Amidst thunderous cheers, Natsui and Casey walked to their respective trainer positions.
While the announcer introduced the two competitors to the audience, Natsui and Casey looked at each other from across the field.
Compared to when they met earlier, Casey had regained her composure. Her face was now radiant, showing no trace of her previous anxiety.
She recovered quickly.
"Natsui-bro." Perhaps having overcome her mental block, Casey copied Misty's way of addressing him, no longer hesitant, instantly closing the gap between them. "I'm ready. Please give me a serious battle!"
Natsui smiled and nodded. "Of course, no problem. Bring it on."
Seeing both were ready, the referee spoke. "We will now determine the first attacker!"
They both looked at the big screen as the roulette spun. After a dozen rotations, it finally stopped, the pointer slowly settling on the red section representing Natsui.
Seeing this, Natsui couldn't help but sigh.
His luck in this conference was really bad. In all his previous battles, he had drawn the first move. Although Natsui didn't care too much, always getting the first move inevitably dampened his mood slightly.
"The red side, please send out your Pokémon first!"
At the referee's signal, Natsui didn't hesitate. He took out the Poké Ball he had prepared and released his first Pokémon.
With a flash of blue light, his Jolteon appeared on the field.
Just as Natsui had watched Casey's videos, Casey had naturally checked Natsui's lineup before the match. Seeing Jolteon now wasn't too surprising for her.
Only the announcer, after seeing Natsui send out Jolteon, flipped through his notes, his booming voice echoing across the stadium. "Competitor Natsui has sent out his Pokémon! As we all know, this Jolteon has performed exceptionally well in both the Indigo Conference and this Silver Conference. How will competitor Casey respond?"
Looking at the Jolteon before her, Casey calmed herself and took a Poké Ball from her belt pouch.
"Go, my Meganium!"
She threw the Poké Ball far out. With a flash of blue light, Casey's first and most trusted partner, Meganium, appeared before Jolteon.
Among Casey's limited number of Pokémon, this was indeed a good choice.
Although Meganium couldn't gain a type advantage over Jolteon, Jolteon's Electric-type moves would have reduced power against it, greatly increasing her chances of winning.
Seeing the smile on Casey's face from afar, Natsui could truly feel her seriousness and confidence.
That's more like it!
However...
Although Casey had grown quickly, his Jolteon clearly had more experience and had been through many more battles. It would still be very difficult for Casey to win.
And he wouldn't give her that chance.
Sure enough, when the battle started, Jolteon's performance astonished Casey.
As the fastest Eeveelution, Jolteon displayed extraordinary agility. Neither Meganium's Magical Leaf nor its Tackle could hit the speeding Jolteon.
Even when it used Razor Leaf, trying to attack with rapidly spinning leaves, Jolteon dodged each one.
"So fast..."
Even Casey, watching from the sidelines, could barely follow Jolteon's movements with her naked eye.
The most frustrating part was that, unlike other Grass-types that could use Vine Whip, Meganium's short, stout limbs couldn't restrict Jolteon's speed at all. Instead, Jolteon found many opportunities to land Electric-type moves.
Fortunately, Grass-type Pokémon have some resistance to Electric moves, which allowed Meganium to hold on until now.
But seeing Meganium at a disadvantage, Casey grew anxious, searching for a way to turn the tables. Just then, inspiration struck!
"Use Poison Powder, quick!"
At her command, Meganium suddenly sprayed out a cloud of purple powder. However, the move was too obvious and didn't hit Jolteon.
But clearly, that wasn't Casey's main goal.
Following her command, Meganium continued to release large amounts of Poison Powder into the surroundings. The powder enveloped half the field. Seeing the dense purple powder floating in the air, Jolteon dared not enter recklessly and could only pace outside the poison area, giving Meganium a chance to catch its breath.
"A good response!" the announcer praised Casey's choice. "Now, if Jolteon wants to get close, it will inevitably enter the poison mist and get poisoned. This buys Meganium some time. What will competitor Natsui choose to do next?"
Looking at the poison cloud, Natsui raised an eyebrow.
It certainly restricted Jolteon, preventing it from easily approaching. But this scene seemed familiar...
He thought back carefully. Although he couldn't remember which specific battle he had encountered this in, he clearly remembered how to deal with it.
Following his memory, he shouted, "Jolteon, use Thundershock!"
Hearing its trainer's command, Jolteon leaped backward to create distance, then shot a stream of electricity from its body. The moment the current touched the Poison Powder, a loud 'BOOM' erupted as the cloud of powder violently exploded!
The explosion instantly engulfed Meganium. When the powder cleared and visibility returned, the audience saw that Meganium, which had seemed fine moments ago, was now barely conscious!
Casey's face paled as she stared in disbelief. "How could..." she murmured.
An experienced trainer would know that powder-based moves can explode when exposed to sparks or electricity. But with Casey's limited experience, this was the first time she had encountered such a situation.
"Oh no!" the announcer lamented. "Competitor Casey used too much Poison Powder, giving Jolteon an opportunity. She really shot herself in the foot this time!"
Without needing another command from Natsui, Jolteon saw Meganium's state, rushed forward, and easily finished it off with a Tackle.
As the referee raised his flag, Casey finally snapped back to reality.
She recalled the unconscious Meganium with a bittersweet expression, mentally scolding herself for her mistake.
Seeing Natsui's resigned look, Casey couldn't help but stick her tongue out at him playfully before taking out her second Poké Ball.
"It's up to you now! Go, Pidgey!"
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