"Alright, without further ado, let's welcome the challenger, Gary, to the field," Johanna announced.
As soon as her words fell, Gary stepped out from the crowd and took his place in the trainer's box.
"Gary, like Ash, comes all the way from Pallet Town in the distant Kanto region. He is also a Trainer qualified to challenge the Battle Frontier and possesses considerable strength."
Johanna didn't know much about Gary either. To investigate the finer details of his record, one would have to go to the Battle Tower, so for now, this was all she could offer as an introduction.
"This Gary looks about the same age as Ash. He can't be that strong. I'm betting on Palmer to win."
"Yeah, Palmer is invincible. No one can beat him except a Champion."
"This year's festival is really something. Not only is there great food and drinks, but a top-level battle to watch too. My money's safe with Palmer this time."
"Palmer! You're the GOAT!"
As the match between Gary and Palmer was about to begin, even more people gathered around to watch. It seemed nearly everyone in Twinleaf Town had come, and the intersection nearby was becoming rather chaotic.
"Next, please welcome Mr. Palmer to the field. Before the match begins, does Mr. Palmer have anything he'd like to say?" Johanna asked.
Palmer stepped into the trainer's box and spoke. "I'm looking forward to this match. Any Trainer recommended by Mr. Scott is not one to be underestimated."
"It seems Mr. Palmer is also full of fighting spirit. Now, let's leave the rest to our referee," Johanna said.
The referee's position had already been taken over by a professional referee from the Battle Tower, a man named Adou.
Adou announced, "The Battle Tower Frontier challenge will now begin. Each side may use two Pokémon. The match will end when all of one side's Pokémon are defeated. In addition, only the challenger has the right to substitute Pokémon."
[Ding! Mission issued: Obtain the Tower Print. Reward: Master Rare Candy ×2, Gold Bottle Cap ×1, Ability Expansion Stone ×1, Self-selected permanent move learner ×1.]
Listening to the mission released by the system, Gary could confirm that the Milotic Palmer hadn't yet revealed was below level 75.
For Frontier Brains at Champion strength, in addition to the Rare Candy reward being upgraded to the master tier, the Ability Enhancement Stone reward would also become an Ability Expansion Stone.
From this alone, Gary could tell that once his Pokémon reached the Elite level, if he wanted them to keep growing, he'd have no choice but to challenge Trainers on par with the Elite Four.
"Gary, do you understand?" Adou asked.
Gary nodded to show he understood.
"Alright, then Frontier Brain Palmer, please send out your first Pokémon."
"My wall isn't up for battling right now, so the starter's on you. Go, Rampardos." Palmer calmly tossed out a Poké Ball.
A two-legged Rampardos, larger than the standard size, appeared.
[Lv. 72 Rampardos / Champion]
"It's out! It's out! Dad's invincible warhammer!" Barry waved his arms excitedly, cheering.
"Warhammer? Isn't it a Rampardos?" Ash asked, puzzled.
"Yeah, it's Rampardos, but that's just its species name. In my dad's hands, Rhyperior is a sturdy shield and Rampardos is his invincible warhammer—defense and offense combined," Barry explained.
"Oh! So that's how it is. Mr. Palmer has both a wall and an aggressive warhammer. What a great combination."
"What Pokémon will Gary send out?"
Ash and the others were all curious to see how Gary would deal with Palmer's Rampardos.
Ash had battled Roark, the Gym Leader of Oreburgh City, before. He knew all too well how powerful Rampardos's attacks could be. Even Pikachu couldn't take more than a few hits from it.
Gary was also a bit surprised. He had thought Palmer would use Milotic and Dragonite for this match, but he hadn't expected Palmer to actually have a Champion-level Rampardos.
After all, the Palmer from the anime wasn't quite the same as the one in the games. Gary didn't know exactly how many Pokémon he had.
"If it's Rampardos, then Blastoise, please." Gary threw out a Poké Ball.
"Blastoise!"
Blastoise appeared.
"Oh, it's the Blastoise that easily shattered the meteorite," Dawn said in surprise.
The scene of Blastoise using Hydro Cannon to smash the meteorite back in Veilstone City was still fresh in her mind.
In her subsequent training, Dawn had tried to have her Piplup use Water Gun to shatter rocks, but she couldn't manage it at all. Compared to Gary's Blastoise, the difference was simply too great.
"So what if it's a Blastoise? Type advantage doesn't matter. My dad is a master at overcoming unfavorable matchups," Barry said, dissatisfied.
Ash and Brock both looked at Barry, but they didn't say anything and stayed silent.
The others didn't know just how powerful Gary's Blastoise really was.
Ash and Brock, however, understood very well. Blastoise was Gary's ace Pokémon—arguably his strongest.
"I want to see just how strong Gary's Blastoise is now." Ash stared at Blastoise intently.
"Pika!"
Pikachu felt the same. As the Pokémon that had traveled with its Trainer from the very start, it also wanted to one day defeat Blastoise.
Seeing both sides had sent out their Pokémon, Adou announced, "Battle, begin!"
"Rampardos, use Rock Polish!" Palmer didn't rush to attack, choosing instead to boost Rampardos's speed first.
Rampardos's massive body glowed green as the energy polished its frame, reducing air resistance and greatly increasing its speed.
"Rain Dance."
Gary wasn't concerned.
Blastoise was a turtle, and it wasn't fast to begin with, so there was no need to limit the opponent's speed.
"Blastoise!"
Blastoise roared toward the sky, and dark clouds gathered above the battlefield, quickly covering the entire area. Because Blastoise's level was so high, the Rain Dance it summoned was massive as well.
Seeing this, the spectators began to retreat, taking shelter in areas where the rain was lighter. They realized a fierce battle was about to unfold.
"Rampardos, start attacking. Thunder Punch!" Palmer went on the offensive.
"Roar!"
Golden light exploded outward, and a golden current wrapped around Rampardos's entire body. Then, Rampardos charged forward with a Sucker Punch, closing in on Blastoise with a burst of thunder.
"Aqua Jet!" Gary countered.
"Blastoise!"
Blastoise's body was enveloped in flowing water as it rushed forward.
Bang!!
The two figures—one gold, one blue—collided. Both sides took damage and were bounced apart by the force of the impact.
In this first exchange, both sides were evenly matched.
Of course, being able to hold even was thanks to the water-type boost from the rain. Otherwise, Blastoise wouldn't have been able to trade blows with Rampardos.
"Stone Edge!" Palmer's attacks were relentless, with Rampardos serving as his siege weapon.
"Roar!"
Chunks of Rock condensed in front of Rampardos, and with a swing of its tail, sharp stones flew toward Blastoise.
"Water Pulse!"