Pokémon: Trainers Start as Bounty Hunters.

Dust filled the air, and the crocodile instinctively put its hands in front of its eyes for protection.

During a sandstorm, all Pokémon except those of the Rock, Ground, and Steel types will suffer continuous damage, similar to hail.

In addition, limited field of vision is also a crucial point.

In the dusty, sandy terrain, even the Pokémon's excellent sensory abilities and eyesight are quite limited.

Given the initial distance, it's impossible for the Mighty Crocodile to reach the Giant Rock Monster and stop it from charging up its attack in a short time.

Hasegawa Kaneki pondered two skills that could help him avoid the effects of the sandstorm.

Digging is definitely not an option. For Gigantamax, which is proficient in Ground and Rock-type moves, Feraligatr using Dig to hide underground would be an easy target for Earthquake.

So, diving?

Kaneki Hase frowned as he stared at the small pool in the middle of the arena, not far from the powerful crocodile.

The Sunbeam skill is similar to a laser in appearance. The density and number of dust particles in the air directly affect its attenuation, which is why this skill can only exert its maximum power on sunny days.

In weather conditions such as rain, hail, sandstorms, and fog, Solar Beam, a powerful Grass-type move, will be greatly weakened.

Hiding deep within the pool would not only protect one from the sandstorm but would also certainly reduce the power of the sunbeams.

However, the depth of the pool in the middle of the rocky area was quite limited, and Hase Kaneki was worried that his powerful crocodile would be restricted once it went in.

After all, the opponent's use of Solar Beam seemed irrational; perhaps their real goal was to force Crocodile into the pool.

As Hase Kaneki was frantically thinking, a dazzling beam of light suddenly appeared before him and the Mighty Crocodile.

To everyone's astonishment, the crocodile was sent flying backward without warning, letting out a painful howl.

"This is impossible."

The first words that Hase Kaneki blurted out were the ones that elicited gasps from the commentators and the audience.

In the League's skill database, the average casting time for Grass-type Pokémon to use Solar Beam is 4.9 seconds. In bad weather, this time will be reduced to varying degrees depending on the amount of sunlight, with the slowest casting time being 8.3 seconds.

Even if you're a Rock-type Gigantamax, and you're good at Beam-type moves, you couldn't possibly unleash them this quickly in this weather. Keep in mind that only three or four seconds have passed since Tetsuya gave the command.

In a sandstorm, there's simply not enough time to do anything.

"Furthermore, the skill's power hasn't been reduced?? Why is that??"

With a dark expression, Hase Kaneki observed the state of his Great Crocodile. Knowing it extremely well, he easily discovered the most unusual key point.

This completely contradicts all the knowledge he has gained about elves over the years.

"boom"

Before Hase Kaneki could give the order for the crocodile to dive into the water, a second beam of light struck the crocodile, which had just risen from the ground, in his utterly desperate gaze.

Although the beam of light was visibly less than half the size of the first beam, it followed closely behind the first beam, with an interval of just over a second, leaving no time to react.

The sandstorm gradually stopped raging.

Even the experienced referee was stunned for a moment, and only after carefully observing the powerful crocodile did he raise the blue flag representing Tetsuya.

"An unbelievable scene has occurred!!! The Giant Rock Monster unleashed an almost instantaneous Solar Beam, and it was two beams in quick succession, instantly rendering the Mighty Crocodile incapable of fighting!!"

The commentator became somewhat incoherent for a moment.

From an angle unseen by everyone, he frantically winked at the assistant staff beside him, "Give me the materials and data, otherwise how can I explain it? I don't understand."

The staff, sweating profusely, moved the cameras in various locations across the venue, displaying everything that had just happened.

The narrator delivered very standard congratulatory remarks while staring at the materials and analyzing them repeatedly, but still couldn't figure anything out after a long time.

"I'm getting old," the commentator sighed inwardly. He used to be a skilled trainer, otherwise he wouldn't be working as a commentator now.

However, he genuinely didn't understand Tetsuya Pangyan's actions.

"The opponent was very strong, and I am very happy with this victory. Blaziken and Gigantamax both had very impressive performances."

Meanwhile, Tetsuya, who was being interviewed by the Quartz convention press team in the players' tunnel, gave official answers to their questions.

"So, many viewers, including myself, are most curious about Tetsuya's use of the Solar Beam skill in the last battle. Could you briefly explain it here?"

The reporter asked the question that everyone was concerned about, and then handed the microphone to Tetsuya.

"This is actually the result of utilizing a particular characteristic, plus relentless training."

As she wished, Zhe also gave a very simple explanation.

The reporter fell silent.

"To be precise, it should be the combined use of two characteristics."

Seeing her expression, Tetsuya added something else.

"Okay, so, Tetsuya, what are your goals or aspirations for this tournament?" the reporter asked, changing the subject at the opportune moment.

"As for goals, the higher the better, and as for pursuits, victory is probably the ultimate goal?" Tetsuya replied with a smile.

"Okay, thank you for sharing, Tetsuya. I hope you can perform even better in the future matches."

Although the reporter's heart was racing because of Tetsuya's smiling face, she decisively ended the interview.

All those sentences were basically useless drivel, which doesn't sound like something a young person would say; there wasn't a single explosive moment in them.

Tetsuya nodded to the photographers and reporters, then turned and left.

He thought to himself, "These questions are so strange. How can this reporter be so unprofessional?"

Asking official questions like "What are your thoughts on this match?" is one thing, but asking how to use skills is just asking around. And what's the goal of this tournament? Does that mean my goal is to be eliminated early and go home to sleep? I can't say that I'm pursuing defeat, that's ridiculous and doesn't seem like the behavior expected of an official journalist.

Tetsuya walked along, mentally ranting and raving.

"How on earth did you manage that solar beam?" On the way back, the annoying Yozo called again.

"Didn't I already say it's about utilizing features?"

Tetsuya rolled his eyes in response.

He wasn't lying; he was really just using a special feature.

The reason why the Giant Rock Monster was able to perform the Solar Beam was entirely due to its combination of Sandstorm and Sand Power characteristics.

Dust storms are created by blowing sand, and the power of sand controls dust.

If someone had been standing next to Pang Yan Guai, they could easily have seen an invisible barrier running from its body to the sky above, as if a pipe directly connected the sunlight to its body.

The surrounding dust storms had no effect on it.

The sunlight shone directly on the giant rock monster's body, just like on a sunny day, so the condensation speed naturally did not slow down.

The basis for not reducing its power is the same, except that the vertical "channel" has been turned horizontal, and the target on the other side has changed from the sun to the giant crocodile.

Tetsuya didn't explain it in such detail to Yozo, but Yozo could understand to some extent, given his strong talent as a trainer.

"And what about the second shot?" Ye Zang asked with great interest.

"This relies on the physical characteristics of the giant rock monster. When firing the first shot, it stores some of the light energy in the orange crystal and then fires it out from behind."

Tetsuya said that this was not difficult at all, and any giant rock monster could do it.

"Your operational capabilities are limited in a short period of time, so you can't maintain the power of the second shot, right?"

Ye Zang recalled the battle that had just taken place and made a judgment.

"Yes, constructing a horizontal 'passage' is quite difficult. The giant rock monster can only maintain it for a moment. If it weren't for its beam attack, it wouldn't be able to get through."

Tetsuya opened his room door and replied.

"Interesting," Ye Zang muttered to himself, "but this thing has too high requirements; I doubt many people besides you would know how to use it."

He practically said it was a useless thing.

Tetsuya agreed with Yozo's statement.

The combination of sandstorms, sand power, orange crystals that can store light energy, and the ability to fire a solar beam—these requirements limit the ability of only a very few giant rock monsters to fire a double solar beam during a sandstorm.

Besides, no elf can meet all these conditions at the same time.

Especially the sandstorm, this characteristic is actually the core of the whole process.

If you don't have the power of sand, you can supplement it with the characteristics of the Pokémon themselves, such as Tyranitar's ability to control sand.

If there are no orange crystals, you can just use a single shot.

However, without creating sandstorms, simply relying on skill activation is far from sufficient.

Although sandstorms caused by skills and sandstorms caused by abilities are similar in appearance, they are fundamentally very different. Only sandstorms caused by the Sandstorm ability can be controlled with complete precision.

Of course, knowing Solar Beam is also very important. The other two Pokémon with the same Yangsha characteristic, Tyranitar and Hippowdon, cannot learn Solar Beam, a Grass-type move.

In addition to the difficulty of the training, Tetsuya was well aware of how much effort Pang Yan had put in for it.

Carving a clear path through a raging sandstorm is no easy task.

"Okay, then I'll go prepare for my match."

After exchanging a few more words, the two decisively ended the call.

Tetsuya sat on the sofa, idly browsing the Trainer Forum.

I clicked on it casually and found a post discussing how Pang Yan Guai used his Sun Beam skill.

"There are still plenty of smart people out there."

He looked at the description, which was almost entirely accurate, and muttered to himself.

In high-profile public competitions like this tournament, the secrets of new moves or new applications of moves cannot be kept hidden for long.

This is why many people try their best to hide their strength during the knockout stage.

Some skills are easy to crack once the underlying principles are understood.

"Oh, this unlucky guy has been forced to reveal himself. Make a note of this."

Tetsuya chuckled as he exited and opened the second post. Just as he was thinking this, someone came along who was willing to test the law.

It has to be said that all the trainers on the forum are talented, they speak well and are very smart, and Tetsuya really likes the atmosphere there.

"I've arrived at Quartz Plateau. Time for dinner."

At that moment, a message from a friend appeared on Tetsuya's watch.

Chapter 264 The Arrival of the Future Champion and the Consultation

In a restaurant in Quartz Plateau.

"So, your Blaziken really has a great talent for this. Lucario watched the match this morning, and its progress is a bit beyond its expectations."

The blonde woman sitting opposite Tetsuya popped a macaron into her mouth, enjoying the sweetness as she squinted her eyes and replied.

“After all, it’s been training really hard,” Tetsuya replied casually. “Is there something you need that brings you to Kanto?”

Zheye certainly didn't think he was the one who prompted this reclusive girl who spent all her time at home studying world mythology to leave her house; he didn't have that much influence.

"Yes, Hunter J has been active near Lake Rhythm recently. The League investigated and found that he accepted a quest from Gilluta, and it seems that Team Rocket is behind him, so they sent me to check it out."

The blonde woman, Cynthia, said helplessly.

She didn't want to come. During this season, she usually stayed at her best friend Jiadeliya's villa in Lianyi Town. Apart from a few other friends such as Wanlong, Luhui, Xiaojuer, and Fenglu, she never saw anyone.

“Lake of Ambition, huh? Does ‘The Mad Collector’ have designs on the Three Sacred Mushrooms?” Tetsuya tilted his head and pondered for a moment.

First came the three legendary birds, then the three legendary mushrooms. Team Rocket is really brave. Is it because the birth of Mewtwo gave them more confidence?

As for Gilluta doing such a thing, it's not surprising at all. This "mad collector" is a man who will even have designs on Lugia, the god of the sea, in the future. What are the Three Sacred Mushrooms compared to that?

Cynthia happily ate another dessert, and no one knew how she maintained her perfect figure.

"Probably, but the Lake Gods' resting place isn't in the lake, so Hunter J can't do that." Her tone rose slightly.

Aside from Dr. Yamanashi's influence, the reason why Cynthia and Tetsuya get along so well is mainly because he understands what she's saying, so she doesn't have to go through the trouble of explaining.

Most people, upon hearing what she just said, would be surprised to learn that J, Gilluta, and the Rockets had gotten together, but wouldn't immediately think of the purpose, or even know what Lake Lushi refers to.

Lüshi Lake is the ancient name for Lizhi Lake.

Basically, this name only circulated in the Sinnoh region when it was still called the Shire region, and now not many people know it.

However, when translating ancient texts as a mythologist, Cynthia used to call it "Lake of Rhymes," and she was too lazy to change it back.

Not to mention the legend of the three sacred mushrooms in the lake: Uxie, who brings "wisdom" to people; Memrito, who teaches people "emotions"; and Azelf, who gives people "willpower".