Before the Castelia Club arrived, Hogan looked at the five people and said seriously, "Today is the time to test your training results. No matter how strong the opponent is, you must take them seriously and give it your all."
Scott emphasized, "The rules of the battle have already been explained to you. Whoever can defeat four or more of the opponent's Pokémon in the battle will have the opportunity to formally sign with Frontier Club!"
"Even if you don't want to join us, there will be corresponding rewards."
As the seven members of the Castelia Club arrived, the five members of the Frontier Club and five Trainers from the other side began to size each other up.
Meanwhile, Scott and Morde started their verbal sparring again. This battle was a private bet between Scott and Morde, so there were no outside spectators. However, Hogan and a young Trainer from the other side stood on either side of them. They were there partly to act as referees and witnesses to the battle, and partly to take responsibility for the young people they had brought along.
When the Castelia Club appeared, Terrance and his group couldn't help but focus on Kaveh, whose bald head was too conspicuous, drawing their attention.
Saki tried hard to suppress a laugh, her face turning red, but out of politeness, she held it in. It wasn't until Hogan gave her a stern look that she managed to regain her composure.
At the same time, the Castelia Club members were also observing the Frontier Club members. The two groups were quite similar in composition, with four males and one female each, and there wasn't much of an age difference—everyone was full of youthful energy.
Hogan sighed softly as he observed the scene. The battle hadn't even started, and he already felt at a disadvantage—not in terms of momentum or strength, but in the team's behavior. The Frontier Club members were each doing their own thing, looking around, constantly assessing the situation.
In contrast, the Castelia Club members, while also observing secretly, didn't make any major moves. The five of them were like a cohesive unit, showing strong discipline.
"Well, the time has been too short for them to become a cohesive team."
Normally, this wouldn't be an issue since it's the Pokémon doing the battling. But now, they represent a collective—a club. They are fighting as a team, so cohesion is essential.
After a moment, the two men stopped their banter, tidied up their appearance, cleared their throats, and said slowly, "We'll settle this in battle."
Both sides retreated to their positions. Hogan held a remote control and pressed a button, saying, "After each battle, the arena will be changed. There are five different arenas: Standard Terrain, Grassy Terrain, Sandy Terrain, Icy Terrain, Water and Rocky Terrain. The first battle will be on a Standard Terrain, with random arena changes after each round."
"Trainers are allowed to switch Pokémon freely during the battle. Losing three Pokémon means defeat."
Hogan and the Castelia Club Trainer moved to the referee stands on opposite sides of the arena to oversee the battle.
The battle order for each side was determined by their respective leaders.
The battle order on the Frontier Club side had been decided in advance. Hogan and Scott spent a long time analyzing it and ultimately decided that Shiro would go first.
He was the most familiar with Unova's Pokémon and was among the strongest of the five, so there was little chance of a major mistake. For the first match, they needed a solid win.
"The first battle will take place on the Standard Terrain. Frontier Club's representative is Shiro."
Immediately, a Trainer stepped forward from the Castelia Club.
"Castelia Club's representative is Joya."
As soon as the words were spoken, the two Trainers in the arena became the focus of attention, with all eyes on them.
Terrance and the others moved to a higher vantage point, giving them a clear view of the arena. The first match was on the most traditional Standard Terrain. Both Trainers took out their Poké Balls and, at the start command, tossed them out simultaneously.
"The opponent is... Ferrothorn?!"
As soon as both Pokémon took their positions, the members of Frontier Club showed surprised expressions.
"Wow! Doesn't that mean we have a huge advantage?" Saki said with a smile.
On Shiro's side, the Pokémon he sent out was a powerful and rugged creature, predominantly red in color. Even if one didn't recognize this Pokémon, the fiery mane around its neck made it clear that it was a Fire-type.
"Ferrothorn is a Grass and Steel type, while Emboar is a Fire and Fighting type. From a type perspective, we definitely have the advantage," Troy remarked to Saki after a quick glance.
"Both are Unova Pokémon," Hogan noted, focusing his attention.
Boom!
As soon as the battle began, Shiro quickly gave the command: "Flamethrower!"
Emboar unleashed a torrent of raging flames from its mouth, aiming straight at Ferrothorn. Despite facing the threat of the scorching fire, Joya, the opposing Trainer, calmly instructed, "Gyro Ball, deflect it."
Whirr~
Ferrothorn's body, which resembled a flying saucer, spun rapidly. Just before the flames reached it, it transformed almost entirely into a spinning top, rotating at an incredibly high speed. With a loud bang, the flames struck Ferrothorn, but a force deflected them, causing the flames to disperse into sparks.
Seeing this, the Trainers from the Frontier Club instantly turned solemn. Under such a powerful type suppression, how high a gap in strength and skill would be needed to ignore the damage?
"This Ferrothorn's defense is really strong... Although it used Gyro Ball to deflect most of the flames, it must have also trained to resist fire," Terrance thought, observing the Ferrothorn for the first time. He couldn't help but wonder how he would handle such an opponent if he were on the stage.
"Spikes—" Joya gave the order calmly, as if expecting this outcome. At the command, Ferrothorn's vine-like tentacles whipped out, scattering glowing spikes across the battlefield, which quickly disappeared into the ground.
"Flamethrower didn't work? In that case, Honchkrow, you're up," Seeing this, Shiro recalled Emboar without showing any emotion.
Next, a fierce-looking Pokémon with a large hat on its head and prominent red coloration on its wings and tail flew out.
"Switching Pokémon? Ferrothorn, continue with Spikes."
"Honchkrow, ignore it and use Nasty Plot."
Honchkrow flapped its black wings and struck a contemplative pose, while Ferrothorn continued laying down Spikes.
The same pattern continued in the next round. By the time Ferrothorn had used Spikes three times, Honchkrow had managed to use Nasty Plot twice.
"What are they trying to do?" Watching Shiro and Joya's actions, it's hard to say who is right or wrong in this clash. After three layers of Spikes, any new Pokémon Shiro sent out would immediately get injured, while Honchkrow's two Nasty Plot had significantly boosted its attack power.
"Power Whip!"
With the Spikes set, Ferrothorn extended its tentacles to grab Honchkrow. However, Honchkrow, following Shiro's command, countered with Dark Pulse, forcing the tentacles back.
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