Seeing Psyduck enter the arena, Ash was visibly delighted and happy, then, seemingly afraid that Misty might change her mind, he quickly ordered Kingler to attack.
Kingler moved sideways across the water, rushing rapidly toward Psyduck.
Perhaps because it had struggled too long in the water, or because Kingler's imposing manner was too intimidating, Psyduck seemed to have lost its fighting spirit. It just kept its head down, shivering on the stone pillar, leaving its large head completely exposed to Kingler.
Ash naturally would not miss such an opportunity.
Once Kingler rushed up to Psyduck, he didn't hesitate, immediately ordering Kingler to raise its massive pincer, clamp onto Psyduck's large, dazed head, and lift the entire Pokémon into the air!
As the pincer tightened, Psyduck writhed in agony, its plump body twisting and turning, which made the audience feel both sympathetic and slightly amused.
Everyone wondered: with no swimming ability and no will to fight, wasn't sending out such a Pokémon just for laughs?
Unlike the clueless audience, only Natsui and Brock in the stands shook their heads with a sense of helplessness at this sight.
Honestly, of all the places for Kingler to clamp, why did it have to clamp Psyduck's head?
It seemed Ash had gotten a little too complacent...
Had he forgotten that the more Psyduck's head hurts, the more powerful it becomes?
Sure enough, as Psyduck's pain became unbearable, a faint blue light suddenly emanated from its body.
Seeing Psyduck in this state, Ash finally had a delayed realization, seemingly recalling some bad memory. His expression changed drastically, and he urgently commanded Kingler to release its pincer.
But it was already too late to do anything.
In an instant, a psychic shockwave erupted from Psyduck's center. Before Kingler could react, the shockwave swept over it, violently slamming it away!
Kingler flew backward until it collided with Ash, finally stopping.
The collision sent Ash and Kingler tumbling, and when Ash got up to look, he saw Kingler's eyes had turned into spirals—it had fainted immediately!
The referee raised the flag and announced the result. The audience was stunned by the outcome; they never expected the embarrassing Psyduck to possess such great power!
Had it been hiding its strength earlier?
In the lounge, Natsui also showed a hint of surprise when he saw Misty win the match.
He had actually overlooked this detail; otherwise, he might have tried to prevent them from facing each other so early. But, winning against a partner is better than being eliminated by someone else!
After a short break, the arena was quickly prepared for Natsui's match against his opponent.
With his strength, using Blastoise or Gyarados was like bringing a cannon to a knife fight. In these local cup matches, his usual strategy was overwhelmingly dominant.
Walking through the competitor tunnel, he recalled the conversation he had last night with Koharu about retrieving Gyarados.
They had talked via video call, and Koharu's jaw dropped when she learned he might use Gyarados for the competition!
The towering presence of the Red Gyarados at Professor Sakuragi Park was overwhelming; even lying still in the water, Professor Sakuragi and the others barely dared to approach it due to its sheer intimidation!
Even the two assistants, Chrysa and Ren, felt Gyarados's murderous gaze when watching it from afar!
In the entire lab, only Koharu firmly believed that Natsui's Pokémon would not harm her, allowing her to confidently approach Gyarados.
Even without having witnessed it in battle, Koharu knew from Gyarados's undeniable aura just how terrifying it would be in a fight.
Therefore, while she was shocked that Natsui was retrieving Gyarados, she couldn't help but pity his opponents.
Of course, for Natsui, using his Blastoise was usually enough for general situations; he probably wouldn't need Gyarados for a while.
When Natsui entered the arena, the audience cheered loudly, and even Maya in the viewing box focused her attention on him.
Natsui's clean and decisive battles in the first two days had quickly won him a large number of supporters, so many people were cheering him on now.
Natsui wondered if it was his imagination, but he felt there were more security personnel around Maya today. Not only was Officer Jenny standing next to her, but a dozen other security guards also surrounded her.
Had something happened?
Without time to dwell on it, Natsui reached the Trainer's command area, standing across the water from his opponent.
His opponent this time was an elderly man, gray-haired, leaning on a cane, unable to even stand up straight.
However, the light in the old man's eyes was sharp, suggesting he was not a simple character.
Seeing both of them ready, the referee signaled the start. Both simultaneously released their Pokémon. Compared to Natsui's consistent Blastoise, the old man sent out a Tentacruel to face him.
From the videos he had reviewed, Natsui knew that this Tentacruel was likely the strongest Pokémon the old man had revealed so far.
Sending it out in the first round clearly indicated a plan to go all out and try to defeat Blastoise directly.
This strategy was undoubtedly sound, and the old man had clearly watched Natsui's previous matches and specifically studied Blastoise's characteristics. As a result, when the battle started, Tentacruel and Blastoise exchanged attacks, managing to fight back and forth for a time!
However, this was a futile struggle. Although it presented some difficulty for Natsui, Blastoise was ultimately superior in strength. Following Natsui's command, it found the right moment and finished the fight in a single move!
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