"Hm?!"
Hala froze.
Before he could react, Peter's command had already been issued.
"Zoroark—drop the disguise and charge!"
SWOOSH—
A gray-white claw burst out from the smoke.
The force of the movement scattered the dust blanketing the arena—
revealing the truth behind "Lopunny."
That's right.
It had been Zoroark in disguise all along.
"Zoroark!"
With a burst of speed, the fox-wolf Pokémon vanished into flickering shadows and appeared directly behind Hariyama.
This was the concealment and burst movement effect of Shadow Sneak.
"Behind you! Use Smack Down!!"
Suppressing his surprise, Hala immediately gave a calm response.
Hariyama grabbed a massive rock and spun around, hurling it behind him.
But—
the attack missed again.
Zoroark used Dig, disappearing underground.
When it emerged again—
it had already appeared on Hariyama's opposite side.
Light bloomed over its claws.
Return!
SLASH—BOOM!!
Hariyama was sent flying.
Zoroark didn't stop.
Once again, it transformed into a blur of shadows and flashed behind the giant Pokémon.
Its claw struck precisely at the back of Hariyama's neck.
"Ha…ri…"
Hariyama's eyes widened.
Then—
its body slowly collapsed.
Whitney raised her hand and announced the result.
"Island Kahuna Hala's Hariyama is unable to battle!"
"The challenger Peter wins this Grand Trial!"
She immediately ran over and hugged Peter's arm.
"Honey, you were amazing~"
Peter nodded with satisfaction.
"Mhm~"
The livestream audience had become completely used to scenes like this.
"Honestly, I already thought something felt weird when Lopunny never used Fake Out…"
"Teacher Peter: Nice Z-Move. Too bad all it did was slightly mess up my Zoroark's hairstyle."
"Teacher Peter, our Zihan wants to learn too!"
"…"
[Ding! Victory against a higher-tier opponent!]
[Obtained Universal Talent Points ×50]
[Zoroark reached Lv49…]
"Zoroark…"
The gray-white fox returned proudly, its face full of expectation.
Peter smiled.
"Well done~"
"Come on, your reward."
He took out a Rare Candy and Pokéblocks.
[Ding! Zoroark consumed Rare Candy!]
[Level increased to Lv50]
[Learned moves: Comeuppance, Night Daze]
[Additional Talent Points available]
Peter immediately allocated another 20 points into Physical Attack.
Combined with the two newly learned signature moves—
Zoroark's combat power climbed another level.
Hala recalled Hariyama and looked toward Peter.
"No wonder Kukui told me that strategy and battlefield planning are your greatest strengths."
"Using Zoroark to evade my Z-Move…"
"That was an exceptional response."
Peter laughed awkwardly.
"Haha… you're giving me too much credit…"
Hala smiled and took out a white bracelet along with a crimson diamond-shaped crystal.
"Come."
"This Z-Ring and Fightingium Z belong to you now."
[Z-Ring: A bracelet that channels and releases Z-Power. Insert different Z-Crystals and perform corresponding motions to upgrade Pokémon moves into powerful Z-Moves.]
[Fightinium Z: A crystal containing Fighting-type Z-Power. After being equipped into the Z-Ring, trainer and Pokémon can unleash the powerful Z-Move—All-Out Pummeling—through deep bonds.]
Peter accepted it and fastened it around his wrist.
Then—
the system activated.
[Ding! Detected acquisition of a new battle system. Upgrading automatically…]
Peter blinked.
The Dynamax Band and Z-Ring suddenly merged.
They transformed into a sleek white bracelet lined with black futuristic patterns.
[Master Band: An all-purpose battle system bracelet containing a Key Stone slot, Z-Crystal slot, Wishing Star slot, and Tera Orb slot. Supports all four enhancement systems simultaneously.]
Peter stared at the incredibly cool bracelet on his wrist.
His mood instantly improved.
Since when had the system become this considerate?
He had always thought wearing multiple bracelets was annoying.
Now—
the problem had been solved perfectly.
…
Next—
it was Whitney's turn to challenge Hala.
The first match—
Whitney's Bloodmoon Ursaluna versus Hala's Poliwrath.
Poliwrath opened with Rain Dance, triggering Swift Swim and doubling its speed.
But Whitney casually responded—
by throwing an Electirizer, instantly paralyzing it.
Then came a nonstop barrage of Mud Shot.
Mud Shot—
Ground-type special move.
Power: 55.
Lowers the target's Speed after hitting.
With rain continuously turning the battlefield muddy—
there was an endless supply of ammunition.
Bloodmoon Ursaluna threw mud happily.
Although Poliwrath endured the pressure and landed a Drain Punch—
it ultimately changed nothing.
After its Speed dropped to the limit—
Whitney finished it off with a Focus Blast.
First victory.
Second battle—
Hala sent out a near–Elite Four-level Bewear.
Bewear charged forward.
Closed the distance.
Then used Bind, trapping Bloodmoon Ursaluna in a crushing hug—
before following up with a chaotic barrage of Drain Punches.
Peter's own Ursaluna practically jumped out of its Poké Ball on the spot to avenge its wife.
Thankfully—
Peter stopped it in time.
Because the outcome was already decided.
Whitney calmly sent out—
an Elite Four-level Zoroark.
Bewear's moveset consisted of:
Two Normal-type moves.
Two Fighting-type moves.
None of them could deal damage.
Its level was completely outclassed too.
Two Night Daze later—
Bewear collapsed helplessly.
Whitney held up a pink Z-Ring and smiled brightly.
"Nice!"
"Honey, I passed the Grand Trial too~"
Behind her—
Hala's figure somehow looked a little lonely.
Two Grand Trials.
Two losses.
And both times—
Ghost-types left him completely helpless.
Weren't these two supposed to specialize in Normal-types?
Wasn't Fighting supposed to be advantageous?!
Watching them leave—
Hala sank into deep contemplation.
…
At noon—
Peter and Whitney enjoyed a huge meal at a local restaurant.
Afterward—
they headed into the mountains to practice Z-Move poses.
At this point—
Peter possessed Rockium Z, Normalium Z, Darkinium Z, and Fightinium Z.
Whitney had Normalium Z and Fightinium Z.
"No, no."
"Cross your arms first…"
"Then open and draw a circle…"
"Then extend forward and overlap to the side…"
Peter corrected everyone's movements—
while occasionally taking advantage of opportunities to sneak touches on Whitney.
Whitney stretched her arms.
"Honey, does this look right?"
She had changed into tight-fitting yoga clothes.
Her perfect figure was outlined clearly.
Long, slender legs.
Full, rounded thighs.
Soft curves.
A narrow waist.
A graceful back.
And—
fabric slightly dampened by sweat.
Peter swallowed.
Even though they already knew each other inside and out—
Whitney usually dressed in loose, cute styles.
And their nightly card games generally happened under blankets.
So seeing her dressed like this—
out in broad daylight—
gave him a completely different kind of visual impact.
For a moment—
he genuinely didn't know where to look.
Whitney tilted her head.
"Hm?"
"Honey, what's wrong?"
Peter coughed.
"Nothing…"
"Just feeling a little overheated lately."
As he spoke—
he wrapped an arm around her waist.
"Come with me."
"Huh?"
Whitney looked adorably confused.
She had absolutely no idea what was about to happen.
Until Peter pulled her toward the trees.
"Eh?"
"Honey… but it's still daytime…"
"It's okay."
"No one will come here~"
Whitney blinked.
"…Should we at least set up the tent?"
Peter shook his head.
"No time."
"…Mm!"
Short version:
The trees rated the show highly.
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T/N:
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