Chapter 289: The Arrival of Grandma Liu
Kenji never expected that Dragonite and Altaria were actually the weakest members of Namgung Xi's team.
According to her, her grandfather had forced her to use them for the gym challenges specifically to increase the difficulty. If she had brought along her Elite-level Kingdra and Haxorus, the gym circuit would have been a boring walk in the park.
It made sense for Dragonite. As a Pseudo-Legendary, it was a late-bloomer; its growth in the early stages was notoriously slow. Zephyr's Dratini was a prime example—currently, its growth rate couldn't even match ordinary Pokémon with lower potential.
But as the saying goes, "Great vessels take long to complete." Once a Pseudo-Legendary reaches its final evolution, its power growth accelerates exponentially. As Lulu evolved further, it was only a matter of time before it caught up to the rest of Namgung Xi's roster.
Among her seven core Pokémon, Kingdra possessed S-Rank potential, Haxorus was S-, and the others were all A-Rank.
Kenji had to admit that the heritage of the three Great Guardian Clans was truly terrifying. Being able to field four S-tier potential Pokémon at once—all of them powerful and rare Dragons—was a feat few could match.
Aside from Namgung Xi, Zephyr from Imperial Academy had also successfully secured eight provincial badges. However, unlike Kenji and Namgung Xi's effortless run, Zephyr's journey had been much more arduous.
Kenji was familiar with Zephyr's lineup. Even though time had passed and his Pokémon had improved, their growth was limited compared to the monsters Kenji was raising. If Zephyr entered the Huaxia League Conference with his current team, to put it bluntly, he'd be nothing more than a "small fry" in the later rounds.
After all, the Huaxia League Conference gathered the absolute elite trainers from across the country.
There were only two major restrictions for entry:
You had to be a legal citizen of Huaxia (ruling out criminals or "black accounts" associated with groups like Team Rocket).
Current Gym Leaders and Elite Four members were barred from competing.
However, retired Elite Four members were perfectly eligible to participate.
...
Meanwhile, at the Metropolis Battle Tower:
BOOM!!! —
"ROAAAARR!!!! —"
Gyarados let out a deafening roar, its massive tail whipping through the air and slamming directly into an opposing Aggron.
"Aggronnn!!!!! —"
The Iron Armor Pokémon let out a pained wail. Despite its Heavy Metal ability and massive weight, the sheer force of the impact launched it into the air.
CRASH!!! —
When the Aggron finally slammed back down, the entire floor of the arena trembled under its weight.
"Aggron is unable to battle!! Gyarados wins the round!!!"
"All Pokémon on the Red Side are unable to battle! Challenger Kenji is the victor!!!"
"ROAAAARR!!! —"
Gyarados roared again, its voice echoing through the stadium.
Kenji stood in the Green Side trainer's box, hands in his pockets. He looked at the domineering sea serpent on the field and offered a faint smirk.
[Gyarados] (4-Star)
Gender: Female
Level: 78
Type: Water / Flying
Base Stats Total: 720
(HP: 130, Atk: 170, Def: 100, SpA: 80, SpD: 130, Spe: 110)
Abilities: Intimidate, Pressure
Moves: Aqua Tail, Dragon Dance, Waterfall, Outrage, Ice Fang, Scary Face, Crunch, Protect, Hyper Beam, Iron Tail...
Items: Radiant Bloodthirster, Radiant Edge of Night, Radiant Quicksilver
Potential: S+
Thanks to the 15% growth speed boost from the [Cybernetic Growth] Hex Core and its own unrelenting work ethic, Gyarados's level had skyrocketed to a terrifying Level 78.
With a full set of Radiant Items, its actual combat power was now easily on par with a Champion-level Pokémon.
[Radiant Bloodthirster]
Basic Effect: Attack +30
Special Effect: 50% of damage dealt by moves is restored as HP. When HP falls below 40%, the user gains a shield that blocks 90% of the next incoming attack.
[Radiant Edge of Night]
Basic Effect: Attack +10
Special Effect: When HP drops to 40%, the user enters a state of complete invulnerability for 2.5 seconds.
[Radiant Quicksilver]
Basic Effect: None
Special Effect: Upon entering battle, the user is immune to the next ten negative status effects. After each immunity triggers, the user gains +5 Speed.
These three Radiant items were game-changers. The 2.5-second invincibility from the Radiant Edge of Night was particularly broken.
"Mr. Kenji, congratulations on clearing Floor 95. Shall we find your next opponent?"
Kenji had been grinding the Battle Tower relentlessly. His win streak now stood at a staggering 95 matches. He only needed five more wins to complete the legendary 100-floor challenge.
While the rewards for reaching Floor 100 weren't strictly necessary for Kenji anymore, he wasn't about to turn them down. More importantly, as he climbed higher, the quality of his opponents improved, providing the perfect high-intensity training for his team.
Unfortunately, finding matches at this height was getting difficult. Sometimes it took a day or two just to pair him with someone on a similar streak.
Completing the 100th floor before the Huaxia League Conference began was looking unlikely. Besides, Kenji was planning to head to Mt. Dreadmist to pick up Beedrill and Arbok.
Bzzzt Bzzzt Bzzzt...
His phone vibrated in his pocket. Kenji pulled it out and saw Tyson Tang's name on the screen.
"Yeah? What's up?" Kenji asked. He had been hanging out with Tyson a lot lately; their relationship had evolved into a solid friendship. Since they were close in age, they had plenty to talk about.
On the other end of the line, Tyson's voice was tight with excitement.
"Holy hell, get over here right now! Grandma Liu is here!!"
Kenji froze in his tracks.
What? Who??!
He was just thinking about going to see her, and she had already come to Metropolis??!
Grandma Liu had mentioned she wanted to cheer him on during the League Conference, but seeing her actually leave her seclusion at Mt. Dreadmist was a huge surprise.
"I'm on my way..."
Kenji hung up and sprinted out of the Battle Tower, heading straight for the Metropolis Gym.
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