Chapter 44: Lillie's Tears
After dinner, everyone arrived at the Grass Field to watch Lillie's match. Her opponent was a powerful trainer named Serge from the Johto region—a seasoned competitor with several years of battle experience.
Their starting Pokémon were Crobat and Clefairy, with Lillie having the type advantage. Recently, following Ryan's revelation of the Fairy-type, research papers from various professors had been published. Professor Elm from Johto and Professor Oak had also unveiled the Dark-type and Steel-type classifications, and new Eevee evolutions were being discovered one after another. The world of Pokémon research was evolving rapidly, and finding rare Pokémon based on old knowledge would likely become much more difficult. The competitive landscape was changing dramatically.
Serge proved to be formidable. Despite the type advantage, he skillfully outmaneuvered Clefairy through superior tactics and experience, ultimately forcing a mutual knockout that ended the first round in a draw.
The two trainers then sent out their second Pokémon: Serge chose Eelektross, while Lillie sent out Nidoqueen. Ryan couldn't help but note Lillie's fortunate matchup. Nidoqueen's Ground-type immunity protected her from Eelektross's Electric-type attacks, but Eelektross's Levitate ability also made it immune to Nidoqueen's Ground-type moves. From a strategic standpoint, it seemed like an even match.
"Nidoqueen, use Attract!" Lillie commanded.
Nidoqueen struck a charming pose toward Eelektross, who immediately responded with hearts in its eyes, successfully falling under the infatuation status. Lillie seized the opportunity and called out, "Nidoqueen, full power Ice Beam!"
Serge shouted Eelektross's name, hoping to snap it out of its infatuated state, but it was no use for the moment. The Ice Beam struck Eelektross directly, instantly freezing the Electric-type solid.
"Wow, Lillie's luck is incredible!" Ryan gasped from the stands. Mallow and the others beside him nodded in amazement at Lillie's fortune.
Eelektross had no visible gender differences, so Lillie's Attract was essentially a gamble on it being male—and she had guessed correctly. Her follow-up Ice Beam scored a critical hit, instantly freezing the EleFish Pokémon and giving her a commanding advantage.
Seeing Eelektross trapped in ice, Lillie called out confidently, "Finish it, Nidoqueen! Hyper Beam!"
Nidoqueen opened her mouth and gathered intense energy, unleashing a devastating Hyper Beam that shattered the ice and defeated Eelektross in one powerful blast. Serge looked frustrated as he recalled his Pokémon—being defeated before he could even execute a single move would irritate any trainer. However, it also demonstrated that Lillie had developed solid battle instincts combined with remarkable luck.
Serge sent out his final Pokémon: Aggron. Ryan stroked his chin, feeling uneasy about the matchup. Lillie had already used Attract, Ice Beam, and Hyper Beam. He doubted Serge would send out another male Pokémon, making Attract useless. Meanwhile, both Ice Beam and Hyper Beam would be resisted by Aggron's Steel typing, dealing minimal damage. Her current moveset was severely limited against this opponent.
"Nidoqueen, strike first! Earthquake!" Lillie made a quick decision.
Earthquake's Ground-type attack would be super effective against the Steel/Rock-type Aggron, but Ryan wasn't optimistic about Nidoqueen's chances—this Aggron seemed far more powerful than her previous opponents.
"Endure it, then Heavy Slam!" Serge commanded calmly.
"That's bad news—this Aggron has the Heavy Metal ability!" Ryan immediately realized the danger. Heavy Slam's power increased dramatically based on the weight difference between the user and target.
A normal Aggron weighed 360 kg, but the Heavy Metal ability doubled that weight to 720 kg, while Nidoqueen weighed only 60 kg. The massive weight difference would make Heavy Slam devastatingly powerful—potentially a one-hit knockout.
However, this ability also had a significant drawback: the extra weight came with reduced speed. An experienced trainer could easily deploy a fast Pokémon to outmaneuver and wear down such a heavy opponent. But Lillie clearly wasn't aware of this strategy!
"Nidoqueen, another Earthquake!" Seeing Aggron withstand the first Earthquake and then charge forward with slow but tremendous force, Lillie, still confident in Nidoqueen's durability, decided to press the attack with another Earthquake.
The second Earthquake and Heavy Slam connected simultaneously. The impact sent Nidoqueen flying across the grass field, leaving a deep groove in the ground before she crashed heavily into the stadium wall, creating a massive crater in the concrete barrier. She was immediately unable to battle.
Ryan winced at the sheer brutality of the attack. "That was excessive," he muttered, his expression darkening.
"Nidoqueen!" Lillie cried out heartbrokenly as she recalled her injured Pokémon. Ryan immediately leaped down from the stands, took Nidoqueen's Poké Ball from Lillie's trembling hands, and rushed her to the Pokémon Center. Nidoqueen's injuries were severe—it was likely she wouldn't be able to participate in any future battles this tournament.
By the time Ryan returned from the Pokémon Center to the competition venue, Lillie had already lost the match. She had sent out Omastar against Aggron, but her distraction over Nidoqueen's condition had cost her focus in the battle, ultimately allowing Serge to claim victory.
Seeing Ryan return, Lillie couldn't hold back her tears any longer. She collapsed into his arms, her sobs soaking through his shirt as she grieved for her injured partner.
As Serge prepared to leave the battlefield, Ryan called out to him, "Aren't you going to say anything?"
"What's there to say? Winning and losing is part of being a trainer. If you can't accept defeat, you're not qualified to compete," Serge replied coldly. "That Nidoqueen couldn't beat my Aggron simply because it wasn't trained well enough."
Ryan's anger flared, and he replied with barely controlled fury, "While you might be stating facts, your attitude is what really bothers me. I'm protective of those I care about. Pray we don't cross paths again, or I'll show you what true despair feels like."
The experience gap between a veteran trainer with three or four years of competitive experience and a rookie who'd just started her journey was vast. Even if Serge was technically correct, why didn't he acknowledge the difference in experience and training time? Most importantly, Pokémon battles typically involved holding back to some degree—no decent trainer would use such ruthless tactics that rendered an opponent's Pokémon completely unable to compete for the rest of the tournament. Such behavior truly called one's character into question.
After leaving the arena with Lillie and rejoining their friends, they all headed to the Pokémon Center. Nidoqueen was still in the emergency room undergoing treatment, and they could only wait anxiously for news. Lillie stared at the floor in despair while Lusamine held her close, offering what comfort she could.
Ryan's mind was already racing ahead to tomorrow's matches. He had checked the tournament bracket and discovered that Serge would be competing at the Ice Field arena. Ryan was determined to arrange a meeting with his opponent—one way or another.
Looking at Lillie's devastated expression, Ryan felt his resolve strengthen. Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.
(End of Chapter)
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