Over the past two years, Lisia’s rise could be described as even more astonishing than Terrance’s. Having grown up under the influence of the two masters Wallace and Juan, she had accumulated considerable coordination experience. The moment she debuted, she displayed astonishing talent and became an immensely popular idol in the Hoenn region.
In particular, after her ace Altaria gained the ability to Mega Evolve, Lisia’s rate of improvement became unstoppable. Thanks to her popularity and background, she had no shortage of resources and virtually nothing to worry about. Moreover, throughout the entire world, Trainers who received a Mega Stone upon their debut could be counted on one hand.
It was not that Wallace wanted to force her growth prematurely. Rather, Wallace believed that his niece possessed the ability to control Mega Evolution.
“A Coordinator acknowledged by Wallace, the Contest Master… I’m actually the one benefiting from Lisia calling me her teacher.” Seeing Ishitaro glance at him, Terrance smiled inwardly.
“Let the battle begin—”
After the referee finished explaining the rules and shouted, Ryusuke was the first to throw out a Poké Ball. A Pokémon whose body resembled a huge ball covered in rocks immediately appeared on the field. The moment Golem planted itself firmly on the ground, it immediately sent a layer of dust billowing upward. Through the dust, Golem’s red eyes quickly locked onto the Pokémon Lisia had sent out.
A clear, melodious cry rang out as a layer of mist spread across the air above the field, accompanied by Altaria’s appearance!
“Altaria… They really are teacher and student.” Ishitaro remembered that Terrance also had an Altaria. Now that he saw Lisia send out one as well, he thought to himself.
“She’s at a type disadvantage!”
On the field, Ryusuke was bewildered. Why had Lisia sent out a Pokémon at a type disadvantage?
Just as he looked toward Lisia, Ryusuke suddenly noticed her smiling. She raised an arm, slipped her hand beneath the collar of her clothes, and pulled out a beautiful stone.
“Sorry, but this battle is very important to me, so I’m going to give it everything I’ve got.” Lisia smiled slightly at Ryusuke. “Ali, Mega Evolve!”
Ali, Mega Evolve!
As those four words fell, Lisia pulled the Key Stone fully into view, and dazzling light instantly blazed into the sky. The shocking sight caused Ishitaro to spring abruptly to his feet, completely at a loss.
And it was not just him. Lisia’s opponent Ryusuke and the several dojo apprentices who had come to watch all stared blankly at the miraculous transformation occurring between Lisia and Altaria.
“Mega Evolution?” Ishitaro exclaimed incredulously. In all of Seven Stars City, there was only a single complete set of Mega Stone.
How could he not be shocked to see Lisia produce one now? After Mega Evolving, Altaria’s aura completely overwhelmed Golem’s. The surrounding mist gradually transformed into a sea of clouds formed from cotton feathers, making Altaria’s figure appear even more ethereal.
“Mr. Ishitaro?” Terrance said softly.
“Uh…” Realizing that he had lost his composure, Ishitaro sat back down awkwardly and gave a wry smile. “Elite Four Terrance certainly has a deep foundation, to think you would give such a rare item as a Mega Stone to your student.”
“I wasn’t the one who gave her that stone,” Terrance replied with a smile.
While the two spoke, the first exchange had already begun on the field. It had to be admitted that the Rock Style Dojo was indeed quite skilled in the use of stones. However, Golem’s heavy attacks were never able to break through Mega Altaria’s cotton domain.
As fairy light spread across Mega Altaria’s claws, it swept up cotton feathers to block the incoming sharp stones. Countless sound waves simultaneously spread in every direction at incredible speed, their trajectories nearly impossible to defend against.
Compared to when this Altaria had battled Terrance at the Grand Festival, its command of this combo move had become even more perfect. If they fought again, the Ninetales from back then would definitely be no match for it.
This could already be considered a top-tier technique in the field of sound. With just a little more refinement, this Mega Altaria would be able to step smoothly into the top tier. Even without Mega Evolving, Altaria would not be weaker than Golem. Now that it had Mega Evolved, the battle was completely one-sided. Lisia’s rhythmic, almost artistic commands dragged Ryusuke directly into a quagmire. He struggled continuously, no longer having the spare attention to think about anything else as he resisted with sweat pouring down his face.
“She… she really isn’t even twelve years old yet? Just what kind of monsters are these rookies?!” Ishitaro’s expression grew increasingly grave.
Before the battle had even lasted a minute, Ishitaro had already lost interest in who would win or lose. The strength and dazzling combo move displayed by Lisia’s Mega Altaria made him feel that even if he personally stepped onto the field, he would have to put in considerable effort to win, and might even suffer an upset, let alone his disciple.
The Rock Style Dojo apprentices could only describe Lisia’s performance as shocking. Seeing Ryusuke, whose strength ranked among the very best of all the apprentices, have one Pokémon after another defeated, their eyes widened to the limit, and they nearly forgot to breathe.
Even Lisia’s innocent, adorable smile grew increasingly terrifying in their eyes.
The battle…. lasted less than three minutes. All three of Ryusuke’s Pokémon were defeated. As he bitterly recalled his final Pokémon, the entire venue fell silent.
“Mr. Ishitaro, it seems I’ve won.” Terrance stood up with a smile. At the same time, the dojo apprentices abruptly turned their gazes toward him. If even his student was this powerful… then just how terrifyingly strong was Elite Four Terrance himself?
“A bet is a bet…” The solemn expression on Ishitaro’s face faded as he spoke helplessly. It seemed he should never have entertained so many thoughts from the very beginning. Now, neither he nor the elderly leader would likely have anything left to say. Proposing such a condition had been nothing more than lifting a rock only to drop it on his own foot.
This battle had also taught the Rock Style Dojo a lesson, forcing them to redefine the word genius.
With things having turned out this way, Ishitaro was somewhat troubled and decided to consult the elderly leader, who had difficulty moving around. Terrance and Lisia could only wait a while longer.
In the lounge, Terrance was reviewing Lisia’s earlier battle and pointing out several shortcomings. Lisia listened attentively and committed each point to memory, after which the two began to wait.
Since Ishitaro had not returned for quite some time, Terrance studied the available information on the lunar stone with the Rotom Pokédex. He then suddenly noticed Lisia resting her chin in her hands, apparently deep in thought. Thinking she was still dwelling on the previous battle, he instinctively asked, “What are you thinking about?”
“Ah… nothing,” Lisia hurriedly replied, but changed her answer the very next moment. “I’m thinking of names for my Pokémon.”
“Names? Come to think of it, your Altaria is called Ali, right?”
“Mm-hmm. I’m used to giving every one of my Pokémon a name of its own. Before coming to Seven Stars City, I received a Piplup’s egg, and I want to think of a nice name for it before it hatches.” Lisia smiled and scratched her cheek. “By the way, Senior Terrance, do you have any good suggestions?”
“Me?” Terrance froze. He really was not very good at naming things. Now that Lisia had asked, a memory he had nearly forgotten instantly resurfaced. He murmured, “For a Piplup…”
“How about calling it QQ Xiaoice?” [TN: QQ Xiaoice refers to the highly popular, emotionally intelligent AI chatbot “Xiaoice” integrated into Tencent’s QQ messaging platform.]
Lisia: “???”
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