Chapter 663: Request
Early the next morning, when Yuga woke up, he saw Gardevoir lying in the bed beside him, sleeping soundly and looking completely unaware of the world, just like a log. He shook his head in amusement.
After getting up on his own, Yuga headed to the beach and released his Pokémon to prepare their breakfast.
The morning beach was incredibly quiet, devoid of any human presence. Only a gentle breeze and the sound of the sea could be heard.
Once his Pokémon finished their breakfast, Yuga returned them to their Poké Balls, ready to head back to the hotel for his own breakfast.
However, as he approached the hotel entrance, he saw Solidad returning from outside, bathed in the morning sunlight.
"Good morning, Gym Leader Shimizu," she greeted Yuga with a cheerful smile.
"Good morning, Ms. Solidad," Yuga replied. He instantly knew what she had been up to when he saw her drenched in sweat.
She was quite the diligent young lady.
"Did you go for some training, Ms. Solidad?" he inquired.
"Yes, I did. I may not have the natural talent, but hard work can make up for it," Solidad shrugged playfully.
"By the way, Gym Leader Shimizu, would you like to have a battle later?" Solidad suddenly turned to Yuga as they entered the hotel.
Yuga blinked in surprise. "Huh? Aren't you a coordinator and not a trainer? Why would you want to battle me?"
"Well, it's not every day I run into a legendary figure like you. I thought a battle would be a fitting way to commemorate our meeting," Solidad said with a mischievous grin, as if not battling Yuga would be a missed opportunity.
"Legendary figure? That's a bit exaggerated..." Yuga felt somewhat awkward. While he was aware of the online rumors and comments about himself, it still felt strange to hear someone refer to him like that.
Nevertheless, Yuga didn't refuse her proposal. After all, it was just a friendly battle, and he had some free time before the tournament began.
When Yuga returned to the hotel, Misaki and the others were already having breakfast, and Gardevoir was still peacefully asleep in her room.
This fellow, he never knew what hard work and diligence meant; his formidable strength relied entirely on his heritage.
As time passed and they got to know each other better, Yuga gradually learned the true nature of Gardevoir, who never even thought about waking up early.
If it had been in the past, Yuga might have still harbored a trace of reverence for the former Celebi, but now, it was just a sarcastic "heh."
This is actually a second-hand product.
In reality, Gardevoir was quite a goofball. Sometimes, being born with certain abilities was a kind of strength.
After breakfast, the sun had risen high in the sky, casting warm sunlight onto the beach. More people were coming to enjoy the beach – adults, children, and even Pokémon, and soon the beach became bustling and lively.
Yuga stood not far from the hotel entrance, observing the cheerful crowd on the beach. Suddenly, he felt a tap on his shoulder.
Turning around, he saw Solidad smiling at him. "Oh, it's you, Ms. Solidad."
"Who else would it be?" Solidad chuckled. "Gym Leader Shimizu, you haven't forgotten about our battle, have you?"
Yuga shook his head. "Of course not. Are we starting now?"
It seemed even female coordinator trainers like Solidad were eager for a battle. Yuga couldn't help but marvel at her enthusiasm.
"Definitely," Solidad replied with enthusiasm.
Having spent some time in the area, Solidad knew the surroundings well and quickly found a secluded spot.
"Well then, please enlighten me, Gym Leader Shimizu," she said as she released her Pokémon.
Solidad wasn't releasing her Pokémon first out of arrogance. She was well aware that her chances of winning against Yuga were slim. However, she had been going through a rough patch lately, facing multiple losses in Pokémon Contests. She wanted to challenge a strong trainer to rekindle her fighting spirit.
Meeting Yuga seemed like the perfect opportunity.
"Let's have a good battle," Yuga said, releasing his Pokémon in response.
Yuga was familiar with the Pokémon Solidad had used yesterday. Her first choice was Butterfree.
Among Solidad's Pokémon, her Lapras was the strongest, followed by this Butterfree, which didn't excel in terms of species advantages.
...
<<Butterfree>>
Type: Bug, Flying
Ability: Compound Eyes
Gender: Female
Nature: Docile
Level: 50
Moves: Gust, Psychic, Poison Powder, Stun Spore, Sleep Powder, Psybeam, Silver Wind, Bug Buzz, Air Slash, Quiver Dance
...
Yuga found it somewhat surprising that this Butterfree knew the move Quiver Dance.
In theory, Pokémon like Butterfree, Venomoth, Beautifly, Dustox, Masquerain, and Vivillon—all of these butterfly-like Pokémon—have the potential to learn Quiver Dance.
However, reality could be cruel.
Most butterfly-like Pokémon struggled to naturally acquire this move through leveling up, and even learning it from other Pokémon proved challenging.
Therefore, Pokémon that could learn Quiver Dance usually possessed above-average intelligence.
Similarly, any trainer who excelled at using butterfly-like Pokémon would have a team where every member knew Quiver Dance.
In Yuga's case, it was his Venusaur.
Among the Pokémon he had with him this time, Venusaur was the most suitable for battle.
Grotle, Deerling, Snivy were too weak, while Florges and Absol were a bit too strong for this kind of match.
It wouldn't be right to overpower a young lady.
"Venusaur!"
As the massive Venusaur landed, it let out a loud roar that created four large craters in the ground.
Compared to the agile Vivillon, Venusaur appeared exceptionally bulky.
"Shall we begin?" Yuga suggested.
Since it was just a friendly match and there was no referee, they could keep it informal.
Solidad nodded in agreement.
"Butterfree, use Quiver Dance," she commanded.
Solidad's battle strategy was straightforward and logical.
For Butterfree, which didn't excel in any particular stat, using Quiver Dance as the opening move was common.
Butterfree's entire body became surrounded by swirling energy as it started to dance at an incredibly fast pace. The energy seemed to clothe it in a silvery armor.
This sight surprised Yuga.
This Butterfree, with its Docile nature and green potential, seemed to have impressive learning ability. It manipulated the energy of its flying-type moves to create an acceleration effect during Quiver Dance.
It was a testament to the skills of a coordinator trainer.
Ordinary Butterfree couldn't achieve this.
Yuga didn't know much about coordinator trainers as a profession.
However, he guessed that Solidad wasn't just an unknown figure. Achieving such a stellar performance with Quiver Dance was something most trainers couldn't accomplish.
"Venusaur, set up Sunny Day!"
Yuga issued his command promptly.
As Venusaur used Sunny Day, the temperature in the air noticeably increased.
At this point, the first round of Quiver Dance for Butterfree had concluded.
Next, Yuga didn't issue a command, but Solidad observed the ground. She noticed that the soil was rising and cracking, and then thick brown roots burst from the ground, wildly dancing in the air.
These roots looked fierce and terrifying.
Solidad: Frenzy Plant!
"Butterfree, quickly, ascend into the air, and then use Air Slash!" Solidad reacted quickly when she saw those brown roots turning into swords and coming toward her Butterfree.
Fortunately, after Quiver Dance, Butterfree's speed had significantly increased, allowing it to dodge the Frenzy Plant's initial attack. It then used Air Slash to cut through the following onslaught of Frenzy Plant roots. Finally, it took the opportunity to ascend into the sky.
In the air, Butterfree flapped its wings and observed the ground below. The menacing brown roots down there left it with a lingering sense of danger, as if it had narrowly escaped being devoured.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone