Yuga had Florges use Misty Terrain to provide some simple healing to Hariyama, who had lost the ability to battle. Once Hariyama regained some consciousness, Brawly recalled it into its Poké Ball.
Just then, applause echoed behind Yuga and Brawly.
They turned around and saw a long-haired woman in a kimono and wooden clogs slowly approaching.
Yuga: "Laverre City Gym Trainer, Valerie."
"Oh my, our little genius recognizes me," the woman said with a Kyoto accent, smiling.
Yuga was a bit puzzled to see Valerie slowly walking into their battle area. He couldn't understand why the Gym Leader would enter their match.
Seemingly aware of Yuga's confusion, Valerie explained, "Your match has entered its final stage, and I am your last test. Defeat me, and you'll pass the first round of this official tournament."
As Valerie had mentioned, all the remaining participants in the arena were now being challenged by Gym Trainers. These Gym Trainers represented various Gym Leaders from the six cities participating in the tournament. Yuga and Brawly happened to face Valerie, the Gym Trainer from Laverre City in the Kalos region.
Yuga had some knowledge about Valerie. She was a specialist in Fairy-type Pokémon, a rarity among Gym Trainers. Although she was not much older than Yuga and Brawly, she had become a Gym Trainer in a shorter time. Unlike Yuga and the others, who had to compete to establish a Gym, Valerie, like Burgh from Castelia City, had been appointed by the Pokémon League.
Valerie's hometown was in the Johto region, which was why she had a strong Johto regional characteristic in her clothing and accent. Besides being an excellent Pokémon Trainer, she was also a well-known fashion designer.
Brawly didn't recognize the Gym Trainer standing before them. If it weren't for Yuga's reminder, he wouldn't have realized that the final challenger was not a Pokémon but a Gym Trainer.
"So, how about it? Are you ready, little geniuses? If you're prepared, let's begin," Valerie said as she flicked her long sleeves and released two Poké Balls.
Yuga and Brawly exchanged glances and nodded to each other. Yuga then asked, "We're ready. Are there any rules?"
Valerie walked to the opposite side of Yuga and Brawly, turned around slowly, and said, "The battle will be in a Double Battle format. I'll use two Pokémon simultaneously, while each of you will use one. If you win, you'll successfully pass the first round of the official tournament. If I win, I'll be taking the red flag behind you."
After explaining the rules, Valerie tossed her two Poké Balls into the air. It's Aromatisse and Mawile.
Seeing Valerie's two Pokémon, Yuga thought for a while and choose to recall Florges, who was outside the Poké Ball, and released Chimecho. Brawly, on the other hand, sent out his Breloom, which had both Grass and Fighting types.
Valerie: "Now that we're ready, let the battle begin. Aromatisse, use Trick Room. Mawile, Iron Defense."
As Valerie issued her commands, Yuga suddenly remembered that this Gym Trainer was a master of spatial tactics, specializing in moves like Trick Room that had foiled numerous challengers.
Aromatisse had an unusual Ability called Aroma Veil that protected it and its allies from mental attacks like Taunt, Disable, Attract and more. This made it challenging for Yuga and Brawly to counter the strategy.
Following Valerie's orders, a square-shaped space composed of blue transparent energy formed around Aromatisse, Mawile, Breloom, and Chimecho, creating a Trick Room.
The move Trick Room had the ability to affect the movement speed of all Pokémon on the field. Yuga's Chimecho and Brawly's Breloom both had faster movement speeds than Valerie's Aromatisse and Mawile. In this situation, their movement speeds were reversed.
As Trick Room formed, Yuga's Chimecho and Brawly's Breloom felt as though they were bound by an invisible force, making even the slightest movement incredibly difficult.
Originally, Breloom had the fastest movement speed on the field. Being a Pokémon with excellent physical attacks, its high speed allowed it to strike effectively. However, under the influence of Trick Room, its speed became a hindrance.
"Mawile, Play Rough!" Valerie commanded.
Following her orders, Mawile, whose speed had been boosted, emitted a pink aura all over its body and charged towards Breloom.
Breloom, a Grass and Fighting-type Pokémon, was at a disadvantage against Fairy-types like Mawile If hit by Play Rough, it would be severely weakened.
In this critical moment, Yuga called out to his Chimecho, "Chimecho, use Reflect."
While Trick Room did affect Yuga's team's movement speed, it didn't have a significant impact on Chimecho, which focused on support moves. Being already close to Breloom, it didn't need to change position. In an instant, it set up a purple barrier in front of Breloom, blocking Play Rough from Mawile
"Breloom, use Bullet Seed!" Brawly ordered.
Seeing that Mawile was getting close to Breloom, Brawly immediately commanded a counterattack. A large seed was expelled from Breloom's mouth and exploded upon hitting Mawile
Mawile was thrown back a considerable distance by the explosion. However, being a Steel-type Pokémon, it naturally resisted Grass-type moves. Additionally, Mawile had used Iron Defense earlier, further reducing the damage inflicted by Breloom's Bullet Seed.
Unnoticed by Yuga and Brawly, Aromatisse began to secretly use Aromatherapy, enhancing Mawile's Special Defense.
Clearly, this Aromatisse, much like Yuga's Chimecho, focused on support abilities.
Chimecho noticed that a pink mist was starting to surround Mawile and immediately spotted the covert actions of Aromatisse. Without hesitation, Chimecho launched a large Shadow Ball.
Although Chimecho leaned towards support moves, it didn't mean that it lacked offensive capabilities when needed. However, due to the effects of Trick Room, Aromatisse's speed was impressive, and it effortlessly dodged Chimecho's Shadow Ball.
Seeing this, Chimecho was infuriated. It rarely found itself in such a disadvantageous situation, and the frustration fueled its battle spirit.