End

Altaria, though not as severely injured as Arcanine, had overexerted its energy to a level that Arcanine couldn't compare to. Roost could only restore Altaria's stamina and heal minor injuries. However, when a Pokémon uses its moves, it requires more than just stamina—it needs to draw from its stored energy.

This energy isn't simply better in greater quantities, nor is less always bad. The right amount of energy storage for a Pokémon depends on its current condition. For instance, a Pokémon like Pikachu stores electricity in its body, so it frequently needs to discharge it, regardless of the target. Otherwise, it risks paralysis or even death. Pikachu's small body cannot hold large amounts of energy.

However, there are always exceptions, as some peculiar individuals exist.

In Altaria's case, after several powerful moves, its energy reserves were greatly diminished. Its opponent was no weakling, so Altaria couldn't hold back during the battle. Now, in this low energy state, it felt as uncomfortable as a human body lacking oxygen, which could harm its body. This requires immediate treatment.

Fortunately, the condition of the two Pokémon has always been under Terrence's control, otherwise he would have called off the battle long ago.

In a regular League Conference, injuries like these are rare. The Pokémon participating in a League Conference seldom possess the physical constitution to endure such wounds, nor do they reach the point of energy exhaustion like this. This is either due to insufficient training or the opponents not being strong enough to push them to this extent. Overall, these competitions are more like a performance than actual battles.

This kind of situation is more common in the Champion League. The Champion League is different; it's a competition for Elite Four's position, where Trainers vie for the highest honors. Battles there are ruthless, with no holding back. It's not uncommon for a Trainer's Pokémon to suffer severe aftereffects or even lose limbs or lives in the heat of battle.

Of course, the Champion League has its own set of rules to limit such occurrences.

The next battle took place in Sandy Terrain.

The arena was uneven, and neither Terrance nor his opponent sent out Pokémon that needed to stand on the ground.

On Terrance's side, he sent out Mismagius, while his opponent used a Swanna.

The battle began favorably for Terrance. Because they didn't know the characteristics of Terrance's Pokémon, Castelia side was caught off guard by illusion skill attack, leaving them confused. Under Mismagius's relentless attacks, it was no surprise that Castelia lost the first round.

However, this loss allowed Castelia to understand Mismagius' characteristics better. Next, they chose a Pokémon with a fairy-like light pink head and pale purple back. The Pokémon kept its eyes closed, and the pink head and purple body was adorned with wavy, petal-like stripe. The most notable feature was the pink smoke that gently wafted from its head, floating in the air, always shrouded in a soft, dreamy haze.

This battle could be described as the most frustrating one for both Mismagius and Terrance. The illusion skills were rendered almost ineffective, as the illusions created by Mismagius were devoured by Musharna, which then spat out the strange energy created by Mismagius in the form of Dream Mist.

Musharna seemed naturally adept at countering Mismagius, with its strange abilities completely shutting down Mismagius' signature skill. However, after a few exchanges, Terrance found a way to counter it. Simple illusions, like those involving "flash" and "darkness," were easily neutralized by Musharna, but the more complex the illusion, the longer it took for Musharna to digest it. Additionally, despite its strange abilities, Musharna wasn't particularly strong, giving Terrance a good opportunity to launch a counterattack.

With both sides strategizing against each other, although Mismagius lost its ability to battle first due to having fought twice, Musharna was barely holding on with just a sliver of consciousness.

...

"Luckily, this Terrance's third Pokémon relies on techniques and unfortunately encountered a Musharna that countered it, otherwise things would have gotten troublesome."

On Castelia Club's side, Morde patted his chest in relief.

At the moment, although Kaveh was out, the Frontier Club only has two members left. However, on their side, including the one still in the arena, there were three members, so they still hold the advantage!

Terrance had defeated Kaveh and knocked out one and a half of the opponent's Pokémon before returning to the audience seat. Scott was so moved, he nearly cried.

At least… at least he saw a glimmer of hope for victory again.

Even though the Frontier Club was still at a disadvantage, the disparity wasn't as glaring as before, which made Scott breathe a sigh of relief and look forward to the upcoming battles.

The next battle saw Saki enter the field. Despite being the weakest Trainer on the Frontier Club's side, defeating an exhausted Musharna was an easy task. Afterward, Saki used her strongest Pokémon, Charizard, to successfully suppress the opponent. She held out until Castelia Club sent out its next Trainer and even managed to defeat one of their Pokémon before losing in the second round.

This situation was quite similar to what had just happened with Terrance. Castelia Club had two Trainers and five Pokémon left, though one was injured and low on stamina. But the pressure on Troy was immense.

He would have to defeat five Pokémon using only three, and this with both sides being evenly matched in strength…

Despite the great expectations Scott and the Frontier Club's Trainers had, they ultimately still lost.

The battle between Castelia Club and Frontier Club ended with Frontier Club's defeat.

However, Morde didn't feel like mocking Scott. After all, these five members had each been nurtured by the club for at least two years, with significant resources invested in them, especially Kaveh, who their club was preparing to push into the Champion League.

"Hmph, I'll follow through on the bet," Scott said, glaring at Morde in anger.

"Heh, that's good to hear. By the way, you've managed to unearth some impressive Trainers. From what I understand, you haven't signed them yet, right? How about you give me that Terrance, and we'll call off the bet? What do you say?" Morde chuckled as he spoke to Scott.

"Terrance?" Scott shook his head. "I don't plan on signing him. If you have what it takes, go ahead and recruit him yourself."

"Huh?" Morde exclaimed. Although they were rivals, he knew Scott well. A talented Trainer like Terrance wouldn't be someone Scott would just let go. Could there be something else going on? This time, the most impressive battle was between Terrance and Kaveh. Although Terrance seemed a bit young and inexperienced to Morde, with a few years of training, he would definitely become a dark horse who can break into Champion League. No club would ever give up on such a young Trainer.

Shaking his head, Scott didn't elaborate and left it for Morde to investigate himself. The exchange battle wasn't entirely bad for the Frontier Club either. At the very least, it gave them a clear view of a complete club's development direction. A club without fresh blood would not last long. After this exchange, Scott also planned to recruit some younger members.

As a successful businessman, Scott wasn't too hung up on losing the battle.

"Hmm…how about this: let some promising Trainers challenge the Battle Frontier, and have the Frontier Brains evaluate them. We'll investigate their backgrounds afterward, and if they're suitable, we'll recruit them. If not, we'll establish good relations…" Scott roughly sketched out a few plans and discussed them with Hogan afterward, quickly making decisions.

...

With the battle over, Castelia Club didn't stay long. After enjoying a bit of LaRousse City's local culture, courtesy of Scott's hospitality, they returned back to Unova.

During this time, the sixteen Trainers Scott had initially invited were all given suitable arrangements.

In his hotel room, Terrance was packing his things, preparing to leave LaRousse City. He had gotten everything he wanted here.

There was nothing of worth left in LaRousse City that he wanted to linger over. As for the opportunity to sign with the Frontier Club, he had no interest. Speaking of which, he was planning to head to a Pokémon Contest. After disappearing for three months, it was time for him to make an appearance, otherwise, all his previous efforts to build popularity would be in vain.

"Alright, before I leave, I should organize the gains I've made during this time."

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