"Wartortle!"
Facing the charging Ninjask, Wartortle decisively used Withdraw, leaving only its blue shell sitting on the floating platform. As it retreated into its shell, Ninjask appeared directly in front of it. Ninjask's mouth twitched slightly as if mocking Wartortle's futile effort.
Even though Wartortle had retreated into its shell, Ninjask showed no mercy. It swung its twin blades like silver lightning. Up close, one could hear a faint ripping sound, like cloth being torn apart.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Ninjask delivered three slashes in the shortest possible time. Eichi clearly saw sparks fly where Ninjask's forelegs struck the turtle shell. The impact sent the shell flying, crashing straight into the water.
With a splash, the shell resurfaced a second later. Upon closer inspection, three deep gashes were visible on its surface.
"Wartortle's defense certainly didn't disappoint us! Ninjask's attack failed to produce a significant effect!" the commentator cried.
Silas felt a surge of hope. This strategy was working. The flame of competition began to burn in his heart once more.
"Wartortle, use Hydro Pump!"
The floating shell began to spin rapidly. Suddenly, powerful jets of water erupted from the openings where its limbs usually were. The shell spun violently, creating an all-directional, indiscriminate attack.
Eichi narrowed his eyes. He was very familiar with this move; Ash's Squirtle often used this tactic in the anime. It was a reliable move that almost always caught opponents off guard. Unfortunately, Silas was no Ash, and Eichi was far from weak.
"Ninjask, Agility."
Ninjask's Speed Boost Ability had already made it much faster over the past few turns. Combined with Agility to further skyrocket its speed, it was now truly elusive. Ninjask's eyes narrowed as its body blurred, vanishing in the next heartbeat.
A faint afterimage appeared several meters ahead, then another just a meter away from the spinning shell. Ninjask shifted its position constantly, weaving effortlessly through the gaps in the dense curtain of water.
"What am I seeing?! Ninjask's speed is incredible!" the announcer shouted. "Look at how easily it maneuvers between those surging jets of water!"
In the next instant, Ninjask appeared directly above the shell, right in its blind spot. It swung its forelegs downward with full force. The heavy blow struck the armor, causing the water jets to stop instantly as the shell smashed into the pool.
While a turtle shell can significantly increase a Pokémon's defense by absorbing and weakening the power of incoming skills, force still transfers. If the power is great enough, it will still produce a significant effect despite the mitigation. Ninjask clearly possessed that level of power.
Wartortle hit the water with a massive splash. Although it seemed like Ninjask had only attacked once, it had actually landed four perfect strikes in less than a second. Wartortle's limbs finally poked out as it floated limply on the surface.
"War... tortle..."
The Pokémon lost its ability to battle.
"Wartortle!!" Silas cried. "How can this be?"
He was full of disbelief. He thought he was just getting started, but the match ended before it truly began.
"Wartortle is unable to battle! Ninjask wins!"
"Another one-hit KO! Silas's Wartortle has been defeated!"
On the electronic screen, the icons for Silas's three Pokémon went completely dark. The display changed, showing a large image of Eichi's face.
"I hereby declare the winner to be Eichi from the Blue Corner!"
As the commentator finished, thunderous applause erupted from the stands. Eichi knew the applause was for him, but he didn't feel particularly excited. His heart remained calm.
In Falling Leaves Town.
"Eichi is amazing!!" Akira jumped up from the sofa and spoke excitedly to his Sandshrew. "Sandshrew, did you see that? Eichi is incredible! A total sweep!"
"All three of his opponent's Pokémon were one-shotted by Ninjask!" Akira continued. "Sandshrew, we have to work hard too!"
Sandshrew nodded in agreement.
At Eichi's Home.
"Eichi won! He's so cool!" Little Yu said happily to Mr. Yoshijima.
Mr. Yoshijima smiled at the television, watching his son standing in the spotlight. He felt both joy and pride.
Back at the stadium, Silas looked at Eichi with a mix of admiration and shock. Is this the true strength of an Indigo League contestant? I'm still too weak. But that's okay. I'll be back next time, and I won't lose this embarrassingly.
The frustration on Silas's face was quickly replaced by determination as he turned to leave for the backstage area.
Eichi recalled Ninjask and offered a rare compliment. "Good job, Ninjask."
He then turned and left the Water Field. He headed to the nearest Pokémon Center. Inside the lobby, besides those getting their Pokémon treated, most people were glued to the televisions watching the tournament.
Upon entering, he spotted Mumu. She had been in the first match and was already finished.
"Mumu," Eichi greeted.
"Eichi, you finished so quickly?"
"It was alright. My opponent wasn't that strong."
The two sat down together to watch the broadcast. Although it was only the first round, Eichi could roughly judge the strength of the participants based on their Pokémon. After watching for a long time, Eichi noted that there were indeed many strong trainers—he had already spotted over a dozen formidable ones.
As time passed, Buliangren and Ryuichi also returned. After checking in, they found that everyone had passed the first round easily. Since their matches were over and the rest of the first round wasn't particularly interesting, Eichi went back to train.
Starting this year, the Indigo League had implemented reforms. Previously, the tournament ended in three days, making the schedule very tight. Now, it was one round per day, giving contestants ample recovery time.
Once the initial excitement wore off, the routine set in. Over the next three days, Eichi passed each round with ease. However, an unpleasant event occurred during this time.
Among the four of them—Eichi, Mumu, Ryuichi, and Buliangren—Mumu was eliminated. This happened during the fourth round. Her opponent was that man with glasses from the other day. Eichi now knew his name was Asen, a top student from Celadon University.
While his character was questionable, his strength was undeniable. After all, he was a top student. Asen defeated Mumu using only two Pokémon, both of which were at the Gym Leader level. Normally, losing would just be a matter of inferior skill, but what made it infuriating was Asen's behavior. He went out of his way to get revenge for their previous encounter, intentionally beating all of Mumu's Pokémon into a state of severe injury.