Natsui took out a Poké Ball, tossed it in his hand a few times, and then threw it onto the field.
After the blue light faded, his Gardevoir appeared.
Based on yesterday's analysis, he knew that excluding the thirty Tauros, Ash currently had around twelve Pokémon. Any one of them could potentially be used in battle. Although he always thought of Ash as a younger brother figure, his strength was not to be underestimated. If Natsui wasn't careful, he could definitely lose.
He had to be cautious.
Therefore, for the first battle, Natsui adhered to the principle of playing it safe and sent out his most trusted Pokémon.
Just like Natsui, Ash had spent the entire previous day with Brock carefully studying Natsui's lineup. He knew most of Natsui's Pokémon were incredibly strong, especially Gengar and the Red Gyarados, which could be described as terrifying. Naturally, he didn't dare be careless.
Seeing Gardevoir appear, Ash took a deep breath. Following the strategy devised with Brock yesterday, he also took out a Poké Ball.
"Go, Donphan!"
As Ash threw the Poké Ball with force, a sturdy-looking Pokémon resembling a small, tusked elephant appeared before Gardevoir.
It's Donphan?
Seeing this Donphan, Natsui was slightly surprised, but upon reflection, it made sense. Donphan and Gardevoir didn't have type advantages against each other. Besides Donphan, Ash didn't really have any other Pokémon better suited to deal with Gardevoir.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the battle began immediately.
Right from the start, at Ash's command, Donphan launched a fierce offensive. It curled its body into a ball and rolled towards Gardevoir with unstoppable momentum.
"Gardevoir, block it!"
Hearing Natsui's command, Gardevoir used its psychic powers, attempting to restrain Donphan. However, the rolling Donphan moved quickly, using the scattered rocks of various sizes as cover, making it difficult to capture easily.
Rumble rumble...
Donphan's rolling caused slight tremors on the ground. It rolled straight towards a large, slanted boulder, launched itself off it, and soared into the air, aiming to crash down onto Gardevoir.
However, such a predictable attack relied on surprise. While it might hit an ordinary Pokémon, Gardevoir simply used Teleport to successfully evade the assault.
Just as Donphan landed and before it could turn around, it revealed an opening. Gardevoir, having reappeared, didn't pause. It immediately raised its hand and used Psychic, blasting Donphan into a distant rock.
Bang...
Under the massive impact, the rock shattered instantly. Fortunately, Donphan was protected by its armored hide and didn't sustain much damage.
Seeing this, Brock, in the friends-and-family section, sighed helplessly.
In fact, during their discussion yesterday, they had brainstormed extensively, preparing various strategies and deployments against Natsui's Pokémon. Among them, aside from Gengar, both agreed that Gardevoir would be the most difficult to handle.
Although Gengar was unreasonably strong, they knew Natsui usually wouldn't use it unless absolutely necessary, considering it more of a non-competition Pokémon, which gave them some relief.
But Gardevoir was unavoidable, a veritable mountain blocking Ash's path to the Top 4.
After long deliberation, they reviewed Ash's Pokémon one by one and finally decided on Donphan to face the likely appearance of Gardevoir. On one hand, the lack of a type disadvantage slightly increased the chances of winning. On the other hand, Gardevoir's psychic attacks, besides dealing direct damage, often involved slamming the target down from the air. Donphan's ability to curl up could effectively mitigate this damage upon impact with the ground or other objects.
Theoretically, it was a sound strategy. Especially earlier, when Brock saw the field drawn was the Rock Field, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Having rocks as barriers, while restricting Donphan's movement, would obstruct Gardevoir's line of sight, arguably having a greater impact on its psychic abilities.
However, once the actual battle began, although the strategy had some effect, he realized it was vastly different from their expectations yesterday.
Sigh, now it's up to Ash to adapt...
Hopefully, he can overcome this hurdle.
Unlike Brock, Misty, sitting in the same section, maintained neutrality since both competitors were her good friends. She didn't specifically cheer for either one.
In casual matches, her teasing might be harmless, but in an important event like the Silver Conference, she didn't want to provoke Ash and affect his mentality.
She had even avoided participating in Ash and Brock's strategy session yesterday to maintain impartiality.
But in her heart, she couldn't help but lean slightly towards one side. For instance, seeing Natsui gain the upper hand now, she felt happy for him.
On the field, under Natsui's command, Gardevoir now launched its counterattack.
Passive defense had never been his style.
Although the large rocks scattered around did limit Gardevoir's effectiveness, opportunities could always be found if sought.
Just as Donphan rolled again, attempting the same tactic of launching off a boulder to crash down on Gardevoir, Gardevoir timed it perfectly. Before Donphan could descend, it used Psychic, unleashing a powerful energy surge that blasted Donphan straight out of the bounds.
Donphan flew past the referee and slammed into the wall behind him before stopping.
The referee raised his flag and announced loudly, "Donphan is out of bounds! The first battle goes to competitor Natsui!"
"How did this happen..."
Seeing Donphan outside the boundary, Ash scratched his head in frustration. The match ended so abruptly it caught him off guard. Donphan wasn't even badly injured, yet it was eliminated in such a way. It was truly a shame.
However, he recovered quickly. After recalling Donphan, he took out his second Poké Ball.
"Go, Noctowl!"
With a flash of blue light, the shining, golden Noctowl appeared in the sky above the field. Seeing it, Natsui couldn't help but shed tears of envy again.
I really want a shiny Pokémon too...
Shaking his head, he recalled Gardevoir and took out his second Poké Ball as well.
Just like before, although cautious, he prioritized training his team before the final rounds, ensuring a fair distribution of battle opportunities among his Pokémon.
Facing the shiny Noctowl was his Jolteon!
But now the situation was reversed. It was his turn to use the terrain to his advantage!
When the battle resumed, Jolteon utilized its agile steps, darting back and forth among the rocks. Although the shiny Noctowl had the aerial advantage and was fast, it couldn't touch Jolteon.
Often, just as it dove down, before it could catch Jolteon, Jolteon would push off a rock with its legs, make a sharp turn, and immediately increase the distance again. Noctowl, unable to stop in time, could only fly past.
"Ash..."
In the stands, seeing her son unable to land a hit, Delia looked worried. She had even prepared a professional camera for this conference, hoping to capture some exciting moments, but so far, Ash's Pokémon hadn't had much of a chance to shine.
"Believe in him," Professor Oak comforted her from beside her. "Think back to the match the day before yesterday. Didn't Ash turn the tables and defeat Gary even after falling behind early on? I believe he can do it today too!"
Hearing Professor Oak's words, Delia nodded, but worry still lingered in her expression.
Although she hadn't known Natsui for long, she had a good impression of him and knew that Gary, in terms of both Pokémon strength and temperament, couldn't compare. Could Ash really win against someone like Natsui?
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