Pokémon: I picked up a reborn Eevee at the start of the game

This is the key to Milotic's ability to inflict such high damage on Gyarados—

Gyarados is better off having undergone resistance training for Electric-type moves, but it's impossible for it to be trained separately for the move Freeze-Dry.

Qianli curled her lip, "It's obvious you've never watched Xia Chen's matches. It's not just freeze-drying; his Milotic can also do Butterfly Dance, Water Spray, and Meteor Shower."

"And don't you think Gyarados's damage output is a bit too low?"

Adam nodded; as a fellow top trainer, he had that kind of judgment.

He asked curiously, "Is there any explanation for this?"

Qianli said with a solemn expression, "After observing it all the way, I feel that... this Milotic is no longer a simple Water-type Pokémon."

Upon being reminded, a flash of inspiration struck Adam, and he guessed in surprise, "You mean... a water dragon? Yes, only a water dragon... could explain why this waterfall's damage is so ridiculously low."

Qianli shrugged. "Who knows? He and his elf... they have too many secrets."

Adam remained silent, gazing once more at the exceptionally beautiful Milotic. His gaze shifted from mere appreciation of its appearance to profound respect for its power.

"He will definitely become a champion within five years!"

Adam said this with such certainty.

…………

On the battlefield, the wind and rain ceased.

The fierce battle raged on amidst the lingering moisture and ice fog.

"Gyarados, just hang in there!"

Mikli did not lose confidence because of one failed attack. If the waterfall attack couldn't work, then he would try a different attack that could!

Endure, a normal physical attack move, the effect of which is to double the damage dealt when the user is in an abnormal status!

When Gyarados is in the [Burn] status condition, it can not only trigger this effect, but also temporarily get rid of the physical attack restriction imposed by the burn when using this move.

This is the highest damage he can deal at this moment!

"Roar--"

Gyarados gathers all its energy and concentrates it in its tail, which is its usual starting point for attacks.

The whip-like tail not only makes it easy to exert force, but also minimizes damage when a fight fails.

A simple, brilliant white light shone on Gyarados's thick tail, emanating a terrifying aura that sent chills down one's spine with each twitch.

With a twist of its body and a sudden burst of power from its tail, Gyarados's violent movements created a huge splash. Then, a sharp whistling sound approached, and the powerful "Tail of Desperation" lashed out at Milotic.

"Hold on!"

As if by magic, a transparent barrier lit up in front of Milotic, firmly holding back Gyarados's fierce counterattack.

Compared to Doraki's previous defense, Milotic's movements and demeanor were more relaxed and leisurely, clearly indicating that enduring this hard-fought attack was not too difficult for him.

This was due to both the help of the reflective walls and the enhanced energy intensity of Milotic.

Even when Gyarados exerted its power to the point where its whiskers stood on end, the barrier in front of Milotic was as solid as an iron defense line.

Without a doubt, this protection prevented Gyarados from stubbornly holding on!

However, protection can only be used once in a short period of time, so you can't just tough it out.

Just as the energy barrier dissipated, Mikoli shouted, "One more time! Hang in there!"

This problem can't be solved if there's no Gyarados on the battlefield; if there is, then let's do it twice!

"Into the water!"

With Gyarados at the height of its power, Xia Chen dared not let Milotic confront it head-on.

It's really annoying to have to endure this move. Not only can it completely negate the effect of Dragapult's Will-O-Wisp, but Normal-type moves can also take down all Pokémon except for Ghost, Steel, and Rock types.

Without these two conditions, Minas wouldn't be able to withstand the challenge like it did with the waterfall climb.

Ultimately, Milotic's true strength isn't actually that impressive.

…………

With a splash of water, Milotic slipped and disappeared beneath the surface.

Gyarados, naturally unwilling to let it go, dragged its tail, which was brimming with energy, into the water to give chase.

For him, a prolonged battle is actually a good thing. In terms of endurance, the energy reserves of Elite Four level Pokémon are in no way inferior to Milotic.

Ideally, the duration of Reflect should be dragged out completely; by then, even protection won't be enough to stop Gyarados from holding out.

As the two long, dragon-shaped Pokémon disappeared underwater, the audience looked up again at the large screen above the gym—where the scene had switched to the two Pokémon chasing each other underwater.

Even Dragapult can catch up, so Gyarados is undoubtedly faster than Milotic.

Under the azure water, the two dragons were already neck and neck, but catching up did not mean they could be hit. Gyarados swung its tail several times in an attempt to attack, but found that it was impossible to do so.

The tail is the driver of Gyarados's swimming posture. Once it launches an attack, it will inevitably slow down. And once it slows down, Milotic will dash forward a distance.

Both Pokémon were almost at the edge of the arena, but Gyarados still hadn't found a suitable opportunity to make its move.

Looking up at the big screen and watching the battle intently, Mikuri pondered for a moment, then commanded, "Gyarados, use your head to hold on!"

While the change in attack position does bring risks, it can also improve the current predicament of not being able to hit Milotic.

Fortune favors the bold; at worst, Gyarados might suffer a bit of freeze-drying on its face, which it can easily handle.

Elite Four level Pokémon have highly sensitive senses. Even underwater, Gyarados could still hear the trainer's commands.

He adjusted the position of the energy condensation while charging towards the Milotic phase in front of him.

He quickly changed his approach from using the [Iron Tail] to [Rocket Headbutt].

With a sudden thud of its tail, Gyarados launched itself like a missile, its head shimmering with milky-white light.

Xia Chen didn't observe the battle through the screen. He closed his eyes and focused on sensing the information shared with Milotic, judging Gyarados's position based on the frequency of the water flow behind him.

Just as the frequency reached its peak, he suddenly shouted, "Turn around, hypnosis!"

Sound travels at 340 m/s, and the brain receives and reacts to information in milliseconds, but none of this will hinder Xia Chen and Milos.

Just as Mikuri and Gyarados were stunned, Milotic had already smoothly turned around in the water, shooting out a strange energy wave from its rose-red eyes.

Gyarados, which was almost at zero distance from Milotic, was sprinting with its eyes wide open in anger and naturally failed to defend against this extremely insidious hypnotic spell.

The Gyarados, which was full of energy just a second ago, immediately fell into a drowsy sleep. Driven by inertia, it crashed into Milotic's body as it wished, but the touch was completely soft and weak.

Without the boost of energy, the collision obviously couldn't cause Milotic the slightest damage.

…………

With its opponent asleep, Milotic's task becomes quite simple.

Milotic, Whirlwind Dance!

To save time, Milotic didn't even surface, but instead performed a dazzling dance next to the sleeping Gyarados.

The scene was quite eerie, with the terrified audience fearing that Milotic might be dancing when Gyarados suddenly awoke and lunged at them, biting them.

However, considering the astonishing speed of information transmission between Xia Chen and Milotic, Xia Chen would probably be able to warn Gyarados to run away the moment it opens its eyes.

The good news is that Gyarados did not wake up after the dance.

The bad news is that Gyarados woke up just as Milotic was halfway through its second Quiver Dance...

The increased resistance to status effects due to the difference in strength manifests in all aspects, including the [burn] status and the [sleep] status.

Sleep quality that lasts less than five seconds is really poor, so Gyarados is quite grumpy when it wakes up.

Even before Mikoli gave the order, he once again gathered his [Endurance] energy and angrily bit down.

Milotic showed no surprise whatsoever, nor did it attempt to dodge; it simply continued dancing. Clearly, it wasn't that it hadn't reacted, but rather that it had chosen greed.

One level of Quiver Dance isn't enough for him to contend with the powerful Gyarados, and two levels... aren't quite enough either, but at least they would be much more than enough.

This is a golden opportunity. If you miss this window of opportunity, the price you'll pay next time you want to try your luck will be far more painful.

Energy swirled around Gyarados's sharp fangs, but the concentration was much lower than the previous two times.

It wasn't because it was too weak from just waking up, but because the [Sleep] state had healed the burn, and Gyarados, now free of any abnormal statuses, couldn't trigger the [Endure] double damage condition.

Even so, even if it was just a tough move used as a normal attack, Milotic still suffered extremely high damage from the attack power of the Elite Four-level Gyarados.

"Fuwoo—"

The painful scream contained the power of anger, and the second butterfly dance was completed in this high-pitched voice.

At this moment, Milotic's Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed ​​have all reached a level close to, or even reached, that of an Elite Four member!

This also means that from now on, if Gyarados is hit by freeze-dry, the pain and damage it suffers will be much more than just what it was before.

…………

Underwater is not very convenient for performing many moves, so Milotic was the first to emerge from the water, followed closely by Gyarados.

Immediately, two commands were relayed to the battlefield, one after the other.

"Menas, freeze-dry!"

"Gyarados, use Flamethrower to block!"

This is the first time that Miketsu has taken the initiative to counter an opponent's move since Gyarados appeared.

Neither Dronki's Thunderbolt and Phantom Assault nor Dronmesia's Dragon Claw could achieve this, which shows how wary he was of this freeze-dried food.

A chilling aura condensed into a beam of energy shrouded in icy mist and shot towards Gyarados, which quickly spat out a mouthful of blazing flame to shield itself.

Ice and fire clashed, and extreme heat and extreme cold exploded violently in the air. Crimson flames tightly enveloped the beam of light containing strange icy energy, attempting to melt it.

However, as the saying goes, "the left side always loses in a battle," Milotic's chilling icy energy proved superior. With the continued pressure of the freeze-drying beam, this song of ice and fire ultimately ended in Milotic's victory.

With its powerful attacks, Gyarados is no match for Milotic!

The freeze-drying agent hit Gyarados squarely in the face—

Both Pokémon unleashed their attacks from their mouths, so it was only natural that the losing Pokémon would get its face covered in projectiles.

Immediately, a look of pain appeared on the latter's fierce face, and a wail echoed across the water.

Even though its power has been reduced by nearly half by Flamethrower, Milotic's output after Double Dance is still not to be underestimated.

Mikkuri frowned slightly. The improvement that Quiver Dance gave Milotic was even greater than he had imagined. Passive defense was not the solution. Fortunately, Quiver Dance did not increase physical defense. Taking the initiative to attack was the way out.