Elf: This owner is so sunny.

Wind blades relentlessly bombarded Nutcracker's body. The damage from the air blades was considerable. Togekiss itself possessed extremely high special attack, and even without a type advantage, it could still deal significant damage.

Akin plans to use Air Blade to open up the game.

At the very least, I must defeat this nut-shaped dumbbell in front of Bai Yu.

"Hold on," Bai Yu replied calmly.

He didn't want to gamble on the probability of shrinking back. Even if the chance of shrinking back wasn't high, with the blessing of Heaven's Grace, the Air Blade had a 60% chance of falling into a state of shrinking back.

There have been instances where people were repeatedly flinched by the air blades during battles, to the point of losing their ability to fight. Bai Yu never wanted to experience that kind of scene again.

A thick barrier materialized in front of the nut dumbbell. The amazing barrier blocked the sharp blades coming from the air almost instantly. Countless wind blades hit the barrier, but they did not cause any damage.

"Venomous attack!"

With a loud bang, all the air blades were blocked by the protective barrier, and the remaining force exploded. Under a thick cloud of smoke, Bai Yu gave another command.

Amidst the smoke and dust, Nut Dumbbell swung its vines, which were wreathed in eerie, deep purple poisonous light, aiming straight at Togekiss's body at incredible speed!

Poison Strike!
Nut Dumbbell is one of the few poison-type moves.

"Pokatarou! Big Flame Burst!"

A Jin's expression changed slightly. He had just finished releasing his defense and was able to follow up with another attack in an instant.

Moreover, if Poison Strike hits Togekiss, it will cause considerable damage.

Poison-type is twice as effective against Fairy-type. That Nutbell was very fast and powerful, showing that it is not only outstanding in defense but also quite amazing in attack.

Togekiss retreated, a ball of flame rising in front of him. The blazing flames exploded in mid-air, forming a large "X" shape, and hurtled towards the vines in front of him.

Fire-type large-character Flame Burst.

boom! !

Poison Strike and Flame Burst collided in mid-air, their forces evenly matched, and finally exploded in mid-air. Nut Dumbbell retracted the vines, which showed some signs of burning on their surface.

After all, it's a poison attack, using its own vines to attack. Once the deep purple poisonous light covering its surface dissipates, the vines themselves will also be damaged.

Thankfully it wasn't the main body, at least the main body didn't suffer much damage.

The astonishing roar drew almost everyone's attention. Everyone stared at the two Pokémon on the field, amidst billowing smoke, and they could vaguely see some flames clinging to the vines.

"Fire-based techniques are still harmful, no matter what." Bai Yu frowned.

In terms of offense, Ferrothorn is inferior to Togekiss, since Togekiss's stats are what they are, while Ferrothorn is merely a defensive Pokémon.

In addition, most of the moves involving the Nut Dumbbell utilize vines, which are a type of grass. If the vines are scorched by fire, the Nut Dumbbell will be damaged once the surface layer is eroded away.

One or two instances of damage might not show any effect yet, but as the number of attacks increases, the power of the vines diminishes, giving Togekiss more opportunities to use Fire-type moves.

Togekiss, relying on its Serene Grace ability, doubles the probability of triggering the Burn effect when using Fire-type moves, making it easier to inflict the Burn status on Ferrothorn.

Then there's no need for this match to continue.

"I've got my chance!" Ajin clenched his fist and took a deep breath.

He wanted to win this game; his desire for victory had never been stronger than it is today.

"One hundred thousand volts!"

Taking advantage of A Jin's momentary lapse in concentration, Bai Yu launched an attack without hesitation.

His strategy shifted from having the Nut Dumbbell use its preferred physical attacks to having it use special moves.

A metallic stream of light rose from the Nut Dumbbell, and in the next moment, it transformed into a streak of light, hurtling towards Togekiss in mid-air.

"Get away!"

Without even thinking, Ajin quickly shouted.

Tokiss moved quickly to dodge the oncoming golden electricity.

"Gyro ball!"

Having just unleashed a hundred thousand volts, Nut Dumbbell swung its vines, its body moving with the momentum, gradually increasing its speed as it moved closer to Togekiss.

The approaching nut dumbbells also caught Tokis's attention, and Tokis instinctively moved his body rapidly upwards.

However, the metallic sheen that had been adhering to the surface of the nut dumbbell suddenly disappeared, replaced by countless flying needles that blasted towards Togekiss in mid-air.

"That's a missile pin!"

Akin's expression changed slightly. Was he actually pretending to use the spinning top ball, but actually using the pin missile to attack?

With so many missiles, even if Togekiss reacts in time, he won't be able to dodge them.

That being the case!

"Poktarō, use Flamethrower!"

Even though the body might be attacked by some Pin Missiles, Akin still chose to have Togekiss use Flamethrower to retaliate. No matter how many Pin Missiles there are, they won't hurt Togekiss much; they're within an acceptable range.

Togekiss spun around, flames gathering in his mouth. He stared at the incoming Pins missiles, and the flames were quickly released, instantly engulfing the Pins missiles in flames.

A small number of missiles struck Togekiss before the flames could fully materialize. Togekiss merely grunted, and his attack was not interrupted by the missiles.

"Spinning Top Ball!" Bai Yu smiled slightly, his movements remaining as calm as ever.

The missile pins were burned, and the remaining flames blasted towards the Nut Dumbbell's body. The Nut Dumbbell spun around, and the flames clung to its body as it spun, gradually covering the metallic luster.

But the nut dumbbells didn't slow down at all; they kept accelerating and getting closer to Tokiss in mid-air.

"Poktaro! Quick! Get out of the way!"

Togekiss immediately flapped its wings and soared into the sky, but before it could create distance, the spinning ball attacked, carrying a hint of fire, and crashed heavily into Togekiss.

Bang bang bang!
With a series of crashing sounds, Togekiss was completely unable to defend itself and was forced to retreat continuously by the force. In no time, Togekiss was sent flying.

Togekiss let out a low growl, its body seemingly suffering a severe injury. Steel-type Gyro Balls are particularly damaging to Togekiss, especially since the difference in speed is significant; Togekiss's speed is far superior to that of a Ferrothorn. Akin's expression immediately turned grim.

He knew very well that the initiative was no longer in his hands at this moment.

"Vicious pursuit!"

Bai Yu smiled slightly; this match should be over now.

A wisp of fire dissipated as Nut Dumbbell suddenly stopped moving, followed by a heavy whip lashing towards Togekiss's body.

The vines, imbued with dark energy, now unleashed an even more powerful Dark-type aura. Togekiss, which had been struck and knocked to the ground, successfully touched the ground and fell into a poisoned state. Just as it regained its footing, the whip lashed out again.

They didn't give Pokekiss a chance to react at all.

"Poktaro! Hold on!" Akin gritted his teeth.

There's no way to dodge this attack; the only option is to try and defend yourself to block it.

Togekiss immediately conjured a protective barrier in front of him. The pink barrier had just lit up and was not yet fully solidified when it was mercilessly struck in the chest by the vines.

A powerful whip lash sent Togekiss flying.

Togekiss was sent flying backward, crashing heavily into the wall, raising a cloud of dust. Everyone's eyes were drawn to Togekiss beneath the thick smoke.

As the smoke cleared, Togekiss collapsed to the ground, its body glowing with a deep purple poisonous light.

The damage from the original Gyro Ball was already devastating enough, and the addition of flames on it amplified its power. Combined with the doubled power of Malicious Pursuit, Togekiss, despite its excellent Special Defense, was struggling against a barrage of physical attacks.

"Tokiss is incapacitated!"

"Since all three of Gin's Pokémon are unable to battle, Gym Leader Shiraha is the winner!"

The referee came up, glanced at Pokkis's condition briefly, and then announced the result of the match.

The referee's judgment wasn't bad; after all, he had been in Marshall City for almost a year and a half and had seen trainers of all levels. The strength that Gold was showing at this moment was stronger than most of the trainers who had challenged him before.

Even Elite Four level trainers like Denji and Kagetsu are no match for Gold.

With such strength at such a young age, the Johto region is likely to see another rising star emerge.

The overall strength shown by the Johto region now is much stronger than that of Kanto. After all, Kanto only has two Elite Four members on the surface, and trainers who don't know much about Kanto would only think that Kanto's overall strength is too weak.

"As expected of Master Baiyu, his strength is still as powerful as we saw before."

"Wow, that's amazing! Can a dojo like that really get a dojo badge?"

"Of course you can! As long as you're lucky enough or have enough capital, you have a chance to get the Macha Gym badge."

"Good luck" is an apt description. Bai Yu sent out Pokémon like Graveler, which weren't particularly strong but were more in line with the gym's standards. He also had enough capital to buy the Macha Gym Badge from other trainers.

The League doesn't recognize those badges, since the League's archives record who has obtained them. Although they don't recognize them, collecting them is still acceptable.

After all, the Macha Dojo badge is quite prestigious.

"I lost."

Ah Jin pursed his lips, lowered his head, and his face was full of resentment. He had done almost everything he could, but he was still no match for Bai Yu. The difference in strength was just too great.

This was also the first official match that Akin lost, and he was only facing Bai Yu's two Spike Pokémon, which had shown extreme defense in the Masters Tournament.

He always considered himself a trainer who wasn't particularly competitive, but it wasn't until he experienced defeat firsthand that he could feel how unwilling he was to accept it and the taste of defeat.

Did those trainers he defeated before also have the same thoughts?!

As the protagonist of the Gold and Silver Saga, Gold naturally has his own pride. No matter which trainer it is, they will feel bad after losing a match.

However, Akin had not lost a single match since leaving Wakaba Town, which is why he appeared dazed after losing this match.

"Akin, the match is over."

Bai Yu walked up slowly, followed by Nuts Dumbbell. Nuts Dumbbell's eyes were still as dull as before, showing no joy at the victory.

Perhaps for Nuts Dumbbell, this is a match it should have won.

"You've done very well. You're passionate about your Pokémon. All you lack now is a little battle experience. Given time, you'll definitely become an excellent trainer."

Bai Yu was right. With A Jin's strength, even if he hadn't lost this match, he would have become an outstanding trainer in the future.

After all, in HeartGold and SoulSilver, as the protagonist and a trainer recognized by Arceus, he fully demonstrated what true bonds are in front of Arceus.

"Hmph~ I will. Master Shirayu, we will face each other again in the next Masters Tournament."

After adjusting his emotions slightly, Ajin regained his previous confidence. He also recognized his shortcomings and would continue to improve his strength to become stronger.

Of course, the person A Jin wants to challenge is not only Shiraha, but also the former Kanto League champion, the legendary trainer Red who lost to Shiraha in the Masters Tournament!

In this match, Akin also saw the shortcomings of his own lineup. The fact that two Pokémon from the Steak Team were used in the same match made Akin want to catch Toxapex and Ferrothorn.

"I look forward to the day you go to the Masters."

Bai Yu was a little curious.

If the main characters of the special episode, such as Akin, Ruby, Diamond, and Black, all went to the Masters Tournament, their performance might exceed Bai Yu's expectations.

These main characters have all tamed one or two divine beasts, so there should be a battle between high-level divine beasts at that time.

"Gym Leader Shiraha, did you encounter a trainer named Silver before?"

"Silver? He did challenge the Macha Gym a while ago, but it seems he's now the Gym Leader in Viridian City." Bai Yu clearly pointed out Silver's location.

???

What is that? The Viridian City Gym Leader?
Gin remembers that the Viridian City Gym Leader shouldn't be Giovanni, right?

How did Silver become the Gym Leader of Viridian Dojo in such a confused way?
This left Akin completely bewildered; he had no idea what the relationship was between Gin and Sakaki. (End of Chapter)