Passing through the corridor, he entered the battle arena. The moment he stepped inside, he noticed around twenty spectators already seated in the stands, which surprised him slightly.
"Could it be my talent has finally been discovered?"
For a brief moment, Icarus felt a little smug. After all, who didn't enjoy showing off in front of a crowd?
"Fujii Ichiro, go!"
"Don't disgrace us Bug Catchers!"
"Charge! One-shot that kid!"
"Fujii Ichiro, go!"
But very quickly, when the cheers erupted, Icarus's expression darkened. It turned out he had been overthinking things. The audience wasn't here for him at all — they were cheering for his opponent.
"Hmph! So they're mostly Bug Catchers. Fine. Today I'll show them that Bug Catchers are nothing more than stepping stones for me!"
After a subtle glance around the arena, Icarus realized most of the audience members were wearing straw hats, instantly explaining the situation.
Understanding it was one thing, but he was still irritated deep down. Being treated like some nameless background character was not something Icarus could tolerate. He immediately decided that today would be the day an unknown passerby crushed the so-called "protagonist."
"To my left is the Bug Catcher, Kinoshita Fujii Ichiro!"
"To my right, contestant number 378 — Aoki Taji!"
As both contestants stepped into position, the referee briefly introduced them.
"Damn it! He gets the title 'Bug Catcher,' but I only get a contestant number? What kind of treatment is this?"
Already annoyed, Icarus couldn't help complaining inwardly again after hearing the introduction.
"This match will be a 2v2 battle. The left side has the right to attack first. Pokémon cannot be switched during battle. Once a Pokémon loses its fighting ability, the defeated Trainer must send out their next Pokémon.
"At that point, the winning side gains priority for the first move in the next round. If neither side has objections, please prepare yourselves."
The referee naturally had no idea about Icarus's internal complaints and continued explaining the rules before looking toward both sides for confirmation.
"Mm."
"Okay."
Both nodded.
"Trainer on the left, please send out your Pokémon first!"
Seeing both sides ready, the referee immediately called out.
"Go, Butterfree!"
Fujii Ichiro threw his Poké Ball first. A flash of red light appeared, and a well-developed Butterfree emerged into the air.
"Fwee-hee!"
Butterfree cried energetically as it flapped its wings.
"Butterfree… It's almost guaranteed that it awakened Psychic abilities. After all, it belongs to a Bug Catcher.
"Even though Butterfree's Psychic abilities are mediocre compared to true Psychic Pokémon, they're still enough to dominate opponents without resistance.
"But unfortunately for him, Houndoom completely resists Psychic."
Looking at the Butterfree floating gently in the air, Icarus smiled slightly, a trace of smugness flashing through his eyes.
"If this were another ordinary Trainer, even one from a noble family, they'd probably have a headache dealing with a Psychic-type Butterfree."
"Go, Houndoom!"
Not wanting to keep his opponent waiting, Icarus threw out Houndoom's Poké Ball after a brief moment of thought.
"Awooo~!"
Houndoom let out a long howl the moment it appeared.
"Oh no… Ichiro's probably going to lose the first round."
A middle-aged man in the audience immediately darkened after seeing Houndoom.
"Why? Brother Ichiro's Butterfree is amazing with Psychic powers, and it can fly too! That dog looks fierce, but it shouldn't beat Butterfree, right?"
The child beside him immediately puffed up his cheeks in dissatisfaction.
"Ahem… Saburo, you're still young and haven't become a Trainer yet. At home, you mostly study Bug-type Pokémon, so it's normal you don't know about Houndoom.
"Houndoom is a Pokémon from the Johto region. Since Johto and Kanto are closely connected, it's not strange to see one here.
"The problem is that Ichiro happened to run into a terrible matchup. Houndoom is a Fire/Dark dual-type Pokémon. Fire-type attacks are super effective against Bug-types, and Dark-types almost completely resist Psychic attacks at the same level.
"That's why I said Ichiro's first round will probably be very difficult."
Hearing the explanation, Saburo's face immediately fell.
"Ah… How unfair! But I still believe in Brother Ichiro! Bug-types are the strongest! Brother Ichiro, go!"
Even after understanding the situation, the child quickly cheered loudly toward the battlefield again.
"Fujii Ichiro still has a chance. Don't forget, he spent nearly all his savings to buy that Pokémon. That's definitely his true ace now. Winning 2-on-1 isn't impossible."
Another Bug Catcher seated in the back row suddenly spoke up.
"That's right. That Pokémon was born for battle. As long as Butterfree can inflict a status condition on Houndoom, the second round will become much easier.
"Besides, I doubt that commoner specializes in Fire-types."
The middle-aged man immediately nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Fujii Ichiro's expression had already become extremely serious. Unlike Saburo, he fully understood what Houndoom represented.
"I can only try my best to wear Houndoom down…"
He silently made his decision.
"Butterfree, use Tailwind, then follow with Powder attacks!"
The moment the referee announced the start of the battle, Fujii Ichiro immediately issued commands.
"Fwee-hee~!"
Butterfree rapidly flapped its wings, creating swirling currents of wind around itself.
With the support of Tailwind, it shot directly above Houndoom. Soon afterward, a mixture of Sleep Powder, Poison Powder, and Stun Spore drifted downward.
"Houndoom, use Ember to burn it away, then move while spreading Smog!"
Because the opponent had attack priority, Icarus didn't interrupt Butterfree's Tailwind setup. However, defending against the powder attacks was easy enough.
"Woof~ Whoosh!"
Houndoom tilted its head and released a burst of flames upward.
Sizzle! Crackle!
The flames instantly burned away the drifting powders.
"Hiss Whoosh"
After breathing fire, Houndoom immediately began running around the battlefield while releasing dense Smog.
"Damn it! I focused too much on Psychic techniques!"
Watching Houndoom effortlessly neutralize the attack, Fujii Ichiro's expression became ugly.
This Butterfree had once been his ace precisely because of its Psychic abilities. He had even spent a huge amount of money buying a Psychic-type TM for it.
Butterfree had lived up to expectations. Although the total amount of Psychic power it possessed couldn't compare to actual Psychic Pokémon, among Butterfree, its control and mastery were exceptional.
Relying on those Psychic abilities, Fujii Ichiro had overcome countless dangers and completed many difficult missions, eventually earning enough money to purchase a high-quality Scyther with mid-tier aptitude.
But strengths could also become weaknesses.
Because Butterfree focused too heavily on Psychic abilities, its other moves had gradually become neglected. Even its Tailwind and powder techniques barely qualified as Ordinary Level in strength.
"Butterfree, fly higher! Use Silver Wind to disperse the Smog!"
With no better option available, Fujii Ichiro immediately tried to clear the battlefield.
"Houndoom, Ember barrage! Interrupt it! Then continue spreading Smog!"
Icarus naturally refused to let Butterfree regain control of the field.
Even if Butterfree's Tailwind wasn't perfect, continuously stacking the effect would eventually make it dangerously fast.
Rather than allowing that to happen, it was better to establish battlefield control from the very beginning.
"Woof! Whoosh whoosh!"
Hidden within the Smog, Houndoom continuously fired Embers while moving.
"Fwee-hee!"
Butterfree had only just begun using Silver Wind when several Embers suddenly shot toward it, forcing it to dodge awkwardly.
"Damn it! Butterfree, use Confusion to locate the enemy!"
Unable to see through the dense Smog, Fujii Ichiro decided to rely on Psychic detection.
Butterfree immediately flew higher into the air. Its eyes glowed blue as it activated Confusion.
But after a brief moment, Butterfree shook its head helplessly. Its Psychic abilities couldn't penetrate deeply enough through the enhanced Smog.
"Then it's our turn. Houndoom, Ember barrage!"
Seeing this, Icarus immediately launched the counterattack.
He had deliberately allowed Butterfree time to use Confusion earlier precisely so the Smog could spread completely across the battlefield.
And unlike ordinary Smog, Houndoom's version had been specially modified with Weepinbell's poison techniques, making it far denser and more disruptive.
"Whoosh! Swish swish swish!"
Houndoom darted around the battlefield while launching Embers from multiple directions.
"Fwee-hee!"
Unable to clearly determine the attack paths, Butterfree's dodges became increasingly clumsy.
Bang!
Eventually, one Ember struck directly.
"Fweee!"
Butterfree screamed as it lost balance and crashed downward.
"Houndoom, finish it! Vortex Blast!"
One Ember obviously wasn't enough to defeat Butterfree, so Icarus immediately ordered the finishing attack.
The so-called "Vortex Blast" was simply an upgraded variation of Fire Spin. Icarus preferred simple names over flashy ones.
"Woof! Whoosh!"
A spiraling ring of flames shot from Houndoom's mouth toward the falling Butterfree.
"Fwee! Fwee-hee!"
Butterfree desperately tried to stabilize itself, but its wings had already been damaged by the earlier Ember.
Compared to Flying-type Pokémon like Pidgeotto or Spearow, Bug-type wings were far more fragile.
The flaming vortex swallowed Butterfree whole.
"Butterfree! Use Psychic to break it apart!"
Fujii Ichiro shouted anxiously.
Butterfree's eyes glowed blue—
BOOM!
The Fire Spin suddenly exploded violently on its own.
"Fweee!"
Caught completely off guard, Butterfree was blasted backward, its body charred black.
At that exact moment, another Ember pierced through the smoke.
"Fwee—!"
Still airborne, Butterfree was struck directly once again before finally crashing heavily onto the ground, completely losing its ability to battle.
"What… what was that? Why did the Fire Spin suddenly explode?"
In the stands, Saburo stared blankly in disbelief.
"That was a fusion technique. Just like us Bug Catchers specialize in developing Bug Pokémon, that Trainer has also deeply developed his Pokémon.
"It seems Ichiro's opponent isn't simple at all."
The middle-aged man beside him sighed as he explained.
"Yeah… I didn't expect a civilian Trainer like this to appear. And he's still so young. Looks like another genius has emerged among the commoners."
The Bug Catcher in the back row nodded with admiration.
Although they were Bug Catchers, they were still part of the civilian faction themselves. Seeing talented civilian Trainers rise up naturally made them feel proud rather than jealous.