Boom, boom, boom!
The wind roared as three tornadoes lashed down like whips upon Cloyster.
However, thanks to the combination of the move Iron Defense and retracting into its shell, Cloyster stood firm like a mountain, effortlessly enduring the entire attack.
"He blocked it!"
The rival student showed an expression of jubilation.
But his joy didn't last long. In the next instant, Vibrava flapped its wings and emitted a sound wave.
Booooom!
A powerful vibration rippled through the air, capable of splitting metal and breaking stone.
The shockwave swept across the entire stadium, kicking up dust and stones.
And even though Cloyster's shell was hard, its interior was still soft; the impact of the sound pierced right through its defense.
When the rumbling stopped, the shell slowly opened... Cloyster had lost the ability to continue battling.
"Well done. The move Sonic Boom is starting to show real power."
Ethan smiled with satisfaction upon seeing Vibrava defeat the opponent in one hit.
Using Tailwind to dodge, then attacking with Gust and Sonic Boom—that was the strategy Ethan had designed for him. And with that, Vibrava's power was already taking shape: it could handle a battle on its own.
"Even that Vibrava is that strong?!"
The students around exchanged tense looks.
At the same time, they began glancing around, impatiently waiting for the intermediate campus students to arrive.
Fuuuh, fuuuh, fuuuh.
At that moment, the beating of wings echoed in the sky.
A Pidgeot dove down from above, heading straight for the stadium.
"It's a student from the intermediate campus!"
Upon seeing the Pidgeot, someone shouted excitedly.
The large bird landed, and a blue-haired young man descended from its back.
"It's Senpai Dylan Keats!"
The crowd burst into exclamations. It seemed this student was quite famous in the intermediate campus.
"You're the one who's been causing trouble?"
"Forget it, there's no need for you to explain anything."
"If you dared to provoke the Duskwell City Pokémon University, you'd better be ready to be taught a lesson."
His tone made it clear that Dylan was a proud type. He didn't give Ethan even a second to explain; he simply stepped onto the battlefield, while his Pidgeot positioned itself in front of Vibrava.
"Come on, let's start. After I'm done with you, I have plenty of other things to do."
Ethan touched his nose helplessly.
In reality, his idea was simple: fight a bit with the beginner-campus students to give his Pokémon some experience.
But he didn't expect the intermediate-campus students to show up too. This had gone from simple training to something far more serious.
And what bothered him the most was that Dylan didn't even let him explain.
"Then let's battle."
Ethan sighed.
"Get ready to take my attack."
"Pidgeot, use Sky Attack!"
Impatient, Dylan shouted the command with great force.
Immediately, Pidgeot's body was wrapped in a bluish glow, forming the silhouette of a divine bird. Before Vibrava could react, the attack struck it head-on, sending it flying and slamming it into the ground.
"Finish it with Air Cutter!"
Dylan continued attacking without mercy. He had no intention of holding back; he clearly wanted to teach the "provocateur" a lesson.
But just when everyone thought the battle would end there, an Absol suddenly appeared in front of Vibrava, intercepting the blades of wind and protecting it.
"Vibrava was already out of the fight! You still attacked? Don't you think that's going too far?"
Ethan stared at him from the other side of the field. His dark expression was like a volcano on the verge of erupting.
"Sorry, I got carried away."
Although Dylan apologized, his tone lacked any sincerity.
"Oh, really?..."
"Then do you dare fight one more battle?"
Ethan's eyes gleamed as he said it.
"Of course. Send out your Pokémon; I'll take you on directly."
Dylan's words sparked cheers among the spectators. After so many consecutive losses, someone would finally avenge them.
"Alright."
Ethan nodded.
He withdrew the exhausted Vibrava and placed his hand on another Pokéball on his belt.
With a flash of light, a small silver Pokémon about fifty centimeters tall appeared, with a golden hexagonal nut for a head: Meltan.
"What Pokémon is that? I've never seen it before."
"Wait... I think I've seen it somewhere..."
"Hold on! That's a Meltan! Then... that guy is...?"
The murmuring among the spectators grew. Once they recognized it, everyone was left staring at Ethan in disbelief.
"No way... it's him! The Rookie King of this generation, Ethan Black!"
As soon as they identified him, the students couldn't help but shout.
"The Rookie King... Ethan Black?"
"So it was him..."
"But in the end, a rookie king is still a rookie. Against us veterans with real experience, that doesn't mean much."
Dylan looked surprised for a moment, but then took a deep breath, and his gaze sharpened like a blade.
Meanwhile, in a separate training room, Derek Ashford and his team were practicing together.
"What the hell is going on with that Meltan?"
"Wasn't it some guy named Arthur, from a small university, who was causing trouble in the beginner campus?"
"How did it turn out to be Ethan in the blink of an eye?"
After finishing their training, Derek sat down to rest and checked his phone, wanting to see the group's latest news.
And when he read the latest post, he froze.
"It really is Ethan! This... this is seriously bad."
Hearing his exclamation, Brandon Hayes tensed up as well. They had already heard about the commotion in the beginner campus, but after looking into this "Arthur," they concluded he wasn't worth getting involved with: he was a nobody, and the intermediate-campus students were enough to deal with him.
But now... if the one fighting was Ethan, even they—the main team—weren't confident they could defeat him.
(End of chapter)