Pokémon: Trainers Start as Bounty Hunters.

The second half of the Rising Dragon Ritual is a 6v6 battle, meaning Brock will have to use three Pokémon to fight against his opponent's six.

Even if the Nine-Tails, at the Celestial King level, is powerful, it will quickly be defeated in a battle of attrition.

Besides, the opponents are not without Elite Four level Pokémon.

To enter the top ten, one of the rare exceptions is when a trainer who was originally in the top ten encounters another trainer early on and suffers a severe defeat, without having enough time to recover.

In that case, Xiao Gang might have a chance to enter the dragon's lair.

For him, this was completely unnecessary.

"Speaking of which, what kind of Dragon-type Pokémon do you want to catch?" Brock asked.

Tetsuya pondered for a moment: "Dragonite, Salamence, and Garchomp are all good, but Garchomp is the best."

"Are you planning to follow in Miss Cynthia's footsteps?"

Xiao Gang joked.

Tetsuya shook his head helplessly: "I can only say that there is some connection. Her Garchomp is just too strong."

Furthermore, Garchomp's Ground type and ability are a good fit for my current team.

Hearing this, Xiao Gang nodded in agreement: "Indeed, with the help of Gigantamax, once Garchomp grows up, it will definitely be invincible in the wild."

Putting everything else aside, the combination of Sand Concealment and Sandstorm is enough to give anyone a headache.

Not to mention that Ground-type moves will be further enhanced in sandstorm conditions.

Even if you want to attack Garchomp, its rough skin and ability to conceal itself will make the attacker realize what it means to hurt yourself as much as you hurt the enemy.

From any perspective, Garchomp is Tetsuya's top choice.

If it weren't for his strong affinity for Gible and Salamence, he could have said that he went into the dragon's lair specifically to hunt Gible.

As for gaining recognition, Tetsuya subconsciously ignored it.

Does he really need to worry about such a trivial matter?

"Heh, Garchomp would be the best."

Tetsuya and Kogoro didn't lower their voices during their conversation, and many people glanced at the two incredibly young guys.

Most people just laugh off the boastful remarks made by young people.

However, a few individuals couldn't stand it.

A middle-aged man dressed like a gentleman sneered and repeated Tetsuya's words.

He didn't say much, but anyone could hear the contempt in his words.

Tetsuya and Kogo ignored him and continued their conversation.

"Tsk, young people these days are so arrogant and ignorant, dreaming of becoming the strongest trainer every day. I've seen countless like that."

A hint of displeasure flashed in the middle-aged man's eyes as he turned to his female companion and spoke.

His female companion was clearly not a friendly person, given that they were able to get together.

He flicked his fan to cover his mouth: "Hehehe, that's right. I think only trainers like Hammond have a chance to enter the Dragon's Lair."

"Well, you can't say that, West Asia."

There are still many powerful trainers using the Rising Dragon Ritual, so my chances of making it into the top ten are only slightly better.

The gentleman said this, but his expression was one of absolute confidence.

"There are so many weirdos."

Tetsuya made a sarcastic remark.

Although he was very curious about how such a person could live for so long in the elven world, reality is often just that magical.

Trainers come in all shapes and sizes, and there are quite a few idiots like this.

They are often the ones who cause trouble in towns.

"You savage and arrogant brat, do you dare to fight me?"

The middle-aged man stomped his cane hard.

He was very unhappy with Tetsuya's mockery, even though he was the one who mocked Tetsuya first.

Tetsuya stretched his neck: "Sure, I wouldn't mind giving you some pointers on how to battle with Pokémon."

His words suggested he had a bad temper.

Xiao Gang, who wanted to stop him, shook his head helplessly.

Clearly, this is not Tetsuya's usual style or temperament.

But who can blame me for getting a beating from Cynthia last night?

Although he knew that this was due to the difference in strength between the two sides and could accept the result, it did not mean that Zhe did not take this crushing defeat to heart.

It can only be said that this middle-aged man just happened to hit Tetsuya's sweet spot.

"Then the battle rules will be one-on-one, let's go to the battle arena over there."

West Asia, wait for me to bring you the perfect victory!

The middle-aged man casually said something to Tetsuya, and then seemingly elegantly raised his female companion's hand and kissed it.

Tetsuya sneered. Very well.

Seeing that there was something to watch, the trainers around them followed the two to the makeshift battle arena.

"Then, the one-on-one match between Tetsuya and Hammond will now begin!"

Xiao Gang was still the referee.

After he presented his referee credentials, no one questioned him, even though it was obvious that he was Tetsuya's friend.

Because trainers have a high level of trust in the referee association.

Besides, no referee would be foolish enough to make a blunder in public, and the trainers around them aren't people who don't understand battle.

"Speaking of which, why does the name Tetsuya sound so familiar?"

Among the trainees watching the game, quite a few had this thought.

Because Tetsuya has been wearing a mask the whole time, no one has discovered his identity yet.

Quite a few people recognized Xiao Gang.

They watched the gentlemanly-looking trainer with a smug look on their faces.

Offending the heir to a dojo is not a good thing.

Moreover, it seems the two were traveling together, so the identity of the other person is unlikely to be simple.

"Go, Blaziken!"

Before even choosing sides, Tetsuya threw out a deluxe ball.

The gentleman shook his head with a mixture of helplessness and elegance: "See? You're already losing your temper. Young man, you're still inexperienced. Let me teach you—O surging waves, extinguish the flames! I choose you, Blastoise!"

As he said this, he also unleashed his deluxe ball.

Although Tetsuya's choice of Blaziken, one of the three Fire-type starter Pokémon, surprised him, it was exactly what he wanted.

Blastoise is his ace Pokémon.

If you can't win even with an attribute advantage, then you're just too useless.

The middle-aged man, Hammond, didn't realize that Blaziken was an Elite Four level Pokémon.

After all, given Blaziken's control over its own power, when it suppresses its aura, it only appears to have an outstanding physique.

If he knew, he probably wouldn't be so relaxed.

Because his Blastoise is still in the quasi-Elite Four level.

Even if you're close to a breakthrough, you haven't overcome that hurdle yet.

Most of the trainers around didn't notice either.

When they saw Blastoise battling Blaziken, they had already made a rough judgment: "This young man is probably doomed."

The reason it's considered a high probability is because they prefer to let the facts speak for themselves—what if they win?

As trainers, they are very pragmatic.

Many people also noticed something was wrong.

"This Blaziken's aura is far too concealed."

A fire-type trainer frowned.

Fire represents violence.

Fire-type Pokémon typically appear aggressive and domineering, and their aura is also more imposing.

But Blaziken seemed rather ordinary.

Logically speaking, a Fire-type Pokémon at the near-Elite Four level, even if it also takes on Fighting-type abilities, shouldn't be able to restrain itself to this extent.

The roof of a building.

A girl with a blue ponytail and wearing a cape looked curiously at the mask covering Tetsuya.

"Is this the talented trainer you were talking about? He seems pretty good."

Her gaze lingered between Blaziken and Tetsuya.

Tetsuya subconsciously looked up at her.

"Oh no, we've been spotted."

The blue-haired girl muttered something, then waved with a big smile.

Tetsuya nodded slightly in response.

"Are you going to fight or not?" Hammond on the other side was very impatient.

The first to strike must take the initiative; even in street fights, this rule applies.

Despite his less-than-ideal personality, he is still a trainer.

"Do you enjoy getting beaten up that much?" Tetsuya said casually. "Blazing Chicken, Blaze Kick."

"you..."

Hammond was about to reply when Tetsuya gave the order.

So he had no choice but to command Blastoise to counterattack: "Water Tail!"

His face was somewhat distorted.

Blaziken glanced disdainfully at Blastoise, its feet bursting into intense flames.

"Boom"

With a stomp of the ground, an afterimage instantly appeared.

"So you're Blastoise, huh? I'll take it out on you first."

As Blaziken charged, this was what it thought in its mind.

It was not only because it was badly beaten yesterday, but also because it had lost to a Blastoise at the previous Indigo League.

That was one of the few failures it had experienced since its birth.

Chapter 460 Visiting the Ink and Smoke Dojo

"boom"

The burning legs arrived in front of Blastoise's pale yellow belly in the blink of an eye.

At this moment, Blastoise had only just managed to surround its tail with water-type energy.

A loud bang.

The blue shadow flew backward and landed at the edge of the field.

"What...what a joke!" The gentleman Hammond's pupils dilated suddenly, and his arm around his female companion tightened unconsciously.