The second match of the semifinals was about to begin.
Yozora stepped onto the stage alongside his opponent, a bald monk-like trainer. This man specialized in Fighting- and Rock-type Pokémon, and his previous roster consisted of Machoke, Hitmonchan, and Golem.
For this match, he chose the very same three Pokémon again.
Among them, Machoke and Hitmonchan were relatively weaker, both only at the mid-Senior level. As Fighting-types, they were naturally countered by Psyduck's psychic powers.
Psyduck effortlessly swept the two of them.
Next came Golem. Its level was much higher, reaching the peak of the Senior tier. Unfortunately, its quadruple weakness to Water left it vulnerable.
A single Hydro Pump from Psyduck blasted it off the field.
Just like that, Yozora claimed an unexpectedly easy victory, defeating all three of his opponent's Pokémon with Psyduck alone.
"That Psyduck… it's far stronger than I imagined."Offstage, Sherry rubbed her chin in thought.
She realized that every one of Yozora's Pokémon had its own unique traits. More frightening still was that nearly all of them possessed extraordinary talent, capable of fighting far above their level.
When the semifinals concluded, only Yozora and the blond gentleman advanced to the final match.
The grand finals were scheduled for 2:30 in the afternoon.
After lunch, Yozora used the spare time to visit the leisure area, where he had professional staff massage and tend to his Charmeleon and Psyduck, helping them relax their muscles and recover their strength.
At that moment, he suddenly noticed how much his team had changed.
The playful little partners of the past had disappeared. Now, his lineup had grown… formidable.
Kangaskhan and Pidgeot were enormous in size.Charmeleon and Nidorino had developed considerable physiques as well. While not exactly "giant" Pokémon, they were no longer small either.
Only Psyduck still remained small in stature.
As for Beedrill, Yozora kept that ace in reserve and didn't release it here.
"How confident are you, Yozora, about the finals?"Ritchie, also having his own Pokémon tended to, glanced over and asked.
At the sound of his question, the five Pokémon Yozora had brought all opened their eyes at once.
Clearly, they hadn't let the comfort lull them into complacency. They were just as invested in the coming finals as their trainer was.
"There's no such thing as absolute confidence. All we need to do is fight in our own style…"Yozora shook his head, then smiled at his five partners."Right, everyone?"
"Roooar!""Psy!""Pidgeot!""Graah!""Nido!"
All five nodded in unison.
Though Yozora spoke lightly, they knew he also longed for victory. That meant if they were chosen to battle, they would give it everything they had.
Sherry entered from outside just in time to see the scene. A glint of admiration flickered in her eyes.
The bond between Yozora and his Pokémon was astonishingly deep. This was nothing like the work of a rookie trainer.
Even veteran trainers who had been in the field for years would envy such seamless understanding with their partners.
"Yozora, I just dug up some information on Derrick. Want to hear it?"Sherry sat down with a smile, clearly having just used a computer to search for data.
The "Derrick" she mentioned was none other than the blond gentleman—Yozora's opponent in the finals.
"Oh? Let's hear it." Yozora's eyes lit up.
"Though I only found a little…"Sherry chuckled. "It's about his youth. He started his journey in the Unova region. His starter Pokémon was a Tepig."
Yozora froze for a moment before responding, "So, among his main battlers, there's a high chance one of them is an Emboar, then?"
For a trainer, the starter Pokémon always held a unique significance.
No matter how many partners a trainer later acquired, it was difficult to forget the very first one.
Most trainers were like this. Derrick likely wouldn't be an exception.
If his starter was Tepig, then after so many years, it must have long since evolved into Emboar.
"Exactly. Emboar is a Fire- and Fighting-type Pokémon. Water beats Fire, and Psychic suppresses Fighting. Yozora, your Psyduck has a big type advantage against Emboar."Sherry smiled knowingly.
"Psy!"
Psyduck's eyes gleamed. It sneaked a glance at Charmeleon beside it, a smug grin spreading across its bill.
As if to say: Next round, you can just stay on the bench and watch me shine.
"Huff…"
Charmeleon, sprawled on the massage chair, snorted a tiny spark from its nose, turning its head away proudly after being shown up.
Things were different now.
Back when it was just a Charmander, it hadn't feared water much, but still couldn't beat Psyduck.
But now that it had evolved into Charmeleon, its strength had skyrocketed.
In its mind, aside from Beedrill, it was Yozora's ace. There was no need to waste pride on that blue duck.
"?!" Psyduck blinked, stunned by Charmeleon's dismissive look. Then anger flickered in its eyes.
Oh, so that's how it is, huh? Back when you were just a little Charmander, you couldn't even touch me. I went easy on you, didn't rub it in.
Now you've evolved, and suddenly you think you're hot stuff? Strutting around like you're the boss?
Damn it, why haven't I evolved yet?! With strength like mine, I should've evolved ages ago!
Watching its teammates evolve one by one, Psyduck felt a wave of anxious frustration rise in its chest.
"Psyduck, huh?" Yozora nodded lightly. Its power truly was remarkable.
But—
If Derrick's ace really was Emboar, then that Emboar would almost certainly be Commander-tier.
Psyduck, on the other hand, was only at mid-Senior level. With its strong ability it could chip away at the opponent, sure… but to actually defeat it? That was impossible.
In fact—
Yozora had already planned ahead. No matter what Derrick brought out, he had decided to rely on three Pokémon: Charmeleon, Psyduck, and Kangaskhan.
Charmeleon as the main attacker, Psyduck and Kangaskhan for attrition.
"Well then, Miss Sherry, thank you for going to the trouble." Yozora smiled.
Sherry shook her head with a laugh. "I only found a little. And besides, it might not even be Emboar."
Yozora nodded and said no more, quietly awaiting the battle.
At 2:30 that afternoon, the finals of the cruise tournament finally began.
At the announcer's grand introduction, Yozora and the blond gentleman, Derrick, stepped onto the stage, facing each other from opposite ends of the arena.
(End of Chapter)