Chapter 47: A Fated Match! Kenji vs. Melody
Facing the gleaming, steel-hard tail, Beedrill showed no fear. Its crimson eyes remained locked on the Raichu. Crossing its arms in front of its chest, its lances began to glow with a faint green light, humming with concentrated Bug-type energy.
X-Scissor!
CLANG!—
A harsh, metallic ringing sound echoed through the stadium as the two moves collided.
"RAIII!—"
The clash lasted only an instant. With a cry of pain, Raichu was thrown backward, its orange body tumbling across the field before skidding to a halt.
Beedrill, however, hadn't budged an inch.
"Raichu! Get up!" Silas yelled from the sidelines, his fists clenched, urging his Pokémon back into the fight.
"Rai..."
Raichu groaned, struggling slowly to its feet.
As it rose, the crowd, spurred on by the announcer's commentary, erupted into excited chatter.
"Damn, that Beedrill is insane! Its level must be super high! Is this guy really a fresh high school grad? How did he train a Beedrill to be so strong?!"
"Hey, look closer! That Beedrill's colors are different! Normal Beedrill have black stripes, but this one's are red!"
"You know... now that you mention it, that Beedrill actually looks kinda cool..."
"Didn't you hear him? He said it was his ace..."
"Bzzzt..." Feeling the countless eyes upon it, Beedrill let out a low buzz. Without a command from Kenji, it held its position, waiting.
Standing on the tournament stage, Kenji preferred the spotlight to be on his Pokémon. They were the true stars of the show. He gave Beedrill a subtle nod, his eyes filled with quiet pride and affirmation.
"End it, Beedrill. Poison Jab!"
"Raichu! Full power Thunder Punch!" Silas countered desperately.
At Kenji's command, Beedrill vanished, reappearing instantly in front of Raichu. Its lances glowed a deep, ominous purple, practically dripping with venom.
"RAI!"
Following Silas's final order, Raichu poured every last bit of its remaining energy into one massive Thunder Punch. The yellow light engulfing its fist grew blindingly bright, larger than Raichu itself. With a final, desperate cry, it swung the crackling fist at Beedrill.
BOOM!—
The lightning exploded on impact, completely engulfing both Pokémon in a blinding white light. For a moment, no one could see what was happening inside the electrical storm.
Silas clenched his fists, his eyes glued to the center of the blast, his expression a mixture of hope and dread.
Kenji, in contrast, remained perfectly calm, his gaze unwavering, as if he already knew the outcome.
Slowly, the light faded.
As the afterimage cleared, the scene on the battlefield became visible. Silas's hands dropped limply to his sides, the hopeful light in his eyes extinguished.
Raichu lay sprawled on the ground, its eyes swirling, completely unconscious.
A short distance away, Beedrill hovered silently, completely unscathed. It looked as if it hadn't even been in a battle.
"Raichu is unable to battle! Beedrill is the winner!"
As the referee announced the result, a wave of applause washed over the stadium. Mostly, it was for the victor.
Kenji allowed himself a small smile. He deliberately waited a few moments before recalling Beedrill, letting his partner bask in the glory of its victory.
Silas dejectedly recalled his Raichu and walked off the field. Kenji turned and exited as well.
With his match for the day concluded, Kenji didn't return to the waiting area. Instead, he found Leo in the stands, and the two friends sat together on the steps, watching the remaining matches.
Fortunately, they didn't have to wait long. Just two rounds later, Melody's name appeared on the screen.
Knowing she was in a tournament setting, Melody didn't take any chances by using her newly-evolved Charmeleon. Instead, she sent out her Pidgeot. Its potential wasn't particularly high, so its level hadn't changed much since Kenji had first seen it during the poacher incident. Even so, a level 36 Pidgeot was still a powerhouse in a tournament filled with newly licensed trainers.
As expected, Melody secured an easy victory.
The tournament continued over the next few days. Thanks to his impressive performances in the first two rounds, Kenji's matches drew significant attention. Determined to win the first-place prize, he didn't hold back, using his ace Beedrill in every subsequent match.
Fueled by the constant battles and its rigorous daily training, Beedrill somehow managed to gain another level over the course of the tournament, reaching level 33.
In his downtime, Kenji continued to check on the Ekans egg, but frustratingly, there was still no sign of hatching.
They were back in the familiar waiting area, but the atmosphere was different now. The tournament had reached the semi-finals. Only four competitors remained.
Kenji sat next to Melody. Across the room, the other two semi-finalists sat apart: a girl named Suzanne, and the boy whose Golem had eliminated Leo.
Kenji knew Suzanne was the third S-Rank student from Edgecliff City, alongside himself and Melody. He suspected her main Pokémon was a Snivy, though she had exclusively used a powerful Breloom throughout the entire tournament so far.
The boy, whose name was Leon, was also a formidable opponent. His ace was the same Golem that had crushed Leo's Pidove, now revealed to be a terrifying level 35. Even Kenji knew that facing such a high-level Pokémon would be a serious challenge.
The announcer reappeared on his Pidgeot, delivering his usual energetic introduction.
"Today! We will witness the birth of this year's Supernova Champion! First up, let's welcome our semi-finalists to the stage!"
The electronic screen flashed, displaying the matchups:
Suzanne vs. Leon
Kenji vs. Melody
Kenji and Melody simultaneously turned to look at each other, then broke into smiles.
"Didn't expect to face you in the semis," Melody said.
"We were bound to meet eventually," Kenji replied. "Good luck."
"You too," she said, her eyes sparkling with competitive fire. "Don't think I'll go easy on you."
The first semi-final match was Suzanne versus Leon. The two competitors exchanged determined looks, then walked out of the waiting area through separate tunnels, heading toward the center stage. Only the main, largest battlefield was being used now.
They took their positions. At the referee's signal, both threw their Poké Balls.