"Greninja versus Rillaboom? In terms of typing, Greninja is at a disadvantage."
Platinum watched Greninja and Rillaboom facing each other on the field.
After all, Greninja was weak to Grass-type moves. Because of that, the matchup was naturally unfavorable.
"It's not like there's no way to win. It still depends on the strength and commands of both sides. However..."
Caitlin looked at the Rillaboom on the field. This Rillaboom's aura was very strong!
That made Caitlin look at Gloria differently. This girl... also seemed to be a prodigy.
How strange!
Caitlin looked at Gloria's sweet and clean face. Over the past year, how many prodigies like this had she seen?
Normally, trainers with this kind of talent should be extremely rare.
Could they really meet a newcomer like this just by exploring a single ruin?
"This Rillaboom should be very strong," Platinum said, sharing her thoughts.
She could feel it too. It seemed this battle would not be easy for Serena.
But that was a good thing. This girl wanted to join Team Rocket. If Gloria joined, Team Rocket would undoubtedly become stronger.
"Yeah, it's a pity."
Damian looked at the cool and handsome Greninja and could not help but feel a little regretful.
He had specifically looked into it. In this world, Protean and Libero were already the nerfed versions from the ninth generation of his previous life.
Originally, Protean and Libero were extremely powerful abilities. That was because when Greninja attacked with a move, Protean would change Greninja's type to match the move it used.
That way, no matter what move Greninja used, it would get Same-Type Attack Bonus, or STAB.
Moreover, when facing certain opponents, it could use Protean to gain resistances or even immunity.
For example, when fighting an Electric-type Pokémon, it could become Ground-type through its ability. When fighting a Psychic-type, it could switch back to Dark-type. By changing types like that, it could keep the advantage and the initiative.
But after the ninth generation, Protean and Libero were both nerfed. In a single battle, the ability could only activate once unless the Pokémon was switched out and sent back in.
Because of that, the usefulness of those two abilities dropped sharply. There was still some room for strategy, but only a little.
At least Torrent could still increase the power of Greninja's Water-type moves when its health was low. That still gave it a chance to turn defeat into victory.
The battle on the field began.
Serena did not switch Greninja out. As her starter Pokémon, even though Greninja was not her current ace, it was still one of the core members of her main team.
Serena was still very confident in Greninja. Besides, this was only a small type disadvantage. It wasn't as if she had never fought at a type disadvantage before.
Greninja wasn't just Water-type. It was also Dark-type.
However, this Grassy Terrain was indeed a bit troublesome. That was because Grass-type moves used on Grassy Terrain would receive a power boost.
But Greninja held the advantage in speed.
"Rillaboom, Grassy Glide!"
Gloria decisively gave the order and took the initiative to attack.
Rillaboom rushed straight toward Greninja. After closing the distance, it leaned back and launched into a sliding tackle. The grass-covered ground gave it the perfect surface to slide across.
The Grass-type move Grassy Glide was an ordinary Grass-type move under normal conditions. However, on Grassy Terrain, Grassy Glide became a priority move!
This was the true value of Grassy Terrain.
Damian clicked his tongue as he watched.
Big cats, bears, and apes. None of them are easy to deal with.
Why were Rillaboom and Incineroar able to become as famous as Legendary Pokémon like Urshifu and Chien-Pao in the Pokémon games of his previous life?
It was because of their strength. A Pokémon's strength was never determined by its battle stats alone. The word "strength" was a summary of everything.
A Pokémon's power, besides its species' natural stats, was also heavily influenced by its abilities and moves.
Rillaboom was a classic example of that. Because of its Grassy Surge ability, which set Grassy Terrain, combined with its solid Attack stat, along with moves like Fake Out, and most importantly Grassy Glide, it became extremely powerful.
Generally speaking, aside from Extreme Speed and the Dark-type move Sucker Punch, which had conditions, priority moves were usually not very strong.
But Grassy Glide was a normal move. It only counted as a priority move because of its added effect.
On top of that, Grass-type moves received a 30% power boost on Grassy Terrain. Well, in the games, the saying "one slide per Kyogre" was not just a joke.
"Who's Kyogre? I'll take it down. Rillaboom's coolest sliding pose, one-click setup."
It was exactly because Rillaboom was so strong that Grassy Glide was directly nerfed from 70 base power to 60 in the ninth generation. Even so, Rillaboom still remained powerful.
Then came the second nerf, dropping it from 60 power to 55. Only then did things finally settle down.
But reality was not a game. And dealing with Grassy Glide was actually not that difficult.
"Upper Hand!"
Serena immediately shouted.
Greninja folded its arms across its chest. It calmly watched the charging Rillaboom. Just as Rillaboom got close...
Greninja's right hand flashed with white light. It struck first despite moving second, lashing out like a bolt of lightning.
Pa!
A crisp slap rang out in everyone's ears. Rillaboom's whole body was sent flying by Upper Hand.
The Fighting-type move Upper Hand!
This was a move specifically meant to counter priority attacks. Grassy Glide on Grassy Terrain was directly countered by Upper Hand.
Rillaboom, who had been slapped away, lay on the ground while holding its right cheek. It stared blankly at Greninja, unable to process what had just happened for a moment.
The burning, stinging pain on its face left the entire ape a little dazed.
Actually, Upper Hand was not super effective against Rillaboom, so the damage was not that high. But after that slap...
Soon, anger and humiliation appeared on Rillaboom's face. It let out a low roar of fury. Its whole face turned red with rage.
Damn you, frog! You actually dared to slap me in the face!!!
However, Greninja still stood there with its arms folded. It looked at Rillaboom coldly and arrogantly. It did not care about Rillaboom's anger at all.
"Calm down, Rillaboom."
Gloria soothed Rillaboom while looking at Greninja with a slight frown.
As expected of a Team Rocket Executive, Serena really was strong.
Even though they had only exchanged one probing move, Gloria was already certain. Serena was very strong. She was a powerful rival worth going all out against.
But...
That only made it more interesting!
Gloria's clear eyes were full of excitement. This battle was definitely going to be fun!
As a trainer, who didn't like battling? Gloria had many rivals, like Hop, Marnie, and Bede, who had disappeared.
But no matter which of those three it was, to Gloria, they were still missing something.
But the Serena in front of her would definitely force her to go all out!
"Rillaboom, get close! Razor Leaf!"
The Grassy Terrain flashed with green light. That light entered Rillaboom's body and restored some of its stamina.
This was the second effect of Grassy Terrain. It could restore the HP of grounded Pokémon.
Rillaboom swung its arm. A large number of leaves spun through the air and shot toward the opposing Greninja at high speed.
The battle continued!
Meanwhile, Damian and the other two sat on the picnic mat and watched the battle. Damian was even holding a glass of juice with Terapagos in his arms. He looked completely relaxed.
His mood was extremely good right now. After all, he had gained a lot today and had even picked up Gloria for free. It was perfect.
Now he could sit back and watch Gloria and Serena's battle. It was very pleasant.
"Goshi~"
Just then, Terapagos and Shadow Mewtwo seemed to sense something. Both of them turned their heads at the same time and looked behind them.
Trot Trot Trot~
The sound of heavy hoofbeats came from far away and rapidly drew closer. Damian also turned his head. What entered his sight was a horse that was completely white.
Its body was powerfully built. Its fur was entirely white. Its head wore a fierce ice mask, its tail was made of solid ice, and all four of its hooves were covered in hard ice crystals.
This was one of the King's Beloved Steeds, Glastrier!
And sitting on Glastrier was a familiar Pokémon.
Seeing the Pokémon approaching them, both Platinum and Caitlin looked quite surprised.
"Calyrex, long time no see."
Damian smiled and waved at Calyrex. That was right, the newcomer was indeed Ice Rider Calyrex.
Last time in the desert region of Kalos, Calyrex had been riding the black horse, Spectrier. This time, it was riding the white horse, Glastrier.
It was worth noting that by riding different steeds, Calyrex's type combination and battle style would change.
If it rode Spectrier, Shadow Rider Calyrex was Psychic- and Ghost-type. Its strengths were Special Attack and Speed.
If it rode Glastrier, Ice Rider Calyrex was Psychic- and Ice-type. Its strengths were Physical Attack and both defenses.
"I sensed Shadow Mewtwo's aura. As I thought, it is you, Damian."
A gentle telepathic message entered their ears. Ice Rider Calyrex slowly walked over. Glastrier's eyes, which were usually fierce, looked at Damian and the others with curiosity.
Glastrier actually had a very rough and battle-hungry personality. It was the complete opposite of the quiet Spectrier.
Ever since the battle in Kalos, after hearing Calyrex describe what had happened back then, Glastrier had felt a huge sense of regret. Why had it left the Crown Shrine to run wild elsewhere at that time?
Otherwise, wouldn't it have been able to enjoy a great battle?
"I didn't expect your sensing ability to be this strong, Calyrex."
"Since you came to the Crown Tundra, why didn't you come find me for a talk?"
Calyrex slowly floated up from Glastrier's back. It then landed on the picnic mat and asked the question as if it were a little dissatisfied.
Since the collapse of its kingdom, Calyrex had remained quietly inside the ruined Crown Shrine, sleeping and shutting itself away from the world.
It had not woken up until it was forcibly recruited by the evil Hoopa last time. In truth, for a Calyrex that had grown used to loneliness, it valued the people it respected quite a bit.
And Damian had mentioned last time that if he ever came to the Crown Tundra, he should go find it.
"I just arrived too. I was planning to go to the shrine to see you tomorrow. I didn't expect you to come first," Damian replied with a smile.
"My shrine is already old and ruined. I would not be able to host you properly there."
Calyrex replied helplessly. Its shrine had existed from ancient times all the way until now. It had endured countless storms. The fact that it had not collapsed yet was already proof of how well it had been built.
Besides, the shrine where it lived was located on top of a mountain. The wind and snow there were very strong, so it really was not suitable for hosting guests.
"It's fine. I mainly came to see you, and now we've already met."
Damian naturally did not care about that. He took a bottle of juice, some Pokéblocks, and some Pokémon snacks out of his backpack and handed them to Calyrex.
"Do you want to try them? I don't think you'll dislike them."
"I have no need for food."
"Good food isn't just about satisfying the body's needs. It also satisfies the spirit. The joy of eating is part of life."
Damian poured a bowl of Pokéblocks for Glastrier. Glastrier sniffed them, then immediately started chewing in huge mouthfuls. It seemed to like them quite a lot.
After a short while, the whole large bowl of Pokéblocks had already gone into its stomach.
"See? Glastrier is eating very happily."
Damian pointed at Glastrier. No wonder Glastrier was always running off to steal Icy Carrots in the games. This guy really was a glutton.
"You do have a point."
Calyrex could not help shaking its head with a smile. It reached out and took a piece of dessert, tasting it elegantly. After savoring it carefully, it nodded.
"It tastes very good."
"Whinny~"
Glastrier let out a neigh, asking Damian for more food.
"Don't worry, don't worry. First, chill these for me. Be careful with the temperature."
Damian handed several bottles of fruit soda to Glastrier.
Glastrier tilted its head. After thinking for a moment, it carefully exhaled a breath of cold air. Frost instantly formed on the surface of the juice bottles.
"Nice. You've got a bright future," Damian said with a satisfied nod. He poured another bag of Pokéblocks into the bowl in front of Glastrier.
"I did not expect the food of the outside world to become this delicious."
Calyrex took another sip of the iced soda. Feeling the bubbles fizz across its tongue, it found the sensation rather novel.
"After all, it has been far too long since the era of your kingdom, Calyrex. A lot has changed by now," Damian replied naturally.
"So? Do you want to come out and travel with me? Anyway, staying here in the Crown Tundra is just boring every day. You're either bored or asleep. What's the point of living like that?"
Damian spoke in a teasing tone as he invited Calyrex.
"Come out and travel?"
Hearing that, Calyrex fell into thought. It wasn't that it had never thought about leaving the Crown Tundra, but going out alone had never seemed meaningful.
However, if it were with Damian, then it did not seem impossible.
Calyrex looked at Terapagos in Damian's arms, who was happily squinting while chewing on food. Its gaze gradually turned strange.
If it remembered correctly, during the great battle in the desert last time, this turtle had not been like this.