Natsume had long, waterfall-like black hair, glasses perched on her nose, and wore a flowing dress.
She was two years older than Yozora, no rookie, and carried herself with the calm, seasoned air of a true veteran.
In terms of presence, compared to her, Yozora still looked a little too green.
"Now entering the arena is Natsume, hailing from Celadon City!" the announcer introduced her to the crowd. "She's a well-known Water-type specialist who even manages her own aquarium! In previous matches, she often relied on her Water-type Pokémon to sweep her opponents. And today, fighting on the Water Field, she'll be like a fish in the sea!"
"A Water-type trainer who runs an aquarium at home… Isn't she just an upgraded version of Misty?!" From the stands, Ash's jaw dropped when he heard the announcer.
At those words—
Three black lines immediately popped up across Misty's forehead.
"What do you mean, 'an upgraded Misty'?! I'm way stronger than her!" Misty snapped, throwing a pink fist down hard on Ash's head.
"Ow! That hurts!"
Ash yelped, clutching the swelling bump, but in the spirit of "a gentleman doesn't fight women," he didn't retaliate. His mouth, however, was merciless:
"Stronger than her? Ha! Don't kid yourself. She made it all the way to the fifth round of the Indigo Conference prelims. What about you? Aside from the Cascade Badge you hand out at your own Gym, you don't even have a single Badge to your name! What are you acting so smug for?"
"I—!"
Misty froze, her anger choking in her throat. Deep down, she felt guilty too.
After all, she wasn't the official Gym Leader yet, just a Gym trainer. In terms of strength, Ash had already left her far behind.
And Natsume's power… was probably not below Ash's either.
"I don't care!" Misty huffed, cheeks red. "I'm one of a kind! Even if she's stronger than me now, in the future she'll never be my match! I'll become the world's greatest Water-type Pokémon Master!"
"Sure, sure. You're the strongest," Ash replied half-heartedly with a shrug.
"..."
That nonchalant tone only made Misty angrier. She pummeled Ash's head with several more lumps before he finally fell quiet.
Meanwhile, the match began.
At the referee's signal, both Yozora and Natsume sent out their first Pokémon.
Yozora, of course, chose Magikarp.
Magikarp was a pure aquatic lifeform, useless on land. Now that he'd finally drawn the Water Field, Yozora naturally wanted to give it a chance to shine.
It was worth noting that in its last appearance on the Water Field, Magikarp had taken down three opponents in a row, gaining a huge surge of experience.
Nearly a month had passed since then, and its level had once again broken through, reaching the very peak of the Senior tier.
Unfortunately… it was still just a Magikarp.
If it could evolve into Gyarados, then its strength would truly skyrocket!
Across from him, Natsume released a Starmie.
Starmie was the evolved form of Staryu.
Its body was a gleaming purple star, with a massive red jewel glittering in the center like a radiant ruby crystal.
Starmie (Water + Psychic): Commander-tier, Lord potential.
Compared to Staryu, Starmie gained the Psychic type, becoming a dual-type Water/Psychic Pokémon. It was adept at techniques such as Water Gun, Swift, Rapid Spin, and Psychic.
"Magikarp!"
The golden-scaled Magikarp splashed into the pool, while Starmie balanced effortlessly atop a floating platform.
Being amphibious, Starmie possessed formidable battle power both in and out of the water.
Once the referee confirmed both sides were ready, he blew his whistle: "Battle begin!"
"Go, Magikarp—use Tackle!"
"Starmie, Water Gun!"
Almost in unison, Yozora and Natsume shouted their commands.
With a great splash, the Golden Magikarp surged forward, cleaving the waters as it charged at Starmie.
Starmie's upper left and right arms glowed, firing twin bursts of Water Gun.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!"
Jets of water blasted out at blinding speed. Magikarp tried to weave aside, but with its massive bulk and the short distance between them, dodging was impossible.
Within moments, the Golden Magikarp had been struck repeatedly, suffering heavy damage.
The opponent's level was high, its power overwhelming.
Fortunately, Water Gun wasn't the most dangerous attack. Being Water-type itself, Magikarp had strong resistance; otherwise, it would have been knocked out instantly.
"Wow! Starmie's Water Guns land in succession! That looks painful! Can Magikarp push through and reach its target?!" The announcer shouted encouragement.
Despite its battered state, Magikarp had already closed the gap. Only two or three meters separated it from the platform where Starmie stood.
Just a little further, and it could slam into its foe!
But—
As Magikarp leapt up, seconds away from colliding with Starmie, Natsume's lips curved into a confident smile.
"Starmie, block it with a Psychic Barrier!" she commanded.
"Staar!"
The gem on Starmie's chest flashed crimson.
In an instant, a shimmering red wall appeared before it, like a giant mirror. Magikarp smashed into it headlong, only to bounce off helplessly.
"What's that?! A psychic wall? It's unbreakable! Even with Magikarp's tonnage, it can't smash through!" the announcer exclaimed, half in awe, half in jest.
Laughter rippled through the audience.
But most eyes stayed fixed on the match, marveling at Starmie's power.
Then Natsume struck again. "Starmie, use Psychic! Toss it out of the arena!"
At once, Starmie stood rigid. Its jewel pulsed, and invisible hands seized the Golden Magikarp, lifting its huge body as if it were weightless.
Like a shot put, it was hurled straight toward the edge of the stadium.
"BOOM!"
With an earth-shaking crash, Magikarp smashed into the wall, rubble cascading as it landed in a heap outside the field.
The referee, however, did not call the battle.
After all, official Pokémon battles had no out-of-bounds rule. A loss was only declared if a Pokémon lost its ability—or its will—to fight.
And though badly battered, the Golden Magikarp still thrashed with stubborn vigor.
"Good! Hold on just like that—now use Bounce!" Yozora roared.
(End of Chapter)