"Forget it, there's honey on the ranch, let's not disturb these Combee." Naoki said.
Butterfree had no objections, and quietly they went, continuing their search for usable wild goods in this area.
Meanwhile, in Mesagoza City.
The renowned Paldea Academy is located in this biggest city of the Paldea Region.
Contrary to what Naoki thought, Orange Academy is just a branch of Paldea Academy. Together with Naranja Academy, they form Paldea Academy.
The two academies have different names, different uniforms, and different teaching focuses.
Students coming here can choose their preferred academy based on their interests.
Today is the midterm exam day at Paldea Academy.
Apart from the basic written exam, the academy specifically organized a Pokemon battle competition between Orange Academy and Naranja Academy.
The ultimate winner, besides getting an A rating on the performance board, can also receive the academy's Treasure Hunt Scholarship.
It's a significant amount of money, attracting many students to enroll in the competition.
In the open-air battle venue at the center of Mesagoza City, a tense and exciting Pokemon battle is underway.
Students in Orange Academy and Naranja Academy uniforms have gathered around the battle venue.
They shouted excitedly while discussing the two Trainers in the match with their companions.
"Hey, Delibird versus Crocalor, quickly guess who will win this battle!"
"Of course, it's Crocalor! Fire Type is strong against Ice Type Delibird!"
"Plus, the Trainer of that Delibird is quite famous in our Orange Academy!"
"Oh? Tell me more, what's the story?!"
"His name is Carter, and he's said to be a young master from a big family in Cascarrafa City. He's been pampered since childhood and is terrible at training Pokemon; his Delibird is notoriously weak. Even a regular Sprigatito can defeat him with the wrong type matchup."
"I heard not long ago, the young master resolved to work hard; every day, he took his Delibird to the playground to do push-ups and run. But he ended up exhausted in less than a week, causing quite a fuss."
On the battle stage, Carter's face flushed as he listened to others' comments about himself.
But soon, images of the past few days emerged in his mind.
At that ranch, with the sparring of those Gogoat comparable to Elite Four level in strength, his Delibird gained considerable experience and has now undergone a complete transformation! It even learned more powerful moves.
So, they certainly won't lose!
As if feeling the Trainer's emotions, the Delibird on the battlefield also responded loudly to him.
"Bibi!"
At this moment, the referee waved the flag and announced, "Let the battle begin!"
"Delibird, use Rain Dance!"
Carter immediately issued the command.
Rain Dance can reduce the power of Fire Type moves, which is very effective when facing Crocalor.
The opposing Trainer didn't issue a command right away but instead looked up at the scene with Crocalor.
"Rain Dance, huh? I'll let you have one move then, lest others say I relied on type matchups to beat you."
"No need!" Feeling belittled, Carter was annoyed. At this moment, it began to rain in the sky.
Crocalor's Trainer finally got serious: "Use Ember!"
Command given, Crocalor took two steps forward, and a string of hot embers spewed from its mouth, aiming straight at the Delibird in mid-air.
"Dodge and use Double Team!" Carter reacted quickly.
Delibird flapped its wings, ducked down in the rain, and the embers brushed past it. Then, Delibird moved swiftly, and numerous clones appeared in the rain curtain.
"Double Team? When did it learn that?!" The crowd was astonished, knowing the move was quite hard to master!
Carter's ears were sharp, and he caught people's voices, a smile of excitement on his face, thinking: It's all thanks to Mr. Naoki!
In the Grass Trial, the relentless attacks from Gogoat forced out the potential within Delibird, prompting it to learn Double Team to dodge attacks.
And that's not all!
Thinking of this, Carter shouted, "Use that move!"
At the same time, Crocalor's Trainer issued a command: "Don't think I can't counter Double Team, Crocalor, use Heat Wave!"
Both Pokemon moved simultaneously on the field.
Crocalor took a heavy step forward, fire light surging from its throat, transforming into a gust of hot wind, sweeping towards Delibird.
Delibird was unhurried; it first flew forward, charging straight into the hot wind.
"What is it doing?! Is it not afraid to die?!"
The onlookers were shocked.
But just as Delibird was about to be engulfed by the Heat Wave, its body suddenly changed direction exaggeratedly and then shot straight into the sky.
Delibird played with the Heat Wave, as white light emerged on its wings, forming into a blade, swiftly cutting forward, slicing at Crocalor.
Crocalor's body staggered backward.
The crowd held their breath, unable to believe their eyes.
Soon, someone recognized the move's name.
"It's Aerial Ace!"
Carter felt a surge of pleasure in his heart, pointing towards Crocalor, and declared loudly:
"Compared to Mr. Naoki, you're still far behind! Delibird, use Fling!"
The opposing young Trainer panicked and hurriedly said, "Crocalor, dodge!"
But it was too late.
Delibird had already positioned itself behind Crocalor, tightly holding Crocalor with its wings, and then using all its strength to fling it into the sky.
"Whoa!"
The crowd gasped in shock, their gaze following Crocalor up into the air.
Delibird followed closely, moving even faster to place itself above Crocalor.
"Now, use Brick Break!"
"Bibi!"
Delibird raised its wings high, chopping down hard, smashing Crocalor directly to the ground.
Everything settled.
Crocalor lay in a big pit, its eyes turned into spirals, having lost the ability to fight.
The referee came forward to check and then announced:
"Crocalor is unable to battle! The winner of this match is Orange Academy first-year student Carter!"
"Wha... how is it possible?!"
"Carter and his Delibird actually won!"
"And they defeated Crocalor against the type matchup!"
"I must be seeing things, right?!"
"How did you do it?"
People gathered around Carter, shocked by his growth.
Carter proudly basked in their attention, thinking, let them call me a useless rich kid!
He didn't want to tell these annoying people how he and Delibird grew.
But then, thoughts of Naoki Ranch's Grass Trial and the Gogoat that easily overpowered his Delibird flashed through Carter's mind.
His eyes flickered with a sly idea, unable to resist making them suffer alone, Carter cleared his throat, pretending to be mysterious:
"It all started with getting lost."
Then, he looked around at everyone and asked, "Have you heard of the Grass Trial?"
"Grass Trial?" People shook their heads: "What's that? Tell us!"
Carter's mouth curved into a mysterious smile as he said:
"It's a trial that helps Pokemon train, and the reason Delibird and I won is entirely because we participated in that trial."
He paused for a moment, then asked, "Do you know how long it took us?"
Their curiosity piqued, they asked him, "How long?"
Carter held up one finger: "A day and a half! In just a day and a half, Delibird and I underwent a transformation!"
"A day and a half?" They were stunned: "How could it be? To achieve such a drastic change in a Pokemon in so little time, even the best Trainers and Breeders might not be able to do it, right?"
"That's because the creator of the Grass Trial is no ordinary person." Carter teased: "If you want to know more, you'll have to check it out yourselves! It's located near Porto Marinada Town at Naoki Ranch."
In his heart, Carter silently prayed:
Mr. Naoki, Gogoat, make sure to teach those annoying people a good lesson; don't let me suffer alone!