Damian sat on the grass with a relaxed posture, ready to enjoy the battle happening right in front of him.
To be exact, this was a practice battle between his future wife and his daughter.
"Go for it! Good luck~!"
"I hope both sides win~!"
"Ge-sis Ge-sis!"
"Tini-Tini~!"
A certain Wishing Star that loved excitement had somehow produced a set of glowing cheer sticks. It handed them to Diancie, Terapagos, and Victini.
Then it started cheering for the people on the field in its crisp, cute voice. It was hard to tell which side it was actually supporting.
"Hmm~ Arceus's aura is very strong around her."
Azelf sat on Damian's shoulder and looked at Akari with surprise.
As one of the six beings tied to creation, Azelf was extremely sensitive to Arceus's aura. It could clearly sense the heavy trace of Arceus lingering around Akari.
"She is my daughter, after all. It's not that strange," Damian replied calmly.
Azelf: "..."
Azelf tilted its head and thought for a moment. That did seem reasonable. Arceus did seem to treat Damian very kindly.
Compared to Damian, Caitlin and Serena were both focused intently on the battle.
The fight had already begun. Akari's Hisuian Arcanine did not have Intimidate, so no stat drop was triggered at the start.
Even though she was at a type disadvantage, Platinum did not switch out Froslass.
As the saying goes, a trainer who cannot handle a type disadvantage is not a qualified trainer.
Besides, Platinum mainly wanted to use this battle to understand Akari's current level.
"Flamethrower!"
Akari made the first move.
Hisuian Arcanine lowered its body slightly, then suddenly burst forward like a released spring and charged at Froslass. Its mouth was already filled with fire, and the flames grew even stronger as it opened its jaws.
A stream of high-temperature fire shot out.
It was Flamethrower!
"Shadow Ball!" Platinum immediately ordered a counterattack.
Froslass floated higher into the air. She brought her hands together, and a pitch-black Shadow Ball formed between them. She launched it at the incoming Flamethrower.
The black Shadow Ball and the red Flamethrower collided heavily in midair. The violent clash of energy turned into a shockwave that spread outward.
The two attacks pushed against each other fiercely. Then, to the shock of Platinum, Caitlin, and Serena, the Flamethrower slowly started forcing the Shadow Ball back.
That's right. Hisuian Arcanine's Flamethrower was gradually overpowering Froslass's Shadow Ball!
"Is... is this really an Arcanine Akari raised herself?"
Serena was stunned and spoke in a low voice.
This wasn't right!
She often trained with Platinum, so she understood Platinum's Pokémon very well.
Froslass was indeed near the bottom among Platinum's main team, but this was still Platinum they were talking about!
Platinum was already extremely close to becoming a full Champion-level trainer. She was basically guaranteed to become Team Rocket's next Executive.
Froslass was already very close to Champion level herself. Yet in a direct clash, her STAB Shadow Ball was being pushed back by this Hisuian Arcanine's Flamethrower.
That meant Hisuian Arcanine was not weaker than Froslass at all. It might even be stronger!
But... was that possible?
According to Akari, she had only been on her journey for four months.
Champion level in four months? Was that even real?!
"There's no mistake. She raised it herself."
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Damian's lips. He took out his phone and started recording the battle.
Damian was not actually surprised by Akari's strength. He had already noticed that although the "protagonists" of this world were all monsters, their growth rate was not as outrageous as it had been in the original stories.
Reaching Champion level in a year was already shocking to ordinary people. But compared with the original protagonists, becoming Champion in a year was only the basic starting point.
Not only did every protagonist become Champion within a year, they also had battle records to prove just how absurd they were. After Red became Champion, he went to Cerulean Cave and defeated Mewtwo before catching it.
After May became Champion, she went to Sky Pillar and defeated Rayquaza before catching it.
Platinum caught either Dialga or Palkia, and Serena caught either Xerneas or Yveltal.
Those were all solid parts of the game stories.
Selene was even more extreme. Before becoming Alola's Champion, she defeated Necrozma three times until it was completely forced into submission and then caught it. After becoming Champion, she took down all of Team Rainbow Rocket by herself. She was basically a nightmare-level boss.
And to be clear, the "nightmare-level boss" there referred to Selene, not Team Rainbow Rocket. To Team Rainbow Rocket, Selene was the nightmare.
All of those achievements came from just one year of growth in the original stories.
However, Damian was certain that in this world, they could still reach Champion level within a year and be strong even at that level.
But they definitely would not reach those exaggerated heights from the original games.
For example, among Legendary and Mythical Pokémon, lower-tier ones included Solgaleo and Lunala, Reshiram and Zekrom, or Ho-Oh and Lugia.
To defeat opponents like them, one needed to be at the level of a top Champion, such as Leon, Giovanni, or Lance.
They were top Champions. Relying on their main teams, they could fight powerful Legendary Pokémon and even win, but it was never easy.
Based on the current growth rate of Platinum, Rosa, and Serena, they definitely would not reach top Champion level by the end of the year.
So Damian suspected that their growth had been limited in this world. They had not reached that absurd level from the games where they could crush all kinds of Legendary Pokémon within a year and treat them like practice targets.
That would be too ridiculous.
The world had clearly toned them down.
However, even with that slower growth, they were still talented freaks who could shock the world.
At most, their rise to the top had only been delayed. By next year, Platinum and the others would fully catch up with people like Leon.
That was why Damian had scheduled the World Coronation Series for next year. Next year would be when Platinum and the others were "fully grown."
But even with the world holding them back, there were still differences among the protagonists.
For example, Selene had already reached Champion level last month. She had even defeated Professor Kukui in a full 6-on-6 battle.
Meanwhile, other protagonists like Rosa and Platinum were only just now stepping into the rank of Champion-level trainers. A trainer was only considered "Champion-level" once all six Pokémon on their main team had reached that standard.
And now, an even more terrifying Akari had appeared!
"Hiss~!"
For the first time, even Serena felt the pressure of true talent!
Ever since she was little, she had always been the one receiving praise. Since her debut, she had also been seen as a "monster" that everyone admired.
But now, Serena finally understood what a real "monster" felt like. After thinking about it, though, she did not find it strange anymore.
"As expected of the child you and Platinum will have, Damian. It's honestly terrifying."
Serena sighed from the bottom of her heart.
Two talented monsters, Damian and Platinum, had produced an even more shocking one.
How should she put it? It actually made perfect sense.
But Serena could not help wondering what her own child with Damian would be like. Would that child also be a "monster" who surpassed both parents?
While Damian and Serena were not paying attention, Caitlin's brows had already knit tightly together.
Her sense of crisis was skyrocketing!
This was bad! Her worst-case scenario had come true. Akari really was a terrifying monster!
No wonder Arceus had personally chosen her for a trial. Champion level in four months? Was that really a talent a human should have?
Why don't you just fly to the moon already?!
Caitlin bit her lip. She was so frustrated she almost wanted to laugh. Damn it!
The battle on the field continued. It was not just Arcanine's raw power that stood out. Akari's command decisions were also exceptionally sharp.
She had Hisuian Arcanine use its superior mobility. By combining that with bursts of speed from Extreme Speed, Hisuian Arcanine successfully closed the distance to Froslass and landed an all-out Fire-type attack right on target.
Then, during the exchange, it deliberately left an opening before dodging Froslass's Water Pulse at close range.
It had to be remembered that Water Pulse dealt four times the damage to a Hisuian Arcanine!
Yet Akari still dared to use such risky tactics. Fortunately, Hisuian Arcanine did not let her down.
After successfully dodging Water Pulse, it followed up with a perfectly timed Head Smash that slammed into Froslass.
Head Smash was Rock type and super effective. Froslass immediately lost the ability to battle.
Akari won the first round.
"You did well."
Platinum recalled Froslass into its Poké Ball and offered a quiet word of comfort. She stared at the Poké Ball in her hand for a moment before finally looking up.
The way Platinum looked at Akari had changed slightly.
"Mom, how was that? How did my Arcanine do?"
Akari asked with a smile. At that moment, Akari looked very much like Damian to Platinum.
Damian often wore the same kind of smile. Of course, most of the time, Damian's smiles meant he was up to something.
But Akari obviously did not mean it that way. She had simply picked up some of Damian's habits without realizing it as she grew up.
"Very impressive~ Akari, I really can't believe it. Did you really start training Arcanine only after you got to Hisui?"
Platinum did not hold back her praise. In a full battle, losing one or two rounds early on did not matter much.
What surprised her more was how Akari could already be this strong.
"Of course! Arcanine is one of my main Pokémon."
Receiving her mother's praise clearly made Akari happy. Her eyes curved into crescents again.
One of your main Pokémon, but not your ace and not even one of your strongest.
Is that how I should understand it?
Platinum's eyes flickered slightly as she looked at her future daughter.
As expected, Akari had inherited the trainer talent of both her and Damian. In fact, she was even more gifted than Platinum.
Then Platinum smiled.
But wasn't that a good thing? Even if she had not personally gone through ten months of pregnancy to give birth to Akari, that did not stop her from feeling happy about Akari's strength.
Still, she could not let her daughter down too easily either.
"Garchomp!"
Platinum decisively sent out one of her key Pokémon, Garchomp.
Hisuian Arcanine had a four-times weakness to Ground-type moves!
"It's Mom's Garchomp." Akari was clearly very familiar with it.
After all, this was the Pokémon that always stayed by Platinum's side, even in the future.
Akari did not switch out Hisuian Arcanine. She had absolute trust in her Pokémon.
But this time, Platinum did not hold back at all. She put her full focus into the battle.
She did not Mega Evolve Garchomp. Since Akari had not mastered any battle-enhancing mechanic yet, Platinum did not plan to use one either.
Even without Mega Evolution, however, Platinum's Garchomp was still extremely strong. After a fierce exchange, it defeated Akari's Hisuian Arcanine while paying a relatively small price.
"Amazing~ Mom's Garchomp really is strong and cool."
Akari praised her opponent. She recalled her defeated Hisuian Arcanine and comforted it with a soft word before taking out a second Poké Ball.
"Well, this next one is going to be a lot harder to deal with than Arcanine. Mom, you'd better be careful."
Hearing that, Platinum grew curious. She assumed it would be another Pokémon unique to Hisui.
Akari narrowed her crescent eyes and flicked out her second Poké Ball.
"Sneasler! Go!"
In a flash of white light, a silver-gray, bipedal Pokémon slowly stood upright. Its claws were blackish red, long, and sharp. It wore a thick, dangerous grin that made people shiver.
This was Sneasler, the evolved form of Hisuian Sneasel. Its types were Fighting and Poison.
"A Sneasler. That Pokémon really is troublesome."
Damian looked at the dark, dangerous presence coming from Sneasler and chuckled.
He did not even need to think to know that this Sneasler definitely had Poison Touch!
A Sneasler with Poison Touch was a truly troublesome Pokémon. Judging by its energy and condition, Akari had trained this Sneasler extremely well.
This Sneasler was most likely much stronger than the Arcanine from earlier. It was probably one of Akari's key Pokémon.
However, in terms of type matchups, Akari had deliberately chosen an unfavorable fight.
Sneasler was weak to Ground-type moves.
Damian sent the video he had recorded so far to Giovanni, along with a message.
"Dad, come watch the battle between your future daughter-in-law and your granddaughter."
Inside Viridian Gym, Giovanni had been wondering how many days it would take Groudon to walk back. When he saw the message, even someone as steady as Giovanni felt a surge of joy.
I'm going to be a grandfather?
Well done, Damian!
The thought of being able to hold a granddaughter made Giovanni genuinely happy.
He was going to be a grandfather!
But when he clicked on the video, all he saw was what looked like a pair of twins battling.
Giovanni sent a question mark back to Damian with a blank expression.
Where is the granddaughter?
Then he thought about it again. He remembered the one flaw of his all-powerful son. This really did seem like the kind of trick Damian would play.
Giovanni could not help sighing.
"Damian, I know you're popular with women, but I still have to advise you. Don't take things too far."
"?" Damian sent back a question mark. He had no idea what his father meant.