“The third match, Aaron versus Xiaochuan, Ice Field.”
Hearing his name called, Aaron stepped onto the arena holding a Poké Ball containing Ninetales.
Looking at the pure white world of ice before him, Aaron thought to himself that the Pokémon Research Academy really was wealthy.
Even a battle field like this was exactly on the same level as the real competition venues used in the Indigo Plateau Conference.
Across from him, Xiaochuan—despite the “Xiao” in his name—was already fifteen years old.
Seeing that his opponent was just a ten-year-old kid, he instantly felt delighted, as if he had drawn a free pass.
Kissing his Poké Ball, Xiaochuan said in an intoxicated tone, “Come out, my sweetheart.”
A flash of red light appeared, and a cute yellow Pokémon emerged onto the icy battlefield.
“Pikachu.” Aaron blinked.
Seeing the opponent’s adorable Pokémon, he felt even more at ease.
Not every Pikachu was like Ash’s Pikachu.
The average Pikachu’s strength really wasn’t anything special.
And more importantly, it wasn’t a Fire-type—this was great.
Thinking about it, it was a bittersweet memory.
He had spent three days fishing by the river, and aside from an initial Magikarp, he hadn’t caught a single Water-type Pokémon.
In the end, the only capable fighter he had was still just this Ninetales.
Without any flashy movements, Aaron simply released Ninetales.
Ninetales appeared on the icy field.
Looking at the surrounding white, snow-covered world, it immediately let out a cheerful cry.
Its nine snow-white tails swayed gracefully, scattering glimmering ice particles that sparkled under the sunlight.
It looked like a noble princess.
Most students at the academy had lived in Kanto their entire lives and had never traveled elsewhere.
This was their first time seeing Alolan Ninetales, and they were instantly captivated by its beauty, letting out waves of astonished exclamations.
Even Xiaochuan on the opposite side was stunned.
He looked at Aaron in shock and said, “What kind of Pokémon is that?
A white Ninetales… is it a Shiny Pokémon?”
“This is Ninetales from the Alola region.
Due to environmental differences, it has a regional variant.
It’s different from the Kanto Ninetales and is an Ice-type Pokémon,” Aaron explained with a smile.
“Ice-type Pokémon?
Then Pikachu won’t be afraid.
Take this!
Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!” Xiaochuan shouted with youthful enthusiasm.
“Pika—” Pikachu let out a cute cry, and a surge of electricity erupted from its body, shooting straight toward Ninetales.
“Ninetales, use Quick Attack,” Aaron calmly ordered.
Upon hearing the command, Ninetales acted without hesitation.
Pikachu’s Thunderbolt struck only where it had originally been standing, while Ninetales had already appeared right in front of Pikachu.
“Pika—!” Pikachu cried out in panic, completely unable to believe how fast its opponent was.
Even Xiaochuan, its Trainer, was stunned.
In the next moment, Pikachu was cleanly slammed into a nearby ice pillar.
The pillar shattered, and Pikachu showed a painful expression.
From the coaching seat, Lorelei watched the scene with a proud smile.
In a first-ever commanded battle, Aaron had already broken convention—using Quick Attack not as an offensive move but as a dodging technique, then immediately turning it into a counterattack.
Just this alone placed him far beyond most rookie Trainers.
He could even already be called an elite-level Trainer.
“Pikachu, are you okay?” Xiaochuan snapped out of his shock and looked worriedly at his Pokémon.
Pikachu struggled out from the ice rubble.
Electricity crackled around its cheeks as it cried out in dissatisfaction: “Pika!”
“Alright, I understand!
Pikachu, you want to win, right?
Then let’s also use Quick Attack!” Xiaochuan shouted passionately.
Pikachu instantly turned into a yellow blur, fast as lightning, charging toward Ninetales.
“Good speed… but useless,” Aaron said with a confident smile.
“Ninetales, use Iron Tail on the ice in front.”
Ninetales’ nine tails immediately gleamed with a silvery steel light.
It swung them down forcefully, striking the ice surface ahead.
The combined force of all nine tails shattered a large section of the ice, revealing the water pool beneath.
Pikachu, still charging forward at full speed, saw this too late.
It tried to stop, but once momentum was built, stopping was not easy.
With a splash, it fell straight into the water.
“Pika!
Pika!” Pikachu cried in panic.
It was an electric mouse—not a water mouse.
“Ninetales, use Ice Beam,” Aaron gave the finishing command.
Ninetales released a pale white beam that struck the helpless Pikachu in the water with perfect accuracy.
It was instantly frozen, turning into a Pikachu-shaped block of ice.
“Pikachu!
Pikachu, get up and keep fighting!” Xiaochuan shouted in disbelief, hoping it would break free.
Aaron couldn’t help but roll his eyes.
Did he really think his Pikachu was like Ash’s?
Breaking out of ice and even finishing off Regice with a Thunderbolt Attack while nearly full health?
The referee ignored the shouting and decisively raised the flag.
“Pikachu is unable to battle.
“Ninetales, return.
Thanks for the excellent battle,” Aaron said, recalling his Pokémon.
As he was about to leave the stage, he glanced at Xiaochuan, who was still shouting, and couldn’t help but add, “Stop shouting already.
Hurry and get the staff to pull Pikachu out.
And don’t just copy whatever move others use.
Your Pikachu is well-trained, but its speed is still far inferior to my Ninetales.
Even if I hadn’t broken the ice, you still wouldn’t have won.”
“Impossible… why is your Ninetales so fast?” Xiaochuan asked in disbelief.
“Because when it was still a Vulpix, it ran around mountains with me every day.
Even the Doduo at Professor Oak’s lab couldn’t outrun it,” Aaron explained with a smile.
“Then why did you use Iron Tail to break the ice?
Where did you learn that?” Xiaochuan asked.
“That was self-realized.
It’s not in any textbook.
Your school’s simulation video training is like a game—it ignores many random variables and just follows turn-based logic.
But in real battles, environmental factors must be considered.
Trusting books too much is worse than having no books at all, kid.” With that, Aaron turned and left the stage.
“Congratulations.
A perfect first match—and your use of terrain tactics shows your command level is already at an elite Trainer standard,” Lorelei’s voice came as soon as he left the battlefield.
“That’s right.
I’m going to become the world’s greatest Pokémon Master!” Aaron said proudly.
“Stop boasting.
You dropped Pikachu into water, and water conducts electricity.
If Pikachu had immediately used Thunderbolt, your Ninetales would’ve been in danger,” Lorelei pointed out.
“That’s why I had Ninetales use Ice Beam immediately after Pikachu fell in.
I was already prepared for that possibility.
From what I saw, that Pikachu’s ability is inferior to my Ninetales—including reaction speed.
Also, while some Pikachu can swim or surf, those are extremely rare.
So it would panic after falling in.
And Xiaochuan, despite his age, clearly lacks battle experience.
In sudden situations, he’s likely to fail,” Aaron replied confidently.
“True.
The students here are a bit lacking in command skill.
That’s why I only studied here for a few years before setting off on my journey.
A lot of things simply can’t be learned in a classroom,” Lorelei agreed.