Staring at the scoreboard, Seifon felt his heart sink. Of the three red lights that had been lit, only one remained. He clenched his fists, released, clenched again, released again…
This was the Indigo Conference. He had thought he could finally show his strength, break through into the top eight.
But now? Forget about the quarterfinals—even in just the second round of the preliminaries, he was already struggling.
"This will be my last chance. I don't want to leave behind any regrets. Go, Pidgeot!"
With a piercing cry, Seifon finally sent out his last Pokémon—Pidgeot.
At the same time, the third red light on Seifon's scoreboard flickered, displaying Pidgeot's image.
It was worth noting—
This was clearly a Grass Field. Yet Seifon's chosen lineup consisted of Scyther, Charmeleon, and Pidgeot.
Not a single Grass-type among them.
But Scyther's Bug + Flying typing, Charmeleon's Fire-type, and Pidgeot's Flying-type—all were natural counters against Grass Pokémon.
Seifon had been certain that Yozora would send out Grass-types, giving him a perfect opportunity to strike.
And yet…
Yozora had only used a single Nidorino—and crushed him this far.
"Fly, Pidgeot! Use Hurricane!" The third battle began, and Seifon immediately launched the first attack.
Seifon's Pidgeot wasn't especially impressive—around 140 centimeters tall. That was large compared to a Pidgeotto, of course, but for a Pidgeot, it was only average.
Its level was barely passable too, just scraping into Commander-tier, low stage.
"Whrrr—!"
Under Seifon's command, Pidgeot soared high into the air, beating its great wings furiously. A violent storm swirled downward, covering a wide range, crashing toward Nidorino.
Yet Nidorino merely furrowed its brow. Its four hooves pressed firmly into the ground, not budging an inch.
It had taken almost no damage at all.
"No effect?!"
Cold sweat rolled down Seifon's face. "If Hurricane doesn't work, then physical attacks! Pidgeot, use Wing Attack!"
Without hesitation, he switched tactics.
Pidgeot cried sharply, gathering strength. Its broad wings gleamed with a fierce white light, as if it were wielding twin blades of pure radiance. With a powerful slash, it struck directly at Nidorino.
Boom!
The sound echoed as Pidgeot's glowing left wing slammed into Nidorino, hurling it violently across the field.
Nidorino hit the ground hard, clearly injured.
Meanwhile, Pidgeot wheeled around, triumphant, returning high into the air.
But—
One, two, three—less than three seconds later, Pidgeot's expression twisted in agony. With a shrill cry, it plummeted like a dead bird, crashing into the ground.
A deep purple wound had appeared on its left wing, the venom spreading wildly. In only a few seconds, the entire wing had been dyed a sickly violet.
And the poison continued to creep toward its chest.
Pidgeot's eyes squeezed shut, its face drenched in sweat. It had already lost consciousness.
"W-what…?! Pidgeot!" Seifon's eyes widened in disbelief.
What kind of terrifying poison was this? Instant knockout—in seconds?!
"Pidgeot is unable to battle! Nidorino wins!" The referee raised the red flag toward Nidorino.
"Unbelievable! That Nidorino's venom is astonishing—knocking out a massive Pidgeot in mere seconds! Truly a Venom King Pokémon!" the referee exclaimed in awe.
At that moment—
On the scoreboard, all three of Seifon's red lights went dark. His image vanished from the screen.
Only Yozora's portrait remained—his three red lights still shining bright.
The first light displayed Nidorino's image. The other two had nothing yet.
This meant—Yozora had won the entire match with just one Pokémon. A clean three-on-one sweep!
Another sweep!
"Waaaahhh!" The crowd erupted.
Yozora's strength was overwhelming. Every time he stepped onto the stage, he delivered a performance that left the audience breathless. Each battle carved his name deeper into their memory.
"He's so strong! That's Yozora for you—his power is incredible!" From the stands, Ash and his friends gaped in admiration.
During his own second match, Ash had also won with ease.
But compared to Yozora's flawless sweep, the gap was obvious.
And more than that—
They knew that Nidorino wasn't even Yozora's trump card. At most, it was one of his main Pokémon.
Meaning that if Yozora chose to use his true ace, the strength would be far beyond this!
After the match ended, it was already eight in the evening. Yozora stepped outside the arena to feel the night breeze.
"Ahh! It's Yozora!"
"It's really him!"
"Yozora-kun, I love your Golden Magikarp so much! Can I take a photo with you—and with your Magikarp too?"
Everywhere he walked, people stopped him, calling out.
Clearly, Yozora's name was beginning to spread.
Of course, he still wasn't on the level of the truly famous veterans, but among rookie trainers, he was already a star.
"Sorry," Yozora answered politely. "Today was a Grass Field match, so I didn't bring Magikarp with me."
"Then… then can we at least take a photo with just you?" The girl didn't give up, pressing hopefully.
"…Alright."
"Click! Click! Click!"
What was supposed to be one picture turned into a long line. More and more people gathered. It took almost ten minutes before Yozora could finally escape.
He sighed in exasperation. I only have a little bit of fame, and it's already like this. What will happen if I become truly famous?
That thought alone made his head ache.
"Hey, you there! Don't you girls want to take a photo with me, the great Ash? I've also advanced to the third round of the preliminaries!" Ash marched over proudly, Brock and Misty following behind. From a distance, he had seen the girls crowding around Yozora, and assumed they'd do the same for him.
But as he strode past… they didn't even spare him a glance.
They brushed right by him, as if he didn't exist. Ash's face burned red with humiliation.
"Who even are you? Hmph! You've only made it to round three of the preliminaries. If you want to be famous, try making it into the main tournament first!"
"That's right! Yozora has a Dratini and a Golden Magikarp—what do you have? Nothing! Why would anyone care about you?"
"Hmph, what a clueless jerk…" The girls scolded him one after another, hands on their hips, before walking off.
Ash stood frozen on the spot.
So this was how the crowd saw him? Compared to Yozora, he was… this insignificant?
His shoulders sagged, his eyes dim. Brock and Misty, however, tried hard to suppress their laughter.
Ash had been getting a little too full of himself lately. A little setback, a little frustration, would do him good.
"Damn it! I'll make it to the main tournament, just you watch!" Ash soon snapped back, raising his fist and shouting into the night sky.
(End of Chapter)