Pokémon Court

“The main star has arrived.”

As the figure slowly entered the venue, many people turned their gazes toward him. It was this very person who had been the talk of the region in Hoenn not long ago.

“Welcome everyone who has traveled from far and wide.”

Stopping at the center of the arena, Terrance spoke to the crowd: “Although I expected many Trainers to show up, this number has truly frightened me.”

His gaze swept over the Trainers standing outside the arena, ready to battle, or those who were simply spectators. An inexplicable sense of excitement surged within Terrance.

Frightened?

Many of them looked at Terrance’s calm and composed expression, finding no trace of him being frightened.

He recalled how, when he first arrived in this world, even watching an ordinary Contest Battle on TV thrilled him. The feeling of battling under everyone’s watchful eyes was something he first experienced at the Battle Tower in LaRousse City.

A Trainer with decent skills, yet who has never seriously collected Badges to participate in the League Conference, can be described as rare. Coincidentally, Terrance’s development path has been anything but conventional.

In contrast, at the Fallarbor Gym, every person present had come specifically for him, unlike the more casual, routine atmosphere of the Battle Tower.

All eyes were on Terrance, curiously waiting to see how he would start this challenge. Since he had already issued a battle invitation, whether he was shocked or not, the battle had to go on.

Even the media, hidden among the spectators, closely observed Terrance, recording his every move.

Just as the atmosphere began to make many Trainers itch to get on the stage and knock Terrance down a peg to steal the spotlight, Terrance slowly raised an arm and extended a single finger.

Seeing this, the mouth of the Trainer who had been thoroughly pummeled by Terrance’s Gallade twitched, as if he could already foresee what was about to happen.

“It seems there are too many challengers. To ensure that every Trainer who wishes to battle has the chance, each of you will have only one opportunity. Send out your strongest Pokémon, or there will be no chance for regrets.”

Whoa!

As soon as these words came out, in the eyes of outsiders, it sounded like he had already positioned himself for certain victory, while others appeared to be overestimating their capabilities.

The previously calm spectators almost erupted in outrage, but seeing Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny present, they suppressed their emotions, resolving to teach Terrance a lesson in the battle instead.

“Next, we will randomly provide number cards according to your seating arrangement. Anyone who wishes to challenge me can request a card, and the battle order will follow the number on the card,” Terrance announced.

As soon as he finished speaking, the children from the Old Green House began moving through the crowd. Trainers eager to challenge Terrance raised their hands and received a folded card from the children.

“When you open your card, you’ll see a number on it. The challenger with number 1 will go first, followed by the rest in numerical order,” Terrance explained with a smile, looking around.

Whoosh!

A young girl sitting in the front row suddenly stood up, looking surprised. “I… I got number 1.”

Ignoring the envious gazes of the others, the girl nervously and excitedly stepped forward, taking her position opposite Terrance.

“Hello,” Terrance greeted politely with a nod.

“Let’s not waste any time and begin quickly,” he continued. “Before we start, let me introduce myself. I’m Terrance, the Gym Leader of Fallarbor Town’s Fallarbor Gym. Please guide me.”Nôv(el)B\\jnn

“Are you reciting a tongue twister? I’m Simone from Fallwind City. Please guide me.”

“Uh…” Terrance.

Though not everyone could go first, it seemed everyone who received a number card would eventually get the chance to challenge Terrance, which made the people who planned to battle Terrance breathe a sigh of relief. Moreover, watching Terrance’s Pokémon beforehand seemed like a good opportunity.

“I’ll act as the referee for this match. The rules are simple: it’s a one-on-one battle. The participants are Simone from Fallwind City and Terrance from Fallarbor Town. Trainers, please send out your Pokémon.”

As the challenged party, Terrance went first, elegantly tossing his Poké Ball. He was wearing the same outfit when he participated in the Grand Festival, and combined with his clean, handsome looks, it made a few of the girls in the audience blush, finding him unexpectedly charming.

“Altaria, huh…”

Looking at the blue-and-white figure circling in the sky, Simone placed a hand on her chest, trying her best to suppress her heartbeat. She took a deep breath and said, “In that case, go, my partner—Smoochum!”

Smoochum is a small Pokémon resembling a little girl. It has a large head with golden hair, pink skin, big eyes, and thick lips. Its purplish red belly gives the impression that it’s wearing pants.

“Sending out an Ice-type Pokémon to exploit the type advantage, huh? But….”

The Trainers in the audience varied in skill, and their perspectives on the battle differed. Seeing Simone send out Smoochum caused many to furrow their brows.

Looking at Altaria, with its sky-blue body and pristine feathers, it appears to be a well-raised, valuable, and powerful Pokémon. In this situation, even though Smoochum has a type advantage, many people were not optimistic about Simone’s chances.

Terrance had already said it before the battle. Everyone only gets one chance, and the opponent might send out Pokémon according to their own strategy, or they might send out their strongest Pokémon right away. Whatever the choice, it wasn’t something Terrance was concerned about.

There are many Trainers like Simone, and Terrance had already anticipated the varied levels of battles he would face. With a faint smile, he awaited. As Scarlet announced the start of the battle, sparks seemed to fly between the two Trainers’ eyes.

“Smoochum, Ice Beam!”

A frigid beam of ice formed in Smoochum’s pale arms and shot toward Altaria. Terrance’s expression remained unchanged. “We’ll use Ice Beam too.”

Whoosh!!

Altaria unleashed Ice Beam as well, but unlike Smoochum’s Ice Beam, this one was breathtakingly beautiful. When comparing the two identical moves, Altaria’s Ice Beam seemed to be bathed in countless lights, emitting a mesmerizing pale blue glow.

This visual illusion was entirely due to the icy mist swirling around the Ice Beam. In addition to the icy blue beam streaking through the air like lightning, there were wisps of bone-chilling ice mist enveloping the energy, swirling around it like making a pilgrimage. The mist was hazy, sometimes thick, sometimes faint, and besides its splendor, only a few people could discern the deeper meaning within it.

“Could it be…?”

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