Li Zebing was, at his core, a Water-type Gym Leader.
While his skill allowed him to competently command other types, only when battling alongside Water-types did he truly display his full strength.
That was why he had warned Oliver to prepare himself.
Now—
He was serious.
Mu Xue also glanced at Oliver.
As a Water-type specialist herself, she understood something very clearly:
When a Trainer who specializes in a type commands that very type—
Their power doesn't just increase.
It multiplies.
"Water-type?" Oliver smiled faintly. "Perfect."
The final battle began.
Oliver sent out Milotic.
Li Zebing released Lapras.
Opening Exchange
"Milotic…" Li Zebing sighed. "In person, she's even more beautiful than in videos."
He knew Milotic was Oliver's first Pokémon.
After Oliver published the Milotic evolution paper, Li Zebing had eagerly purchased a Feebas at a high price—
Unfortunately, it still hadn't evolved.
Three battles.
First: he had type advantage.
Second: he was type-disadvantaged.
Third: both sides were Water-types.
But this time—
His eyes were sharp.
He was fighting at full strength.
"Lapras—Ice Beam!"
"Milotic—Water Pulse."
In Li Zebing's prediction, even if Ice Beam failed to hit Milotic directly, it should at least freeze the incoming Water Pulse.
But—
Ice Beam struck the swirling water—
And vanished without effect.
Not even frost formed.
Since absorbing the Primordial Water origin, Milotic's Water-type attacks were no longer ordinary water.
Freezing that level of energy would require something on the level of Kyurem's absolute ice.
Lapras's Ice Beam simply wasn't enough.
Seeing his plan fail, Li Zebing ordered Lapras to dodge while firing multiple Water Guns to prevent Milotic from seizing momentum.
Milotic answered with Surf.
She rode a massive wave forward—
Lapras's Water Guns were instantly absorbed into the towering surge beneath her.
Then—
The tidal wave crashed forward.
The Aura of the Sea
The moment she rose upon the wave—
Milotic felt exhilaration.
As if she were no longer in an arena—
But upon the open ocean.
In her joy—
A faint hidden aura leaked out.
Lapras trembled.
Its body froze mid-motion.
That wasn't fear.
That was pressure.
Divine pressure.
In that instant, all three people present shared the same thought:
This Pokémon…
Belongs to the sea.
She is its sovereign.
Oliver watched silently.
"…I should take her to the ocean someday."
How could the queen of the sea have never seen it?
The Decisive Blow
The wave eclipsed Lapras entirely.
Shadow swallowed the battlefield.
Then—
Boom.
The towering Surf crashed down with overwhelming force.
When the water finally receded—
Lapras lay collapsed on the field.
Unconscious.
Aftermath
Li Zebing stared at Milotic.
"…She's already at Gym-level strength, isn't she?"
It wasn't really a question.
It was confirmation.
"Incredible."
There was something else he didn't say aloud—
The aura Milotic had just released…
Felt even stronger than Gym-level.
It reminded him faintly of his own main team.
His strongest Pokémon were Pseudo-Elite (Quasi–Heavenly King) level.
The weakest among his core team was still Gym-level peak.
And yet—
Milotic's presence had brushed that threshold.
But that thought was too absurd to voice.
A Trainer under one year into raising her?
Impossible.
…Right?
Certification Achieved
With that victory—
Oliver officially obtained his Senior-Rank Trainer Certification.
Li Zebing was so shaken by the battle that he completely forgot to ask Mu Xue for guidance afterward.
The three left together.
After dinner—
Oliver and Mu Xue returned to her home.
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