Jamie was no stranger to League tournaments. He had already spent more than a year and a half on the road, and he came to the Indigo Plateau Conference expecting nothing less than a top-three finish. Anything below that was beneath someone of his experience.
Yet from this supposedly inferior tournament, a super dark horse had emerged.
Every competitor now walked on eggshells at the thought of facing Ash. Drawing him meant your run ended on the spot. Even the most confident Trainers dreaded the matchup.
Even if someone somehow defeated Ash, the cost would be enormous. Every trump card would be exposed. Pokémon species, typings, battle habits, everything would be laid bare, leaving the victor completely vulnerable against the next opponent.
Because of that, early on, strong or weak, no Trainer wanted to face Ash. There was simply nothing to gain.
Jamie drew the short straw.
"I have to fight Ash? Seriously? What the hell… should I just forfeit?"
Of course he would not.
Even the smallest chance was still a chance.
After all, the prize was Dragon Island. Any sane Trainer would risk everything for an opportunity to step foot there and catch Pokémon.
The island was packed with draconic Pokémon. Some were Dragon type, some merely dragon-related, but all possessed terrifying potential. Who would not want to return with a pseudo legendary?
Beyond Kanto's own pseudo legendaries, Dragon Island also hosted rare species from other regions. For that alone, Jamie was willing to gamble everything.
When Ash noticed his opponent, he glanced around, caught sight of Jamie's sour expression, and gave him a friendly smile. It was nothing more than a polite greeting.
Jamie took it as pure mockery.
Already stuck fighting Ash, and now he was being taunted? Did this guy really think he was untouchable?
So what if he had beaten an Elite or fought Lorelei to a draw?
Alright, it was a big deal.
But that still did not give him the right to look down on Jamie.
Jamie was a veteran with Pokémon at Mid level. Maybe he could sink Ash's ship.
Had he faced anyone else, making the top sixteen would have been easy.
But the Conference matchmaking was "excellent" and dropped him straight into hell.
All he could do now was grit his teeth and fight.
At exactly 2 p.m., the arena opened.
The stands were packed to capacity. The clash between Ash and Jamie was the hottest match of the preliminary rounds.
Everyone wanted to see which Pokémon Ash would open with. Charizard? That abnormal Pikachu? Or the Bulbasaur that had bulldozed an Elite's ace?
Under the spotlight, Ash released his first Pokémon.
Kingler.
The battlefield was a water stage, so the choice made perfect sense. This was Kingler's formal debut. As Krabby, he had never battled anyone outside of training.
Now, evolved and standing before a roaring crowd, Kingler felt a flicker of nervousness. It vanished almost instantly.
He focused, determined to shine for Ash.
Jamie took a deep breath and threw his Poké Ball.
A massive, multi-headed Pokémon fringed with thick green leaves appeared. Grass and Psychic type. Exeggutor.
"On the water field, Ash predictably chooses a Water type!"
"Jamie counters with Grass type Exeggutor!"
"Clearly Jamie prepared well. How will Ash handle Exeggutor on this terrain?"
Most Trainers defaulted to Water types on water fields. The scattered platforms crippled Pokémon that lacked mobility.
Jamie had anticipated this and brought Exeggutor specifically to exploit it.
Whatever the outcome, his year and a half on the road had not been wasted.
The commentator immediately grasped the tactic.
Even though Exeggutor was not a Water type, its Psychic moves allowed it to weaponize the terrain.
"Exeggutor, Grass type? He expects Water, but typings are just speed bumps for us, right, Kingler?"
"Kuu-kuu-kuu!"
Kingler snapped his oversized claws together, brimming with confidence.
The jitters were gone. All he needed to do now was fight.
This opponent felt weak.
The pressure Exeggutor gave off was not even a fraction of what Charizard or Pikachu radiated. As Krabby, Kingler had spent every spar being crushed by Ash's aces, and that experience had forged him.
He held no resentment.
In sheer presence alone, this foe did not compare to Ash's main team.
Ash's Pokémon out-leveled, out-statted, and completely eclipsed Exeggutor.
Their auras were not even on the same tier.
Against such an opponent, even Kingler, who was often overshadowed, felt absolute confidence.
"Hmph! I knew you'd pick Water here, so I brought Grass for the counter. Reverse psychology!"
"Besides, your Kingler isn't one of your main Pokémon, right? Its aura is nothing like the ones you used before. You're using this first match for training."
"That means I definitely have a chance to beat you!"
Jamie rattled off his analysis rapidly, as if he had already deciphered the entire battle.
Only Ash knew how much of it was actually correct.
"Exeggutor, Razor Leaf!"
At Jamie's shout, Exeggutor swung its heads violently, sending multiple razor sharp green blades screaming through the air.
The high-speed blades seemed to slice the very air apart.
Ash, still half-dizzy from listening to all that analysis, snapped awake at the shout of Razor Leaf and instinctively called out, "Krabby, Crabhammer!"
"Kuuuk!"
A sheath of surging water wrapped around Krabby's claw as it smashed forward.
A shrill whistle ripped through the air.
The water-shrouded pincer shattered every incoming leaf. The green blades burst apart and drifted down like withered autumn foliage, completely powerless.
This time Ash did not use Aura Power. Krabby relied purely on its own strength.
The opponent was nothing special. Even with type advantage, Exeggutor is same level as Krabby.
Every one of Ash's Pokémon had been trained to perfection at each stage before advancing. Over time, that foundation gave them the ability to fight above their level even without Aura assistance.
"Mid level… same as my Exeggutor."
"With type advantage, solid commands can still win this. There's hope."
A Water move smashing straight through a Grass attack at equal levels felt wrong. Grass should not break that easily.
Still, doubts could wait. Victory came first.
"Exeggutor, Magical Leaf!"
Exeggutor swung its heads sharply. Glowing leaves formed instantly, streaking toward Krabby like guided blades.
Magical Leaf homed in relentlessly. Dodging was nearly impossible.
"Krabby, dive underwater! If you can't dodge, sap its power!"
Krabby plunged into the pool. The glowing leaves followed, but the water blunted their edge. Beneath the surface, Krabby smashed them apart with crushing blows.
On a water field, Water-type Pokémon held a massive advantage. Unless a move could shear the water itself, most attacks were slowed, weakened, then destroyed inside it.
Jamie had anticipated this. That was why he had chosen Exeggutor, not just for Grass typing, but for its Psychic affinity.
"Hah… trying to abuse the terrain?" Jamie exhaled sharply. "Exeggutor, Psychic!"
The water field twisted violently. A massive vortex formed, dragging the entire pool into a spiraling current.
Krabby was pulled to the surface.
Yet instead of being swept away, it locked itself in place, standing firm atop the rotating water as if the raging torrent did not exist at all.
Compared to Blastoise's pressure, this felt like a gentle drizzle.
"Krabby, Guillotine."
The moment Exeggutor attempted to seize control of both the water and Krabby, it failed. That failure created a fatal opening.
Ash did not waste that opening.
Guillotine.
The move had notoriously low accuracy. It required time to charge and was easy to read. But if it landed, it ignored defense entirely and dealt devastating damage.
Unless the level gap was enormous, Guillotine almost always resulted in an instant knockout.
There were no broken rules in this world where a group could spam Guillotine to bring down legendary Pokémon. At similar levels, however, Guillotine was truly lethal.
And here, the conditions were perfect.
Exeggutor could not withdraw Psychic fast enough. It could not dodge.
From the base of the vortex, Krabby coiled its strength, then burst forward.
In less than two seconds, it crossed the distance.
A massive pincer clamped around Exeggutor's neck.
Exeggutor's eyes widened in terror.
Crack!
The claw snapped shut. Energy detonated through the impact.
Exeggutor's eyes rolled back and its body collapsed, completely unconscious.
The vortex lost its Psychic control and calmed instantly. The water settled.
Krabby stood silently beside the fallen Pokémon, posture relaxed, radiating the composure of a veteran.
The entire exchange ended in an instant.
The audience had not even finished processing the strategy before the battle was already over.