The weather today was very clear, accompanied by a gentle breeze. As soon as the time arrived, the referee stepped onto the center of the battleground and announced:
"Now, the third round of the exchange tournament between Silver Academy and Indigo Academy officially begins."
"Would the first participants from both sides please come forward."
The avatars of two students appeared on the electronic screen. From Eichi's vantage point, the one on the left was Kosei. Clearly prepared, Kosei took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
"Good luck," Kelly cheered for her.
"Do your best," Ami added.
Kosei passed by Eichi's side, looking visibly nervous.
"Good luck," Eichi said softly.
Kosei nodded heavily and replied, "Mhm." Eichi's words gave her a significant boost in confidence.
Upon reaching the battleground, she found her opponent was a student dressed somewhat effeminately. It was hard to say why a ten-year-old boy would style himself that way. Without a word between them, the referee gave the command, and both sides released their Pokémon.
"Go, Persian!"
"Go, Girafarig!"
Eichi activated his Eye of the Bug Emperor and frowned; Kosei did not have the level advantage.
Persian's talent was Excellent, and its rank was Experienced Intermediate, roughly Level 32. Conversely, Girafarig's talent was also Excellent, but its rank was Experienced Beginner, equivalent to about Level 26. This was a bit low, a gap of nearly six levels; this Girafarig must have been caught recently.
Eichi knew her family background well; like him, she came from an ordinary family. Her first Pokémon had been applied for through the academy. Being able to train a Pokémon to this extent was already quite impressive.
"Battle begin!"
Both trainers issued attack commands simultaneously. Girafarig kicked off and charged toward Persian, while Persian gathered purple energy in its mouth.
Shadow Ball
A Shadow Ball streaked toward Girafarig, who swerved its body to dodge the projectile. However, Persian's frontal assault followed immediately.
Fury Swipes
Sharp claws slashed frantically at Girafarig. Girafarig couldn't evade Persian's relentless attack.
Below the stage, Tetsu turned his head with concern and asked, "Eichi, who do you think will win?"
Eichi shook his head and said, "It's hard to say. Looking at the current condition of the Pokémon, Persian has a higher chance of winning. After all, their level gap is quite large. Kosei is in a dangerous spot."
"I was thinking the same thing," Tetsu nodded.
On the field, Girafarig was a Normal/Psychic-type Pokémon, while Persian was a Normal-type. Most of Persian's moves were physical attacks requiring close proximity. Kosei realized this as well and ordered Girafarig to pull back and launch Psychic-type moves.
It was a good plan, but unfortunately, Girafarig's level was too low. Although Persian only knew Shadow Ball as a long-range attack for now, it was enough. Girafarig's Confusion could neither land a hit nor block Persian. Finally, it was struck by several Shadow Ball attacks and lost its ability to battle.
Kosei knew her own weaknesses and didn't lose heart. She recalled Girafarig and released her second Pokémon, Donphan.
Under the scan of the Eye of the Bug Emperor, Donphan's talent was Excellent and its rank was Experienced Intermediate. This Donphan was likely the one Kosei had applied for from the academy. Based on its appearance alone, it was well-nurtured.
As the battle resumed, Donphan launched an attack. Eichi's eyes lit up; Kosei had trained this Donphan exceptionally well. Donphan used Rollout, curling into a ball and charging at Persian with incredible speed. Persian couldn't even dodge in time; it was hit once and immediately lost its ability to battle. Such high attack power was eye-catching.
Eichi had been wondering how Kosei's strength with just Girafarig could have allowed her to stand out in the selections, but now he was certain that this Donphan alone was sufficient.
Kosei's opponent recalled Persian and released his second Pokémon, Parasect. However, the second Pokémon was useless; it was directly crushed by Donphan.
Soon, he released his third Pokémon, Magneton. He had also discovered Donphan's weakness: it couldn't fly. Although it could jump, it couldn't go very high. He relied on Magneton's flight capability to hover in the air and wear Donphan down. He occasionally released moves that, while not incredibly powerful, became formidable in large numbers. Donphan was eventually worn down and defeated in this manner.
Kosei helplessly released her third Pokémon, Dugtrio. Eichi knew she was going to lose.
"Kosei only has three Pokémon, so she has no choice," Tetsu said indignantly from the side. "If she had a flying Pokémon, the result might have been different."
Eichi also felt it was a pity. It wasn't that Kosei lacked strength; it was simply bad luck. Three minutes later, Dugtrio was blasted out of its burrow by Magneton's Thunder.
Kosei felt a bit lost; she had lost. She stepped off the field and walked toward the group to apologize. "I'm sorry, everyone. I lost."
"It's okay, we don't blame you," Kelly said, immediately standing up.
Ami came up and gave her a hug. "Kosei, don't blame yourself. You were already very impressive." Everyone came forward to comfort her.
A minute later, the second match began. Ami's name appeared on the electronic screen.
"Go for it, Ami!" Kelly and Kosei cheered.
"I'll do my best, everyone," Ami smiled.
She stepped onto the field to face her opponent, who was also a girl. This round was a duel between two girls. At the referee's command, both sides began releasing their Pokémon.
Watching from below, Eichi knew that one could generally judge the probability of victory based on the levels and types of the Pokémon. Even so, tactics played a huge role; a good strategy could turn the tide of battle. Twenty minutes later, Ami's face turned pale as she looked at her fallen Pokémon. She had lost.
After leaving the field, she threw herself into Kelly's arms and started crying, apologizing through her tears. Kelly and Kosei hurried to comfort her.
The score was now 2-0. The leaders on the rostrum remained relatively calm; this result was still acceptable, but the pressure on the remaining participants was now much greater.
In the third match, Tetsu went up. His opponent was a very frail-looking youth who felt a bit strange. The battle began, and both sides released their Pokémon. Tetsu used Miltank, while his opponent used a Gengar.
The moment he saw Gengar, Eichi knew Tetsu was in trouble. Miltank was a Normal-type Pokémon, and Normal-type moves have absolutely no effect on Ghost-types. Tetsu saw the Gengar as well, and his face turned very grim. The situation was extremely unfavorable for him.
His opponent revealed a sliver of a smile after seeing Tetsu release Miltank.