"???"
"!!!"
A powerful vortex of wind swirled around Gardevoir, so intense that it seemed to make the ground tremble.
Yet, the spectators at the edge of the arena felt only a gentle breeze.
This breeze seemed to envelop the entire town.
Though they were only tens of meters apart, it felt as if they were in two entirely different worlds.
They were too shocked to speak.
If this was the final stage, what kind of trainer could possibly clear it?
Even in this tense moment, Lin Feng shouted loudly:
"Alright, Pidgeot! Give it your all! If you hit Gardevoir, you get an extra meal this afternoon!"
"Pidgeot!"
At his words, the Pidgeot stirred with obvious excitement.
"Begin!"
Finally, at Lin Feng's command, the challenge began.
The Alpha Pidgeot spoke first: "Pidgeot!" (Everyone, follow my rhythm!)
"Pidgeot!" (For the food!)
It surged ahead. Despite its massive size, its agility remained undiminished.
A white shimmer flashed across its body; it launched a Quick Attack immediately!
Its movement was like a raptor diving for prey, wind trailing behind it as it charged toward Gardevoir.
Then, its wings glinted with a metallic sheen.
This was Wing Attack!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The force of its attack generated a sharp sonic boom.
It moved so fast that before the spectators' eyes could fully follow, it had already reached Gardevoir's position.
Most hearts clenched instantly. This strike looked deadly serious.
Its descending speed rivaled the Pidgeot battles the spectators had seen at the Zongheng Championship.
But as they tracked it with their eyes, they froze again.
Below the Pidgeot, there was no one.
"Pidgeot!"
The second attack roared through the air.
Everyone's gaze instinctively rose once more.
Gardevoir, who had been at ground level moments ago, now floated in midair.
Clearly, it had teleported to evade the attack.
Their minds were still catching up.
"I can't see… I can't see anything at all…"
Someone murmured. They could only see Gardevoir flickering within the swirling wind.
Yet, all the Pidgeot seemed completely unable to touch her.
At that moment, Lin Feng's voice echoed in everyone's ears:
"The first stage is actually quite simple. For the defender, the Pidgeot's speed and flight height are limited. Each attack is preceded by a sharp cry as a warning, followed by a brief pause."
"When you challenge an opponent, it's not enough to just think about increasing your Pokémon's evasion speed or accuracy.
As a trainer, you also need to observe the battle carefully and give instructions at the right moment.
Take Pidgeot as an example many of its moves have preemptive actions."
As Lin Feng finished, the spectators slowly came back to their senses.
Though their eyes remained fixed on Gardevoir, dancing gracefully amidst the storm like a Pokémon in the eye of a hurricane, their attention now also followed Lin Feng's words.
"For instance, the prelude to Wing Attack is the faint glow on the wings. Sky Uppercut requires airborne movement, accompanied by a noticeable pause and wing flaps…"
"What about Teleport?" someone asked without even turning their head.
"Teleport… Teleport…"
Lin Feng twitched at the corner of his mouth.
Of course, he knew what the question implied.
They were essentially asking why Gardevoir's Teleport had no cooldown.
But what level of Pokémon was Gardevoir?
Its skill animation had already been reduced to near-instant.
So, Lin Feng chose not to answer.
Three minutes passed in the blink of an eye.
The moment Lin Feng shouted, "Time's up," the Pidgeot seemed to awaken from a dream as they glanced at Gardevoir.
At the same time, at the heart of the storm, Gardevoir revealed a radiant smile.
(✿◠‿◠) "Gardevoir~ It's my turn now after all that attacking~"
Her smile was gentle, yet the Pidgeot who had been attacking fiercely moments ago suddenly felt a chill run down their spines.
"Pidgeot!" (Brothers, retreat!)
One Pidgeot shouted loudly.
The rest seemed to realize something, spreading their wings and swiftly soaring into the sky.
But one Pidgeot, overconfident, saw that Gardevoir was no longer dodging and activated Extreme Speed, charging forward.
Its figure flashed across the air, reaching Gardevoir almost in the blink of an eye.
It was surprised, thinking this attack would finally land.
An extra meal awaited it today!
But the next second, its body seemed to be restrained by an unseen force, frozen in place.
Confused, it looked up to see Gardevoir's gaze soft, almost indulgent.
Only then did it remember just how powerful the Pokémon who fed them every day really was.
On rainy days, she could maintain an enormous Psychic Barrier over the entire garden for an hour.
"Gardevoir~" she whispered to the Pidgeot, "Wait a moment, I'm going to gather the others too!"
With that, she vanished in a blink.
Within a minute, one by one, the Pidgeot were subdued by her Confuse Ray, landing neatly in a line on the stone path below.
The turbulent winds above vanished.
Gardevoir clapped her hands, flew to the head of the leftmost Pidgeot, and formed a Psychic finger to tap its head firmly.
It was like a kindergarten teacher scolding a misbehaving child.
She tapped down the line, even the Alpha Pidgeot receiving a light knock.
Thud, thud, thud!
The crisp, muffled thuds continued in sequence.
Lin Feng felt a chill run down his spine, worried she might tap his head too.
Luckily, after finishing, Gardevoir said nothing and flew over to him instead.
Lin Feng exhaled, turning to the bewildered crowd with a smile.
"All right, this is the final stage of the Sky Challenge. Only those who give their all can reach this level~"