Chapter 783 777: The Curtain Falls

Little by little, the smoke and dust dispersed.

At that moment, everyone present involuntarily directed their gazes toward the center of the field.

Within the fading cloud, two figures that were still standing gradually began to appear.

"Then... who won?"

The spectators' gazes went back and forth between the two figures that still remained standing.

Crack, crack.

Just at that moment, the sound of breaking was suddenly heard.

Immediately afterward, the rocks covering the surface of Rhyperior's body suddenly began to crack.

"Rhyperior's armor has broken?"

Seeing that scene, everyone felt their hearts sink a little.

Don't tell me Rhyperior had lost?

"My God, look at Slaking!"

"How can it still have that same face?!"

Afterward, the spectators turned their eyes toward Slaking, all with a mixture of helplessness and astonishment.

At that moment, Slaking's face was still completely calm, as if nothing had happened.

That already bordered on absurd.

Had an attack of that level really done absolutely nothing to it?

However, while everyone was still commenting, a muffled rumble suddenly sounded.

And, immediately afterward, Slaking's body fell heavily to the ground, leaving everyone completely stunned.

"In the end, it could not endure it anymore?"

"But even so, having endured so much damage is already impressive. And, in addition, it seems that this way of using the move Amnesia instantly consisted of forgetting both the Ability Truant and also the damage received at the same time."

"Now, when the effect of the move Amnesia disappeared, the Ability Truant and all the accumulated damage arrived at the same time, causing Slaking to fall unconscious instantly."

"Under normal circumstances, that kind of damage is not something just any Pokémon can withstand."

While reviewing the development of that way of using the move Amnesia, Ethan could not help feeling impressed.

That technique, without any doubt, was a first-rate technique, completely comparable to Sunny Day Dragon or the force application method of the move Rock Wrecker.

"Slaking has lost the ability to battle!"

"Then... what about Rhyperior?"

Seeing Slaking's condition, the spectators once again looked toward Rhyperior.

At that moment, the cracks in the armor covering Rhyperior's body became more and more numerous, until in the end the entire shell broke apart completely.

But the scene everyone imagined—a gravely injured Rhyperior collapsing to the ground—did not occur.

As the broken armor fell away, another Rhyperior body was seen emerging from within.

And, when the fragments of that armor fell to the ground, they turned into simple rocks scattered across the field.

"That broken armor was not Rhyperior's true body armor, but only a defensive method made of rock!"

Seeing that, the spectators let out cries of admiration. Compared with the mysterious method by which Slaking suppressed damage, this truly was coming out completely unharmed.

"Developing Solid Rock to the point of forming a true rock armor... It seems that, when it comes to first-rate techniques, my Rhyperior has come out even better."

Ethan smiled slightly while exchanging glances with Professor Harris.

Just as Professor Harris had said before, with the talent of that former Rhydon, it could undoubtedly become another of Ethan's main cards.

"You worked hard, Rhyperior."

After the battle ended, Ethan approached Rhyperior with a smile.

At that moment, although Rhyperior was not injured, the exhaustion it had suffered was still enormous, to the point that it was already very difficult for it to continue battling.

"Rhyypperrior!"

Rhyperior beat its chest, overflowing with excitement.

It had truly enjoyed that battle!

"Now go back and rest well."

After praising Rhyperior for a while, Ethan returned it to the Poké Ball.

Then he went back to the battle stage and once again directed his gaze toward the challengers.

"Let us continue with the battle. The next Pokémon I am going to send out will be this."

After withdrawing Rhyperior, Ethan took out another Poké Ball.

With a flash of light, a sandstorm instantly began to rise on the field.

And then Tyranitar's figure appeared, accompanied by a powerful sandstorm.

"This time it's Tyranitar!"

The challengers, who had felt a little relief when they saw Ethan withdraw Rhyperior, relaxed for an instant.

But when they were hoping that the next Pokémon would at least be a little easier to face, they saw Tyranitar step onto the field, with a presence so terrifying that it even seemed stronger than Rhyperior.

"Is there still anyone who wants to challenge me?"

Looking at the challengers, who were now completely silent, Ethan spoke again.

As his words resounded, the sandstorm gathering around Tyranitar became even more fearsome.

At the same time, Tyranitar began striking the ground with its feet, producing a succession of rumblings that made the entire stadium vibrate.

As a pseudo-legendary Pokémon, Tyranitar emanated pressure even greater than Rhyperior's.

When the challengers perceived that, the silence became even heavier.

"It seems there is no one left who wants to go up."

At the same time, Ethan's gaze swept across the audience, until it stopped on a figure that seemed familiar to him.

"Mr. Sanada Ichiro, you put together this whole grand spectacle... and you do not want to try it yourself?"

Following the direction of Ethan's gaze, all the spectators turned their eyes toward Sanada Ichiro.

Many did not understand what Ethan meant and showed expressions of confusion.

"Leader Ethan, I don't understand what you mean by that."

Sanada Ichiro's face changed slightly as he spoke.

"You don't understand?"

"Was that article that circulated within the circle of Trainers in training not written by you?"

"Do not deny it. After all, I am also a Pokémon Professor. And with the Pokémon Researchers Guild's information network, discovering something like that is not difficult."

Looking at Sanada Ichiro, who clearly wanted to slip away, Ethan directly revealed the whole truth.

At that moment, thanks to Rhyperior's battle, he had already managed to completely impose his presence.

And, furthermore, seeing that all the challengers present were silent, it was evident that they already acknowledged his strength. The goal of accepting that challenge had been completely fulfilled.

Now that he decided to bring this matter to light, on the one hand, it was to clear his name and clarify what had happened, and on the other, it was also to offer a dignified way out to all those challengers.

If everything had been a misunderstanding, then naturally there was no longer any meaning in continuing to challenge him.

As the change in the stadium's atmosphere was felt, it could clearly be sensed that all the challengers let out a sigh of relief.

Taking into account that Elite-level Trainers could not leave their own Leagues and that the true heirs of the great powers did not even deign to participate in that type of training challenge, Denzel could basically be considered the strongest among all of them. And if even Denzel had been defeated, then... how were they supposed to keep fighting?

For the battle to end in this way could be said to be, without doubt, the best possible result.

...

"That move... was brilliant."

Professor Harris and the others were people with far too much experience.

Seeing that Ethan chose precisely that moment to clarify everything, they could not help admiring him in silence.

In that way, he had defeated all the challengers who dared to go up, without losing even an ounce of presence, and he had also completely cleared his name.

The way he resolved all of this was truly perfect.