"Ash, let's have a one-on-one battle."
"I want to see how much strength your bond with your Pokémon can unleash in a fight."
Upon hearing the word "battle," Ash immediately perked up.
Since arriving in the Hisui region, he has been battling wild Pokémon, yet hasn't truly faced off against the top Beast Tamers here.
Irida, as the leader of the Pearl Clan, is naturally not weak.
"Alright!" Ash quickly agreed, "Let's start now, Miss Irida!"
Cynthia gently tapped his forehead.
"You should call her Captain Irida."
"Oh, oh..." Ash hurriedly corrected himself, "Then let's battle, Captain Irida!"
Irida didn't mind the title.
"Just call me Irida; Captain is just a title."
Adaman showed interest upon hearing this.
"That's perfect. I'd also like to see how much Ash has improved over the past month."
Kamado didn't object either; he needed this battle to further assess the success rate of the two quelling the Noble.
Everyone quickly left the Galaxy Team Headquarters and headed to the training ground in Jubilife Village.
Irida usually doesn't bring her Pokémon into Jubilife Village.
She doesn't use Pokeballs; her two partners mostly stay with Pearl Clan members outside the village.
The residents of Jubilife Village were previously very afraid of Pokémon.
Even though relations have eased somewhat over the past month, Irida doesn't want to cause unnecessary tension.
After receiving Irida's call, two figures quickly arrived from the village entrance.
Leading the way was a Glaceon.
Her entire body was light blue, with two diamond-shaped structures hanging down from her head, exuding a noticeable chill.
The other Pokémon had a light purple body, with a red jewel embedded in the center of its forehead, and a forked tail gracefully swaying behind it—an Espeon.
"Glaceon and Espeon!" Ash's eyes lit up.
Seeing these two Eeveelutions in this era was quite surprising for Ash.
And these Pokémon... have been trained quite well!
"I didn't expect that the evolution methods for Glaceon and Espeon already existed in this era."
Cynthia lowered her voice, ensuring only Ash could hear her words.
Modern research on Eevee's evolutionary forms has been ongoing for a long time, yet these forms, which were gradually confirmed by later generations, had already appeared in the Hisui period.
Perhaps due to the changes of time, certain records and evolutionary methods were gradually lost, only to be rediscovered by modern researchers.
Irida stood on one side of the training ground, and Espeon proactively stepped forward in front of her.
"This battle will be a one-on-one. The match ends when either side loses the ability to fight."
Ash nodded; he had Pikachu, Typhlosion, and Goomy.
Goomy joined the team not long ago and is still in the growth stage.
Pikachu's strength far exceeds the range that this friendly battle aims to test.
The main goal of this battle is to showcase the training results of the past month.
So Ash quickly made a decision.
"I've decided to go with you, Typhlosion!"
The Ancient Pokeball opened mid-air, and white light landed in the center of the training ground, revealing the towering figure of the Hisuian Typhlosion.
Its body was deep purple, with a ring of purple-red flames burning around its neck.
The Ghost Attribute power spread with the flames, causing a noticeable change in the surrounding air temperature.
Espeon immediately lowered her body, the jewel on her forehead glowing brightly; she felt a strong threat from Typhlosion.
Irida was momentarily stunned.
She knew Professor Laventon had given Cyndaquil to Ash and that it had recently evolved into Quilava.
But she had never heard that Quilava had completed its Final Evolution.
"Ash." Irida looked at the Typhlosion in the center of the training ground, "When did it evolve?"
"Just today."
Ash beamed with a radiant smile.
"While completing the Nanab Berry mission, it evolved along with Cynthia's Samurott."
"Cynthia's Dewott also reached Final Evolution?"
Irida was genuinely shocked this time.
In a month's time, two Pokémon that had just been handed to Ash and Cynthia had both grown to their final forms.
Moreover, the power released by the Typhlosion had already put her Espeon in a state of alert.
Irida initially just wanted to confirm if Ash had the qualifications to face the King.
But now Ash has given her a huge surprise, such rapid improvement in Pokémon training is truly extraordinary!
In the training ground, Hisuian Typhlosion and Espeon stood facing each other.
Both Pokémon exuded a calm demeanor, though Typhlosion's towering form and the purple-red flames around its neck added a mysterious aura.
From an attribute perspective, Typhlosion held a slight advantage.
Hisuian Typhlosion has both Fire Attribute and Ghost Attribute, whereas Espeon is a Psychic Attribute.
Ghost Attribute moves can counter Espeon.
If Ash had chosen Quilava, both sides wouldn't have had a significant advantage or disadvantage in terms of attributes.
But Quilava completed its Final Evolution today, and it gained the Ghost Attribute capable of countering the Psychic Attribute.
"I didn't expect you to evolve Cyndaquil into Typhlosion in just a month."
Irida looked at the purple-red flames on Typhlosion's neck, her confidence quickly restored.
"But it only just evolved today, it likely hasn't had enough time to master many Ghost Attribute moves, right?"
Indeed, a Pokémon freshly gaining a new attribute requires time to familiarize itself with the new powers.