Pokémon from Galar

Popella, leaning on her cane, smiled at Mary. Since finding an heir, her whole demeanor seemed different from before.

After hearing this, Mary nodded and sat down next to Popura. There were rumors that the previous champion, Mastedt, was the Fairy-type Gym Leader sitting next to her.

Of course, since those events happened decades ago, Mary didn't know much about them, and what she knew was all hearsay without any reliable evidence.

"I heard from Peter that he was defeated by you once before, is that right?"

"Well, it wasn't a very formal match."

Mary paused for a moment, but still nodded in agreement, since there was nothing wrong with admitting it.

"Hehe~ When it comes to battles, there's no such thing as formal or informal. You just lose."

Not knowing why Popella was suddenly telling her this, Mary nodded slightly and remained silent, waiting for what she would say next.

"You're just like your brother, so dull. Don't overthink it. I just wanted to see for myself what the trainer Peter keeps talking about is like. It seems Peter is still a bit short of being able to beat you."

"No, Peter's strength has increased rapidly, and my victory was also due to luck."

Mary doesn't necessarily think she's better than Peter, even though she's beaten him twice. She needs to take a long-term view and constantly think about where Peter is better than her, which makes it easier to improve.

Popella smiled, not continuing the topic, but instead stood up, leaning on her cane, and walked out.

"It's almost time for the challenge, so I'll head out first."

Chapter 250 Battle against Popella

As Mary walked out of the tunnel, Popella was already standing in the center of the arena, resting with her eyes closed, seemingly completely undisturbed by the noise from the audience.

"Hehe~ Let me see what your pink is, although I no longer need to choose an heir."

Popella opened her eyes and looked at Mary, who appeared in front of her.

Not knowing how to answer this question, Mary ultimately chose the most versatile response:

"I'm really looking forward to receiving guidance from Gym Leader Popira."

"Don't be so formal. I'm just someone who's about to retire. Let's begin."

Popira, the gym leader, chuckled and turned to walk away from where the trainers were standing.

On the other side, in the audience seats,

This was the first time Mizuki had sat in such a formal arena to watch other people's Pokémon battles. After all, in Alola, they would just find any open space or a simple battleground.

The few matches in the only official league were also played without any spectators.

Feeling slightly out of place amidst the enthusiasm and shouts coming from all directions, Mizuki briefly imagined what it would be like to stand on the battlefield below.

I felt a little excited.

Yuri turned her head slightly and saw the change in Mizuki's expression. When she first watched it live, she was much more excited than Mizuki.

Mary managed to find Mizuki and Yuri's positions on the field, but unfortunately, they were on the side and she couldn't see them easily. She didn't raise her hand to signal them or anything like that, and quietly walked to her position and stood still.

Mary took the Sweet Ball from her waist and threw it out; Little Mo was starting in Mary's lineup.

"Cha--! (It's been a long time since I've appeared!)"

There are quite a few regular matches, but it's been a long time since we've had a match like this under the spotlight.

Although he was countered, he didn't seem to want to give up his chance to play since he didn't appear last time, so Mary let him be. Besides, although the Dark attribute was countered, Mordred was more proficient in Electric-type moves, so it wasn't that he couldn't fight.

Popira looked at Morpeko appearing on the field, thought for a moment, took out a Poké Ball, and threw it.

A double-explosive gas canister appeared on the field.

The Galer-like double-ball gas, with its tall chimney hat and strange smoke beard, is sometimes jokingly referred to as "Grandpa Gas" by people from other regions.

However, Marie sensed something was amiss. Although fairies were generally good against Mordred, Mordred would be easier to deal with if it were Ponyta or Mawile.

However, with the Double Gas, he has a unique special move, Magic Steam, which Mo doesn't have a good way to deal with. In fact, if the opponent manages to spread the steam, Mo will have to switch out.

"A surprise high-five!"

Popella was not surprised by Mari's command. Her Morpeko had already revealed her ability to use a surprise attack with a high five, and when she sent out the Double Gas, she was prepared to lose the initiative.

"Don't panic, find an opportunity to use the poisonous vapor."

Double Gas doesn't have a skill that can preemptively strike like a high-five, so it can only try to find an opportunity to counterattack.

Poison Steam is just a simple combo move in Popira's repertoire. With proper training, combining Poison Gas with Miracle Steam can reliably inflict both poison and confusion on opponents.

In fact, this is only the most basic version. In a more advanced version, Popola would add a mist field effect to Weezing, filling the entire field with toxins and fairy-type energy. Kibana has been hit by this move many times.

Of course, the only Pokémon that can currently do this are Popira's other two main Pokémon, Weezing. The newbie on the field right now is still a bit lacking.

Fortunately, given Mo's abilities, the high-five attack, aside from causing Double Gas to lose the initiative, did not cause any damage and remained within an acceptable range.

Marie knew about Popella's trick, but sometimes knowing something doesn't mean you have a good solution.

Thankfully, Popella didn't open up the misty arena as well, otherwise Mary might not have been able to pass this challenge.

"Don't give him a chance! Electromagnetic waves, then 100,000 volts!"

If Mo wasn't a bit weak and didn't use the Electric Field too well, Mary really intended to go for a quick attack, tank a wave of damage, and force the Double Gas out of the field.

Unfortunately, we still need to play it safe and use electromagnetic waves to interfere.

On the battlefield,

Mo slammed headfirst into the face of the double-barreled gas in mid-air, sending his opponent flying backward. Mo didn't even pause in mid-air; as if flowing water, he quickly connected with the electromagnetic waves, enveloping the double-barreled gas within them.

As a core part of Mo's tactics, he has practiced a lot of moves after the high-five surprise attack. Taking advantage of the opponent's brief moment of hesitation, Mo is confident that he can use the third move, Thunderbolt, before the opponent can do it.

Seeing that Morubek had gained an advantage under Mari's command, Popira was not in a hurry, but looked at today's challenger with great approval.

The release of special moves requires preparation time, and without long-term effective training, this preparation time, especially the time for connecting special moves, is difficult to reduce.

The combination techniques used by Peter and Popella are not something that can be used just by seeing or thinking about them; it requires more time and proper training. Although Marie doesn't seem to have been able to create such a finished product yet.

But just now it seemed that we could vaguely see a beginning of its shape.

If this Morbeco wasn't exceptionally talented, then it must be that Mari's strength exceeded her expectations.

She is indeed a good child, even better than Yuri and Hop. No wonder even that kid Qibana thinks highly of her.

Popella gave Mary a high rating in her heart. Her pink color was nice, but it was a pity that it didn't suit her dojo.

Although Popella didn't give many instructions, the team's response to the double-volley gas was quite methodical.

The paralysis had less of an effect on him than Xiao Mo had expected. He had anticipated that his opponent would be the first to take the hit from his 100,000 volts, but to Xiao Mo's surprise, the Double Gas forcibly emitted a mixture of pink and purple smoke.

Then, 100,000 volts pierced through the ominous-looking smoke and landed on the double-barreled gas.

The steam generation was indeed interrupted by the Thunderbolt, after all, the special defense of Double Gas is very weak, and being hit by Thunderbolt is not a good thing.

But the gas and steam that had just spread out were enough to force Xiao Mo to quickly retreat from the spot, not daring to touch it at all.

"Dismantle the power grid as much as possible!"

The only thing Mary could think of that might be useful was the electric net. She'd try it out anyway; if it didn't work against the opponent's smoke screen, then Little Mordred would really have to use a wave of attacks before switching in another player.

Chapter 251 Little Mo Enjoying the Spotlight

"just--!"

As Xiao Mo retreated, he condensed a golden ball of electricity in front of him at top speed, and then threw it fiercely towards the direction of the Double Gas.

The area covered by the electric grid wasn't particularly large, but it was enough to envelop the small amount of fog that had just spread out.

"Fairy Wind, avoid."

Popella didn't seem to care that the poisonous vapors of the Double-Bomb Gas were enveloped by the electric grid. Instead, she directly removed the Double-Bomb Gas from the range of the electric grid, as if she had abandoned this tactic.

Before Mary could react, Mo's attack provided the answer.

The moment the electric grid touched the toxic vapor, it was accompanied by a few sparks, which quickly faded away at a visible speed. It seems that the combination of moves by the Gym Leader Popura is not particularly compatible with the electric attribute.

Even the 100,000 volts just now easily pierced through the steam, creating a small hole.

No wonder they quickly made Double Gas abandon this tactic; with the electric grid, this move would hardly have the desired effect on Little Mo.

"Hehe~ Judging from your appearance, it seems like you found it by chance, but luck is also part of strength. Double Gas, Hot Wind and Fairy Wind."

Popella remained nonchalant, yet once again directed a combination attack.

The airflow, a mixture of fire and fairy energy, was easily lifted by the double-boosted gas, sweeping over the electric grid and heading towards Mordred on the ground.

After roughly understanding what had just happened, Mary became bolder.

"A bolt of lightning flashes, then 100,000 volts!"

It's not possible to combine the two special moves yet, but fortunately, Xiao Mo's moves are connected very well, so there won't be any awkward situations.

Xiao Mo quickly came to his senses on the battlefield. Although he was still young and could not understand what had just happened, he only needed to know that he had a way to break that tricky move. He could leave the rest to tutoring after the battle!

Light lightning quickly ignited on his body. His eyes were filled with fighting spirit as he faced the oncoming wind pressure. He knew that he couldn't outrun such a wide-ranging wind by dodging, so breaking through directly was the best option!

Tear--!

With increasing skill, Xiao Mo seemed to transform into a real bolt of lightning, leaving a dazzling streak of light across the field as he charged headlong into the scorching wind pressure!

The three types of energy exploded with crackling sounds around Xiao Mo, rapidly depleting the electrical energy covering his body. Enduring the scorching air, Xiao Mo forced his way through the heat-blowing blockade of the dual-gas system, despite the pain.

At that moment, the Double Gas didn't have time to reverse the direction of the forward-moving hot air and fairy wind.

"Chap—! (Get down—!)"

Suddenly relieved of the pressure all over his body, Xiao Mo's lips curled into a wicked smile, as if he had transformed. He sped off towards the direction of the double-barreled gas, his body's electrical energy rapidly replenished and even becoming more dazzling.

"Sludge bomb, time it right!"

Popira made the right judgment. What she needed now was to interrupt the Morpeko's Thunderbolt attack, but the opponent was moving quickly. To hit the opponent, she had to rely on the Pokémon's own performance on the spot.

Seeing the deep purple sludge formed by the double-gauge gas, Xiao Mo instantly made a judgment. Although he didn't hear Mary's instructions, Xiao Mo trusted his own on-the-spot assessment. Just as the opponent was about to launch their first probing attack...

"just--!"

With a sudden twist, Xiao Mo maintained his lightning-fast change of direction, clearly causing the first tentative attack launched by the double-gauge gas to miss its target.

It's now!

Xiao Mo gritted his teeth and continued to accumulate electricity. It was still a bit difficult to unleash 100,000 volts smoothly when using the electric light. He needed a little more time!

Bang-!

"Cheer—! (Get out of here!)"