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Kai tossed a Poké Ball into the air. With a flash of blue light, his trusted Gardevoir appeared gracefully on the Rock Field.
From his analysis yesterday, Kai knew that Ash had roughly a dozen usable Pokémon at this point not counting the herd of Tauros back at Professor Oak's ranch.
Any one of them could appear, and although Kai had always treated Ash like a younger brother, he never underestimated him. If he got careless, he could lose.
That was why he opened with Gardevoir his most reliable partner.
Across the field, Ash exhaled sharply. He had spent the previous day with Brock going over Kai's team in detail. They both knew Kai's lineup was stacked with powerhouses his Gengar and red Gyarados especially stood out as terrifying threats. Ash couldn't afford a single mistake.
"Go, Donphan!" Ash shouted, hurling his first Poké Ball.
The sturdy Armor Pokémon landed with a heavy thud, curling its body in readiness.
Kai blinked, surprised for a moment, then smirked. "Donphan, huh? Makes sense. Out of your team, it's the one least disadvantaged against Gardevoir."
The referee signaled the start and the battle began!
Ash wasted no time. "Donphan, Rollout go!"
Donphan tucked in and spun forward like a living boulder, its momentum rattling the ground as it barreled toward Gardevoir.
"Stop it, Gardevoir!" Kai commanded.
Gardevoir extended her psychic power, trying to restrain the rolling Donphan. But the jagged rocks scattered across the arena gave Donphan cover, and its speed made it difficult to pin down.
The crowd gasped as Donphan launched off a slanted boulder, spinning through the air like a cannonball aimed straight at Gardevoir.
But Kai only gave a calm nod. "Teleport."
In a flash, Gardevoir vanished, reappearing behind Donphan. Before the Armor Pokémon could react, Gardevoir's eyes glowed and she hurled it across the battlefield with a devastating Psychic attack.
CRASH!
Donphan smashed through a large rock, shattering it into fragments. Thanks to its thick armor plating, it wasn't badly hurt, but the impact still shook the stadium.
In the stands, Brock sighed. "Just like we thought… Gardevoir is the toughest wall in Kai's team besides Gengar. We planned for this, but it's still going to be brutal."
He recalled their long strategy session yesterday trying every combination until they concluded Donphan was Ash's best shot against Gardevoir. Donphan wasn't weak to Psychic, and its ability to curl up reduced the damage from falls. On paper, it was the best option.
And the Rock Field should've helped its boulders break Gardevoir's line of sight. But in practice, things weren't going as planned.
Come on, Ash… find a way through this, Brock thought, worry tightening in his chest.
Beside him, Misty sat quietly, refusing to cheer for either side. Both Trainers were her friends. Normally she'd tease Ash to fire him up, but this was the Silver Conference. She didn't want to risk throwing off his focus. Even so, she couldn't help but feel a flicker of pride as she watched Kai battle.
Back on the field, Donphan tried once more to spring off a rock and crash down on Gardevoir. But Kai's voice cut sharply:
"Psychic—now!"
A second blast of psychic energy slammed into Donphan mid-air, sending it flying out of bounds. The crowd roared as it skidded to a stop against the stadium wall.
The referee raised his flag. "Donphan is unable to battle! The first round goes to Kai!"
Ash grimaced, recalling Donphan. The battle had ended too fast Donphan hadn't even taken much damage, yet it was eliminated. He clenched his fist, then quickly grabbed his next Poké Ball.
"Go—Noctowl!"
With a burst of light, Ash's rare shiny Noctowl appeared, its golden feathers glinting under the sun as it spread its wings majestically.
Kai couldn't help but grin, his eyes gleaming with envy. 'Man… I want one more shiny Pokémon too…'
Shaking it off, he returned Gardevoir and threw out his next choice.
"Your turn—Jolteon!"
The Electric-type hit the field, sparks dancing across its spiky fur.
This time, Kai planned to use the terrain to his advantage.
As the match resumed, Jolteon darted rapidly among the rocks, its speed making it a blur. Noctowl dove and swooped, but every strike came up empty as Jolteon juked, turned, and leapt off boulders to escape pursuit.
From the Trainer's box, Delia's face tensed with worry. She had brought a camera to capture Ash's Silver Conference highlights, but so far, he hadn't landed a solid hit.
"Don't worry," Professor Oak said beside her, his voice steady. "Remember Gary's match? Ash was behind at first, then too, but he turned it around. All we can do now is trust him. Ash will find a way."
Delia nodded slowly, though her eyes betrayed her concern. She liked Kai and respected him, even. But compared to him, Gary had been a lesser challenge. Facing Kai felt like climbing a mountain.
Could Ash really overcome him?
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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