Pokémon, Inkaros, my starter Pokémon

Despite such a fierce attack, Shidou's response remained unchanged.

"Cain, Shadow Shield."

The Shadow Shield, capable of devouring all physical attacks, reappeared silently, blocking the path that the Valiant Bird would inevitably take.

"boom--!!!"

The blue meteor slammed into the shadow shield with a deafening thud, and the energy clashed violently, bursting out with blinding light!

However, when the light faded, the Shadow Shield remained as solid as a rock, completely unmoved.

Even with his desperate attack, the Hawk still couldn't budge it in the slightest!

"Cain, use Shadow Blade!"

Cain nodded, and then quickly conjured a crescent-shaped black blade imbued with pure shadow energy!

The sharp blade shot through the air with a piercing shriek, precisely striking the Munk Eagle, which was momentarily stunned by the recoil of the Valiant Bird.

Seeing this, Lei Si was not alarmed at all. Instead, a confident smile appeared on his lips as he loudly reminded him:

"Staraptor, don't be afraid, stay calm, Ghost-type moves are ineffective against us..."

however……

Lei Si's words hadn't even finished...

"Shh!"

The crescent-shaped shadow blade struck the Starhawk squarely!

“Muk—!!!”

The Mk Eagle let out a painful scream, its condensed aura instantly dissipated, and a clear energy wound was slashed across its body. Then, like a bird with broken wings, it fell heavily from the sky, crashing onto the ground covered with poison shards, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The Hawk struggled but could not get up for a while, clearly having suffered a serious injury!

"What?! Fate...failure?! How is this possible?!"

Lei Si's smile froze instantly, turning into utter astonishment and shock.

At this moment, Lei Si's mind went blank, and the ironclad rule of attribute restraint was blatantly broken before his eyes!

How could a Ghost-type move possibly hit a Normal/Flying-type Staraptor?!

other side……

Was he cheating?!

The huge tactical miscalculation and the reality before him plunged Lei Si into even deeper confusion and disbelief.

But in reality, Tokito does acknowledge Raiji.

Lei Si's idea is quite good. He can deduce the type and formulate a seemingly perfect counter tactic based on limited information in a short time. Lei Si's battle skills and experience are indeed outstanding. He is indeed an elite trainer.

Unfortunately, Lei Si's deduction was based on a flawed premise.

Cain is not a Ghost-type Pokémon in the traditional sense of the Pokémon world; it is a Shadow-type. The rule that Ghost-type moves cannot hit Normal-type Pokémon does not entirely apply to it.

Lei Si had planned everything meticulously, but he hadn't anticipated the "cross-world attribute differences."

"It's over. Cain, night raid."

"Shi Dou gave him no more time to think and calmly gave the order."

Cain's figure became extremely blurry, then instantly merged into the shadows, and in the next instant appeared in front of the M'K Eagle who had just struggled to stand up.

If the one who strikes first attacks, this move will gain double the power, so the doubled shadow energy slammed into the Starhawk!

"Muk—!!"

The Hawk had no time to react. It let out a short, mournful cry and was blasted away by the powerful force, crashing heavily to the ground. It struggled to get up, but each time it failed.

"Starhawk!!"

Lei Si shouted and rushed forward.

Lei Si looked at the fallen Mk Eagle, then at the previously fallen Dragon Scorpion, and his expression began to daze.

At this moment, his mind was in complete chaos, and he seemed to hear again Kamishiro's words, "You are missing something decisive," as well as the words that Tokito had said earlier that he didn't understand...

"I don't plan to change my Pokémon."

"I hope you stay strong."

Now, Lei Si understood everything.

From the very beginning, the opponent possessed absolute confidence in their strength. This was not arrogance, but a statement of facts. Their two main forces, which they had carefully nurtured, had not even been able to inflict any effective damage on the opponent's single Pokémon, and had been defeated one after another, defeated so thoroughly, so... ugly.

In a 3 vs 3 match, Lei Si can be said to have already lost two matches, and even if they send out a third one, the result will probably not change.

He couldn't break through that layer of absolute defense, couldn't understand why the attack hit the Hawk, and couldn't see through the opponent's unfathomable tactical reserves.

A sense of powerlessness and self-doubt, even deeper than when facing the gods, washed over me like ice water.

"Have I...become this weak? I can't even beat a trainer from an unofficial gym? I can't even force him to use his second Pokémon? Am I...even fit to be a trainer?"

Lei Si stood there blankly, his eyes vacant, as if his soul had been ripped out, completely lost in a deep abyss of confusion.

Shi Tou looked at Lei Si's dejected and shattered appearance, and touched his nose with a slightly embarrassed expression.

Uh...it seems...it completely shut the other person up?

Shi Dou originally wanted to let his opponent see a wider range of power so that he could break through his bottleneck, but it seems to have the opposite effect.

What should we do now?

I need help online!!

It's urgent!!!

Seeing the almost lifeless look in Raiji's eyes, Tokito thought for a moment, then composed himself, softening his tone as he asked softly:

"Mr. Lei Si, are you... alright?"

Hearing Tokito's voice, Raiji lowered his head dejectedly and said in a hoarse voice, "I'm sorry, Tokito... I might... be unable to continue fighting. I think... I think..."

Lei Si wanted to say "give up," but the two words were stuck in his throat, so heavy that he couldn't say them.

Of course, before he could finish speaking, Tokito interrupted him, shifting his gaze to Raiji, and said solemnly:

“Mr. Raiji, I suppose you came to my dojo not just for a casual spar or badges, right? If I’m not mistaken, you’re looking for some kind of opportunity to regain your confidence, aren’t you?”

Lei Si's body trembled, and he acquiesced.

Tokito continued, "Actually, judging from your brother Shinji's fighting style and some of your actions just now, you two brothers should have been on the same path in the past - both of you were extremely demanding of Pokémon, pursuing the ultimate efficiency and power."

“…Yes.” Raiji nodded, admitting bitterly, “I always believed that only the most rigorous training could bring out the Pokémon’s strongest potential. But…I was wrong. Not only did I lose to Mr. Kamishiro, but now I can’t even get past your gym…I’m not a qualified trainer at all.”

"Whether a trainer is qualified or not is never defined by the trainer himself or by the outcome of a single match."

As Shidou spoke, he raised his palm and pointed to the Muck Eagle in the arena, whose eyes were still fixed on Cain even though it was lying on the ground.

"What defines whether you are qualified is your companion and your Pokémon."

At this moment, a sudden change occurred.

"Muk---!!"

The Mk Eagle, which should have been struggling on the ground, waiting to lose its fighting ability, suddenly burst forth with an indomitable flame in its eyes. Then, it let out a piercing cry that seemed to shatter the clouds and split rocks, and with all its might, it flapped its wings again and took flight again, wobbling.

Although the Hawk still bore the scars left by the Shadow Blade and its aura was disordered, its proud head and burning eyes shone brighter than ever before!

“Muk—!!!”

The cry of the Mk Eagle was no longer painful, but filled with resolute fighting spirit, like a shout:

Don't give up, I can still fight. Even if there's a desperate situation ahead, I'm willing to burn myself out for you until the very end!

Looking at this shocking scene, Shi Tou turned to Lei Si and slowly said, "Did you see that? Even though your body is covered in wounds, even though it seems like there is only darkness ahead, your partner still did not give up. It would rather burn brightly until the very last moment than accept a hopeless ending!"

"True strength lies not only in exquisite tactics and rigorous training, but also in whether the bond of mutual trust and unwavering commitment can transform into a flame that breaks through the darkness when you all fall to the bottom together!"

"Your Mk Eagle is telling you the answer with its actions. It still believes in you and is willing to fight for you with everything! So, what about you, Mr. Reis? Are you going to stay here and betray the fighting spirit it has ignited with its life?!"

Lei Si stared blankly at the stubbornly circling figure in the sky, listening to its cry full of indomitable will, and his eyes instantly welled up with tears.

A surge of scalding heat welled up from the bottom of my heart, dispelling the previous confusion and coldness.

In an instant, Lei Si recalled every moment of meeting Muke Eagle, training together, competing in tournaments together, and challenging the frontier zone together... Those emotional connections he had overlooked, beyond the rigorous training, surged into his heart like a tide.

"Muk Eagle..."

Lei Si's voice choked up as he wiped his eyes hard. His previously dim eyes regained their light, a complex light that was a mixture of emotion, guilt, and a renewed determination.

Then, Lei Si straightened his spine, took a deep breath, and shouted at his companions in the air with all his might:

"I understand! I'm sorry, Hawkeye! I was wrong!"

"Let's keep fighting! Let's fight to the very last moment!!"

"That's more like it! Come on!" Tokito looked at Raiji, whose fighting spirit had been rekindled, and smiled approvingly.

However, reality is cruel...

Although the Hawk managed to get up with its indomitable will, it was already at its limit and seriously injured.

Three seconds later...

The Hawk, which had just taken to the air, was hit precisely by Cain's Shadow Blade before it could even make an effective dodge.

"Muk..."

The Mk Eagle let out a weak cry, the flames in its eyes still burning, but its body fell uncontrollably from the sky. This time, it completely lost consciousness, and its eyes turned into spirals.

Fleeting...

That rekindled fighting spirit lasted only a few seconds in the face of such an absolute disparity in strength.

However, Rais had already changed. He silently stepped forward, carefully returned the Staraptor to its Poké Ball, and said softly:

"Thank you for your hard work, my partner. You've done a fantastic job."

Then, Lei Si sent out his third spirit.

Although the result was predictable, with Cain in full condition easily defeating him, Raiji's face no longer showed the previous dejection and confusion.

After losing his ability to fight, Raiji calmly recalled his spirit, walked up to Tokito, and solemnly said:

"Gym Leader Shidou, thank you so much. I learned a lot from this match. I'll definitely come back to challenge you again when I have more free time."

Huh? You want to get tortured again?!

Did this person develop some strange attribute from being beaten up?

"welcome any time."

Despite thinking this to himself, Tokito maintained the demeanor of a gym leader and nodded with a smile.

Thank you so much.

Lei Si bowed deeply and sincerely greeted Ou Cha.

"No need for thanks. As a gym leader, guiding and testing challengers, and helping them learn from battles, is simply part of my duty," Shi Tou said, waving his hand.

As he spoke, Tokito looked into Rais's eyes and gave him a final word of advice: "Remember how you felt today. Communicate more with your Pokémon, listen carefully to their voices, and understand their thoughts. Only by truly understanding their feelings and achieving a connection can you go further together."

"Yes, I will keep your teachings in mind."

Lei Si kept these words firmly in mind and nodded earnestly.

Chapter 62 He is... the Flying-type Elite Four member... the Dodo! (8K)

After seeing off the brothers Raiji and Shinji, Tokito stood at the entrance of the dojo, watching their departing figures.

"After my brother and I have challenged more gyms and gained enough experience, we will come back to find you. At that time, I will challenge you as the strongest gym leader in the Kanto region."

Before leaving, Shinji unusually said a few more words and requested a rematch.

Upon hearing this, Shi Dou quickly waved his hand and said in a humble tone:

"I dare not claim to be the strongest gym leader. Mr. Blaine of Cinnabar Town was once the Elite Four member of the League, and his abilities are unfathomable. Giovanni, the gym leader of Viridian City, is even more renowned, and his strength remains a mystery. I am still relatively inexperienced and need more experience."

Especially Giovanni, the mastermind behind Team Rocket, possesses absolute Champion-level strength. Although he's registered as a Ground-type Gym Leader, his ace is actually a Champion-level Beedrill capable of defeating Dragonite!

The two brothers said goodbye again, their figures gradually disappearing at the end of the street.