At the same time, from the opposite tunnel, Silas's opponent Kane Sawyer slowly appeared.
"On the red side, representing Goldenrod City of Johto, is Kane Sawyer!
Calm, free-spirited, refreshing, and loyal — Trainer Kane Sawyer favors blue-colored Pokémon, such as:
Donphan, whose status is determined by the size of its tusks,
Feraligatr, who bites down on its opponents with powerful jaws,
Wobbuffet, who never attacks first and relies on countering,
Quagsire, slow and carefree,
Nidoqueen, a mother who will risk her life for her children,
and Golduck, who swims gracefully through the water to rescue those in danger.
In his previous matches, these blue Pokémon have created a series of visually stunning battles beneath the blue skies.
This marks Kane Sawyer's tenth year since debuting as a Trainer, and his second Indigo League Conference appearance. Can he advance to the Top 32 by defeating his opponent? Let's find out together!"
The commentator who also served as the host spoke at a rapid pace, introducing the contestants before diving straight into the match.
After confirming with both Trainers, the referee returned to his position.
"Blue side: Silas Alaric! Red side: Kane Sawyer! This will be a 6-on-6 full battle, with two switches allowed per Trainer. The first Trainer whose entire team is unable to battle will lose. Battle—begin!"
With the referee's signal, Silas and Kane threw their Poké Balls simultaneously.
"Gracefully, let's go—Serperior!"
"Crush it with confidence—Donphan!"
"Alright! Both Pokémon have entered the field. Silas sends out the Serperior, the Grass-type royal serpent Pokémon from the Unova region — one of the region's starter Pokémon.
This species is famous for its pride. It only follows Trainers it deems worthy; otherwise, it may glare at them disapprovingly with those elegant eyes.
Kane, on the other hand, has sent out Donphan, the Ground-type Pokémon from Johto! According to records, this seven-year-old Donphan's tusks are 1.35 times longer than the average of others its age — meaning it's a male Donphan.
We all know a Donphan's tusks grow longer and thicker with age, and within wild herds, tusk size signifies social rank. The longer the tusks, the higher the rank and usually, the stronger the Donphan."
From several meters above, the commentator's voice echoed across the arena as he glided in midair on a floating platform, describing the match with excitement.
Ground-based Pokémon were his favorite to commentate on — they rarely jumped, which made his job safer and less tiring.
Silas ignored the commentary, instead focusing on observing the short, elephant-like Pokémon before him.
Donphan's appearance resembled an extinct mammoth — except its body was grayish-blue, with dangerous-looking tusks and a dark trunk extending across its back like a strip of armor.
"Grass-type Serperior has a clear advantage against a Ground-type specialist team like his. He probably didn't expect my Serperior to have already broken into the Quasi–Elite level. That gives me the upper hand.
Whether Donphan has the Hidden Ability Sand Veil doesn't matter to Serperior. Its continuous damage output and the ability to wear down sturdy foes means Serperior directly counters Donphan's Sturdy Ability."
Silas calmly analyzed the situation — everything was proceeding just as he predicted.
Feraligatr, being Kane's ace, wouldn't appear first; if it lost early, the battle would be unsalvageable. But the lead Pokémon couldn't be weak either — making Donphan the best possible choice.
Compared to Donphan, Wobbuffet was too restrictive for an opening match.
Using his sharp perception, Silas noticed that Kane briefly froze when he saw Serperior. He probably didn't expect a Pokémon that had only evolved two months ago to have already reached the Quasi-Elite tier.
Understandable — evolution records from the Trainers' Village clearly showed Serperior had only just evolved on-site two months prior. Anyone would find its progress unbelievable.
But sorry — that's just how fast it is.
Silas narrowed his eyes.
"Serperior, Grassy Terrain!"
With a gentle hum, a green aura spread across about one-third of the battlefield.
"Not Quasi Elite-tier?" Kane frowned.
Normally, an Quasi Elite-level Serperior's Grassy Terrain would cover half the standard battlefield. Only one-third coverage suggested Advance level strength.
That didn't match his battle expectations — or rather, it reversed them. Even with a type advantage, a simple Advance-level Serperior shouldn't be able to defeat an Quasi Elite-tier Donphan.
Kane had already assumed the Serperior had advanced to Quasi Elite-tier, but this threw him off.
After a brief hesitation, Kane gave his command: "Donphan, use Defense Curl, then build up with Rollout!"
He wasn't going to risk it. If he couldn't gauge Serperior's true power, it was best to build momentum safely.
Donphan's hard armor-like hide and massive strength made it perfect for the Defense Curl + Rollout combo — stacking defense before unleashing a rolling assault.
If Silas was trying to play weak, then Kane would simply build power until the "tiger" showed its claws.
Unfortunately, since Rock-type Rollout doesn't gain the Same Type Attack Bonus (STAB) from a Ground-type user, its power wasn't maximized.
Still, against a Grass-type opponent, Rock-type moves were ideal — Grass resists Ground but not Rock, balancing the damage output.
"Not taking the bait, huh?" Silas sighed slightly but didn't mind — he had only been testing anyway.
Still, taking time to charge power against a Serperior empowered by Grassy Terrain? That seemed… disrespectful. He subconsciously rubbed his slightly sweaty palm.
"Serperior, Magical Leaf!"
Serperior's red eyes focused sharply, and dozens of green, violet-glowing leaves materialized around it.
The leaves hovered and trembled midair instead of flying forward.
A low hum filled the air — the sound of space being sliced by countless razor-sharp leaves.
More and more gathered, until the whirling sound became deafening.
Silas smiled faintly at Kane. Both of us are charging up… now, who's going to regret it more?
Of course, it was him — Kane immediately realized what that smirk meant, and his expression stiffened.
With Grassy Terrain boost + type advantage + STAB, the power of that Magical Leaf barrage could easily rival a full-blown Leaf Storm.
And unlike Rollout, Magical Leaf never misses.
Given that, it was obvious which one was riskier to charge.
Still pretending? No "Advance-tier" Grass-type could control Magical Leaf like that, Kane thought bitterly, glancing at the still one-third-wide Grassy Terrain.
Now he could confirm it — this Serperior was indeed Quasi Elite-tier.
Though stronger, he actually felt a sense of relief at least now he knew there wasn't some strange trick behind Silas's choice.
Timing it carefully, he knew Donphan's Rollout power was now considerable, while the number of Magical Leaves remained manageable.
He ordered immediately: "Charge in — and follow up with Fire Fang!"
That's right — Donphan's dangerous-looking tusks weren't just for show. It was adept at both Fire Fang and Thunder Fang, attacks using its massive jaws to deal serious damage.
That gave it room to counter Pokémon that resisted Ground, like Water- and Grass-types.
And with Rollout's momentum added, those flaming tusks would hit even harder.
"Rrrrumble—!"
Donphan rolled furiously across its half of the battlefield, kicking up dust clouds as it charged toward Serperior.
The cloud grew thicker, obscuring Donphan's silhouette — its small stature (just over 1 meter tall) worked to its advantage, hiding its exact position.
Without waiting for a command, Serperior released control. The swarm of glowing, purple-green leaves streaked forward like a buzzing storm of hornets.
Each Magical Leaf locked onto Donphan's location within the green-tinted dust and struck with perfect accuracy.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The heavy thuds of impact echoed, but they didn't slow Donphan's advance the dust rapidly drew closer and closer to Serperior.
Silas didn't seem surprised in the least.
Although Donphan was weaker when it came to special attacks and special defense, that didn't mean it was easy to deal with.
In a direct clash like this, Defense Curl followed by Rollout helped offset much of the incoming Magical Leaf damage.
And that wasn't all.
Silas snapped his fingers.
"Serperior, use Grass Knot!"
Kane pushed his glasses up his nose, analyzing calmly.
Grass Knot was extremely effective against a heavy opponent like Donphan — the heavier the target, the greater the power.
With Donphan's weight well over 100 kilograms, the move would easily reach its maximum base power of 100.
Combined with type advantage and STAB, it could knock Donphan out instantly, leaving it clinging to life only thanks to its Sturdy Ability.
But there was one major issue:
How could Serperior hit Donphan's exact position inside that thick cloud of dust?
Kane knew Donphan's weaknesses very well.
That was precisely why he had ordered it to kick up the dust while rolling.
In this environment, any move that wasn't guaranteed to hit would have a much lower chance of landing successfully.
And Grass Knot—a move that depended entirely on timing and precision was one of the hardest to connect.
Before Kane could finish thinking, a loud explosion shook the field.
"BOOM!"
His expression suddenly darkened.
"Wait… did Grass Knot actually hit?!"
As the dust slowly cleared, Donphan appeared on the battlefield — covered in wounds, lying flat on its back with all four legs in the air.
It was trying to flip itself upright using its trunk, but its weakened body made it impossible to move.
Not far behind it, a split clump of grass and soil jutted up from the ground — evidence of the sheer force Donphan had generated during its charge.
Kane studied the scene and finally understood.
"…He expanded the Grassy Terrain's range without me noticing, using the dust as cover," Kane muttered, adjusting his glasses again.
"What a sly opponent."
But that wasn't the main issue.
Expanding the range of Grassy Terrain might slightly increase Grass Knot's activation area, but it didn't make it more accurate.
As for the move's power — Donphan had been knocked down to its Sturdy threshold anyway. Whether the power was 100, 130, or even 140 made no real difference.
Kane's gaze shifted to the leaves scattered near Donphan.
The bluish-purple glow that had coated them was only now starting to fade.
Under the influence of Grassy Terrain and the dust cloud, that faint light had been nearly invisible earlier.
"So that's it… he used the tracking effect of Magical Leaf to pinpoint Donphan's position.
His Serperior's training must focus heavily on Grass-type energy control."
Even though he had clearly lost the first round, Kane remained calm — carefully analyzing his opponent's strengths and strategy.
He couldn't let Donphan's efforts go to waste.
"Leech Seed!"
Silas didn't give Kane a single moment to respond.
After recovering from the slight stiffness that came after using Grass Knot, Serperior immediately struck again.
Donphan, whose HP was barely holding thanks to Sturdy, still hadn't managed to flip itself over.
A green seed shot out from the leafy vines around Serperior's neck, spinning through the air before landing directly on Donphan's body.
Instantly, thin vines sprouted, wrapping tightly around Donphan's form.
The next moment, a green glow pulsed between the two Pokémon.
But their reactions were completely different.
Donphan didn't even cry out — its eyes rolled into spirals as it fainted on the spot.
Meanwhile, Serperior's posture straightened slightly, regaining some vitality from the energy it absorbed.
"You really don't waste any opportunity, huh," Kane murmured helplessly as he watched Silas's calm, efficient battle style.
"The winner is Donphan unable to battle! Serperior wins!"
The referee, after a quick glance at Donphan, raised the blue flag decisively.
Above the battlefield, the giant display screen flickered.
Beneath Kane Sawyer's portrait, one of the six Poké Ball icons the one representing Donphan dimmed out, leaving five still glowing.
In contrast, beneath Silas Alaric's portrait, all six Poké Balls remained lit — with Serperior's symbol shining brightest among them.
Ignoring the crowd's cheers and the commentator's excited voice, Kane quietly recalled his fallen Donphan.
"Sorry, buddy. That was my mistake I misjudged the situation.
Now, I'll leave it to your teammates."
He tossed out his next Poké Ball.
"You can keep this up all day, my partner!"
"Wobbuffet!!"
The blue Pokémon saluted with a cheerful cry as it appeared on the field.
...
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