"Poliwrath, charge at Blastoise and use Close Combat!" Naoto roared.
Poliwrath surged forward, swinging its powerfully developed fists in rapid succession.
"Withdraw, then use Rapid Spin!"
Blastoise retracted completely into its shell, absorbing Poliwrath's initial assault before rotating its body continuously. Its incredibly hard shell transformed into a defensive whirlwind, countering Poliwrath's fierce Close Combat barrage.
"Incredible! I didn't expect Red to utilize Blastoise with such masterful technique!" Gary exclaimed in amazement. As a Blastoise trainer himself, he naturally recognized the superiority of Red's tactical approach.
"If I'm not mistaken, Red's next command should be..." Gary murmured thoughtfully.
"Skull Bash!" Leaf predicted confidently.
Upon hearing Red's command, Blastoise quickly extended its head, executing a simplified point-blank Skull Bash that struck Poliwrath's body at devastating close range.
Since this was a stationary Skull Bash without momentum buildup, the power was somewhat diminished but proved sufficient to inflict genuine pain.
However, Poliwrath—now burning with fighting spirit—gradually transcended the physical pain. After receiving Naoto's command, it aimed skyward to execute Rain Dance, preparing for one final stand.
Within moments, dark clouds gathered overhead and began drizzling. The light rain gradually intensified into a torrential downpour.
Moisturized by the rainfall, Poliwrath's body felt noticeably lighter. Through its Swift Swim ability, Poliwrath's speed increased dramatically—this was its ultimate trump card.
But Blastoise also displayed a satisfied smile. Moisturized by the rain and blessed with the Rain Dish ability, the stamina previously depleted by Poliwrath gradually recovered, returning Blastoise to its optimal condition from when it first entered battle.
Fortunately, neither Naoto nor Poliwrath noticed this development; otherwise, they would have emotionally collapsed. After working so hard to damage Blastoise, watching it autonomously heal would be devastating.
"Poliwrath, use Brick Break!"
With doubled speed, Poliwrath suddenly materialized before Blastoise, swinging down a hand blade radiating white energy.
The impact reverberated across the arena.
Although surprised by Poliwrath's velocity increase, Blastoise instinctively blocked the attack with its arm, neutralizing most of the damage.
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But Poliwrath's assault continued relentlessly. Consecutive Brick Breaks hammered toward Blastoise's defensive posture, attempting to penetrate this barrier.
"Poliwrath, use your final Superpower!" After a moment's hesitation, Naoto shouted forcefully, his voice carrying all the way to the audience behind Red.
Recognizing that Poliwrath's stamina couldn't sustain prolonged combat, Naoto reluctantly issued his final command.
Upon sensing the unwavering determination in Poliwrath's eyes, Blastoise turned to signal Red behind it, indicating that it could handle the battle independently.
Red nodded, respecting Blastoise's decision as a warrior.
Blastoise crossed its arms, using Iron Defense to maximize its physical resistance, accepting Poliwrath's attack head-on—this was Blastoise's respect for Poliwrath as a fellow warrior.
The sound of continuous collisions echoed throughout the arena. Blastoise offered no resistance, solemnly accepting Poliwrath's full assault.
Once it had unleashed its accumulated power, Poliwrath's stamina was completely exhausted. It no longer had the strength to continue fighting, yet stubbornly remained upright, refusing to collapse.
"Poliwrath is unable to battle! Therefore, the winner of this match is Red from Pallet Town!"
After several seconds of stunned silence, the referee finally announced the match's conclusion.
"That was concerning," Red said, approaching Blastoise and caringly examining the wounds on its arms.
"Kamee!" Blastoise smiled and shook its head, indicating to Red these were merely superficial injuries. After brief exposure to the rainfall, the wounds on Blastoise's arms gradually healed and the swelling subsided.
"The match is over! Thank you, Lord Red and contestant Naoto, for delivering this spectacular battle! Let's give both competitors warm applause!" the announcer declared as enthusiastic cheers erupted from the audience.
The crowd's excitement visibly affected Gary.
"I'm increasingly eager to battle Red's Blastoise!" Gary said with barely contained enthusiasm. As a Blastoise trainer himself, he couldn't ignore the compelling prospect of testing himself against Red's superior specimen.
"Me too..." Leaf murmured quietly.
Clearly, Leaf harbored similar ambitions, anticipating a future battle against Red's Venusaur.
Brock, observing from the sidelines, sighed helplessly at this development.
How can you two be as naive as Ash...?
Now all three members of Ash's group had developed fierce competitive spirits toward Red's starter trio. Who knew when or how these future battles would materialize?
After the match concluded, Red briefly answered one reporter's question before using Teleport to vanish.
The TV station staff had grown accustomed to Red's sudden exits. After momentary confusion, they immediately redirected their focus to Naoto, who was attempting to leave.
Under Naoto's despairing gaze, the reporters excitedly thrust microphones toward him, conducting an exhaustive ten-minute interview.
After a brief rest and some regrouping, everyone reconvened at Ash's third-round battle venue.
Ash had drawn the Ice venue. Somewhat influenced by Red's previous performance, his Squirtle surprisingly tied with the opponent's Poliwhirl—both fainted at the same time, knocked out cold.
"In the third-round Ice venue match between contestant Ash and contestant Seiji, both trainers have deployed their second Pokémon! Things are heating up!" the announcer explained.
The second Pokémon Ash and Seiji sent out were Kingler and Cloyster respectively. Both Pokémon had already exchanged several rounds—the decisive moment was fast approaching.
Going on the offensive, Ash commanded Kingler to execute Crabhammer on Cloyster.
Kingler charged toward Cloyster, swinging its massive left claw to inflict damage.
Seiji immediately countered by commanding Cloyster to use Withdraw, maximizing its defensive capabilities.
An unstoppable force meets an immovable object—the battle had begun.
Kingler continuously hammered Cloyster's shell with its left claw but couldn't cause any visible damage.
"Kingler uses Crabhammer! Cloyster blocks with its impenetrable shell—Kingler's attacks aren't working!" the announcer narrated.
Under the sustained Crabhammer assault, Kingler gradually tired, sweat beading on its shell, clearly struggling against Cloyster's formidable defenses.
"This isn't working! My attacks aren't doing anything! Should we retreat?!" Ash said anxiously.
"Wait! Cloyster must be accumulating damage!"
Just as Ash prepared to command Kingler to cease attacking, Misty shouted for him to stop. As a Water-type specialist, Misty understood exactly what condition Cloyster was in.
"That's right! Keep attacking, Ash!" Brock agreed emphatically. This was an excellent offensive opportunity that absolutely couldn't be squandered.
"Got it! Kingler, keep going!" Ash encouraged with renewed determination.
Kingler forcefully continued pounding Cloyster's shell with its left claw. Finally, visible cracks spread across Cloyster's shell—its defensive barrier had been broken through by Kingler's persistent effort.
"No!" Seiji exclaimed desperately.
The fractured shell slowly opened, revealing Cloyster collapsed unconscious inside.
"Cloyster is unable to battle!" the referee announced, confirming Ash's hard-fought victory.