Pokémon: Trainers Start as Bounty Hunters.

Tetsuya's voice echoed in the empty room.

Inside the Ice Arena of Sub-venue No. 3.

"Alright, we can now see that Mato's Ice Demon and Natsumi's Weavile are engaged in a dazzling battle of offense and defense."

...Oh no! Ice Ghost showed a pained expression. Had it been hit in a vital spot by Weavile?

Weavile is an exceptionally skilled predator; attacking the opponent's vitals is its innate ability as a Dark-type Pokémon.

Oh my god, Glalie has retaliated! Weavile, preparing to press its advantage, was caught off guard at close range and bitten on the leg by Glalie's Ice Fang. That thick block of ice will undoubtedly severely hinder Weavile's agility...

Tetsuya stood in the player tunnel, leaning against the wall, the voices of the commentators and the cheers of the audience coming from the arena outside.

These commentators must be exhausted. Fifteen days, sixteen matches per venue every day. Even with rotation, they must be overwhelmed.

For some reason, his thoughts drifted away again.

For competitions like the Indigo League, live commentary is essential, as it needs to cater to the experience of both the audience at the venue and those watching on television. These commentators aren't professional trainers and only have a superficial understanding of Pokémon.

The main purpose of the commentary is to explain the types of Pokémon, their habits, and the effects of their skills, while also creating a lively atmosphere.

Unlike sports competitions in my previous life, the players and Pokémon on the field can also hear the commentators. If their mental fortitude is not up to par, they can sometimes be swayed by the commentators' opinions.

"Hello, you must be Tetsuya Tamaki. I'm Noriyoshi Sugiyama, your opponent."

A lively female voice came from beside Tetsuya.

Tetsuya, whose eyes had been somewhat vacant, pulled himself together, looked at the other person, and nodded.

The atmosphere became somewhat awkward for a moment.

"This guy is pretty aloof." Sugiyama Noriyoshi, dressed like a mature woman, greeted him with a smile but was met with indifference, and couldn't help but think to herself.

She didn't say hello again.

I originally wanted to chat with this talented young man, but now it seems pointless.

The only sounds coming from outside were in the contestants' tunnel.

"Alright, that concludes the fourth match of the first day of the Ice Arena. The winner is Mato from Daiki City. We also want to thank Natsumi for bringing us such a wonderful battle, and we wish her even greater success in the future..."

Next, please take a short break. The contestants for the next match are already in place.

Once the venue is repaired, we will once again be able to enjoy spectacular battles.

As the commentator summarized, a burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted.

"Good luck." Tetsuya, who had been silent until now, suddenly said a word, and then followed the staff out of the passage.

"Okay."

Sugiyama Noriyoshi, who was standing there in a daze, subconsciously replied with a comment, then looked a little annoyed.

What does this mean? Is it because you feel confident of victory that you're encouraging your opponent?

She clenched her fists, wanting to punch the other person.

Shouldn't a young boy be friendly to a charming older sister like her? Why is this guy acting like this?

What a waste of that face.

Noriyoshi Sugiyama, still holding her grumbling about Tetsuya, followed the staff out of the passage.

"Wow! We can now see the two players for the fifth match entering the arena. Let's give them a big cheer!"

The commentator's passionate voice rang out again.

"The male runner in the blue zone is probably familiar to everyone. This is our torchbearer, Tetsuya Tamaki from Tokiwa City."

He achieved a ten-game winning streak in the qualifiers, and despite his young age, his strength should not be underestimated.

"Held at our official Kanto dojo..."

"Ah!!!!" Screams and cheers resounded through the sky.

Tetsuya even spotted someone holding a banner with his name on it.

"The competition rules have been explained to you. If there are no problems, please get ready. The competition will officially begin in three minutes."

During a break in the commentary, the referee spoke with the two players again.

After receiving an accurate answer, he returned to his usual spot.

"Now, both players are ready and have appeared on their respective command posts!" The commentator kept talking, and Tetsuya was really worried that his mouth would make a mistake.

My gaze shifted to the icy arena in front of me.

The Alliance's Ice Arena is a vast icy region, dotted with icy rocks and ice shards floating on the water.

For some Pokémon, even walking in this kind of environment becomes a major problem, severely impacting their ability to perform.

"On the first day of the Ice Arena, the fifth match is between Tetsuya Tamaki and Noriyoshi Sugiyama. It's a 3v3 battle where both sides can switch their Pokémon once. If one side has all their Pokémon in the battle, they cannot lose."

The referee held up two flags, one red and one blue, and gave a brief explanation.

"Both sides release their spirits simultaneously... Battle begins!"

With arms swung down, the starting horn of the competition sounded.

"Hunting the swallowtail butterfly, go gracefully." "Dominating the sky, Pidgeot."

A flash of red light, and two Pokémon appeared on the field as their trainer called out to them.

"Alright, the match officially begins. Ji Jia has sent out a Beautifly from the Hoenn region. This type of Pokémon is relatively rare in Kanto. Its initial form, Wurmple, can be compared to Caterpie or Weedle from the Kanto region."

What makes it special is that when Wurmple evolves for the first time, it has a 50% chance of evolving into either Cocoon or Shield Cocoon, which are the Bug and Flying type Swallowtail and the Bug and Poison type Toxapex respectively.

Tetsuya's chosen bird is Pidgeot, the final evolution of Pidgeot, often referred to as the gatekeeper bird of Kanto. Data shows that its top speed can easily reach Mach 2...

The narrator spoke at a very fast pace, diligently fulfilling his task.

However, the two trainers on the field were naturally not going to be distracted by him explaining such basic knowledge.

"Air Slash." "Air Blade."

The two sides adopted a surprisingly consistent strategy.

More than a dozen slashes of various shapes collided in mid-air, producing a crisp, metallic sound.

"Rise." Sugiyama Noriyoshi gave the order to dodge.

There was no way around it; the difference in strength was undeniable. The Air Slash of Pidgeot, a near-Champion level, was simply too powerful for an elite level Beautifly to withstand.

It only lasted for a second or two before the air slash near Sugiyama Noriyoshi's side was shattered.

The Flying-type Air Slash deals double damage to Beautifly. Given its stamina and defense, just taking this one hit would probably render it unable to fight.

"The wind is rising."

Zhe calmly directed Pidgeot to launch a ranged attack.

It's impossible to get close.

Despite its beautiful appearance, the hunting swallowtail butterfly has a personality that belies its looks. It is easily angered, aggressive, and full of hostility – that is its true nature.

It is extremely adept at using its round, curled, needle-like proboscis to attack, comparable to the Beedrill.

"Beep~" Pidgeot flapped its wings, and a fierce gust of wind swept towards the Hunting Butterfly.

“Dance in the wind,” Sugiyama Norika said abruptly.

Chapter 255 Every opponent is not to be underestimated (13.6/22)

For Bug-type Pokémon like Beautifly, the strength of their wings is definitely not comparable to that of Bird-type Pokémon of equal strength.

When faced with the strong winds generated by a large Pokémon like Pidgeot, they have difficulty maintaining absolute balance in the air using only their wings, but that doesn't mean they have no means of dealing with the situation.

The hunting swallowtail butterfly gracefully danced a mysterious and beautiful dance in the wind.

This is the butterfly dance.

This can be described as a unique move of this type of moth-like Bug-type Pokémon, using its delicate body to adapt to the rhythm of the wind and ensure that its flight posture is not disturbed.

Aside from Bellossom and Lady Skirt, who are extremely skilled at dance-type moves, only Bug-type moths like Butterfree, Mothro, Beautifly, and Toxapex can perform this magical dance.

It is one of the very few moves that can simultaneously enhance three abilities without any probability.

Butterfly Dance will stimulate the energy within a Pokémon, comprehensively enhancing its energy attack, energy defense, and speed.

The only move that completely corresponds to it is Coil, which is favored by snake-type Pokémon. Using it will increase the Pokémon's physical attack and defense capabilities.

In addition, the coiled posture is often a sign that snake spirits are entering a predatory state, making them more able to detect the enemy's movements and increase the hit rate of their skills.

The Shell Smash move, which is mastered by shell-type Pokémon, is different from these two moves. It sacrifices both physical and energy defense in exchange for a significant increase in both offensive capabilities and speed.

Blastoise, one of the starter Pokémon in the Kanto region, is a master at using this move. Other Pokémon like Shuckle and Cloyster are also particularly adept at this move.

The first two skills do not offer the same power boost as the Shell Breaker, but they are safer and more stable.

Using a Pokémon that has hatched from its shell will significantly increase the damage it takes; you might lose your ability to battle before you even get a chance to attack.

Aside from these three skills that correspond to different body forms of the Pokémon, there are no other moves that can simultaneously enhance all three abilities.

At least that's what most trainers know.

However, Tetsuya, who had read a lot of information, knew very well that in the distant Carlos region, the legendary God of Life also possessed a unique technique that could enhance three abilities.

Of course, the specifics are unknown, as the area is too far from Kanto, and he only has a vague understanding of it.

Tetsuya frowned as he watched the hunting swallowtail butterfly, whose flight posture was messy yet possessed a unique beauty.

"Hot air," he commanded.

He wanted to see how the Bug-type Butterfree could still dance gracefully in the scorching wind when faced with Fire-type moves that dealt exponentially more damage.

"Silver Whirlwind".

Noriyoshi Sugiyama solemnly announced the skill choice that left the commentators sighing in regret.

"As you can see, Beautifly is at a complete disadvantage on the field. Although Butterfly Dance has improved its various abilities while avoiding some damage, Noriyoshi Sugiyama chose to use the Bug-type Silver Whirlwind to deal with Pidgeot's Fire-type Heat Wave, which is really unwise."

The commentary's voice filled the battlefield.

Noriyuki Sugiyama pursed her lips speechlessly.

The fiery red wind, like a grand curtain, slowly flew towards the Safari Butterfly not far from Pidgeot. The shattered ice beneath the Ice Field seemed to melt, seeping out droplets of water.

A strong wind began to rise, and countless colorful powders mixed in from the ground, the air, and the bodies of the hunting swallowtail butterflies.

One side is silvery white, the other is fiery red, clearly distinct.

The reflection from the ice field made it look exceptionally beautiful.

No, Tetsuya counted on his fingers, lost in thought. The amount of scale powder was wrong.

The Huntress Butterfree Pokémon doesn't naturally shed too much scale powder during flight, but the silver whirlwind in front of me clearly contained far too much scale powder.

Is this to enhance the attack power of Silver Whirlwind, or is it an addition of a powder skill such as paralysis powder?

Tetsuya was a little confused for a moment.

After all, he had never tried to raise Bug-type Pokémon himself, and he didn't have a real understanding of many skills. He wasn't a god who knew everything.

The commentator was still rambling on and on.

"The Bug-type Silver Whirlwind, the Rock-type Primal Power, and the Ghost-type Strange Wind are known as the 'lucky' skills. After using them, there is a very small chance that the Pokémon's five basic abilities will be improved simultaneously."

The probability varies drastically depending on the trainer and the Pokémon. Some can hit every shot without fail, while others can only suffer silent despair...

Butterfree is definitely more proficient in using its own Silver Whirlwind than Pidgeot uses Heat Wave, which may be its only advantage.

Regardless of attributes, standard power, or strength, even with ability bonuses, the Silver Cyclone cannot withstand the impact of the hot wind.

Despite Pidgeot taking the initiative and starting to prepare its hot air attack first, it was still a step slower than Butterfree in releasing its attack.

The silver whirlwind approached the hot air at an even faster pace.

The instant they touched, Tetsuya, with his excellent eyesight, saw across the field a charming smile emanating from Sugiyama Noriyoshi's face on the other side.

"Back off, Yu Xi!" A sense of foreboding suddenly flashed through his mind, and he shouted out instinctively.

"Beep~"

The next moment, Pidgeot, still in a dazed state after using its skill, forcibly flapped its wings, pushing itself diagonally backward. The instant it landed, its two huge wings closed and pressed against the front of its body.

"Boom boom boom!!"