The roaring cheers and thunderous chants from the crowd felt like a tidal wave, making it seem as if this was Himeko's home field.
Only when the referee on the battle arena raised the flag high did the noise gradually die down.
"Round of 16 to Round of 8! First round, first match—Isobe Himeko versus Uesugi Seiki! The battle begins!"
The command flag in the referee's hand swung down, officially declaring the start of the match.
"Charmeleon!"
"We want to see Charmeleon!"
"Hurry! Send out your Charmeleon already!"
"...!"
Shouts rose again and again from the stands.
Once someone started it, the calls spread in waves, piling into a chaotic mix—until the only words that could be clearly made out were:
"Charmeleon!"
More and more people wanted Himeko to send Shiko out to battle.
What Shiko had stirred up on the day of the Entry-level Trainer Exam was already common knowledge across the entire plaza. With such a powerful Pokémon, everyone naturally wanted to see what he could do—how strong he really was.
And the people who had placed bets on Himeko wanted to see it even more. They wanted to confirm Shiko's true battle power with their own eyes so they could finally feel at ease.
"Hey… do you want to go out there?"
The deafening roar of the crowd made even Himeko—someone who had lived two lifetimes—feel her scalp tingle.
She couldn't help asking Shiko again, to see whether he might change his mind under this kind of pressure and decide to show his skills.
"No."
Shiko refused with complete calm.
The noise outside didn't affect him in the slightest. He stuck to his own understanding and approach.
As the main character, he would obviously only step in during the final, decisive moment.
These opponents were too easy—no challenge at all. Lopunny and Kirlia could handle them while getting some practice in.
Besides, the last of his "spectate battles" daily quest still wasn't even halfway complete.
Shiko cared a lot about that experience.
Once he finished all today's daily quests and claimed the experience, he should be only about ten points away from reaching Level 35.
And the next stage of evolution at Level 36 was already right in front of him.
Which evolution form to choose next—that was what mattered most to him right now.
After confirming Shiko's opinion, Himeko didn't force it.
Her hand swept across the three Luxury Balls at her waist, and in the end she selected the one on the inside.
The big shots in the VIP seats, along with the evaluators, immediately noticed something—sharp as ever.
This wasn't the Luxury Ball that held the Shiny Lopunny from the morning.
It was a different one.
So… did that mean—
Was she really sending out Charmeleon to fight?!
Anticipation surged through everyone's hearts in an instant.
It's coming!
The moment everyone had been waiting for is coming!
"Kirlia!"
A red beam shot out from the Luxury Ball, condensing into a Pokémon that looked like a skirt-wearing young girl.
Her hands were held protectively in front of her chest. In her gemstone-like red eyes, faint ripples of energy shimmered.
This is…!?
Kirlia!?
A rare Psychic-type Pokémon!
No one expected Himeko's final main battler to be this!
Even though the long-awaited Charmeleon didn't appear, Kirlia's entrance still made the entire crowd—and even the VIP seats—show expressions of shock and surprise.
Psychic- and Ghost-type Pokémon were powerful and rare, second only to Dragon-types.
Himeko's luck was absurd.
In the morning, she had a Shiny Lopunny.
Now she had a Kirlia.
This lineup really was… extravagantly stacked.
Himeko's opponent, Seiki, stared at Kirlia, blinking in a daze for a moment.
Then he pulled out his own Poké Ball and threw it.
His lead Pokémon was a Beautifly.
Its gorgeous, vivid wings beat as it rose the moment it appeared, immediately gaining altitude and widening the distance between itself and Kirlia.
A Bug-type Pokémon's natural sharp instincts made it "smell" extreme danger from Kirlia.
An entry-mid Beautifly?
Himeko checked Beautifly's level.
In that case, there was nothing to worry about.
It would be best to end this match with a quick, decisive finish.
After deciding on her plan, Himeko gave Kirlia a subtle look.
Kirlia understood at once.
"Beautifly! Use Gust!!"
Seiki gave the order.
He decided to test things first—attack from long range and probe the situation.
A few seconds passed.
The expected howling wind never came.
Everything around them was quiet.
So quiet it felt wrong.
A powerful sense of dread rose in Seiki's chest.
He snapped his head up—
And saw his Beautifly tightly bound by a mass of pink energy.
It wore an expression of pain as it thrashed and beat its wings, struggling desperately to break free—
But it was useless.
At that moment, Kirlia slowly extended a hand toward Beautifly.
Then—
Her finger suddenly pointed downward.
Whoosh!
The pink energy wrapping Beautifly plunged from midair like a falling meteor.
Boom!!
It smashed hard into the ground, kicking up a spray of dirt and debris.
When the dust cleared—
Beautifly had already fainted, unconscious and unable to battle.
That scene plunged everyone present into deep shock and astonishment once again.
(End of Chapter)
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