Hearing Jose's explanation, the crowd was left speechless. All that talk about Blue potential and vast resources—was that even achievable for ordinary people?
Even for the descendants of wealthy families, such feats were incredibly difficult.
Obtaining a Pokémon with Blue potential? Unless you belonged to a top-tier family like the Walkers, it was practically impossible.
Even Cyan potential was something most Trainers could only dream of.
So, while Jose's explanation about why Max's Tyranitar and Julian's Metagross could defeat Elite-tier Pokémon was clear, it was little more than amusing to the crowd.
Before long, Shu University sent out their fourth contestant, a Fighting-type Trainer who used a Machamp.
By now, the battlefield had entirely become Tyranitar's domain. Thanks to its Sand Stream ability, the arena was engulfed in a swirling sandstorm.
On paper, Tyranitar's four-times weakness to Fighting gave Machamp a significant advantage.
Unfortunately, the gap in strength between the two Pokémon was far too wide. Even with the type advantage, Machamp couldn't gain the upper hand.
The flying sand constantly interfered with Machamp's movements, and the fine grains even wrapped around its ankles as it ran.
Tyranitar's mastery over the sand left Julian in awe.
Three minutes later, Machamp was defeated by Tyranitar's Hyper Beam.
"With the state Tyranitar is in, apart from Shu's team captain, none of their other members stand a chance," Jose said with a smile.
In team competitions, the strength of most members might be similar, but the captain always possessed overwhelming power.
If not for Julian's presence on the Imperial University team, Max undoubtedly deserved to be their captain. Of course, Julian had no interest in the title.
For Shu University to stop Max's winning streak, their only option was to send out their own captain.
However, the lineup order couldn't be changed once submitted, so it depended on when Shu's captain was scheduled to enter.
Typically, team captains went last.
Imperial University was confident enough to have Max go out fourth, thanks to Julian's remarkable presence.
Without Julian, Max would likely have been their final contestant as well.
Shu sent out their fifth member.
Two minutes later, the fifth member was defeated.
The sixth contestant entered the field.
Four minutes later, the sixth contestant was defeated.
Then came the seventh.
Three minutes later, the seventh contestant also fell.
Max single-handedly took down five of Shu University's team members, boosting Imperial University's morale to a new high.
In the livestream, supporters of Shu University were so embarrassed they didn't dare to say much, while those cheering for Imperial University were mocking them relentlessly.
As students of Imperial University, they seemed to share one common hobby: taunting Shu University.
Seeing Shu suffer brought them joy; seeing Shu in trouble brought even greater joy.
If Shu supported something, they opposed it; if Shu opposed something, they supported it.
The rivalry between the two universities had been simmering for decades, though no one quite remembered how it began.
In Imperial University's eyes, even a stray dog from Shu University wandering into their territory would deserve a good thrashing before being sent back.
"Hey, hey, this is overkill! Max, don't you know how to go easy on them? Look at Shu—they're about to shut down completely!"
Jose was having the time of his life. As an Imperial University alumnus, despite having graduated nearly three decades ago, he still delighted in seeing Shu University suffer, especially at the hands of Imperial University.
On the other hand, Lisa was visibly frustrated. Ever since Max took the stage, the smug remarks from this old man next to her hadn't stopped.
'Shu is hopeless,' 'Imperial's performance isn't bad at all,' 'Shu, always the eternal runner-up,' 'Why are their students so weak?'
"Hmph! What's there to gloat about? Shu's captain is stepping in now. Let's see how your Max handles that!" Lisa snapped, slapping the table in frustration.
At first, Ben, sitting between the two commentators, claimed to be Lisa's fan for the sake of the show.
But now, as the verbal sparring escalated, and Lisa even looked ready to start a brawl, Ben found himself caught in an increasingly awkward position.
"Do you think Imperial only has Max?" Jose said calmly.
His retort left Lisa momentarily speechless. She glanced at Julian, who was sitting quietly on the Imperial University bench, and muttered in dissatisfaction, "Why didn't Shu recruit Julian?"
Shu University was already regretting it bitterly. If they had known Julian would perform so monstrously after entering university, they would have done anything to steal him away from Imperial University.
But Imperial University's offer at the time had simply been too overwhelming, leaving Shu University no chance to compete.
Finally, Shu sent out their eighth contestant—their captain, Carter.
As captains of their respective teams, Carter and Max were naturally familiar with each other. Outside of competitions, they were both rivals and friends.
Tyranitar, too, recognized Carter. As soon as it saw him, it let out a thunderous roar.
Tyranitar: 'So, you've finally decided to show up, you little runt!'
Not understanding Tyranitar's words, Carter assumed it was simply greeting him and smiled in response before tossing out his Poké Ball.
The roar that followed was ancient and desolate, sending a chilling aura through the arena that made everyone's hair stand on end.
A gray Pokémon soared through the air, seemingly unaffected by the swirling sandstorm.
"An Aerodactyl! That's an Aerodactyl!" Lisa exclaimed in shock.
The audience was just as stunned upon recognizing the Pokémon.
Aerodactyl and other fossil Pokémon like Kabutops were incredibly rare in the modern world. While many fossils had been unearthed, living fossil Pokémon were almost exclusively found in ancient secret realms.
There were only three such ancient secret realms worldwide:
- One was located in international waters, controlled by multiple nations, and only a handful of trainers were allowed access each year.
- The second was in East Africa, under the control of several dangerous organizations.
- The third was in Drakoria.
Even within these ancient secret realms, fossil Pokémon were rare, and their reproduction rates were extremely low. Aerodactyls, for instance, could only lay a few eggs in their lifetime.
This made opportunities to capture one even scarcer.
What was even more astonishing was that this Aerodactyl had Blue potential. Considering the rarity of Aerodactyls, this might very well be the only Blue-tier Aerodactyl in the entire world.
As one of the top predators of the ancient era, Aerodactyl's appearance sent a chill through the battlefield, its very presence intimidating.
Pokémon: Aerodactyl (Rock/Flying)
Held Item: Hard Stone
Moves: Bite, Supersonic, Ancient Power, Scary Face, Wing Attack, Rock Slide, Crunch, Iron Head, Take Down, Stone Edge, Hyper Beam, Giga Impact
TMs: Protect, Rock Tomb, Earth Power, Stealth Rock, Substitute, Hurricane, Iron Tail, Fire Blast, Flamethrower, Dragon Dance, Dragon Claw, Earthquake
Genetic Moves: Dragon Breath, Roost, Tailwind, Wide Guard, Steel Wing