It would be quite embarrassing for me!
Finally, under Terrance's recommendation, six Trainers were selected.
There will be three battles in the morning and three battles in the afternoon of the following day.
For an ordinary Gym, this was already a very high battle frequency. Most Gym Trainers wouldn't face six challengers in a single day.
Even battling two or three times in one day would already be considered quite diligent.
"This temporary Gym Trainer sure is working hard," Kuraki thought to himself.
…..
"Is this the Rogge Gym?"
"Is it really as amazing as the rumors say? The Trainer forum of Rogge City was buzzing about this Gym all day yesterday."
A pale-skinned young man asked curiously.
"I don't know, but we'll find out soon enough. I can't believe I actually managed to get a reservation. Looks like your luck is completely spent, huh?" said another Trainer standing beside him, chuckling.
The two were traveling Trainers from the Kanto region. They had previously participated in the Indigo Conference and Silver Conference. While their results weren't stellar, they weren't bad either.
The pale-skinned young man had even made it to the top eight of the Silver Conference.
They were passing by Rogge City intending only to stock up on potions. However, when they heard the intense discussion about Rogge Gym yesterday, their curiosity got the better of them, and they both signed up for today's Gym battle.
Although both had made reservations, only one was successful.
"No big deal. It's not like we're planning to enter the Ever Grande Conference. It's just a Badge..."
Meanwhile, inside Rogge Gym, Terrance had already received news from the apprentice Kuraki.
"The first challenger has arrived. It's that Trainer named Tatsuya."
"Tatsuya?" Terrance had some impression of him. After all, he had personally screened the challengers.
"Yeah, there are two of them, but only one is today's challenger. Mr. Terrance, if you're ready, let's start the Gym battle right away," Kuraki said.
Terrance nodded and followed Kuraki outside.
At the Rogge Gym battle arena, Lucy Joy and Inspector Aida, who had received the news earlier, had already arrived to watch the match.
Terrance greeted them briefly before quietly waiting for the challenger.
After notifying Terrance, Kuraki immediately went to receive the challenger. The challenger arrived a bit later than Terrance. Upon seeing Terrance's age, he was really surprised for a moment.
He's younger than me.
"Excuse me, are you the Gym Trainer?" Tatsuya asked.
"That's correct. I'm Terrance, the temporary Gym Trainer of Rogge Gym. The Gym battle will follow a 2-on-2 format. Are you ready, challenger?" Terrance replied calmly.
"Yes." Tatsuya nodded, though he couldn't help but feel astonished. Terrance seemed far too composed, almost unnervingly so. Combined with the rumors, this made Tatsuya slightly nervous.
"Tatsuya, be careful during the battle," the pale-skinned young man said.
"I know."
Previously, due to special circumstances, Terrance had to face four challengers in a row, so the Gym temporarily changed the rule to allow only one Pokémon to be used. However, with the official adjustment, it has now returned to the original standard of a 2-on-2 formal battle.
"The battle format is 2-on-2. Tatsuya from Saffron City will face Gym Trainer Terrance in a battle for the Gym Badge. The Gym Trainer cannot switch Pokémon, but the challenger can switch freely. Now, let the battle begin!"
Both Trainers stepped onto the arena and locked eyes. Terrance threw out a Poké Ball, revealing his Gallade.
Gallade's sturdy legs planted firmly on the ground radiated an air of stability. As its closed eyes opened, its gaze was like a sharp blade, causing Tatsuya's Blastoise to frown.
"This Blastoise seems to be well-trained, noticeably different from yesterday's challengers," Terrance thought to himself.
From the moment Tatsuya laid eyes on Gallade, his sense of caution spiked to its peak. There was an inexplicable aura about this Gallade—a presence so distinct, setting it apart from ordinary Pokémon.
"So this is the Gallade I've heard about. They say its Slash is quite powerful," Tatsuya thought, a surge of excitement rising within him.
"Blastoise, use Hydro Pump!"
With just an exchange of glances, the thoughts of both Trainers became clear, but the battle had to begin. At Tatsuya's command, Blastoise lowered its body. The massive twin cannons on its back locked onto Gallade, unleashing two torrents of water with overwhelming force.
A water whip?
Terrance immediately noticed that the Hydro Pump had been noticeably weakened. A subtle adjustment had been made at the point of release, reducing its explosive force while increasing the possibility of changing direction.
Trying to counter Gallade's flexibility, huh?
"Gallade, Slash through the Hydro Pump," Terrance instructed calmly.
"Gall~ade!!"
At the command, Gallade charged straight toward the incoming Hydro Pump. At the same time, the blades on its arms glowed white. With a trajectory that maximized cutting power, it passed directly through the gap between the two Hydro Pumps. As it did so, its blades instantly sliced through both Hydro Pumps, ignoring the pressure they exerted, and rapidly dashed towards Blastoise between the Hydro Pumps.
"As expected!" Both Tatsuya and the pale-skinned Trainer exclaimed in shock. To cut through Blastoise's Hydro Pump with a single Slash… such sharpness—was this really just a Slash move?
What kind of training could forge such sharp energy?
Still, relying on just a single Slash was too simplistic. Everyone thought in unison.
"Blastoise!" Tatsuya shouted. Sensing danger as Gallade approached, Blastoise quickly twisted its body, turning sideways. The trajectory of the two originally straight Hydro Pump instantly changed, transforming into a pincer attack aimed at Gallade from above and below.
Gallade swung its arms but was knocked back by the sudden change in the Hydro Pump's trajectory. However, it didn't disrupt Gallade's actions. Even though it was a pincer attack of Hydro Pump and had a sweeping range, it couldn't keep up with Gallade's dashing speed. In a flash, Gallade was already in front of Blastoise.
But at this moment, a light flashed in Blastoise's eyes.
At Tatsuya's command of "Rapid Spin," the trajectory of Hydro Pump changed again, transforming into a constantly swinging water whip that kept Gallade at bay, preventing it from attacking!
"Not bad," Terrance thought with a smile. Finally, a battle that's not boring.
The opponent's combat experience was evident, honed through many battles. He had developed basic countermeasures for various attacks.
With just a simple Hydro Pump, he could create some interesting variations.
"He's got good fundamentals. Anyway, with your skills, how about you try challenging again? Since if I allow you to obtain the Badge as the first official challenger, it would be quite embarrassing for me." Terrance thought to himself.
"Gallade, Slash!"
Gallade understood the deeper meaning behind Terrance's command.
As Gallade deflected the water columns, it seemed Blastoise was about to launch its next attack. But at that moment, a flash of light, as bright as day suddenly appeared, and time seemed to stand still. Blastoise and Tatsuya both held their breath, falling into a state of momentary confusion.
Swish!
The light, as if heralding dawn, swept across Blastoise's continuously rotating body. Its abdomen was suddenly struck with a powerful blow, causing the water column to shatter and the rotation to stop. Under this Slash, Blastoise's body experienced such a tremendous force that its pupils contracted, and its mouth opened wide as if to groan in pain. However, before it could react, it was knocked down, its legs losing balance as it was overturned by the Slash!
Everyone watching was stunned, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
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