You'd lose

Former Elite Four are still the Elite Trainers, the most powerful and talented trainers in the region's Pokémon League, aside from the Champion.

Aaron as a former Elite Four member, he quickly found the answer.

"Flygon is known as the spirit of the desert. Just by flapping its wings, it can stir up sandstorms and often appears alongside them. In other words, a sandstorm is its true battlefield.

"And Drapion, nicknamed the 'Sand Devil,' likely only reveals its 'demonic' nature when it's in a sandstorm environment, right?"

"That's about right," Reid replied. "If you hadn't started with Tailwind and used a weather-based strategy instead, activating the survival instincts of those two Pokémon in the desert might have yielded unexpected results."

Understanding Reid's intention to guide him, Aaron couldn't help but get excited.

"With their desert instincts and the constant sandstorm damage to Salamence, plus a full-health Vespiquen using Destiny Bond, wouldn't that greatly increase the chances of taking down Salamence?"

Aaron looked at Reid eagerly after speaking.

But then, Reid poured cold water over him.

"It wouldn't. You'd lose even faster."

Aaron: "..."

Then what's the point of all this talk?

"Because I'd take the battle a little more seriously, and it'd end even quicker," Reid said, patting Aaron on the shoulder with a smile.

Just then, Volkner and Alakazam, who had finished tending to Vespiquen and the Combee's injuries, walked over.

"But you can't rely solely on Pokémon instincts for battle, right?" Alakazam opened its mouth, but the voice was Lucian's, who had been using its psychic abilities to communicate.

Reid shot a curious glance at Lucian's unique way of communication replied, "Of course. A Pokémon's physical development, mental resilience, move proficiency, the trainer's commands, and reaction time—all these factors are crucial to battles.

"As for understanding and fully utilizing a Pokémon's instincts, I believe the greatest benefit is in raising both its potential and its limits. For instance..."

Reid pulled out a Master Ball from his pocket and pressed the switch.

In an instant, Unown B appeared before them.

"When I first caught it, it was no different from any other Unown—weak and with a limited move set."

"It was only when their numbers increased and their instincts—driven by a mysterious force from within—that they began to exhibit some barely acceptable battle capabilities.

"But as their individual strength grew, and they became more adept at harnessing the power of their instincts through mutual influence, their abilities skyrocketed at an unimaginable pace.

"And now, each one has become somewhat unpredictable in strength."

As he spoke, Reid nodded toward Unown.

"Give them a little demonstration…"

"Chiing."

With an expressionless glance at the group, Unown B floated into the air. As a swirling cloud of black-purple energy gathered around it, its form began evolving into that of legendary Pokémon.

First, it transformed into Yveltal from the Kalos region.

Then, into Xerneas from the same region, followed by Kyogre from Hoenn, and Lugia from Johto...

Each Legendary Pokémon from different regions materialized one after another. The likes of the Legendary Birds, the Lake Trio, and the Regi Trio only flashed briefly before fading.

By now, Aaron, Volkner, and Lucian were all staring wide-eyed at the scene.

Wait a minute…

Why do the instincts of your Unown look so different from Vespiquen, Flygon, and Drapion's instincts? Those three are either into bugs or sand, while you're playing with literal Legendary Pokémon.

Are you sure the Unowns are still the same species?

"Alright."

Ignoring their stunned expressions, Reid instructed Unown to stop and continued, "Not just Unown, but all of my Pokémon have mastered their instincts. That's why their strength has increased so rapidly over the past few years."

"So, that means… mastering Pokémon instincts is why you're so strong?" Lucian deduced. He had suspected from the start that Reid might reveal methods to make the Elite Four stronger.

No, to be precise, this wasn't about making the Elite Four stronger anymore. It was about the exclusive training methods of the world's strongest trainer.

If someone were to summarize and market these insights under Reid's name, it's hard to imagine the price it would fetch or how many people would clamor for it.

But here Reid was, telling them directly.

Although he wasn't giving away too many details, with their experience and understanding of Pokémon, they could easily test these ideas through practice.

Aaron and Volkner quickly caught on.

"Are you sure it's okay to just tell us this?" Aaron asked.

Volkner said nothing, but his gaze conveyed the same concern.

Reid laughed at their reactions.

"As the Champion of Sinnoh, of course I want the trainers here to become stronger. It makes my life more interesting. Besides…"

Reid paused, smiling as he glanced around before continuing, "You don't really think that understanding and mastering Pokémon instincts will make you as strong as me, do you? If so, you're dreaming.

"Even if one day you fully grasp it, challenging me would only lead to a faster, more brutal defeat."

That statement hit hard. Knowing that someone was blatantly showing off, but being utterly helpless to do anything about it, was infuriating.

The three trainers exchanged glances, replaying Unown's demonstration in their minds.

"Hahaha."

Seeing their expressions, Reid burst out laughing.

"Alright, the sparring's over, and I've told you what I needed to. Time to go. If we stick around much longer, we'll be surrounded."

At Reid's words, the others began scanning their surroundings.

Because of the commotion during the battle and the spectacle of Unown manifesting different Legendary Pokémon, the relatively secluded beach had started to attract attention.

If people realized it was them, the area would soon be packed, especially with Reid, whose reputation was massive. They'd be swarmed and stuck here.

Aaron quickly recalled Vespiquen and the Combee, and Volkner was ready to leave at any moment.

Only Reid seemed unconcerned. After recalling Salamence and Unown, he turned to look at Alakazam.

Lucian, still possessing Alakazam, felt a bit uneasy under Reid's gaze.

"What... What do you want?"

"You know what."

"...?"

"Stop pretending. Just teleport us away."

Lucian, hesitant, replied, "Since most of my energy is focused on keeping the Lake Guardians asleep and maintaining possession of Alakazam, I can't teleport everyone. I only have one shot."

"One is enough. And who said you need to teleport them? Just take me. Once I'm gone, everyone else will disperse."

Volkner and Aaron: "???"

Not only were you not planning to take us with you, but you also want threw us under the bus before leaving?