"So strong!" Ritchie's face was full of amazement.
Poliwrath was the evolved form of Poliwhirl. In addition to its Water typing, it also gained the Fighting type.
A sturdy body, agile movements, and powerful Fighting-type techniques combined to make this Politoed overwhelmingly strong.
Of course, Poliwhirl couldn't evolve naturally—it needed a Water Stone to evolve into Poliwrath.
Seeing Captain Edson's Poliwrath, Ritchie suddenly thought of Yozora's Nidorino.
"Yozora, why hasn't your Nidorino evolved yet? With just one Moon Stone, it could evolve and become so much stronger, right?"
Ritchie looked puzzled, then added generously, "Or… do you not have a Moon Stone? If that's the case, I'll lend you one first."
He pulled out a mid-grade Moon Stone without hesitation.
Yozora was moved.
Ritchie was just an ordinary civilian. As a Trainer, expenses piled up everywhere.
A mid-grade Moon Stone was worth over a million Pokédollars—a fortune for someone like Ritchie. Yet he was willing to lend it without a second thought.
"No, thank you. My Nidorino only just evolved not long ago. I want it to settle down a bit more first," Yozora declined politely.
If a Pokémon evolved in rapid succession, its foundation would become unstable…
But more importantly, when Pokémon suddenly gained great power, they often developed arrogance—or even a sense of superiority.
In Yozora's eyes, a little pride wasn't a problem if one truly had strength. But arrogance? That was unacceptable.
Arrogance clouded the heart and blinded the eyes, stopping one from moving forward.
In the original timeline, Ash's Charizard was a prime example. Its evolution happened too quickly, its power rising too fast—causing it to grow arrogant.
An unstable foundation could be fixed through systematic training.
But a corrupted temperament was far harder to change. It required immense time, patience, and love.
Ash had managed to do it, and in the end, earned himself a mighty Charizard.
But in truth, prevention—avoiding such a situation in the first place—was the mark of a truly excellent Trainer.
"I see," Ritchie nodded with a smile.
He had only meant well. But since Yozora had his own plans, there was no need to insist.
To him, Yozora was of course a rival—an opponent. But at the same time, also a good friend.
He really wanted to see how far Yozora's strength could take him in this cruise ship tournament.Quarterfinals? Semifinals? Or even the finals?
"Reaching the top eight shouldn't be a problem," Ritchie thought to himself as he glanced at Yozora.
Among all the seeded players, Sherry's strength was perhaps on the weaker side. But of course…
Aside from her Pelipper, who was to say Sherry didn't have even stronger trump cards hidden away?
As the matches continued on stage…
Captain Edson, the blond gentleman, and the bald wanderer—all three seeded players advanced into the quarterfinals one after another.
Before long, it was Yozora versus Sherry.
At the host's grand introduction, both Trainers entered the arena from opposite sides and faced each other.
"Yozora, I told you before—if you kept winning, we'd meet sooner or later… but I didn't expect it to be this soon," Sherry said with a smile tinged with regret.
She truly admired Yozora's strength.
In her eyes, he absolutely had the ability to reach the top eight. It was just a pity… his luck had run out, meeting her this early. That meant his journey would end here.
"Yeah, I didn't expect to face you so soon either. But no matter who stands before me, I'll crush them," Yozora replied with a smile of his own, though his words carried an overwhelming dominance that made the crowd stir.
Everyone present could see it: Yozora's temperament was modest and gentle. But hidden beneath that exterior… was a fiercely unyielding will to win.
Young people were often competitive by nature.
Though Yozora carried two lifetimes' worth of experience, both were as a teenager. How could he escape that instinct?
"No wonder it's the quarterfinal decider—sparks are flying before the battle even begins!"
The host's voice boomed as the referee blew the whistle. The match began!
"Go, Pelipper!"
"Your turn, Pidgeotto!"
Both Trainers sent out their first Pokémon simultaneously. Both were Flying-types. The instant they took the field, they soared high into the sky.
Unlike simulations, real battles gave Flying Pokémon overwhelming environmental advantages.
Land-based Pokémon were bound to the ground. Flying Pokémon commanded the skies. The difference was an entire dimension.
That was why the best way to deal with Flying-types was usually to use another Flying-type.
Sherry's ace was her Pelipper. She had never hidden that fact.
Because of this, she practically forced her opponents to send out Flying-types too…
Of course, ground-bound Pokémon could defend, bide their time, and wait for an opening to strike back.
But compared to flashy aerial offense—how many Trainers would really choose to turtle up on defense?
"Pelipper, Water Gun!" Sherry commanded first.
Pelipper spat out a stream of water. The power and speed were average—clearly a probing attack.
"Climb fast and use Wing Attack!" Yozora ordered.
Pidgeotto shot upward in an instant, dodging the Water Gun. Its wings glowed with white light as it dove down, slicing through the air with a fierce gale aimed at Pelipper.
"Good!"
Sherry's eyes glimmered with a smile. She waited until Pidgeotto closed in—then shouted:
"Pelipper, open wide and swallow it whole!"
"What?!" Yozora's eyes widened.
Pelipper's beak was already enormous, nearly 80% of its body.
Now, as it opened its maw fully, it looked gargantuan.
Instead of dodging, Pelipper lunged forward—swallowing Pidgeotto, Wing Attack and all, in a single gulp.
A muffled thud echoed from inside. Then silence.
Pelipper had taken some damage from the strike.
But clearly, its beak had been trained specially. Its inner defenses must have been exceptionally tough.
The fact that Pelipper could swallow Pidgeotto's attack whole without even flinching said it all.
"Well done, Pelipper! Now store up energy—then spit it out!" Sherry called, laughing.
"Peliiip!"
Pelipper let out a low grunt, its whole body tensing as it built up force. Golden light flashed under its feet as its aura spiked sharply upward.
"Pffft—!"
In the next instant, Pelipper flung its beak wide open, blasting out a white shockwave.
Pidgeotto was hurled out like a ragdoll, slammed hard into the ground.
(End of Chapter)