At the referee's signal, all twelve matches in this round began simultaneously.
Shiko remained where he was without moving.
Standing opposite him was a young man who appeared to be eighteen or nineteen years old.
He had a thin build and a sharply pointed face. A small, hooked braid stood upright from the top of his head, while several gaudy chains hung from his clothes.
He looked like an arrogant punk through and through.
"So you're the great me's opponent?"
The blond punk looked at Shiko contemptuously.
Shiko showed no reaction.
He did not even bother answering him.
"Hah! Are you already regretting coming here?"
"Don't panic. You only need to become another stepping stone on my path to victory!"
"Being defeated by me will be your honor!"
The blond punk stretched out his arms and cracked his knuckles.
A series of crisp cracking sounds rang out.
Shiko found the display slightly irritating.
The blond punk mistook his silence for fear.
He raised his head proudly and snorted.
Then he suddenly threw the Poké Ball in his hand.
Bang!
The Poké Ball struck the ground in front of Shiko before springing open.
A flash of light erupted.
The next moment, a Sandslash appeared on the battlefield.
Its hardened back was covered in sharp spikes, and the claws extending from its forelimbs gleamed beneath the arena lights.
The blond punk pointed toward Shiko.
"Sandslash!"
"Give him a taste of your power!"
Sandslash raised its claws and let out a low growl.
Shiko still did not move.
He had not even taken out a Poké Ball.
Seeing this, the blond punk was momentarily stunned.
He then burst into laughter.
"What's wrong?"
"Don't tell me you're so frightened that you've forgotten how to release your Pokémon!"
"If you're planning to surrender, you should have said so earlier!"
"What a useless idiot!"
Shiko merely smiled faintly.
"Who said I was surrendering?"
As his words fell, a massive figure abruptly appeared on the battlefield.
"ROAR!"
A deafening roar swept through the arena.
Its voice rolled across the venue like thunder, causing the air itself to tremble.
Almost instantly, the attention of the spectators was drawn toward Battlefield No. 8.
Even many people who had been watching the other eleven matches turned their heads.
Standing on the battlefield was an enormous orange dinosaur-like creature.
A hard brown shell covered its skull.
A huge horn extended from its nose, while another pair of horns rose from the sides of its head.
Its muscular limbs ended in sharp claws, and its massive body radiated an intimidating aura.
It was Greymon!
"What kind of Pokémon is that?"
"I've never seen anything like it!"
"It looks like a dinosaur!"
"Look at its size!"
"Is it a newly discovered Pokémon?"
Excited discussions erupted throughout the stands.
The appearance of a completely unknown creature immediately caused the spectators to cheer and applaud.
The ongoing match on Battlefield No. 8 instantly became the center of attention.
Even the Alliance's senior officials seated within the VIP section stared intently at Greymon.
They already knew that Shiko intended to display the power of Digimon.
However, seeing such a creature appear before them with their own eyes still left them deeply shaken.
The blond punk's expression darkened.
He had expected himself and Sandslash to become the focus of the crowd.
Instead, all the attention had been stolen by his opponent's strange creature before the battle had even properly begun.
"Tch!"
"It's just a slightly larger monster!"
"Don't think that having a large body means it's strong!"
"Sandslash!"
"Use Rollout!"
"Sandslash!"
Sandslash immediately curled its body into a ball.
Its hardened spikes pointed outward as it began spinning rapidly.
The speed of its rotation increased with every passing moment.
The next second, it shot across the battlefield like a spiked cannonball.
Rumble!
Sandslash slammed directly into Greymon.
A heavy impact reverberated across the field.
However, Shiko had not issued any order to dodge or defend.
Greymon had simply remained where it stood and allowed Sandslash's attack to strike its body.
Sandslash rebounded from the collision and rolled several meters across the ground before finally uncurling itself.
Greymon, on the other hand, had not moved a single step.
There was not even a visible injury on its body.
The blond punk's eyes widened.
"What?"
"How is that possible?"
Sandslash's Rollout had struck it directly.
Yet Greymon appeared completely unaffected.
The audience also fell silent for a moment.
Then an even louder wave of cheers erupted from the stands.
"That defense is incredible!"
"It took Sandslash's attack head-on!"
"It didn't even move!"
"What kind of Pokémon is this?"
The blond punk's face flushed with embarrassment.
He had been boasting loudly only moments earlier.
Yet his first attack had not accomplished anything.
"I don't believe this!"
"Sandslash, attack again!"
"Use your claws!"
Sandslash charged forward once more.
Its sharp claws repeatedly slashed across Greymon's body.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
The attacks produced crisp metallic sounds, as if Sandslash were striking a solid wall of steel.
Greymon continued standing calmly in place.
Its eyes remained fixed upon Sandslash without the slightest sign of pain.
The blond punk gritted his teeth.
"Swift!"
Sandslash raised its claws.
Numerous glowing stars condensed around its body before shooting toward Greymon from every direction.
The barrage struck Greymon continuously.
Small explosions erupted across its chest and shoulders.
However, once the light and smoke dispersed, Greymon was still completely unharmed.
Sandslash was primarily skilled in close-range physical combat.
It possessed very few special moves.
Furthermore, its special attacks were far weaker than the strikes delivered by its claws.
If even its physical attacks could not injure Greymon, Swift naturally had no chance of succeeding.
The blond punk continued shouting commands.
Sandslash repeatedly charged, slashed, and fired attacks at Greymon.
Nevertheless, none of them produced the slightest result.
Greymon remained motionless throughout the entire assault.
It had not launched a single counterattack.
The audience watched in amazement.
Some spectators began applauding simply because of Greymon's seemingly impenetrable defense.
The blond punk became increasingly furious.
"I refuse to believe I can't hurt it!"
"Sandslash!"
"Keep attacking!"
Sandslash was already panting heavily.
Its body was covered in sweat, and its movements had noticeably slowed.
Nevertheless, its Trainer continued forcing it to launch one attack after another.
Shiko quietly observed the battle.
His gaze remained calm.
This was his first time seriously experiencing a battle from a Trainer's perspective.
He quickly realized that commanding a Pokémon was not merely a matter of shouting the names of its moves.
A capable Trainer could observe the battlefield, adjust tactics, and bring out more than one hundred percent of a Pokémon's strength.
An incompetent Trainer, on the other hand, would only force a Pokémon to repeat the same rigid attacks.
Sandslash itself was not weak.
Its Trainer simply had no idea how to use it properly.
"What a waste."
Shiko spoke calmly.
"A capable Trainer can bring out a Pokémon's true strength by adapting during battle."
"But a poor Trainer only orders it to repeat the same moves without thinking."
"That Sandslash is being wasted in your hands."
The blond punk's face immediately twisted with rage.
"What did you say?"
Shiko ignored him.
His gaze shifted toward Greymon.
"Greymon."
"That's enough."
"Use Super Flame."
"ROAR!"
Greymon opened its enormous jaws.
Blazing Fire-type energy rapidly gathered within its mouth.
The surrounding temperature rose sharply.
A brilliant orange-red glow illuminated Greymon's fangs.
The next moment, a massive sphere of fire erupted from its mouth.
Boom!
The blazing projectile tore through the air and struck Sandslash directly.
A terrifying explosion engulfed the battlefield.
Flames surged upward.
The ground trembled violently beneath the force of the impact.
Sandslash was blasted into the competition field and buried within the shattered earth.
Cracks spread across the battlefield in every direction.
The surrounding ground was scorched black, and thick smoke rose continuously from the crater.
When the flames finally dissipated, Sandslash lay motionless at the center of the impact zone.
Its eyes had turned into spirals.
It had completely lost consciousness.
The entire arena fell silent.
A moment later, deafening cheers and applause erupted from the stands.
"One attack!"
"It defeated Sandslash with a single attack!"
"That flame was terrifying!"
"What kind of Pokémon possesses that much power?"
"Greymon is incredible!"
On the large battle display, a red cross appeared over Sandslash's icon.
It represented the blond punk's first eliminated Pokémon.
The blond punk stared blankly at the battlefield.
His mouth hung open, and he could not speak for several seconds.
Sandslash had been one of his main combatants.
He had intended to rely upon it to defeat several opponents during the knockout stage.
Yet it had been defeated by a single attack.
The blond punk's body trembled with anger.
He recalled Sandslash into its Poké Ball.
"You useless thing!"
"Get back here!"
His harsh words caused several nearby spectators to frown.
Sandslash had fought until it was exhausted.
Its defeat had clearly been caused by the overwhelming difference in strength and its Trainer's poor commands.
Nevertheless, the blond punk blamed everything on his Pokémon.
He clenched his teeth and took out another Poké Ball.
"I'll make you regret humiliating me!"
"Go!"
He hurled the second Poké Ball onto the battlefield.
A flash of white light erupted.
A huge four-legged Pokémon emerged.
Its body resembled that of a massive hippopotamus.
Its hide was a sandy brown, and several dark openings ran along its back.
Fine streams of sand continuously poured from those openings.
It was Hippowdon!
Hippowdon raised its head and released a thunderous roar.
Shiko's Eye of Appraisal flashed.
Information concerning Hippowdon immediately appeared within his mind.
"Oh?"
"This one is somewhat stronger than Sandslash."
"But the difference isn't significant."
There was no need for him to replace Greymon.
The blond punk pointed toward the battlefield.
"Hippowdon!"
"Crush it!"
Hippowdon stomped heavily upon the ground.
Boom!
A vast quantity of sand erupted from the openings along its back.
The sand rapidly spread across the battlefield and rose into the air.
Within moments, the entire field was swallowed by a raging Sandstorm.
The audience could barely see the two creatures within it.
The blond punk finally revealed a satisfied smile.
This was exactly the situation he wanted.
Hippowdon was accustomed to fighting within sandstorms.
Its opponent, however, would have its vision obstructed and its movements disrupted.
"Now!"
"Attack it!"
Hippowdon roared from within the swirling sand.
Its enormous body charged forward.
Every step caused the ground to shake.
However, the instant it approached Greymon, a massive shadow suddenly moved through the storm.
Greymon's speed was entirely inconsistent with its enormous size.
It shifted aside and avoided Hippowdon's charge.
The attack struck nothing.
A violent shock wave swept across the battlefield.
The Sandstorm was momentarily scattered by the collision.
Hippowdon hurriedly attempted to turn around.
But Greymon's attack had already arrived.
"ROAR!"
Blazing flames erupted through the sand.
The fiery attack struck Hippowdon's back with tremendous force.
Boom!
Flames spread across its hide.
Hippowdon let out a pained roar as its massive body was driven toward the ground.
The sand surrounding it was instantly scorched and vitrified by the intense heat.
Half of Hippowdon's body was blackened by the flames.
Thick smoke rose from its back as it struggled to steady itself.
The blond punk's triumphant expression immediately froze.
(End of Chapter)
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