A Blade of Light

"Gallade, the Blade Pokémon, has the ability to keenly sense the opponent's thoughts, allowing it to strike first. When it wants to protect someone, it extends its blade-like arms and engages in a fierce battle with the enemy."

The electronic voice of the Pokédex, which was not turned off, rang out again, detecting the appearance of a Pokémon.

"Gallade, huh..."

Kota looked at the Gallade released by Terrance. Judging by its size, it was smaller than his father's Gallade. Its calm stance and closed eyes made Kota feel like this Gallade might be a little too calm...

What's with this stifling atmosphere?

Kota swallowed nervously and said, "Is this really okay... Gallade isn't my Pokémon, after all."

"It's fine. This battle isn't about testing your training abilities. Even during certification exams and other kinds of exams, there are instances where Trainers are required to use Pokémon that aren't their own. This is perfectly normal," Issac replied.

Teacher Julian nodded in agreement. He was also interested in seeing the battle between two Gallades.

Gallades themselves are rare, and here was an especially unique one. Having two of the same Pokémon battle each other might be the most intuitive way to demonstrate the skills of the Gallade under Terrance's command.

Kota had no idea... His Gallade had essentially become a sparring partner for others to observe.

If he knew, he might have run back to Hoenn crying—Crown Academy was too harsh.

"Then I'll use Gallade too!" After a moment of hesitation, Kota threw out his Gallade's Poké Ball. Compared to Terrance's Gallade, the one Kota summoned looked more valiant and elegant. Sensing that there was going to be a battle, GALLADE was full of fighting spirit, but still looked at Terrance's Gallade politely.

Quite an impressive aura...

Terrance nodded to himself. This Gallade was very well-trained. Kota definitely has the qualifications to attend Crown Academy, and his parents were probably not ordinary people either.

Looking at the two Gallades, Terrance fell into deep thought.

The difference...

If there was a difference, Kota's Gallade entered battle mode immediately, fully focused and brimming with fighting spirit. This was nearly the ideal state for battle. A reaction like this meant that this Gallade was perfectly suited for combat, extremely familiar with combat, and is a seasoned expert who loves battle.

"Reserved!"

However, Terrance felt that his Gallade possessed a more valuable quality. Its inner thoughts were entirely contained, its aura restrained and its emotions tightly controlled.

It was hard to say which state was better, as their mindsets were shaped by their own experiences.

But Terrance had witnessed his Gallade unleash its full aura once before. When he entered Tower of Despair, Gallade had stopped training, and immediately after that, its aura locked on to everything, exuding an overwhelming presence. Even Terrance couldn't help but feel a jolt in his heart. That straightforward style—the way Gallade could effortlessly restrain and release its aura—made Terrance extremely curious about Gallade's current strength.

"Let's show them what you've got. After all, I'm the one who planned out your growth."

No one was more eager than Terrance. Despite Gallade not being his own Pokémon, every step of Gallade's growth was closely linked to him.

"The rules of battle are the same as the traditional battle rules—one Pokémon each."

He pointed to the nearby stage: "The arena is Standard Terrain. Any issues?"

"Nope, I'm ready. We can start the assessment whenever," Kota replied.

Kota and his Gallade walked to one side of the stage; Gallade walking a few steps forward.

On Terrance's side, he walked calmly to the other side of the stage. However, what made the corner of his mouth twitch was that the moment he turned his head, his Gallade had already disappeared into thin air, only to reappear on the stage, standing as calmly as before, as if nothing had happened.

"I know you're good at Teleport, but the battle hasn't even started. No need to show off like that," Terrance muttered, speechless.

He had never seen anyone use Teleport just to travel!

"That was… Teleport…!" Kota and his Gallade both turned their gaze over, full of confusion.

"Teleport consumes a lot of Gallade's psychic energy, and it's best used only in critical situations. While Gallade's physique gets strengthened significantly after evolving, its psychic energy actually declines compared to when it was a Kirlia. The most effective and reliable application of its psychic energy is to perceive the surroundings during battles. Psychic-type moves, especially something as mentally taxing as Teleport, shouldn't be overused."

Kota remembered his father's advice. Gallade's Teleport was a move reserved for protecting him in emergencies, not something to use lightly. Gallade and Gardevoir were different; to gain its powerful physique, Gallade and Gardevoir took separate paths. It wasn't realistic for Gallade to use Teleport recklessly.

A few uses might be fine, but using it too frequently would deplete Gallade's psychic energy, and even though its physique was quite good, losing its ability to perceive the surroundings during battle would put it at a disadvantage.

"Why... waste it like that..." Kota and his Gallade couldn't understand the meaning behind Terrance's Gallade's casual use of Teleport. Could Teleport really be used so freely?

Was this even a Gallade? Or was it just a Gardevoir in disguise!?

This simple action made Kota and his Gallade feel like they were facing a formidable opponent. Unable to grasp their opponent's intent, the pressure on them mounted, while Terrance remained expressionless.

"I'll serve as the referee. I won't go into the specific rules," Issac said.

Upon hearing these words, both sides focused their attention.

"Then, let the battle begin!"

"Gallade, use Swords Dance!" Kota commanded.

As soon as the words left his mouth, blades of energy appeared around GALLADE, swirling and dancing in the air. [TN: GALLADE for Kota's Gallade]

"An impressive Swords Dance. The last time I saw such a unique Swords Dance, it was used by a Lucario. Psychic power and Aura...it's truly a fascinating move," commented Julian, observing the battle.

"So, the plan is to use Swords Dance to boost its strength and probe the opponent. What will Terrance order its Gallade to do?"

Do whatever you want!

Neither Issac, Julian, nor Kota could have expected that Terrance would issue such an order.

But in that instant, the perception of GALLADE performing Swords Dance intensified to its peak, and an overwhelming sense of danger flashed through its mind. At that moment, it was as if GALLADE could foresee the future. Its entire body shuddered, forcing it to stop its Swords Dance in order to dodge the unknown threat!

Swish!

A blade of light, like dawn breaking through darkness, slashed over. GALLADE raised its arm blades to block with Quick Guard, but the sheer impact of the attack still knocked it back toward its Trainer. Feeling the pain in its arms, GALLADE looked in disbelief at the opponent who had instantly appeared before it. If it hadn't been for its immense psychic energy and perception raised to the peak, and many years of battle experience which allowed it to sense the approaching threat and quickly cancel Swords Dance to adopt a defensive stance, that impossibly fast Slash would have ended the battle then and there.

Terrifying!

GALLADE fell into silence as it recalled the earlier attack.

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