With the referee's announcement, the first half of the match between Silas and Nina officially came to an end.
Compared to Silas, who retrieved his Blaziken and walked back with a light, confident step, Nina seemed a bit mentally scattered.
This was perfectly normal. Anyone who had just been taken down by a sweep of three Pokémon in a row would hardly be in high spirits.
Even though Nina had anticipated that matching her Pokémon against Silas' ace would be intense due to type matchups, she never expected it to turn out like this.
Not only was her Pokémon unable to defeat Blaziken, but even their energy expenditure wasn't particularly high.
"Is there still a chance?" Nina asked herself quietly as she sat in the resting area.
Probably not, she thought bitterly. She only had two Quasi-Elite and one Advance left, while Silas' remaining five Pokémon, excluding Blaziken, were all in peak condition.
Unless she could take on two—or even three—of his Pokémon at once with each of hers, victory was impossible.
But without type advantage, it was nearly impossible to one-on-two or one-on-three at the same stage, unless the Pokémon were pseudo-legendary .
While Nina's thoughts were occupied with this, Silas was preparing his strategy for the second half.
"First, Blaziken doesn't need to go out again."
On this point, Silas was very clear.
During the break, all of Blaziken's temporary boosts from the first half would expire. If it returned to battle, it wouldn't have a significant advantage.
Silas didn't believe that a Blaziken, even with over half its stamina depleted, could consecutively defeat two Pokémon of the same level.
The reason it had been able to sweep three in the first half was largely due to luck—especially the unknown behavior of Ludicolo.
Even with type advantage, without speed or attack boosts, no matter how talented or strong Blaziken was, losing half its stamina would likely only allow it to defeat one opposing Pokémon at most.
After all, Pokémon are living creatures, and stamina depletion slightly reduces their abilities. Full-health Pokémon naturally have the upper hand against exhausted opponents.
Moreover, after sustaining so many boosts and fighting for such a long time in the first half, while also taking attacks from opposing Pokémon, Blaziken's body needed time to recover.
In short, temporary strength comes at a cost. Whether it's from Speed Boost, Swords Dance, or Bulk Up, these enhancements all put stress on Blaziken's body.
Short-term, it's manageable. But over a longer duration, the body could suffer damage.
This is one advantage that pseudo-legendary Pokémon have over normal Pokémon—they can handle the strain of boosted states much better. They can stack more buffs and maintain them for longer periods.
The main reason is their exceptional physical constitution.
Of course, individual Pokémon differ, but judging by Blaziken's talent and Silas' training, its gap from top pseudo-legendary Pokémon isn't huge. It's more that Silas simply didn't see the need.
For a match with a 90% chance of victory, there was no need to overwork Blaziken. Its teammates could handle the rest, ensuring Silas' win.
Blaziken's one-on-three performance in the first half was already impressive enough.
Silas wondered arrogantly who his next opponent might be.
"The intermission is over. Let's see what the next two trainers have in store for us! Everyone, stay tuned!!"
The announcer's mechanical voice rang out. Silas almost felt like he was about to vomit from hearing the same lines over and over.
But looking at the excitement in the main stadium, he knew that although the words were cliché, they were still effective.
Under the gaze of thousands of spectators and amid deafening cheers, Silas and Nina returned to their respective platforms.
"The second half of the match between Silas and Nina begins!!"
With the referee's signal and the announcer's shout, Silas and Nina exchanged a glance, nodded, and threw their Poké Balls.
"Your turn, Pidgeot!"
"Once again, Leafeon, I'm counting on you."
"Piiidgeot~!" "Leafeon~!"
Both Pokémon called out with energy, filling the battlefield.
Pidgeot flapped its wings, its sharp eyes reflecting the Leafeon that looked part-cat, part-fox.
It had just witnessed Blaziken's performance in its Poké Ball—it had been impressive. As the "older brother" of this group, Pidgeot couldn't lose face.
Silas sending out Pidgeot didn't surprise Nina at all. If anything, she blamed herself for not preparing properly. Ludicolo had been defeated early by Blaziken, losing battle capability, and now her next counter to two Flying-type Pokémon should have been her Ace, Ludicolo.
This also explained why Nina had felt so powerless during the break. Her remaining three Pokémon were not particularly adept at handling aerial Flying-types.
"Pidgeot, Air Slash."
Silas opened with a familiar attack.
Honestly, flying Pokémon had a huge advantage over ground-based Pokémon. Unless a ground Pokémon.
If not for most flying Pokémon having average stamina, endurance, and attack, trainers would likely focus on them as main team members.
White, razor-sharp Air Slash blades appeared in midair.
Cutting sounds echoed as multiple blades shot toward Leafeon.
"Iron Tail!" Nina shouted, fulfilling her role as a trainer.
"Leafeon~"
Leafeon cried out as its tail glowed like steel.
The cries of Eevee and its evolutions were all very similar—different in pitch, but equally adorable.
Combined with the strong grassy aroma of the young Leafeon, it had been popular ever since Silas discovered this evolution.
Grass-type Pokémon generally have a calming effect, and cute Leafeon, held in the arms of trainers, attracted countless visitors to the Ever Grande Forest. Even city officials nearby were reportedly delighted.
According to Professor Oak, every time there was a meeting, these officials would thank him and Silas for their help.
Grass-type specialists like Nina naturally wouldn't miss the chance to raise a Leafeon.
Silas admired her—she had trained an Advance-level Leafeon in such a short time.
"Kyaaaaang! Kyaaaaang! Kyaaaaang!"
A sound like metal clashing echoed through the battlefield. A small green shadow was sent flying backward—it was Leafeon.
Even though it had used Iron Tail to defend, the power difference was too great. Not only was it sent flying by the force of several Air Slashes, but the remaining one or two blades struck it directly from the front.
Leafeon forced itself to endure the pain, bracing on all fours and standing back up.
"Steel Wing!" "Bang!"
Silas command and the impact were separated by mere fractions of a second.
Before Leafeon could react, Pidgeot, flying at high speed with white light streaking off its wings, slammed directly into it.
It rolled like a ball across the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Quick Attack."
A low, almost sinister whisper echoed. Leafeon shook its head, thinking it must have been a trick of the imagination.
But the next moment, being sent flying once again confirmed the painful truth.
Looking at Leafeon, suspended in midair as if frozen, surrounded by flashes of white light, Nina clenched her fists.
But soon after, she helplessly let them fall.
"Thud."
The sound of impact resonated as Leafeon collapsed to the ground, unconscious and unable to continue. The referee raised the flag without hesitation.
"Leafeon is unable to battle. Pidgeot wins."
A red glow flashed, and Leafeon disappeared from the battlefield.
Nina remained frozen, unmoving.
"Please send out your next Pokémon, Nina," the referee prompted.
Silas had confirmed he wouldn't be switching Pokémon—spectators weren't here to watch Pidgeot idly hovering in the air.
Nina shivered involuntarily, as if startled.
"Please send out your next Pokémon," the referee repeated calmly. He had seen far too many trainers stunned by defeats to be surprised.
Understanding aside, if Nina didn't send out another Pokémon, he would have no choice but to rule a loss according to the tournament rules.
This was clearly not something Nina wanted. Losing because of hesitation would bring ridicule—any capable trainer should be able to handle such mental pressure.
"Go, Roserade."
Finally snapping out of her daze after the referee's repeated prompt, Nina sent out her fifth Pokémon, her voice a little dispirited.
Silas shook his head subtly.
The world wasn't exactly fair. His opponent was clearly someone ill-suited to be a trainer, yet she was strong—paradoxical, but realistic.
Nina was a rich heiress. Had she not wanted to show the results of her training efforts, she wouldn't even appear in the tournament. This wasn't her stage.
Silas didn't look down on her. Compared to other wealthy second-generation trainers, Nina's gap in skill and experience was substantial.
For example, Yezo was far stronger, even if he currently couldn't beat her.
Yuzou in the stands sneezed.
"Pidgeot, Hurricane!" Silas launched a fierce attack.
Dazed and flustered, Nina was completely unprepared for her opponent's Flying-type move. Her panic was written clearly across her face.
"Roserade, dodge!"
Even the commentator in the air shook his head helplessly at such chaotic commands.
Dodging can indeed be called a "miracle move," but you can't just try it blindly.
...
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