Explosion deals damage to the user and all Pokémon on the field, leaving them in a critical state.
Eichi was shocked. This is terrible!
When Exeggutor activated Explosion, its eyes emitted a bright yellow glow. The entire arena erupted in an explosion.
Scyther was too close to Exeggutor and naturally took the maximum damage along with it.
After the cloud of smoke faded, Exeggutor and Scyther simultaneously collapsed on the ground, unable to battle.
The referee immediately announced, "Exeggutor and Scyther are both unable to battle. Since contestant Zenjiro has lost both of his Pokémon, Eichi from Class 1 is the winner.'"
Eichi hurriedly recalled Scyther and rushed off the stage. Conversely, Zenjiro leisurely recalled Exeggutor, showing no sign of disappointment from losing or concern for his Pokémon. Instead, a slight, smug smile appeared on his lips as he walked off the stage.
As soon as Eichi left the arena, Joylin approached him. Eichi handed Scyther's Poké Ball to her and said sincerely, '"Teacher, I'm counting on you for Scyther.'"
'"Don't worry, I'll take care of it,"' Joylin replied, her face full of concern.
The spectators were astonished. This was the first time someone had used the move Explosion in the arena. While the competition rules didn't explicitly prohibit the use of Explosion, that was because no one had ever used it, and everyone assumed no one would use such a self-damaging move in a competition setting. Explosion is extremely detrimental to a Pokémon, causing it significant harm. As Zenjiro stepped off the stage, the others in the seating area looked at him with disdain. Zenjiro looked utterly unconcerned and sat down next to Shinta.
'"Well done,"' Shinta said. '"That Scyther won't be able to recover quickly, and since Eichi only has two Pokémon, he'll only have one left for the next match. I'm guaranteed to win the next round.'"
After leaving the field, Eichi had been watching Zenjiro. Seeing Zenjiro sit next to Shinta, Eichi immediately understood what was going on. Tetsu also witnessed the interaction.
'"Eichi," Tetsu said, "Shinta must be behind this. He probably wasn't confident he could beat you, so he made Zenjiro do that.'"
No wonder that Exeggutor had such mediocre potential. Its sole purpose was to wear down Scyther.They went to a lot of trouble just to defeat me, Eichi thought. Eichi's next opponent was Shinta. Scyther was now severely injured and could not possibly recover in such a short time. Therefore, Shinta's scheme was arguably successful. However, Eichi was now furious. He was going to teach that fat guy a good lesson.
***
Back at the arena seating, after a half-hour break, the five-to-three elimination round was about to begin. The big screen showed that after the drawing, Sato received a bye, and another contestant filled in. The first match was Eichi versus Shinta.
Joylin rushed over, handing Eichi a Poké Ball. '"Eichi," she said, "Scyther is fine after treatment, but it needs a lot of rest and cannot battle again. So, Eichi, you can only use one Pokémon, which means you might lose.'" Joylin looked at Eichi with a worried expression, and Tetsu mirrored her concern.
Eichi looked at Shinta across the field. "To deal with him," Eichi replied, "I won't need two Pokémon.'"
Having said that, Eichi walked onto the field. Seeing Eichi enter the arena, Shinta mocked, "You probably only have one Pokémon left, right? Looks like I'm definitely going to win.'"
The referee, also irritated by Shinta, didn't let him say anything more and immediately announced, "We are now proceeding with the four-to-two elimination round. Class 1's Eichi versus Class 12's Shinta. Please release your Pokémon.'"
"Go, Houndoom!"
"Go, Beedrill!"
Two figures appeared before the respective trainers. Houndoom glared fiercely at its opponent, while Beedrill was finally ready for battle.
Teacher Takemoto on the spectators' bench carefully observed Eichi's Beedrill. I finally get to see his Beedrill. Its size is considerably larger than other Beedrill; it's nearly as big as mine. It's hard to believe Eichi raised this alone. And look at the vest it's wearing. If I'm not mistaken, that must be a Weighted Vest. I wonder what the gravity multiplier is. It looks like the boy doesn't intend to turn it off. He must be very confident in his strength! Director Yanagi also perked up to watch the match.
'"Begin the battle!"' Shinta commanded smugly. "Houndoom, use Flamethrower!"
Houndoom roared, unleashing a pillar of fire from its mouth, aimed at Beedrill.
"Beedrill, dodge, then use Swords Dance!"
Just as the fire column was about to hit Beedrill, Beedrill shifted its body rightward a short distance, dodging Houndoom's Flamethrower. Furthermore, Beedrill then rotated in place to use Swords Dance. As it did so, Houndoom's continuous Flamethrower attacks came flying in. Yet, Beedrill, as if it had eyes on its back, simultaneously spun and dodged the jets of fire. Seeing this, Teacher Takemoto's eyes lit up in the spectator area. "That's impressive! How is it doing that?" He exclaimed.
Observing Beedrill evade all of Houndoom's Flamethrower attacks, Shinta commanded Houndoom to use a new move.
"Houndoom, use Howl!"
Houndoom let out a long Howl at Beedrill, boosting its fighting spirit and raising its Attack power.
"Beedrill, use Focus Energy!"
Beedrill ignored Houndoom and took a deep breath.
"Houndoom, use Smog!"
A thick fog shot out from Houndoom's body, quickly covering the entire arena.
"You should know that Beedrill is a Poison-type Pokémon," Eichi said. "Smog won't affect it."
"Of course I know that," Shinta replied, still wearing a confident, winning expression. "But this fog isn't for attacking." I see. So, the goal is to block Beedrill's vision? Eichi thought. Shinta then asked, "Houndoom, have you memorized Beedrill's scent?"
Houndoom nodded.
"Excellent. Find its location and use Flamethrower!"