I, Gary, Want to Become a Pokemon Master

Chapter 693 - 693: Vs. Naranja Academy Students, Rotation Battle

"How could this happen... My Honchkrow lost in one move."Pina stared at his fallen Pokémon, unable to accept what had just happened. The gap between himself and a League Conference Champion was this wide? The Pokémon he had poured his effort into raising couldn't even withstand a single attack.

"Type advantage doesn't decide everything," Gary said. "Your Pokémon's level isn't high enough. You can't even reach the standard of the second tier. My advice is to give up now and go back to train more."

"I'm not giving up!"

A boy that age would never accept defeat easily. It would take a thorough beating before reality sank in.

"Cacturne, you're next!" Pina threw his second Poké Ball without hesitation.

[Lv. 34 Cacturne ♂ / Elite-tier potential]

Cacturne's level was even lower than Honchkrow's. The chances were even slimmer this time.

"Cacturne, use Bullet Seed!" Pina ordered.

Cacturne opened its mouth and fired a rapid stream of golden-green seeds, each one condensed from plant energy. They flew forward like bullets.

Sceptile didn't bother dodging. It simply extended the Leaf Blade on its wrist and blocked every single seed with the flat side of the blade, flicking each one away like it was swatting flies.

"What?!"

Pina's confidence took another heavy blow. Sceptile had deflected Bullet Seed like it was nothing. Was the difference between them really this enormous?

Gary had already lost interest. The trial had made its point, and dragging things out was pointless.

"Fury Cutter," Gary ordered.

"Scree!"

The Leaf Blade on Sceptile's wrist converted its energy from Grass-type to Bug-type. It launched itself forward in an instant and slashed Cacturne before it could even react.

Bang!

Cacturne was sent tumbling backward across the arena. It hit the ground and didn't get back up.

"Cacturne is unable to battle! Sceptile wins!" Dendra announced.

Two Pokémon down in two moves, and Pina still hadn't learned his lesson. He immediately grabbed his third Poké Ball.

"Pawniard, let's go!"

[Lv. 40 Pawniard ♂ / Elite-tier potential]

At least this third Pokémon had finally reached Level 40. But even so, it was nowhere near enough.

"Dynamic Punch," Gary said.

Sceptile shot forward at once.

"Metal Claw!" Pina countered.

Pawniard rushed to meet Sceptile head-on, fearlessly swinging the metallic blades on its arms. But Pawniard's body was too short and too compact. Steel-type Pokémon were generally bulky, and Sceptile's reach was far longer. Its fist connected with Pawniard well before Pawniard's blades could touch it.

Bang!

Pawniard rocketed backward like it had been launched from a cannon. It smashed into the protective barrier, bounced off, hit the ground, and lay still.

"Pawniard is unable to battle! Sceptile wins!" Dendra announced. "All three of Pina's Pokémon have lost the ability to battle. The winner is Gary."

Pina stood frozen in the trainer's box.

He had never imagined that his Pokémon—Pokémon he had personally raised—would be this completely outclassed. None of them had lasted even a single exchange with Sceptile.

"Your strength is around the qualifier level at best," Gary said bluntly. "And honestly, there's a very good chance you'd get eliminated even in the qualifiers."

It was true that most League Conference qualifiers featured Pokémon above Level 40. But there were always a few trainers who showed up with Pokémon in the mid-to-late thirties.

Those trainers were almost always eliminated. Most of them didn't even survive long enough to attend the opening ceremony.

"...!"

Pina had nothing to say. He wanted to argue, but he couldn't find the words. The gap between himself and actual League competitors was far larger than anything he had imagined.

The students of Naranja Academy were talented. But talented compared to whom? When measured against students from other Pokémon schools, sure, they stood out.

But when placed next to the trainers who competed in League Conferences—trainers who traveled, fought, and trained day after day—the difference was brutal.

Pokémon schools taught their students a great deal of knowledge. That was their strength. But it was also their weakness. Students spent the vast majority of their day in classrooms.

On the best days, a student might squeeze in three hours of actual Pokémon training. And that was before homework and other assignments ate into whatever time was left.

The result was predictable. Academy students were knowledgeable, but they lacked real battle experience.

When they went up against trainers who spent every waking hour on the road, grinding through Gym battles and wilderness encounters, the gap showed immediately.

This applied equally to Naranja Academy. Most of these students were between eight and twelve years old. Compared to traveling trainers of the same age, they were almost always a step behind.

"Pina, you may step down," Dendra said.

"Yes, Teacher."

Pina didn't argue. He walked off the field through the side tunnel without another word.

Gary turned his attention to the remaining nineteen challengers in the stands.

"Who's next?"

Silence.

Every one of the nineteen students was quiet. Before Pina's match, many of them had assumed they could challenge the third tier. After watching Pina get swept without Sceptile even breaking a sweat, that confidence had evaporated. They were now much more aware of their actual limits, and nobody was eager to be next.

However, after a few long seconds, one student stood up and walked down.

Gary watched the approaching figure. It was a girl, but she was wearing a strange theatrical mask over her face—something that looked like it came from a traditional face-changing performance.

Gary blinked.

Does this school not have a dress code? Are students really allowed to wear masks to class?

"Hello," the girl said, her voice slightly muffled. "I'm from Class E. My name is Pipa."

Gary nodded. He recalled Swampert, Sceptile, and Slaking back into their Poké Balls and gestured toward the rows of Pokémon on display.

"Go ahead and choose."

Pipa studied the Pokémon arranged across the tiers carefully. After a moment, she spoke.

"Can I choose one Pokémon from different tiers instead of three from the same one?"

Gary paused, genuinely surprised.

He hadn't expected that kind of thinking from a student here. Picking one from each tier would let her test herself against a range of opponents and figure out exactly where her strength sat on the spectrum. It was a smart approach.

"Sure," Gary said after a moment of thought. He had no reason to refuse.

"Then I'll take Pawniard from the first tier, Breloom from the second tier, and Kabutops from the second tier," Pipa said.

Gary called the three Pokémon over.

"Douli!"

"Breloom!"

"Kabutops!"

The three walked down from the stands and lined up beside Gary.

"Pawniard, you're up first," Gary said.

"Douli!"

Pawniard stepped onto the field and took its position in front of Gary, facing Pipa.

Dendra, standing in the referee's spot, gave Gary a confused look. "Gary, what's going on? The rules said three Pokémon from one tier."

"I'm here to show students where their real strength sits," Gary replied. "There's no point sticking to competition format if it doesn't serve the purpose."

Dendra thought it over and nodded. "All right. That makes sense."

After watching Pina's example, the students would definitely avoid the third tier. Everyone would be picking from the first and second tiers from now on. Between those two tiers, Gary had fifteen Pokémon prepared. That was solid, but it still wouldn't be enough to carry through all the remaining challengers without rest. He'd need to send them to the Pokémon Center for treatment between rounds.