Flames instantly enveloped Blaziken's entire body, making it look like a giant fireball, like a ground-based meteor ready to launch!
Dragging its blazing body, perhaps unable to withstand the intense heat, Blaziken coughed, exhaling a wave of heat. Its eyes focused, and it quickly ran towards Gardevoir.
All remaining ice and damp earth around it were instantly vaporized!
This move poured all its strength into one attack. Although it would put a tremendous strain on itself, if it landed and luckily triggered a burn status, defeating Gardevoir might shift from impossible to possible!
Not just Blaziken, Harrison too pinned all his hopes on this final strike. Seeing it get closer and closer to Gardevoir, he grew so tense he instinctively closed his eyes!
Please, let it hit!!
On the other side, Gardevoir's Teleport had cooled down and it could escape Blaziken's attack range at any moment. However, out of respect for Harrison, Natsui chose not to.
Since the outcome is already decided, let's make the process more spectacular!
With a thought, Gardevoir reacted instantly.
It raised both arms and aimed Psychic at Blaziken, attempting to push it back. But Blaziken, driven by a do-or-die conviction, gritted its teeth and pushed through the invisible force, continuing its charge towards Gardevoir.
Although it looked shaky and its mind seemed hazy, the ferocity in its heart still drove it forward!
"Truly tenacious..."
Natsui said, shaking his head slightly. Though remarking on it, his tone remained calm.
At the same time, a bright light suddenly erupted from Gardevoir's eyes—a sign of its internal energy being pushed to the maximum. In the next second, a blinding light shot from its palms towards Blaziken!
The powerful Fairy-type move—Dazzling Gleam!
Under the Dazzling Gleam, even though it was daytime and the environment wasn't sensitive to light, the brilliance, like the sun itself, almost blinded Blaziken. Affected by this intense light, Blaziken felt as if its body was about to melt. Every step, every breath, was agony!
Most importantly, the light prevented it from opening its eyes, making it impossible to discern its direction. In a daze, it lost its sense of where to charge!
It's over...
Natsui sighed inwardly. Simultaneously, Gardevoir had teleported behind Blaziken and once again used Psychic, striking its back.
This time, Blaziken couldn't hold on any longer. Hit by the attack, it flew forward, its consciousness completely fading mid-air...
"Wow, Blaziken is down!"
In his trainer area, hearing the announcer's suddenly raised voice, Harrison, who had lowered his head, snapped his eyes open. Looking up, he saw his Blaziken crash to the ground, with Gardevoir standing behind it, slowly lowering its arms.
Although he hadn't seen how Gardevoir dodged or attacked, just seeing this scene allowed him to guess what had happened.
Sigh...
Still couldn't win?
Even in the end, Blaziken couldn't even touch Gardevoir...
"A devastating victory!" the announcer said. "Let's congratulate competitor Natsui for being the first to advance to the finals! His opponent will be determined in the other match held this afternoon!"
Recalling Blaziken, Harrison walked over to Natsui and shook his hand.
Looking at this handsome young man, who was several years younger than him, he said with sincere admiration, "Truly amazing. I was completely outmatched. After battling you, I feel like our strengths are on completely different levels."
"It's not as dramatic as you say," Natsui said humbly with a warm smile. "It's just that my Pokémon have undergone some unusual training that others haven't, which has honed their strength, and they happen to be quite talented."
Actually, Harrison's overall strength was slightly higher than Ash's.
It was just that their focus was different. Among Ash's Pokémon, Pikachu and Charizard were in a league of their own, while his others were somewhat weaker.
Harrison's Pokémon, on the other hand, while Blaziken was strong as his ace, his other Pokémon weren't bad either. He was a very well-rounded competitor.
Their styles were vastly different. Ash's potential ceiling was sky-high, his performance depending entirely on his condition that day. Harrison, however, had a higher floor, meaning if he could defeat Charizard and Pikachu, victory was almost assured against Ash.
But against Natsui, the result was different.
This explained why Natsui struggled somewhat against Ash but could completely dominate Harrison: Natsui's average Pokémon strength was undoubtedly higher than Harrison's!
Of course, the main reason for Natsui losing two rounds against Ash was that he hadn't used his strongest Pokémon, instead fielding the still-developing Dragonite and Scizor.
If he had used veterans like Gardevoir or Jolteon, Ash wouldn't have stood a chance!
But there were gains and losses. Because of those defeats, he believed Dragonite and Scizor would become stronger after this conference, eventually reaching the level of their predecessors.
Returning his thoughts to the present, since they weren't close, just like at the beginning, Natsui and Harrison exchanged only a few brief words. After the photographers took a picture of their handshake, they turned and walked back to their respective waiting rooms.
As soon as he entered the room, Natsui saw Ash's group beside Erika.
"When did you guys get here?" Natsui asked, surprised. The path from the stands to the waiting room was much longer than from the battlefield, yet these three had managed to arrive before him!
"We ran non-stop, of course!" Misty said with a bright smile, looking at Natsui. "Natsui, congratulations on reaching the finals!"
"Hehe!" Ash also said with a wide grin, though his smile wasn't as beautiful as Misty's, appearing rather silly and naive. "Big meal, big meal! I can't wait!"
It turned out that Ash knew Natsui treated them to a feast after every advancement. So, the moment he saw Natsui win, before Natsui even shook hands with Harrison, Ash had dragged Misty and Brock out of the stadium and rushed here.
Looking at the expectant Ash, Natsui couldn't help but laugh.
He'd never seen Ash so enthusiastic about anything other than food and battles!
"Of course, no problem. Let's go! Eat until we burst again today!"
The group went to a nearby restaurant and ordered a table full of food. However, since it was noon, Natsui wasn't that hungry. He watched TV while chatting idly with Erika, Misty, and Brock.
Only Ash and Pikachu were already gobbling down food.
Although it was already 1 PM, well past the main lunch rush, the restaurant wasn't very crowded.
The TV hanging on the wall was broadcasting today's other match. However, since it had just started, it was only at the competitor introduction stage. The two competitors in this match were Jon Dickson from the other bracket, and a trainer named Yamashita.
Looking at Jon Dickson's confident appearance and faint smile, Brock said, "If nothing unexpected happens, Jon Dickson should win this match, right?"
"Probably him," Misty said, nodding and glancing dismissively at Jon Dickson on the TV. "In that case, just as we predicted, the final match will be him against Natsui. But... hehe, he can only smile now. How could he possibly be Natsui's opponent!"
"You..." Natsui gently flicked Misty's forehead, making her stick out her tongue, and couldn't help but shake his head with a chuckle. "Don't jinx me. It's better not to say such things. What if I actually lose to him? Wouldn't that be embarrassing?"
Misty wasn't concerned at all. "Hehe, I believe in Natsui!"
As they spoke, the afternoon match officially began. Now, not only Natsui's group but even Ash stopped eating and focused their attention on the TV screen.
The battlefield in the Silver Stadium had been determined; they drew the Grass Field. Jon Dickson, as the first attacker, sent out an Exeggutor first, apparently wanting to utilize the field advantage and maneuver against Yamashita!
As his opponent, Yamashita sent out a Magcargo in response.
Given Jon Dickson's previous performance and dominance in the other bracket, everyone before the match assumed Jon Dickson would win by a large margin, just like Natsui. However, when the first battle began, it shocked everyone!
Although Exeggutor utilized the dense Grass Field, using Grass and Psychic moves to trouble Magcargo initially, the Fire-type Magcargo ultimately countered the Grass-type Exeggutor. When it began its counterattack, consecutive fire attacks burned Exeggutor relentlessly!
Perhaps Jon Dickson had underestimated his opponent, or perhaps after watching Natsui's battles and being heavily promoted by the Pokémon League, he saw himself as being on par with Natsui and underestimated the strength of other competitors' Pokémon. He didn't immediately switch out Exeggutor, wanting to turn the tide and win against the disadvantage!
But the consequences were dire. The burning directly took his Exeggutor out of the match!
As the referee raised the green flag, it signified that competitor Yamashita had taken the lead 1-0!
At this point, still, no one realized the severity of the situation.
The announcer even said with a chuckle, "It seems competitor Jon Dickson underestimated his opponent today, and with the type disadvantage, he stumbled in the first round. But don't worry, as the match progresses, I'm sure he'll adjust quickly!"
Although losing the first round was slightly surprising, it was just that.
After all, Jon Dickson's strength was well-established, while this competitor Yamashita had shown mediocre performance previously. No one believed he could defeat Jon Dickson.
Even Jon Dickson himself thought so!
However, what happened next left everyone's jaws on the floor again!
In the second round, Jon Dickson, no longer underestimating his opponent, sent out Ampharos, which wasn't weak to Fire-types. Yamashita, perhaps trusting his Magcargo, didn't switch and sent it out again.
When the battle began, it's unclear if Magcargo simply continued its outstanding performance, but although Jon Dickson initially showed strong aggression, and his Ampharos dealt significant damage to Magcargo under his command, Magcargo spewed flames, setting the entire Grass Field ablaze, completely changing the situation!
Flames instantly surrounded Ampharos!
Through the firelight, its pained cries could be clearly heard!
Fire feeds on grass, and grass fuels fire.
This is the characteristic of fire—destruction!
Unlike electricity or water, which dissipate into the air or ground if they miss, fire is different. As long as it touches something flammable, it will continue to burn until everything is consumed!
And this Grass Field undoubtedly provided ample fuel for the fire!
Jon Dickson frowned deeply.
He hadn't expected the situation to escalate like this. He wanted to recall Ampharos, but the red beam from the Poké Ball was blocked by the flames, unable to penetrate. He couldn't even see where Ampharos was!
He grew anxious, his earlier composure gone. But no matter how nervous he felt, the fire wouldn't extinguish based on his wishes. On the contrary, the flames quickly spread across the entire field, turning it into a sea of fire.
Spectators sitting close by could even feel the scorching heatwaves washing over them. Panicked, they could only lean back to avoid the heat.
Finally, when the flames subsided, Jon Dickson quickly looked onto the field and saw his Ampharos lying there, charred black and motionless!
He was shocked and rushed onto the field to check its condition. What he saw was alarming: Ampharos had suffered extremely severe burns. Not only was it unable to move, but its life was in danger. Without immediate treatment, it could die at any moment!
Fortunately, a nearby medical team consisting of two Chansey immediately administered emergency treatment to Ampharos, then carried it away on a stretcher towards the nearby aid station.
After a flurry of activity, the match resumed.
Although the situation was unexpected, it was within the rules. Fighting on different terrains naturally carried different risks.
However, after such an incident and two consecutive losses, Jon Dickson had to pull himself together and treat his opponent with caution.
He now truly realized that he shouldn't underestimate Yamashita just because of his previous mediocre performance!
After all, anyone who reached the Top 4 was formidable. You never knew who might be hiding a trump card. If he truly underestimated someone, he could very well be the one to stumble!
Fortunately, there was indeed a noticeable skill gap between the two.
Subsequently, Jon Dickson, not daring to be careless for even a moment, deployed his strongest lineup and managed to secure his place in the finals, successfully meeting Natsui as predicted!
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