"One of Misty's main Pokémon?"
Battle intent flashed through Gu Qiu's eyes.
At the same time, he checked Kingdra's status.
It was indeed powerful.
[Pokémon]: Kingdra
[Ability]: Sniper
[Attribute]: Water + Dragon
[Description]: A Dragon-type Pokémon, the evolved form of Seadra.
It resembles a seahorse, with horns like those of a traditional Eastern dragon on its head and fins extending from what appear to be gill covers. The poisonous spikes Seadra possessed disappear upon evolving into Kingdra.
Kingdra usually inhabits deep-sea caves and rarely appears in human sight.
[Aptitude]: Top-tier
[Level]: 56 (Pseudo-Elite Four tier)
[Moves]: Whirlpool, Water Gun, Leer, Smokescreen, Twister, Focus Energy, Dragon Breath, Bubble Beam, Agility, Hone Claws, Dragon Pulse, Hydro Pump, Rain Dance, Hyper Beam, Protect…
A Level 56 top-tier Kingdra.
Extensively trained, with a wide movepool.
Its ability, Sniper, made it more likely to land critical hits.
By Gu Qiu's estimation, Kingdra was probably among the lower end of Misty's core lineup.
Gyarados, Starmie, and Psyduck were likely her true pillars.
"Gu Qiu, I won't hold back this time."
"Bring it on."
Gu Qiu took a deep breath.
If this had been before the battle with Cloyster, Greninja might not have stood a chance.
Back then, Greninja had only been Level 38, relying mainly on Sage Mode.
But after defeating Cloyster and gaining two levels, plus yesterday's crystal boost adding another level—
Greninja was now Level 41.
"Sage Mode."
Gu Qiu's voice echoed within Greninja.
Misty watched as Greninja's form subtly changed—the most obvious feature being his eyes turning green.
"He's entered that state again…"
"Interesting."
"Kingdra, let's give it our all today."
"Kingdra, use Whirlpool!"
A swirling vortex of water formed beneath Greninja's feet, attempting to trap him.
"Greninja, jump—and use Shadow Clone Technique midair!"
Leaping over ten meters high, Greninja split into more than ten identical copies.
"What a fascinating move—creating identical bodies."
Misty murmured.
Seeing the Greninjas forming Rasengans in midair, she immediately reacted:
"Rain Dance!"
Rain Dance was a powerful move that changed the weather, summoning rain over a controlled area.
It boosted Water-type moves and weakened Fire-type ones.
The only issue—
Greninja was Water-type too.
Fortunately, that devastating technique from before wasn't Water-type.
Rain began pouring.
More precisely, a cloud formed above the battlefield, covering only the arena with precise control.
Gu Qiu glanced upward.
The rain wouldn't affect Greninja much.
After all—
Frogs were amphibious.
"Hydro Pump!"
Boom!
Kingdra unleashed multiple Hydro Pumps.
Under the rain, the torrents were nearly twice their usual size.
They also charged faster.
Several clones were struck and instantly dispersed.
The barrage was too dense.
Gu Qiu had no choice but to let Greninja carve a path with Rasengan.
"Kingdra, use Agility to widen the distance! Continue alternating Hydro Pump and Water Gun!"
Misty's strategy was clear—
Turn Kingdra into a mobile artillery platform and continuously bombard Greninja.
The effect was decent.
Greninja was temporarily suppressed.
Still—
It wasn't a major issue.
Gu Qiu deliberately refrained from breaking the stalemate immediately.
He could let Kingdra exhaust some stamina first.
"It doesn't seem very effective…"
Misty frowned.
Greninja was simply too agile.
The Hydro Pumps barely connected.
Aside from temporary suppression, the tactic achieved little.
"As expected of Gu Qiu. He's remarkably composed."
If it were someone else, they might have panicked under such pressure.
A flicker of admiration crossed Lorelei's eyes.
Gu Qiu's battle style was steady.
Not a trace of youthful impatience.
The more she looked at him, the more flawless he seemed.
Unbelievable.
"If I were a few years younger, I might've thrown away my pride and chased after you."
She muttered softly.
But he was too young.
She couldn't quite bring herself to "graze on tender grass."
"Cynthia… Did you send Xiaobing here to give her more contact with Gu Qiu?"
Lorelei suddenly thought of Cynthia.
Her closest friend—
And her greatest rival.
Cynthia was a year younger, yet stronger.
Lorelei had reached this level by constantly chasing after her.
Cynthia's talent was terrifying.
"Wait… if it were Gu Qiu and Cynthia…"
A strange glint flickered in Lorelei's eyes.
…
The battle remained tense.
Kingdra abandoned the artillery strategy—it wasn't decisive enough.
Misty rubbed her forehead.
Only when battling Gu Qiu did she truly feel how difficult he was.
His control over Greninja was precise to an almost frightening degree.
She even wondered who she was really fighting.
Kingdra was clearly stronger.
Yet she couldn't do anything about Greninja.
"Greninja—Sage Art: Wind Release · Rasenshuriken!"
Gu Qiu wasn't having it easy either.
Misty's battle instincts were sharp.
Kingdra was powerful.
Greninja had been forced into passivity.
Spotting a fleeting opening, he immediately ordered the ultimate move.
If this dragged on, he wasn't sure he could secure victory.
"That move again…"
"It feels even stronger this time."
Unlike Gyarados before, Kingdra couldn't simply tank it.
"Kingdra—use Hyper Beam!"
Against that terrifying technique, Hyper Beam was Misty's only answer.
With devastating destructive power—
Capable of leveling everything in its path.
Two overwhelming forces began to condense.
Even Lorelei's expression grew serious.
"At this rate, the audience might get caught in it."
"Brock, Li Hong, Ye Munan—help protect the stands!"
"Understood!"
Lorelei also summoned a Pokémon—
Jynx, Ice/Psychic-type.
She prepared to use Jynx's psychic power to prevent any accidents.
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