Before Nathan could say anything, Grog was already beside himself with excitement.
"Boss, you're really too strong. I finally understand now — a trainer's strength really is linked to their Pokémon's strength!" Grog gushed.
Everyone else nodded in agreement at Grog's words.
Even when two trainers each have Champion-level Pokémon, the difference was glaring: other people's Pokémon simply didn't have this kind of power. Only under Nathan's care could a Champion-level Pokémon actually arm-wrestle with a Legendary.
Thinking about their own Pokémon, and especially about the four challengers standing there, they felt bitter. Those challengers each had Champion-level Pokémon too, but the gap between their Pokémon and Nathan's was enormous.
Never mind challenging a Legendary — many of them would probably panic and fold the moment they saw one. If they tried to fight, they'd be wiped out instantly; the whole idea of challenging would become a joke. Nathan, however, had used his strength to show them that if you trained a Champion-level Pokémon properly, it could absolutely beat a Legendary.
"That's only natural. I won't claim my Pokémon are the strongest, but when it comes to training Pokémon, I'm very good," Nathan said with a calm nod.
This wasn't arrogance from Nathan so much as confidence. He truly had the ability — and on top of that, he had the System. When it came to raising Pokémon, he could say with confidence that he was among the very best.
"Who's next to challenge me?" Nathan asked, turning to the four remaining challengers.
One of them stepped forward — the only woman among the five challengers. "I'll go," she said. "I want to see for myself how strong your trained Pokémon really are."
The three others breathed a small sigh of relief when she volunteered. They'd come to defeat Nathan, not to be defeated and have him prove a point — having someone go first to test Nathan's strength would let them learn more.
Nathan released his Frosmoth.
The woman promptly released her Pokémon as well. All of the challengers had brought Legendary Pokémon, and she was no exception — but Nathan was surprised when he saw hers: she had brought Tornadus.
"You surprised me with your Pokémon," Nathan said, staring at Tornadus.
Tornadus was much rarer than many other Legendaries and much harder to find and capture. Tornadus is a green, muscular, humanoid-like Pokémon that resembles a deity from myth.
It has white, wavy hair, pointed mustache-like facial hair, two green pointed ears, and two long purple horns on its forehead. Its intense yellow eyes have small, round, white pupils.
The upper body, a deep green, is dotted with purple patches; the chest is purple, and diamond-shaped chest fins connect in the center.
The shoulders, elbows, and navel bear raindrop-shaped patterns.
Tornadus has muscular arms with five-fingered hands, while its lower half is entirely wrapped in white clouds. From the clouds coils a long purple tail patterned with yellow, spiral-like flowers.
Tornadus's speed is astonishing — when it flies at full tilt, it can rival an airplane. Its top speed reaches around 300 kilometers per hour.
Tornadus wanders the world, leaving destructive storms in its wake wherever it goes. That is why it is so difficult both to encounter and to capture.
"Compared to your Pokémon, mine doesn't look like much," the woman laughed. If she truly meant that, she was joking — to ordinary people, owning even a single rare Pokémon among ten would be extraordinary.
"Ahem — it's just luck. Pure luck," Nathan coughed, smiling. He admitted his luck had been extraordinary in acquiring so many rare Pokémon — and his Volcarona was an ancient species, something he himself had never seen a second of.
"All right — words are cheap. Show me what your Frosmoth can do!" the woman said. "Tornadus, use Whirlwind!"
Tornadus's cloud-body unleashed gale after gale of wind that felt almost tangible, buffeting toward Frosmoth. In places where those gusts passed, even stones on the ground began to be swept up.
Nathan reacted at once: "Frosmoth, use Aurora Veil!"
Frosmoth was one of Nathan's weaker Champion-level Pokémon, so against a Legendary Tornadus Nathan would not dare be careless. The gale hit the shimmering Aurora Veil and set it rippling, but Whirlwind was a relatively light opening move — nothing decisive.
The woman wasn't disappointed; she considered that merely an appetizer before the real fight.
"Tornadus, use Hammer Arm!" she ordered.
Tornadus shot forward at incredible speed — it was beside Frosmoth in the blink of an eye. Remember, the two had been at least three hundred meters apart moments earlier; the speed demonstrated how terrifying Tornadus could be.
"Frosmoth, use Feather Dance!" Nathan called.
Feather Dance isn't a defensive move, strictly speaking, but it can be highly effective. Frosmoth summoned a flurry of white, feather-like ice formations — in truth they were not feathers but ice-made feathers — that clouded Tornadus's sight.
Having dodged the first assault, Frosmoth quickly put distance between itself and Tornadus, while the ice-feathers obscured Tornadus's vision and prevented further strikes from landing. By the time the airborne feathers dissipated, Tornadus realized Frosmoth had already put considerable distance between them.
"Frosmoth, use Hail!" Nathan instructed.
Tornadus is so fast that slowing its speed was crucial. Hail doesn't deal huge damage, but it lands continuously like small stones; hitting a fast flyer in the face with hailstones will slow it down, and if the hail hits its eyes it can disrupt Tornadus's ability to press the attack.
"Nathan, you've underestimated it. My Tornadus is very skilled at changing the weather," the woman said with a smirk. "Tornadus, use Weather Ball!"
Hearing her, Nathan's expression froze for a moment. Damn — he had indeed overlooked that fact. Tornadus's presence usually brings violent storms; how could it be afraid of merely hail?
The next moment Tornadus used Weather Ball: the falling hail stopped as heavy rain began to cascade down. In a torrential downpour, Frosmoth's speed could not compare to Tornadus's.
"Indeed — but my Frosmoth is more than that! Frosmoth, use Icy Wind!" Nathan replied quickly.
Frosmoth unleashed a blast of freezing wind; wherever that wind passed, whatever ice and hail were already falling froze further or turned into snow. The rain in the air solidified into sheets of ice or sleet. White crystalline frost formed on Tornadus's body; to be precise, frost coated it like a thin crystalline shell.
Being struck by the chilling Icy Wind, Tornadus shivered uncontrollably.
"Tornadus, use Air Slash!" the woman said, furrowing her brow. Tornadus's extraordinary speed had been curtailed, but that didn't mean its attacks had become weak.
Invisible Air Slashes slashed through the sky. Any of the flying ice-feathers struck by those air blades were sliced cleanly in two. If one watched closely, a faint streak could be seen as the blade cut the air.
"Frosmoth, use Substitute!" Nathan ordered.
(End of Chapter)