"Come back, Graveler!"
The opponent awkwardly withdrew his Poké Ball to recall Graveler, which had fainted within a single second.
He hadn't expected his lead Pokémon—his ace—would end up in such an embarrassing situation.
"Not bad, just too impulsive," Red analyzed quietly. Rashly deploying one's strongest combatant was actually an unwise tactical choice.
Fortunately, Leaf's starter lineup hadn't been fully exposed, which preserved the mystery surrounding her core team and prevented future opponents from analyzing corresponding counter-strategies ahead of time.
"I didn't expect Leaf's strength to become this terrifying," Gary admitted from the audience, shocked to realize Leaf's Venusaur's capabilities were roughly on par with his own Blastoise.
This recognition inevitably prompted Gary to compare Leaf's Venusaur with his own Blastoise internally, gradually sensing something ominous about such a matchup.
Since Venusaur's true strength couldn't be fully assessed from this brief display, Gary couldn't make detailed judgments yet.
In Gary's assessment, if Venusaur and Blastoise proved evenly matched in raw power, his Blastoise would struggle to secure victory—after all, type advantage remained one of the critical factors determining outcomes between Pokémon battles.
"That's why you two need to work harder," Red stated calmly, his eyes briefly reminding the relaxed Ash of this reality.
"True, but Leaf's strength improvement definitely involved our Red's effort," Gary teased, nudging Red's chest with his elbow while displaying a knowing expression.
In response, Red chose silence, too disinterested to engage with Gary's implications.
Seeing this, Gary—finding it boring—wisely closed his mouth. After all, Red wasn't Ash, so a few teasing words wouldn't trigger him.
After sensing the contemptuous looks from surrounding spectators, the embarrassed opponent glared angrily at Leaf—after all, she'd made him lose face so spectacularly.
He originally wanted to complain to Leaf somewhat, but seeing her slightly apologetic expression, he wisely remained silent.
His restraint stemmed partly from not wanting to be rude to such an endearing girl like Leaf. Moreover, he'd already sensed hostile gazes from the surrounding crowd—unmistakable threats from Leaf's devoted fan club.
After a nervous swallow, the subdued opponent slowly threw another Poké Ball.
"So handsome!" Misty exclaimed, her eyes practically forming hearts.
White light burst forth, revealing a Golduck materializing within Venusaur's line of sight.
But the initially confident Golduck, after glancing upward and witnessing Venusaur's massive imposing form, immediately deflated—its entire demeanor collapsing instantly.
Golduck turned back toward its trainer incredulously, pointing back and forth between itself and the towering Grass-type, its eyes seemingly communicating various protests.
Are you seriously expecting me to battle this behemoth? You're not joking, right?
The opponent also scratched his head somewhat sheepishly, not expecting to be openly scorned by his own trained Pokémon.
"Come back, Venusaur," Leaf said helplessly, withdrawing her Poké Ball to recall the energetic Grass-type before deploying another Pokémon that didn't specifically counter Golduck.
After all, Leaf didn't want to completely demoralize her opponent.
"Then I'm counting on you, Clefable!"
White light revealed Clefable with pointed ears and distinctive black ear tips.
Leaf's Clefable was female. The instant she materialized, she playfully threw a flirtatious wink at Golduck.
The charming aura radiating from Clefable made the male Golduck instantly lose all composure.
Golduck's eyes transformed into hearts as it stared infatuatedly at Clefable, completely entranced.
"You perverted duck!" the opponent exclaimed in disappointment, already thoroughly embarrassed, yet his Golduck continued this humiliating display.
"If you get distracted like that again, I'll send you to the Machoke Bodybuilding Center for 'intensive training'!"
Apparently striking a nerve from traumatic past experiences, Golduck immediately snapped awake, covering its chest fearfully and breaking free from its infatuation with Clefable.
This Golduck's expression tells an entire story, most attendees at the venue thought simultaneously.
"Golduck, use Confusion!" Seeing Golduck finally regain focus, the opponent hurriedly commanded.
Golduck's eyes immediately radiated azure luminescence, deploying psychic power to attempt to control Clefable's body.
"Clefable, use Fake Tears," Leaf commanded calmly.
Clefable, suspended mid-air by psychic energy, suddenly burst into tears. Her pitiful appearance made Golduck momentarily hesitate, the psychic power it released gradually dissipating.
"Golduck, don't be deceived by Clefable's performance!" the opponent shouted desperately, not expecting his Golduck to be continuously manipulated emotionally.
"Too late! Clefable, use Metronome!"
Returning to solid ground from her airborne position, Clefable continuously waved her finger, radiating mysterious energy.
"Metronome? I remember the Clefairy at Mt. Moon used that move too," Ash said, pounding his right fist into his left palm as the memory surfaced.
"That's correct. Metronome is an unpredictable move—no one can anticipate what technique it will execute next," Brock explained seriously, puzzled why Leaf would command such a random ability when more appropriate offensive options existed.
"Maybe Metronome will align with Leaf's intentions—after all, Leaf would never be as reckless as Ash," Gary observed casually, not forgetting to jab at Ash's impulsiveness.
"Damn it, Gary, you..." Ash protested indignantly.
"No way! Golduck, attack quickly!" the opponent urged desperately, frustrated his Golduck remained standing there stupidly.
Finally, under everyone's curious gazes, Clefable's Metronome effect manifested spectacularly. Her body suddenly erupted with tremendous high-voltage electricity—the crackling current transforming into a lightning serpent that struck the bewildered Golduck.
The electrified impact crackled through the arena.
With double Electric-type effectiveness combined with the defensive weakening from Clefable's Fake Tears, Golduck—taking the Thunderbolt assault head-on—collapsed charred and unconscious with eyes rolled back.
"Golduck is unable to battle!" the referee announced, regarding the determined Leaf with increasingly impressed anticipation.
The referee grew more amazed by Leaf's capabilities—after all, few trainers, regardless of gender, could possess such formidable strength after barely a year of traveling.
"I surrender. Rookie trainers from Pallet Town are all absolute monsters," the opponent muttered, withdrawing his Poké Ball to recall the scorched Golduck. After contemplating momentarily, he struggled to throw a white cloth forward, signaling the referee his official surrender.
"Due to the opponent forfeiting, the winner of this match is Leaf from Pallet Town!" the referee declared.
After the match concluded, Leaf hastily recalled her Clefable, so rushed she didn't even have time to wave farewell to her devoted fan club, fleeing anxiously from the command platform.
Her rapid exit stemmed from spotting numerous TV station staff already rushing toward her position, their eager gazes firmly locked on her—truly intimidating.