Pokémon Court

Chapter 506 - vs. Students

"How could it be them...?" Although there was some chance of encountering them, for Lirica and the others to run into them in the first match of the main competition—how unlucky could they be?

"This girl, if I remember correctly, she was the one who borrowed your Castform, right?" Aaron recalled.

"Yeah, we know each other..." Terrance smiled wryly. Lirica's teammate was Ittetsu, and all four students had passed the preliminary round, advancing to the main competition.

"Even though I know them, there's no need to hold back." Soon, Terrance stopped dwelling on it.

For the main competition, there was only one arena.

The preliminary round had filtered out most of the contestants. Since it was a doubles format, each battle meant the elimination of two Trainers, making the tournament progress rather quickly.

"Next is the second match. Contestants, please get ready."

The loudspeaker's announcement reminded them. Terrance and Aaron prepared briefly before getting ready to head onto the arena.

"Based on the number of participants, we just need to win four consecutive matches to reach the finals. This is the first one." Terrance recalled the tournament format and muttered, "Feels like such a hassle."

Having not participated in a formal large-scale competition for a long time since the Pokémon Contest, Terrance felt strong discomfort.

The long waiting time between matches was the most unbearable part.

"I haven't even started complaining yet..." Aaron sighed helplessly. As someone who had been dragged into this, he hadn't even had a chance to gripe.

...

"Ittetsu, have you thought of a way to deal with that Gallade?"

"I have." Ittetsu shook his head vigorously. "But the condition is that both of us have to focus on Gallade together. However, Aaron's Heracross is just as troublesome as Gallade. I don't see any chance of winning this battle."

"This..." Lirica grabbed her hair in frustration.

With their match about to start, they were still struggling over choosing their lineup. Facing stronger opponents whose Pokémon they already had information on, yet being unable to devise a suitable strategy—there was nothing more despairing than this.

"We can only go with our initial plan. Time's up, we'll just have to adapt on the spot." Ittetsu said.

...

...

"Alright, up next is the second match of the main competition! Contestant Lirica and Ittetsu will be facing off against Contestant Terrance and Aaron. What kind of battle will they put on for us?"

The announcer held the microphone, watching as the Trainers from both sides stepped onto the arena, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

"Contestant Terrance and Aaron delivered a stunning performance in the preliminary round, while Contestant Lirica and Ittetsu also performed impressively. Now, let's quiet down and watch their battle unfold!"

As the command was given, Terrance looked at the two students across from him with a strange expression. He cleared his throat and tossed out Gallade's Poké Ball.

This time, Aaron and Terrance were still using the same Pokémon from the preliminary round. Aaron's Heracross possessed immense strength, capable of defeating any opponent head-on, while Gallade's attacks were nearly impossible to guard against. Defining Gallade solely using speed was no longer appropriate. This combination was enough to give anyone a serious headache.

Lirica sent out Venusaur, while Ittetsu sent out Staraptor.

"I think I can guess what they're planning."

Terrance was slightly taken aback when he saw their lineup. If his prediction was correct, he might be facing a strategy he himself often used.

"Venusaur, Sleep Powder!"

"Staraptor, blow the Sleep Powder toward them!"

Right from the start, both of them maintained extremely serious expressions, watching every movement on the arena intently.

"Hmm... Interesting." Seeing the Sleep Powder that was rushing towards them, swirling in the whirlwind, Aaron perked up, "Heracross, team up with Gallade."

Terrance's expression remained unchanged. "Gallade, Teleport behind them."

As the powder closed in, Heracross quickly extended its arm to touch Gallade, and in an instant, both figures vanished.

Seeing this, Lirica and Ittetsu's expression changed. "Venusaur, use Vine Whip to protect yourself!"

"Staraptor, take to the skies!"

The thick vines swiftly swung around Venusaur, forming a protective barrier. It seemed capable of blocking any sneak attacks from Gallade and Heracross.

However, Terrance and Aaron completely ignored this. Under command, Heracross shot several needle-like projectiles, accurately striking the airborne Staraptor while also quickly lifting off into the air itself.

Gallade disappeared once more, reappearing directly above Staraptor. Taking advantage of the moment when Staraptor was wounded, it slashed down its blade, sending Staraptor hurtling toward Venusaur's swinging Vine Whip.

"Venusaur, quickly stop!" Just as the command left her lips, Lirica quickly covered her mouth, realizing the danger.

What should she do...? Catch Staraptor with Vine Whip?

No... that would only leave Venusaur completely exposed to the enemy. The opponents would definitely seize that opportunity.

Just as Lirica hesitated, Heracross had already launched another attack. Its airborne figure flipped in an instant, moving at such speed that it would pierce through regardless of whether Venusaur's Vine Whip had formed a defensive barrier or not.

"It's over. Heracross, Aerial Ace."

Aaron spoke casually.

"Ven~usaur" Venusaur was struck by Aerial Ace and nearly collapsed. Alarmed, Lirica hurriedly commanded it to use Synthesis.

However, Terrance gave Venusaur no chance. Gallade descended once again, its blade slashing down heavily, completing the second strike. Venusaur finally couldn't endure and fell to the ground with a thud.

As for Staraptor, which had crashed down earlier, it met the same fate, completely losing its ability to battle. Lirica and Ittetsu stood there in a daze—this wasn't a battle at all; it was pure domination.

They... hadn't even had a chance to fight back.

"See? The result was just as expected." Kota and Kaido, speaking from the comfort of being spectators, found the match amusing.

"Even though Senior Terrance and Aaron didn't seem to communicate much, their Pokémon coordinated exceptionally well," Kaido observed. "If I didn't know they had never met before, I would've thought they had been training together for a long time."

"This is probably the advantage that experience and battle awareness bring," Kota said as he watched Gallade: "And that Gallade... No matter who its partner is, its Teleport move allows it to quickly assist, finish off opponents, or escape. Facing an opponent like that, the only way is to make both of your Pokémon function as a single unit—otherwise, you'll just get picked off one by one..."

"Contestant Terrance and Aaron wins!"

The referee's loud announcement rang out. Both sides quickly recalled their Pokémon, and the audience erupted into heated discussion once again. Regardless of their personal opinions, no one could ignore the strength of Gallade and Heracross now.

The participants of the Gem Tournament, upon witnessing this match, also furrowed their brows, regarding Terrance and Aaron as the most troublesome obstacles in their path to victory...

****Please support on pat*eon for extra Chapters; there is date to date subscription enabled on patreon. [There is a 7-day trial version availabe on patreon.]

https://www.pat*eon.com/dmtranslations

You can read ahead upto 65 Chapters on my pa*reon.