"What's going on? Dante…he doesn't seem to be as strong as in the videos."
"Yeah. Didn't it only take his Pokemon one attack to defeat both the Grass and Ground-type Gym? And there's also the news about Hunter J…"
"I knew it! I told you he just took them by surprise! And since Sister Mualani is prepared against him, she didn't make the same mistake!"
On the side of the stadium, the 9 official members of the school team discussed while staring at the arena. Seeing the 'equal' match, their mood became excited.
"It's still too early to tell. However, if Sharpedo is allowed to further boost his speed, then Mualani winning isn't too far-fetched.
The green-haired man adjusted his glasses, a complicated emotion rising inside him as he stared at the beaming figure of their captain.
He remembered his ranking battle against Mualani last year. At the time, he was the strongest in the third grade, even surpassing some of the fourth-year seniors and ranking third on the team.
He took it for granted that after the seniors graduated, it would be his turn to carry the school's mantle.
Then, Mualani came along like a tsunami. With her Sharpedo and Ludicolo, she blitzed through the ranks, taking down seniors who trained Pokemon 1 or 2 years earlier than her.
He had stopped her back then, narrowly defeating her with the advantage of having 3 Pokemon. But as the semester went by, even he couldn't hinder her for long. In a year, she proceeded to become the strongest Trainer in the school.
Because of her optimistic nature and strength, Mualani had managed to capture his heart. Unfortunately, when he tried confessing to her, he was rejected.
*Flashback starts*
In an empty classroom, a man and a woman stood opposite each other. The man held a bouquet of flowers, presenting it to the tanned girl.
"…I'm sorry, Roman. I don't have any plans for any serious relationship right now. You know, I'm super busy every day with training Sharky and all."
Mualani scratched the back of her head, feeling a bit awkward and guilty at having to reject her teammate.
"No, no, it's me who needs to apologize. You're right. We're still in the initial period of our Trainer career. Having a relationship now is irresponsible not just to ourselves, but also to our Pokemon."
Roman took the flowers and hid them behind his back, his other hand adjusting his glasses to calm himself from being rejected.
"Mualani, if you want to find a partner in the future, can you tell me the qualities you look for in a guy?"
"Oh, I'm not looking for anything special. Kind, honest, funny, and the like. But they must at least be as strong as me, better if even stronger. Because, you know, my dream is to surf around the world with Sharky. If I'm gonna have a partner, I want them to experience that with me."
"I see…anything else? What about appearance?"
"Appearance? I don't really care about it, but I would prefer if my future partner had muscles. And being handsome is a plus, too!"
*Flashback end*
Looking at Mualani's opponent in the arena, Roman quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Although Dante is strong and a little good-looking, he doesn't seem that muscular. And most importantly, he already has a girlfriend.
Even if he joins the team, Roman doesn't have to worry about competing with him for Mualani. And for him, that's all that matters.
Meanwhile, at the other part of the stadium.
"Mualani has grown a lot during the summer."
Dean Ronaldo smiled while stroking his short stubble.
"And Dante's inexperience is shown prominently throughout this whole battle. Being passive and led by the nose, his advantage in this match has all but diminished."
Jomar frowned, a trace of dissatisfaction in his voice. Even though he didn't show it, he had high expectations for Dante. After all, just like the Dean, he wanted the school and the team he led to win the University Tournament.
Seeing Dante's accomplishments since he entered their school, and the first-hand account from Berto and Kristine, the image he had built in his mind of this young trainer had been of a future, Champion-level Trainer.
But the boy's current performance had made him begin to doubt whether he set his expectations too high.
…
In the arena, Dante still had a smile on his face, uncaring about the audience's reaction.
"I have to admit, Mualani, your plan is good. Maybe if it were against Ursaring, I'd be a little troubled. Hahaha, too bad you forced him to be switched out. Azumarill, let's finish this battle."
Mualani scratched her head. What did Dante mean?
She was left no time to ponder as an unexpected gust of wind pushed her stumbling backward. Around the stage, the audience also shielded their faces from the sudden strong wind.
"What's going on? Where did this wind come from?"
"Look!"
In the arena, the heavy fog was blown away. There, they saw the figure of Sharpedo rolling to the edge of the stage due to the wind, and Azumarill who had his paws outstretched.
"Does Azumarill know a move like Whirlwind?"
Dawn asked as she adjusted her beanie hat. It was almost blown away if not for her quick reflexes.
"Of course not! The only Flying-type move Azumarill can learn is Bounce."
Focalors answered while also looking at the now visible Pokemon on stage.
"But in that case, how did he summon such a powerful gale?"
"Hmm, perhaps he did learn Whirlwind because of his Shiny nature. Do you know anything about it, Shinobu?"
"…I'm not sure. At least, Dan said Azumarill only has Earthquake as a Shiny move."
Similar discussions about what happened echoed among the students and the professors. However, seeing the two Trainers continue their battle, they temporarily suppressed their doubts.
"Although you took away the smoke, it's just enough time! Sharky, use Poison Fang!"
"Sharp!"
Sharpedo zoomed around the battlefield, his speed now only slightly slower than Ludicolo's under the rain. His eyes narrowed while locking on Azumarill, waiting for the golden bunny-like Pokemon to show a flaw before going for a strike.
"Azumarill, Fling."
With his slower speed, Dante knew Sharpedo would strike first if Azumarill used a large AoE move like Earthquake that requires some preparation time.
But…to defeat Sharpedo, there is no need for that.
Azumarill lightly stomped, causing a crater to form beneath him and a fist-sized rock to fly into his paw.
At almost the exact same time, Sharpedo lunged. His jaw coated in purple as he prepared to use Poison Fang. However, before he could reach Azumarill, he felt a rock-hard object hit his face.
*BOOM*
A sonic boom reverberated through the stadium. Accompanying it, Sharpedo's body flew backwards in a blur, flying out of the arena until he hit the force field protecting the audience.
"Zzzt! Sharpedo is unable to battle! Trainer Mualani, please release your next Pokemon."
The Rotom Referee flew to Sharpedo's side, confirmed his condition, and announced this shocking statement.
"Wh-what? What happened?"
A commotion arose. One moment it seemed the battle was about to reach its climax, and the next, Sharpedo was knocked out? They didn't even see what Azumarill did except stomping his feet!
"…take a rest, Sharky."
Mualani recovered from her stupor and took Sharpedo back into his Pokeball. Her eyes swept across the arena, pausing temporarily at the Shiny Azumarill, before stopping on Dante.
"...when did Azumarill boost his attack?"
"Well, your Sharpedo isn't the only one who can take advantage of the fog."
Dante grinned and answered mischievously. And to be fair, his answer was partially true.
With the knowledge about Power-up Punch that he obtained from Uxie, Azumarill was able to gradually integrate it with his other moves. When he kept using Ice Punch to deflect Ludicolo's Scald, Azumarill's Attack was also being continuously boosted.
Right now, his Attack is already amplified by double. And with the Huge Power Ability, his current Attack stat has reached 201!
To know, when Pikachu had 193 Special Attack, a Thunder was enough to almost incapacitate Zapdos and even drill through half the mountain.
With Azumarill's current Attack, just a wave of his hand created a wind current so strong that it was comparable to Whirlwind. And using a normal rock for Fling was more powerful than a shot from a bazooka.
Hearing Dante's answer, Mualani frowned. The worst outcome has occurred.
"Polly, I leave it to you."
With Politoed's release, the sky darkened and rain began to fall once more.
"Are both Trainers ready? The 2nd round…begins!"
"Polly, use Haze!"
Mualani wasted no time issuing a command right after the Rotom Referee's signal.
Haze is a status-type move that removes all stat changes from the Pokemon in the field. If she succeeds in using this, then she will still have hope of winning!
Unfortunately for Mualani, Dante didn't plan to prolong this battle anymore. Before Politoed could use a move, another stone appeared and smashed her to the side of the arena.
"…Politoed is unable to battle. Trainer Mualani, please release your final Pokemon!"
Mualani lowered her head. Even with her upbeat personality, she couldn't help being a little frustrated about both her Pokemon being defeated like that. She took Polly back and clenched her remaining Pokeball.
"Colly, let's make sure to defeat this Azumarill!"
"Ludicolo!"
Unfortunately for Mualani and Ludicolo, their willpower was useless in the face of absolute strength. When the battle began, Ludicolo lunged from his position, barely dodging the first stone. Unfortunately, that was it.
With the ready-made ammunition courtesy of the reinforced arena floor, Azumarill took no time in flinging a second stone. This time, his aim proved true, and Ludicolo suffered the same fate as his previous two companions.
A/N: For those interested, without undergoing conversion, Azumarill's attack has reached 456. Meanwhile, the base power of Fling using the hard arena floor is 40.