Noticing Itsuki staring at the signboard, A.J. proudly explained.
"My goal is to achieve one hundred consecutive victories!"
"Once I reach that goal, I'll set out on a journey, challenge the various Gyms, and collect their Badges!"
"That sounds pretty impressive."
Itsuki shrugged and offered a casual compliment.
However, judging from his expression, he didn't seem particularly impressed.
The two entered the campsite and arrived at A.J.'s so-called private Gym.
Through the open entrance of the tent, Itsuki immediately spotted several Pokémon training independently.
A Butterfree and a Beedrill were flying through the air, repeatedly colliding with each other.
Apparently, they were practicing close-range combat.
Meanwhile, three Rattata were exercising on the ground while wearing special training equipment.
It looked like endurance training.
"Well? Pretty impressive Gym I've got here, right?"
A.J. walked toward one of the Trainer's command areas and looked at Itsuki.
"Once I beat you, that'll make ninety-three consecutive victories!"
"One step closer to my goal!"
"Well, that would certainly be something worth celebrating."
Itsuki walked toward the opposite side of the battlefield.
Then, his expression became serious.
"I can tell you're a formidable opponent."
"However, ever since I started my journey, I haven't lost a single battle either!"
And that was the truth.
Ever since obtaining Ralts, hadn't he been winning every battle along the way?
They were both undefeated Trainers.
'So why should I be afraid of him?'
Beneath their feet was a battlefield made from firmly compacted earth.
Although this type of battlefield had no particularly distinctive features, it was the most common kind of outdoor battling ground in the Pokémon world.
"Oh? Is that so?"
A.J. spread his hands with an expression of exaggerated helplessness.
"Then it looks like someone's winning streak is destined to end today!"
"Anyway, enough talk!"
"The rules for this battle are simple!"
"Each of us will use one Pokémon!"
"Whoever has a Pokémon still standing at the end wins!"
Itsuki nodded.
"All right. Understood."
A.J. pulled a whip from behind his back and swung it forward!
Hearing his Trainer's command, the Sandshrew standing beside him slowly ran onto the battlefield.
In terms of appearance, Sandshrew wasn't particularly different from a pangolin from Earth, aside from standing upright on two legs.
However, its overall body was noticeably rounder.
Its skin was yellowish-brown, hard, and dry, with rectangular patterns resembling bricks in a wall.
Itsuki took out his Pokédex and pointed it toward Sandshrew.
The device immediately responded.
"Beep! Sandshrew, the Mouse Pokémon. Ground-type."
"Sandshrew dislikes water and lives in deep burrows that it digs in dry environments."
"When danger approaches, it curls into a ball to protect itself!"
In terms of type matchups, both Bulbasaur's Grass-type attacks and Squirtle's Water-type attacks would be super effective against the Ground-type Sandshrew.
However...
Although Itsuki could no longer remember every detail of the original story, he still recalled something important.
This particular Sandshrew had once defeated Ash and even Team Rocket's trio!
That alone was enough to make him cautious.
After thinking carefully for a moment, Itsuki waved his hand and sent out his trump card!
Kirlia!
Seeing the graceful, maiden-like Pokémon, A.J. looked somewhat surprised.
"That's a pretty unusual Pokémon you've got there!"
"But whatever!"
"No matter which Pokémon you use, the result will be the same!"
"Let's go, Sandshrew! Use Rollout!"
Sandshrew immediately began running forward on all fours!
After building up enough speed, it curled its entire body into a perfect ball!
Then, it rolled toward Kirlia at incredible speed!
"Kirlia, use Double Team!"
In an instant, Kirlia's body split into dozens of identical afterimages!
Because Sandshrew was already moving so quickly, it couldn't stop itself in time.
It rolled straight through the spot where Kirlia had originally been standing!
Only after passing through did Sandshrew turn around.
And that was when it realized...
The Kirlia it had struck was nothing more than an illusion!
"Kirlia, use Confusion!"
Kirlia raised one hand.
A glowing aura suddenly enveloped Sandshrew's body!
However, at that very instant... Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
CRACK!
The sharp sound of a whip echoed across the battlefield!
Sandshrew immediately curled itself into a tight ball!
Confusion activated!
Sandshrew was lifted high into the air before being slammed violently into the ground!
BOOM!
A cloud of dust erupted from the impact!
However, when the dust finally settled...
Sandshrew unfolded its body, shook its head, and climbed back to its feet!
It clearly hadn't suffered much damage!
"Not bad!"
Itsuki couldn't help praising his opponent.
"Using Defense Curl to protect itself in an instant..."
"I have to admit, you've trained that Sandshrew remarkably well!"
A.J. curled his lips dismissively.
"Hmph! What's a little pain supposed to matter?!"
"My Sandshrew has undergone incredibly strict training!"
"It's even overcome its weakness to water!"
"Oh?"
Itsuki raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"A Ground-type Pokémon overcoming its weakness to Water-type attacks?"
"Now that's impressive!"
In fact, Itsuki had already noticed something unusual during their brief exchange.
Aside from Sandshrew's impressive strength, its coordination with A.J. was exceptionally fast and precise.
Often, A.J. didn't even need to speak.
All he had to do was flick his whip!
By listening to the sound, Sandshrew could immediately understand its Trainer's intentions and adjust its movements accordingly.
This allowed it to unleash unexpected attacks and catch opponents completely off guard!
Those two advantages had undoubtedly played a major role in their previous battles.
They were precisely what had allowed A.J. and Sandshrew to achieve more than ninety consecutive victories!
However...
Now that they were facing Itsuki and Kirlia, they had finally encountered opponents who could match them!
After all, Itsuki and Kirlia also possessed extraordinary coordination.
And thanks to the red horns on Kirlia's head, it could instantly sense Itsuki's emotions.
Furthermore, as a Psychic-type Pokémon, Kirlia could even read some of the thoughts passing through Itsuki's mind!
In other words...
When it came to teamwork, Itsuki and Kirlia were certainly no less capable than A.J. and Sandshrew!