. Although he was the Sootopolis Gym Leader, he was also trained by Adam the Coordinator, and thus his Pokémon moves had a stylish flair.
But to reduce Wallace to just a "trainer of beauty" would be an understatent. Wallace's battling skills were formidable.
After Steven stepped down from the Hoenn Championship title, it was Wallace who took his place!
Wallace held titles as the Sootopolis Gym Leader, Hoenn League Champion, and a Contest Master, showcasing his impressive abilities.
He and Steven were also very close friends.
In the first round, Steven's Aggron suffered a tough loss to Wallace's Swampert due to the type disadvantage. However, Steven's Skarmory was able to turn the tables with a "Substitute-Toxic" and "Iron Defense Dive" strategy, knocking out both Swampert and Walrein.
Skarmory even managed to set up a Stealth Rock trap that left Wallace's Milotic vulnerable when it entered the field.
When Steven's Shiny tagross finally squared off against Milotic, it secured a clear victory.
Steven's edge over Wallace was undeniable. But Skarmory's tactics captured everyone's attention, reminding many of Johan's battle against Lance, indirectly adding to Johan's growing popularity.
After the match, both Steven and Wallace received thunderous applause from the audience, and they shook hands at the center of the arena, stepping offstage amidst the cheers.
The next match was Lance versus Lorelei.
Now, that was going to be an interesting face-off.
If Steven and Wallace's battle was a friendly spar between pals, Lance and Lorelei's was more... complicated.
To put it simply—
Lance: "Old lady, hello Auntie."
Lorelei: "Oh, look, the 'Dragon Master' using Flying-type Pokémon."
For so reason, Lance, normally calm and composed, turned into a bit of a brat around Lorelei. It was like those mischievous boys in school who pull a girl's braids just to annoy her.
As for Lorelei, the "Ice Queen," even she seed a little rattled when dealing with Lance.
"Professor Johan."
Just as the match between Lance and Lorelei was getting underway, Steven and Wallace returned.
"This is the friend I wanted to introduce you to, Professor—Wallace, the Sootopolis Gym Leader," Steven said.
Johan had to break out of "spectator mode" for a mont and gave Wallace a warm handshake.
"I've heard much about you—the 'Artist of Water,' Gym Leader Wallace of Sootopolis," Johan said.
Wallace smiled, a warm and welcoming expression on his face. "Professor Johan, the tactics you taught Steven... well, he really beat up with them."
Despite the words, Wallace didn't seem the least bit angry or disheartened.
"Actually," he continued, "Steven has ntioned you to more than once. I've been hoping to consult with you but could never find the ti with Gym responsibilities..."
"Oh?"
Johan initially thought this was just a bit of polite chit-chat.
To his surprise, Wallace actually reached for a Poké Ball.
"Would you mind taking a look at one of my Pokémon?" he asked.
Johan glanced around; the room was spacious enough, so he nodded. "Sure."
With a smile, Wallace released his Pokémon, cautioning, "It might be a bit rowdy... maybe even aggressive."
As the red light dimd, a sharp, brutal-looking Pokémon covered in rough blue skin appeared in the room.
Sharpedo!
Sharpedo, the Water/Dark-type "Brutal Pokémon," was known for its violent nature and cunning. It was said that its teeth could bite through steel plates.
However, it also had a humorous nickna as the "Water-type that can't swim."
Seeing Sharpedo, Johan's brow furrowed.
This Sharpedo... it had an unusual number of scars.
True to Wallace's warning, the mont Sharpedo materialized, it appeared highly agitated. Its red eyes darted around, locking onto Johan with a fierce gleam.
"Rrrrawr!!"
Its razor-sharp teeth glinted darkly.
A Bite attack!
Wallace's expression shifted as he readied the Poké Ball to withdraw Sharpedo, calling out, "Sharpedo!"
"Ka-kah!"
Sensing the threat, Haunter, who had been lounging on the glass and watching the match with excitent, instantly materialized in front of Johan, a dark orb forming in its claws.
At the sa ti, Vulpix leapt out of Cynthia's lap. Though unfamiliar with Wallace, and visibly frightened by Sharpedo's nacing appearance, she braced herself to attack.
Tinkatink, anwhile, reacted the most directly.
"Chu!!"
With a swing of her hamr, Tinkatink sprang from the sofa, aiming straight for Sharpedo's head.
Johan didn't even have ti to stop her.
Sharpedo had dismissed the small Pokémon, figuring she was too small to bother with.
What a joke—she was so small, she wouldn't even be a bite-sized snack.
BAM!!
But as soon as Tinkatink's hamr connected with its head, Sharpedo knew it had made a mistake.
And a big one.
With a trendous force, accompanied by a scattering of ice crystals, Sharpedo hit the ground hard.
Thud!
A large lump ford on its head.
"Raaawr..."
Tinkatink looked at the quivering Sharpedo, tilting her head in confusion, her lavender eyes filled with questions.
"Chu?"
Did her "Hamr Nap" fail?
She inspected her hamr and then looked down at her hand.
Her expression turned serious.
It must be... that her strength was too low.
Johan quickly scooped her up, stopping her before she could go for another swing. He signaled to Haunter and Vulpix to stand down as well.
Steven and Wallace, who had witnessed the entire episode, now looked at Tinkatink in stunned amazent.
Was this little one's strength a bit... extre?
Steven was sure Tinkatink had only recently hatched.
Cynthia, on the other hand, wasn't surprised.
If Steven and Wallace knew how Tinkatink trained, they wouldn't be shocked either.
Tinkatink loved smashing things, so Johan arranged for her to hamr away at the sturdy snown Vulpix crafted every day.
This kind of training, blending passion with exercise, was the best way to maximize a Pokémon's potential.
Of course, Tinkatink also had an impressive natural strength.
Still, potential alone wasn't enough; it was the trainer's approach that made all the difference.
Sharpedo, eyes tearing up, suddenly felt sothing odd in its mouth and spat it out.
It was... a tooth!
"Rraaaw! Σ(дlll)"
Clink!
Tinkatink spotted it imdiately. She jumped down from Johan's arms, stomped on the tooth, then casually struck a dramatic pose, looking up at the ceiling and whistling innocently.
"Chu (whistles)..."
Johan, Steven, Wallace, and Sharpedo: "..."
Did she really think that tiny foot could hide such a massive tooth?
Did she think people were fools?
Johan covered his face, picking up Tinkatink with an embarrassed smile.
"Ah... I'm very sorry," he said sincerely.
"Chu."
Tinkatink chid in with her own apology.
Wallace seed even more embarrassed, waving his hand dismissively.
"No, it's my fault. I thought it was ready to interact with people... I didn't realize it was still so wary. And it's currently in the middle of its tooth-shedding season, too..."
Sharpedo, glancing at Haunter, Tinkatink, and Vulpix, straightened up, nodding earnestly.
That's right—it was shedding season!
Tinkatink had rely helped knock out a tooth that was due to fall out anyway. Perfect!
Johan handed Tinkatink over to Haunter, gesturing for him to take her away.
With a chuckle, Haunter swallowed the Shadow Ball he'd been holding and led Tinkatink away.
From afar, their conversation drifted back to them.
"Chu?" (Why didn't my 'Hamr Nap' work?)
"Ka-kah~~" (That guy's tough; it's normal. Plus, you're still small, not strong enough yet.)
"Chu..." (So... is it okay?)
"Ka-kah~~" (It's fine. It tried to hurt us first! If it does it again, we'll knock out all its teeth!)
"Chu Chu!"
Sharpedo: "..."
Wallace turned to Steven again.
Earlier... did Haunter actually swallow the Shadow Ball?
Steven could only smile; he didn't have an explanation either.
These were Pokémon raised by Professor Johan. Each one unique and impressive, Wallace thought to himself.
He hadn't missed the Vulpix now back in Cynthia's lap either.
"Milotic, Life Dew."
Just then, Cynthia spoke up.
"Milooo~~"
Her Milotic materialized, waving its tail as a gentle stream of water surrounded Sharpedo. The revitalizing aura eased Sharpedo's pain imdiately.
Even the missing tooth had already begun to grow back.
It really was shedding season, after all.
"This Milotic..." Wallace murmured with surprise, gazing at Cynthia's Milotic.
"Milooo~~"
Milotic imdiately
recognized Johan, approaching him to nuzzle affectionately, then turned its gaze on Sharpedo, eyes blazing.
This ti, Sharpedo completely surrendered.
Johan, who had seen Sharpedo's reaction when it prepared to use Bite, received a prompt in his Pokédex.
[Sharpedo]
Type: Water/DarkAbility: Rough SkinKnown Moves: Slash, Feint Attack, Aqua Jet, Leer...Mood: Defensive, Timid (Previously attacked by humans for its dorsal fin)Status: Excellent (Apart from so head pain, all is well)Friendliness: 5 (previously -30)
A timid Sharpedo? That was unusual.
After seeing the reason for its timidity, Johan finally understood why Wallace had sought him out.
At one point, Sharpedo in Hoenn had been hunted nearly to extinction due to overfishing. It was only after the League enacted the Pokémon Protection Act that their population began to recover.
As Johan studied Sharpedo with a serious expression, Wallace couldn't help but ask, "Professor Johan... Sharpedo, is it...?"
Johan stepped forward, to Wallace's surprise, and placed a gentle hand on Sharpedo's head.
"Don't worry."
[Friendliness: 15 (It senses your kindness)]
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Powerstones?
For 20 advance Chapters: /michaeltranslates
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