"Heh, naïve. Use Hydro Pump!"
After Graveler tucked in its limbs and rolled forward like a boulder, Yozora let out a cold laugh and gave his order.
"BOOM—!"
A pressurized jet of water erupted from Psyduck's beak, blasting straight into Graveler's body. With no resistance whatsoever, it was as if Yozora had just spiked a volleyball. Graveler was sent hurtling through the air and crashed down with a thunderous impact.
"Rumble…"
The ground shook as Graveler landed heavily, already unconscious.
"Graveler is unable to battle!"
"The match is over! Contestant Yozora is the winner!"
As the referee declared the result, Denji's eyes went blank. His knees gave way, and he collapsed helplessly.
So much for being a so-called rising star among the younger generation—he had thought he could at least take one win off Yozora. Instead, both of his Pokémon had been instantly crushed…
"Amazing! Contestant Yozora is absolutely amazing! His Charmander and Psyduck are both incredible! With their help, Yozora is without a doubt worthy of entering the tournament's top eight!"
The announcer's passionate voice rang out as the stadium erupted into thunderous cheers.
As the third round continued, more and more strong contenders were revealed to the audience. Yozora, Captain, and Sherry were naturally among them.
There was also a blond gentleman and a bald wanderer.
The crowd judged that these five possessed power above the tournament's average level. They were hailed as the ones with the potential to break into the top eight, with each also seen as possible champions.
When the third round concluded, half of the remaining trainers were eliminated. From 128, only 64 remained.
And these 64 were almost all Senior Level Trainers, their strength not far apart.
From the fourth round onward, every battle became truly thrilling—close, hard-fought struggles one after another.
Ritchie soon found himself in such a battle.
By now, aside from his partner Sparky, he had also captured two new Pokémon: Charmander and Butterfree.
Ritchie was the type of trainer who, like a gamer, loved giving his Pokémon nicknames. He called Pikachu "Sparky," Charmander "Zippo," and Butterfree "Happy."
All three of his Pokémon were evenly matched in strength, each at the early Senior Level.
In the end, Ritchie managed a hard-fought victory when Happy's Sleep Powder put the opponent's Charmeleon to sleep, allowing him to finish with a Tackle.
It had been a difficult win for Ritchie.
Meanwhile, Yozora's fourth-round opponent was a young man named Ryue.
Yozora's overwhelming strength had long since made him famous, so naturally he was carefully studied and targeted by others.
Thus, Ryue sent out a Wartortle to face Yozora's Charmander.
"Yozora, your Charmander is very strong. Even though it hasn't evolved, its strength already surpasses all the Charmeleons here."
Smiling, Ryue first acknowledged Yozora's power, then suddenly grinned. "But so what? Against my Wartortle, you don't stand a chance!"
"Is that so?" Yozora remained unconvinced.
After all, Ryue's Wartortle was only at the early Senior Level.
Even with the type disadvantage, Charmander's higher level should allow it to put up a fight. After all, Wartortle wasn't Graveler.
Though Wartortle had decent defense, it couldn't compare to that rock-hard brute.
"Hmph, since you don't believe me, I'll prove it with strength! Wartortle, use Water Gun!"
The moment he heard the command, Yozora couldn't help but feel disappointed.
Just a Water Gun?
Then what are you so arrogant about?
He smiled faintly to himself. Not every Water-type Pokémon had the kind of natural gift his Psyduck did. Without such talent, it was only natural that a Senior Level Wartortle couldn't yet wield a move like Hydro Pump.
"Charmander, counter with Flamethrower!" Yozora commanded sharply.
Fire roared forth, colliding head-on with Wartortle's Water Gun.
Nothing revealed the truth better than comparison.
When Flamethrower and Water Gun clashed, the crowd immediately realized Charmander's flames were more than twice as thick as Wartortle's water stream—its power was on a completely different level.
"BOOM—!"
Flamethrower blasted through Water Gun without the slightest resistance, engulfing Wartortle completely.
"Good! Keep it up—Fire Spin!"
Charmander's flames surged without pause, swirling upward into a blazing vortex that trapped Wartortle inside.
The audience was left wide-eyed, stunned into silence.
They couldn't believe it. A Charmander—against type advantage—was utterly thrashing a Wartortle!
If it had been a Charmeleon, maybe that would make sense. But this was a Charmander!
The raging Fire Spin finally died down after several long seconds. When the flames cleared, Wartortle was revealed, charred black and already unconscious on the ground.
"Wartortle is unable to battle!" the referee declared coldly.
Ryue's body trembled as his heart sank.
To him, his Wartortle was strong enough. Against a Charmander, it held an absolute advantage in typing…
But even Wartortle had fallen. Which of his other Pokémon could possibly stand against that Charmander?
He asked himself honestly—and found no answer.
With a bitter laugh, Ryue raised his hand in surrender.
Yozora was victorious once more, advancing smoothly!
By the end of the fourth round, only 32 trainers remained. Each one was undeniably powerful.
"Yozora, I feel like I'm already at my limit… But you're still calm, almost effortless." Ritchie looked at Yozora with deep awe.
He had thought his month of training had finally brought him close to Yozora.
Instead, not only had he failed to catch up, but the gap between them had only grown wider.
"…"
Yozora smiled faintly, just about to comfort him. After all, for a rookie trainer, Ritchie had already achieved something remarkable by winning so many matches in a row.
But before he could speak, the fifth-round matchups were announced.
The big screen began to roll, and all the remaining trainers stared intently, eager to see their next opponents.
When the names stopped, Yozora and Ritchie froze.
They had been matched against each other.
After a brief moment of surprise, Ritchie instead broke into a grin. "This is great, Yozora. If I can battle you, then this journey was worth it!"
Yozora gave him a small nod.
After lunch, the fifth round soon began.
And Yozora's and Ritchie's match was called.
"Go, Nidorino!"
"Your turn, Zippo!"
At the referee's signal, both trainers sent out their first Pokémon.
"Uh…"
The sight of Yozora's Nidorino left Ritchie momentarily stunned.
(End of Chapter)