Chapter 506: True Love Is Invincible?

First lesson of the opening day.

As expected, Adam asked Baimu to battle alongside him using Milotic.

"Please give it your all to defeat my Milotic."

He stood on the Gym Leader's exclusive high platform, his voice not loud yet enough to carry across the entire venue, "An excellent Trainer must possess the quality of water — no matter what kind of 'container' he encounters, he can change shape and make the correct response.

"Whether it's a gorgeous artistic performance or an exquisite tactical strategy, show me your limits."

"Mily!

"

Adam's Milotic flicked its long tail and lightly slapped the water's surface, its whole body shimmering as though sequins were dancing around it, leaving the shiny Milotic utterly dumbfounded.

"Those are sparkles produced by water reflecting light — don't be fooled. The special effect from your own scales is even more gorgeous than that!"

Baimu snapped his fingers several times before finally snapping the idiot beside him out of it.

A堂堂 shiny Milotic, a great serpent of golden scales and blue fins, utterly mesmerized by another Milotic's beauty — what is that about?

Aren't your golden scales prettier in the sunlight than those tiny splashes?

Come on! Stay calm!

After reminding the shiny Milotic, Baimu looked back at Adam across the field. The latter smiled and spread his hands at him, as if to say you give the order first.

That composed bearing made Baimu feel a nervousness he hadn't experienced in a long time.

He unconsciously licked his lips.

Having grown used to battles where they were evenly matched, or where a higher level crushed a lower level, returning to that original situation of a lower level fighting a higher level left him somewhat unaccustomed.

And the shiny Milotic, barely level fifty-one, was about to face Adam's ace Milotic — between the two there was a gap of at least twenty levels.

Not to mention the accumulated Effort Values built up over time.

Perhaps it was his imagination, but Adam seemed to pay particular attention to the shiny Milotic, giving off a faint impression that he considered the latter his core Pokémon.

This is a tough one…

But is there absolutely no chance of winning? Not necessarily.

Baimu decided to save the precious opportunity for an enhancement move.

"Coil!"

"Mily~"

The shiny Milotic let out a low cry, and as it plunged into the pool its body naturally coiled into a spiral — a flash of orange-red energy surged upward and vanished.

Seeing the command from across the field, Adam no longer waited.

"Rain Dance."

"Mi——ly~"

His Milotic raised its elegant swan-like neck and let out a long, piercing cry; above the field, at a speed visible to the naked eye, sheets of dark clouds materialized out of thin air.

In an instant.

A patter of raindrops fell, sending up ripples one after another.

Manually triggering rain?

Baimu was startled, and at the same time felt something was amiss. "Ice Beam! Seal off its movement space!"

No matter what Adam was preparing to do, restrict the Milotic's movement first.

"Mily~"

The shiny Milotic howled, azure energy rapidly gathering in its mouth — then several bolts of icy-blue lightning shot forth!

"Whirlpool."

Adam's expression remained composed, as if he hadn't seen the attack at all.

And the instant those icy-blue bolts reached the front of his Milotic, the previously calm water surface suddenly plunged downward; a powerful vortex drew in and twisted nearly the entire pool's flow, forming a massive cone-shaped hollow!

Sizzle—

The bolts abruptly struck the inner wall of the vortex; at the point of collision a blinding flash of light erupted, freezing part of the flowing water — but it was quickly smashed into crystal-like ice shards by the surging tide that followed.

Ice Beam was ultimately an off-type move, and combined with the excessive level gap between the two sides, the planned tactic of freezing the water's surface failed to proceed smoothly.

Worse still, the Whirlpool kept expanding; within the spiraling, twisting currents, suction continued to build, and within just a few breaths it had spread to the shiny Milotic's side.

Baimu's brows knit tightly. In his heart, he gained a new understanding of the strength possessed by Adam's Milotic.

Even though Rain Dance had boosted the Whirlpool's power, for a Milotic to make a move affect the entire pool without genuine hard strength would be a fool's dream.

If he wasn't mistaken, Adam's attack sequence should still have a combo attached!

But he also knew he didn't have that much time to think. He simply ordered: "Follow the direction of the water's twist and charge in!"

"Mily!"

The shiny Milotic, which had been retreating away, heard the command and without hesitation leapt out of the water — diving headfirst toward the vortex like a swimmer doing a jackknife — and swam along the vortex's flow to blend into it.

The intense trust displayed between the two made Adam smile.

"Good execution, but blending into the Whirlpool may not be the best decision — Hurricane!"

"Mily!"

His Milotic's eyes flashed with a sharp gleam. The tail, hidden beneath the water and rotating like a fan to control the Whirlpool, suddenly accelerated; a surge of azure energy rose out of nowhere, clinging to the Whirlpool's surface and emitting a tremendous rumbling.

The next instant.

A towering waterspout that pierced heaven and earth burst violently through the water's surface, and with an earsplitting roar tore through the dark clouds all the way to the venue's domed ceiling!

"Mily——"

The shiny Milotic was forced out of the water. Although it had been swimming along the direction of the water's rotation the whole time, it was still inevitably flung all the way up to the ceiling in an instant!

Boom!

The heavy sound of impact was clearly audible.

"Since I've already seen your performance at the Autumn Leaf Grand Festival, I naturally know that Milotic can break free from a water spout by climbing the waterfall."

Adam's entire being exuded a master's air. "But unfortunately, the combined power of Whirlpool and Twister into a water spout is not the same."

Years ago, the water spout that could be called invincible was broken by Ash's Pikachu, after which he once again began researching targeted moves, and ultimately the combination of Whirlpool plus Twister came into being.

Unfortunately, not long after that the Gym Leader position was handed over to Wallace, so very few people had ever seen this move.

Then, faced with this situation, what choice would you make?

Adam watched expectantly as All Baimu in the distance looked up, when suddenly Milotic's startled cry rang out beside his ear.

"Milo!"

He abruptly raised his head and saw the fully unleashed water spout gradually subsiding; the azure energy produced by the Twister on its outer edge seemed to be drawn by some kind of power, continuously flying into the shattered ceiling above.

A startling light, as if brewed to the utmost, manifested from within, dazzling like sunlight piercing through dark clouds!

"That is—"

Adam's gaze trembled. With his understanding of Milotic, how could he not know what had happened? He immediately shouted: "Use Water Pulse!"

"Mirror Coat!"

All Baimu issued the command at the same instant.

Yet even without him speaking, the shiny Milotic had already returned the energy impact from the water spout back at double the amount!

Boom—!

A water spout identical in appearance, even larger, crashed down, twisting the air like a hurricane hammer falling from the sky as it smashed toward Adam's Milotic!

Although the latter's upward-spraying pale-blue water column was no weakling in power, even sending up sheets of spray, it was instantly destroyed by the water spout that came crashing down, and was pressed extremely helplessly to the very bottom of the pool.

The surging waves battered the pool's edge, rising high and falling even heavier, even drenching the surrounding spectator seats.

All Baimu and Adam, being the closest, could not escape either; both were drenched from head to toe by the spray.

However.

Compared to the former, who was soaked all over, Adam's clothes were already waterproof, so only his face was slightly damp; his hair, coated with waterproof wax, showed no change whatsoever.

The man who carried refinement to the utmost smiled lightly: "I see, so you had long prepared to take this hit head-on? It seems you're quite confident in Milotic's endurance."

After releasing the Mirror Coat water spout.

The shiny Milotic dropped somewhat weakly from the shattered ceiling, plunging into the pool with a Peng De, the splashing waves once again wetting All Baimu's lapels.

His expression, however, did not change in the slightest. "What I trust is not just Milotic's endurance alone, Teacher Adam."

As the two conversed, both Milotics surfaced, each bearing different injuries on their bodies, heads slightly drooping with heavy breathing, as if they could collapse at any moment.

To be honest.

Although he was well aware that Adam's Milotic could not fall so easily, the fact that it had withstood the power of Mirror Coat still surprised him considerably.

The endurance gap between the two Milotics was more than twofold?

But thinking carefully, the Water Pulse that Adam's Milotic used at the most critical moment was likely because Mirror Coat, in its clash with it, had consumed a considerable amount of power, which allowed it to narrowly escape destruction.

Adam's Milotic's reaction was so swift — worthy, indeed, of a top-tier Gym Leader's ace Pokémon.

As for what comes next…

"Aqua Ring!"

"Recover!"

All Baimu and Adam gave orders once more.

The two Pokémon, both in very dangerous condition, quickly used their self-healing moves; a golden luster and multiple pale-blue water rings each manifested on their bodies, and the visible wounds healed rapidly.

Unfortunately, Aqua Ring, a continuous recovery move, even unconstrained by absolute percentage limits under the anime setting, was still far inferior to Recover.

When Adam's Milotic finished Recover, it was already difficult to find any wounds on its surface.

In contrast, on the shiny Milotic's side, even though the flowing water circling its body continuously released green light that seeped into it, multiple wounds still remained.

This meant All Baimu could not seize the offensive initiative, and tactics aimed at victory were difficult to carry out.

"Hmm…"

Adam narrowed his eyes slightly at the sight. "Still doesn't know Recover? That won't do. If you want to maintain good results in Pokémon Contests, you must keep Milotic in its most radiant, shining condition at all times."

"Thank you for the lesson."

All Baimu nodded.

He was, of course, well aware of the importance of Recover — otherwise he wouldn't have sought instruction from Adam. If self-realization won't work, isn't the only path left to learn from one's peers?

"Not bad."

Adam was quite satisfied with his attitude of remaining humble and eager to learn even during battle.

Many young people may be quite polite normally, but once they fall into a bitter fight they become irritable and angry, and when criticized they immediately cast aside all propriety as if they had lost their reason.

Adam raised his hand and said: "Since your Milotic can withstand the damage brought by extreme power, then how about this move?

"Milotic, Attract."

All Baimu, who had been thinking of stalling through conversation to let the shiny Milotic recover as much as possible, saw his expression change. "Same to us! Use Attract!"

The two Milotics, vastly different in color and also of different genders, each let out a low cry.

One side proudly raised its head, its bearing supremely arrogant, yet subtly exuding a heart-stopping charm; the other side's eyes flickered, and combined with the various wounds on its body, it looked pitifully endearing, making one unconsciously feel a bit of tender affection.

Pink hearts, constructed from energy, flew toward each other respectively.

All Baimu had expected them to collide and cancel each other out, but who would have thought the two instead grazed past each other steadily, as if deliberately tracing the outline, and sank into the other's body.

The field suddenly fell silent for a moment.

Only the pitter-patter of rain and the lapping waves of the pool.

Then.

In All Baimu's line of sight, a heart pattern inexplicably appeared in Adam's Milotic's crimson eyes, and its head swayed slightly as if drunk.

—【Infatuated】 status.

In the game, it's a 50% chance of not attacking, which for the unlucky is the same as 100%.

And in the anime…

The actual performance isn't much different from 100% either.

The powerful effect also means the Infatuated state doesn't necessarily need a switch-out to clear — taking hits also has a chance of snapping out of it, provided the Pokémon doesn't faint outright and lose its battling status during the beatings.

Or just leaving the Pokémon idle for a long time works too; the duration is simply longer than a typical status change.

After all, nature doesn't have anything like Poké Balls to refresh a wild Pokémon's status.

But no matter what anyone says.

Being uncontrolled for a long stretch in real-time combat is terrifying — as long as the opponent isn't a total idiot, they can seize a winning chance like this without any trouble.

All Baimu really wanted to do was combo Adam's Milotic down in one go.

But the Shiny Milotic had clearly been hit too, its big head swaying as it drifted toward the other of its own accord.

Adam's Milotic was the same — two beautiful snakes rushing toward each other.

What the hell.

This isn't looking good — after the battle ends, is there going to be an Egg? Or one day it wakes up and finds an Egg next to the Shiny Milotic? Given the state those two are in, it's very, very possible!

He had a bad feeling, but Adam himself stood there smiling, seemingly not worried at all.

Could it be…

All Baimu watched Adam's Milotic closely, and sure enough could see a hint of struggle on its face — internally he shouted "Holy crap."

After Elise's Haxorus broke out of confusion by kowtowing, now Adam's Milotic breaking out of Infatuation through sheer willpower was about to happen too?

As expected, in the anime setting, anything is possible.

But if the opponent can use willpower to break Infatuation, why can't his side?

He began thinking of a plan.

Suddenly.

Out of the corner of his eye, All Baimu spotted his Aggron watching from far outside the field, a worried look on its face — and a bold idea sprang to mind.

He shouted at the top of his lungs: "Wake up! Milotic! The big monster is watching you!"

"Hm?"

Adam's smile faded slightly, a flicker of confusion crossing his face — he hadn't quite understood what his new student was yelling about.

"Milotic!

Remember Dragonite Falls? Remember the Autumn Leaf Conference!"

All Baimu kept shouting, because he noticed the Shiny Milotic's head swaying more rapidly, and Adam's Milotic's expression was also beginning to show struggle.

The two were less than a meter apart.

He felt a chill run down his spine and shouted even louder: "Climb to the limit! Never give up—

"Our chance is right in front of us!

"

"Roar—!

"

The spectating Aggron suddenly roared in response.

Even though the Shiny Milotic's side could only be called wavering, the watching Aggron could no longer hold back the surging emotion in its heart — it dropped its gentle, steady image and, with all its might, cheered on the companion that was always by its side, quietly watching the sea together.

And this achieved All Baimu's ultimate goal—

Without verbal guidance or eye contact, naturally resonating with Aggron.

One was its most beloved trainer, the other its most admired, most longed-for, and… beloved beyond words senior.

Their voices kept vibrating the Shiny Milotic's hearing, shaking its consciousness on a spiritual level.

A trace of surprise appeared on Adam's face — he noticed the pink hearts in the Shiny Milotic's eyes were showing signs of breaking apart. Waking itself up through the trainer's shouts!?

The next moment.

"Mii—roh!"

A golden tail burst out of the water, its fan-like fin slamming heavily against its head.

Boom!

Amid the heavy thud, the Shiny Milotic's eyes trembled violently, then turned crystal clear as it looked at the now-shocked Adam before it, and at the opposing Milotic still sunk in Infatuation.

Willpower?

Having broken through its limits from a desperate situation and been reborn, the thing it feared least was a contest of willpower!

Adam might know the Shiny Milotic was good at climbing waterfalls, but he probably had no idea just how much it had gone through for that one moment of breaking through.

It was no longer the weak Feebas it once was!

"Miroh~"

The Shiny Milotic raised its upper body high, its hair-like fins lifting slightly, looking down at its opponent like a goddess about to pass judgment on a sinner.

The heavens' command followed in quick succession—

"Hidden Power."

In an instant.

Blazing Lei Ting, accompanied by countless orbs of light, illuminated the entire field!