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he knowes pokemon more than i know _Chapter_365_en
Chapter 365
Chapter 361: The Second Battle, the Rock Arena!
*By Samsung Charmander (Author Name)*
The third day since the opening of the Indigo League Conference.
Today, the Rock Arena once again welcomed a battle.
“Now entering the arena is Ash from Pallet Town, who achieved an amazing three-KO sweep with his Kingler in the very first preliminary match!”
Amidst roaring cheers, Ash stood at one end of the trainer's area, full of spirit, his eyes sharp, with an electric mouse perched on his shoulder.
The format for the preliminary elimination round required four matches in total. The first two were fought back-to-back without any rest. Only after those two would there be a temporary day of rest before the next two preliminary matches.
However, buoyed by yesterday's successful start, Ash was full of confidence, vowing to himself to carry on Blue's honor and keep advancing.
"So my opponent this time is a girl, huh?"
Ash couldn't help but mutter, his gaze turning toward the entrance before him.
*I saw her avatar before. Have to admit, she's pretty cute...*
Soon, his opponent made her official entrance.
She was a young girl with long, brownish-black hair, around the same age as Ash. Her pretty face held a touch of arrogance, the hair at her forehead was slightly curled, and she wore the short-skirted uniform of a prestigious academy. She carried herself with an elegant, noble posture, like a little princess.
“And now, entering the arena is a top student from the Kanto Pokemon Research Academy—Yuto Seidai!”
Shengdai stood at her end of the arena, elegantly bowing to the cheering crowd around her before gently raising her head to look at Ash.
Today's opponent was somewhat special; she hadn't qualified for the Indigo League Conference by collecting 8 Badges, but rather through a joint sponsorship from her school.
It was a school for the elite, where the students were either the children of the wealthy or of officials. Backed by substantial financial support, the school sent over two hundred participants to the tournament each year, so sponsoring a few was no big deal.
It was an old, established connection.
Because of this, the students trained in such an academic setting couldn't compare to ordinary trainers who had passed the trial of 8 Gyms. The sponsored students year after year were great at theory, but they were all armchair experts.
Their practical skills were lacking. They were cannon fodder, usually getting eliminated in the first two rounds.
However, it was said that this year's Yuto Seidai was different. Not only were her theoretical scores outstanding, but her practical battling skills were not the least bit inferior to the trainers from the outside. She was said to be carrying the pride of her entire school, here to break the curse of being eliminated within two rounds.
"I won't go easy on you just because you're cute!" Ash shouted across the field.
"Heh... I saw your Kingler's battle. Its strength is decent, but that was only because that Guangwu was a total scrub. Anyone with hands could have pulled off that sweep."
Yuto Seidai's voice was soft, yet exceedingly methodical, effectively shutting Ash up.
"But today, your luck runs out~"
With that, at the referee's signal to begin, she gently tossed a Poké Ball.
*Bang!*
A flash of red light, and a massive, spherical rock appeared on the Rock Arena. Its grayish-brown body was covered in jagged, protruding stones, with arms and legs made entirely of rock on its sides and a fierce expression on its face.
"Pokedex Beep. Graveler, the Evolved Form of Geodude. A Ground and Rock Type. For every one Graveler that appears, five Geodude disappear from the world."
The Pokédex reported.
Ash nodded. He had even battled Golem, Geodude's final evolution, so this second-stage Pokémon wasn't a major issue. With a glint in his eye, he flicked his wrist and threw out his own Poké Ball.
*Bang!!*
A red light flashed, and a small-to-medium-sized water turtle appeared on the Rock Arena. Its skin was a jewel-like deep blue, its brownish-gray shell was sturdy, its head was bald, and it had a pair of vortex-shaped, prominent ears on the sides of its face.
Wartortle!
Ash had made a very safe and steady choice, picking a Water-type Pokémon that held an absolute type advantage.
"Kame! Kame!"
Upon entering the field, Wartortle puffed out its chest and fixed its gaze on the giant rock before it, its expression serious. The surrounding cheers made its small turtle heart flutter for a moment, but it was nothing it couldn't handle.
"A Water-type? Heh heh."
Seeing this, Shengdai, strangely, didn't panic or recall her Pokémon. Instead, she prepared to battle as is.
"Battle, begin!"
The moment the referee waved his hand, Ash thrust out his own hand and commanded:
"Wartortle, use Water Gun!"
"Kame-puu!"
Wartortle took a deep breath, opened its mouth, and spat out a thick, powerful jet of blue water that shot toward its target with impressive might.
Relying on the inherent type advantage, Ash was confident that if his opponent took this hit, even if it wasn't unable to battle, it would be left teetering on the brink of defeat!
"Heh heh..."
Unexpectedly, Shengdai covered her mouth with a light laugh, as if she had anticipated this attack all along. She raised a slender finger and instructed:
"Graveler, use Rollout."
"Grave-ler!"
Graveler leaped up, pulled its limbs into its body in mid-air to form a ball, and then began to spin violently.
*Pshh-pshh-pshh...*
The powerful stream of water struck Graveler but was completely deflected by the rapidly spinning shell, scattering into countless small droplets that splashed onto the surroundings.
"Grave!"
Graveler unfurled its limbs and landed back on the ground. It shot an arrogant look at the water turtle before it, clearly having taken no damage whatsoever.
"Kame?"
Wartortle took a half-step back, scratching its head. This was troublesome.
Shengdai's lips curled into a smirk. As long as the move doesn't connect, type advantage is meaningless. She had long since devised a counter-strategy at school for dealing with an opposing Water Gun. She called out in a low voice once more:
"Now it's our turn. Graveler, use Takedown!"
"Grave!"
Graveler's thick thighs began to pound against the ground. Its body was shrouded in a layer of white light, and though its speed wasn't particularly high, it advanced like a small mountain. The ground trembled with each step, and the sheer imposing might of the Takedown was terrifying.
"So you want to see whose head is harder?"
Seeing this, Ash punched the air, shouting back defiantly:
"Wartortle, use Skull Bash!"
Seeing the gray tank rushing toward it, Wartortle couldn't help but gulp.
"Kame!"
*I'm not the comic relief!*
It mustered its courage, crouched low, its bald head parallel to the ground, and then its hind legs kicked off the Rock Arena with ferocious power. As a white light enveloped its body, energy surged forth, and it shot out like a rocket, charging straight for its target.
*CLANG!!*
Takedown and Skull Bash collided head-on without any obstruction. A massive explosion erupted at the point of impact, and the resulting shockwave shuddered and spread violently outwards.
An even match!
Soon, the force of the two moves dissipated, and using the recoil, both Pokémon leaped backward.
"Kame, kame..."
Upon landing, Wartortle couldn't take it. It immediately clutched its bald head, its eyes watering as a large lump began to swell.
On the other side, however, Graveler seemed completely unaffected. It gestured with one arm, giving Wartortle a taunt.
"Looks like your *head* isn't as hard as I thought~"
Shengdai smiled smugly. Thanks to Graveler's Ability—Rock Head, engaging in a head-on impact like that was undoubtedly the most foolish move.
(end of chapter)
*By Samsung Charmander (Author Name)*
The third day since the opening of the Indigo League Conference.
Today, the Rock Arena once again welcomed a battle.
“Now entering the arena is Ash from Pallet Town, who achieved an amazing three-KO sweep with his Kingler in the very first preliminary match!”
Amidst roaring cheers, Ash stood at one end of the trainer's area, full of spirit, his eyes sharp, with an electric mouse perched on his shoulder.
The format for the preliminary elimination round required four matches in total. The first two were fought back-to-back without any rest. Only after those two would there be a temporary day of rest before the next two preliminary matches.
However, buoyed by yesterday's successful start, Ash was full of confidence, vowing to himself to carry on Blue's honor and keep advancing.
"So my opponent this time is a girl, huh?"
Ash couldn't help but mutter, his gaze turning toward the entrance before him.
*I saw her avatar before. Have to admit, she's pretty cute...*
Soon, his opponent made her official entrance.
She was a young girl with long, brownish-black hair, around the same age as Ash. Her pretty face held a touch of arrogance, the hair at her forehead was slightly curled, and she wore the short-skirted uniform of a prestigious academy. She carried herself with an elegant, noble posture, like a little princess.
“And now, entering the arena is a top student from the Kanto Pokemon Research Academy—Yuto Seidai!”
Shengdai stood at her end of the arena, elegantly bowing to the cheering crowd around her before gently raising her head to look at Ash.
Today's opponent was somewhat special; she hadn't qualified for the Indigo League Conference by collecting 8 Badges, but rather through a joint sponsorship from her school.
It was a school for the elite, where the students were either the children of the wealthy or of officials. Backed by substantial financial support, the school sent over two hundred participants to the tournament each year, so sponsoring a few was no big deal.
It was an old, established connection.
Because of this, the students trained in such an academic setting couldn't compare to ordinary trainers who had passed the trial of 8 Gyms. The sponsored students year after year were great at theory, but they were all armchair experts.
Their practical skills were lacking. They were cannon fodder, usually getting eliminated in the first two rounds.
However, it was said that this year's Yuto Seidai was different. Not only were her theoretical scores outstanding, but her practical battling skills were not the least bit inferior to the trainers from the outside. She was said to be carrying the pride of her entire school, here to break the curse of being eliminated within two rounds.
"I won't go easy on you just because you're cute!" Ash shouted across the field.
"Heh... I saw your Kingler's battle. Its strength is decent, but that was only because that Guangwu was a total scrub. Anyone with hands could have pulled off that sweep."
Yuto Seidai's voice was soft, yet exceedingly methodical, effectively shutting Ash up.
"But today, your luck runs out~"
With that, at the referee's signal to begin, she gently tossed a Poké Ball.
*Bang!*
A flash of red light, and a massive, spherical rock appeared on the Rock Arena. Its grayish-brown body was covered in jagged, protruding stones, with arms and legs made entirely of rock on its sides and a fierce expression on its face.
"Pokedex Beep. Graveler, the Evolved Form of Geodude. A Ground and Rock Type. For every one Graveler that appears, five Geodude disappear from the world."
The Pokédex reported.
Ash nodded. He had even battled Golem, Geodude's final evolution, so this second-stage Pokémon wasn't a major issue. With a glint in his eye, he flicked his wrist and threw out his own Poké Ball.
*Bang!!*
A red light flashed, and a small-to-medium-sized water turtle appeared on the Rock Arena. Its skin was a jewel-like deep blue, its brownish-gray shell was sturdy, its head was bald, and it had a pair of vortex-shaped, prominent ears on the sides of its face.
Wartortle!
Ash had made a very safe and steady choice, picking a Water-type Pokémon that held an absolute type advantage.
"Kame! Kame!"
Upon entering the field, Wartortle puffed out its chest and fixed its gaze on the giant rock before it, its expression serious. The surrounding cheers made its small turtle heart flutter for a moment, but it was nothing it couldn't handle.
"A Water-type? Heh heh."
Seeing this, Shengdai, strangely, didn't panic or recall her Pokémon. Instead, she prepared to battle as is.
"Battle, begin!"
The moment the referee waved his hand, Ash thrust out his own hand and commanded:
"Wartortle, use Water Gun!"
"Kame-puu!"
Wartortle took a deep breath, opened its mouth, and spat out a thick, powerful jet of blue water that shot toward its target with impressive might.
Relying on the inherent type advantage, Ash was confident that if his opponent took this hit, even if it wasn't unable to battle, it would be left teetering on the brink of defeat!
"Heh heh..."
Unexpectedly, Shengdai covered her mouth with a light laugh, as if she had anticipated this attack all along. She raised a slender finger and instructed:
"Graveler, use Rollout."
"Grave-ler!"
Graveler leaped up, pulled its limbs into its body in mid-air to form a ball, and then began to spin violently.
*Pshh-pshh-pshh...*
The powerful stream of water struck Graveler but was completely deflected by the rapidly spinning shell, scattering into countless small droplets that splashed onto the surroundings.
"Grave!"
Graveler unfurled its limbs and landed back on the ground. It shot an arrogant look at the water turtle before it, clearly having taken no damage whatsoever.
"Kame?"
Wartortle took a half-step back, scratching its head. This was troublesome.
Shengdai's lips curled into a smirk. As long as the move doesn't connect, type advantage is meaningless. She had long since devised a counter-strategy at school for dealing with an opposing Water Gun. She called out in a low voice once more:
"Now it's our turn. Graveler, use Takedown!"
"Grave!"
Graveler's thick thighs began to pound against the ground. Its body was shrouded in a layer of white light, and though its speed wasn't particularly high, it advanced like a small mountain. The ground trembled with each step, and the sheer imposing might of the Takedown was terrifying.
"So you want to see whose head is harder?"
Seeing this, Ash punched the air, shouting back defiantly:
"Wartortle, use Skull Bash!"
Seeing the gray tank rushing toward it, Wartortle couldn't help but gulp.
"Kame!"
*I'm not the comic relief!*
It mustered its courage, crouched low, its bald head parallel to the ground, and then its hind legs kicked off the Rock Arena with ferocious power. As a white light enveloped its body, energy surged forth, and it shot out like a rocket, charging straight for its target.
*CLANG!!*
Takedown and Skull Bash collided head-on without any obstruction. A massive explosion erupted at the point of impact, and the resulting shockwave shuddered and spread violently outwards.
An even match!
Soon, the force of the two moves dissipated, and using the recoil, both Pokémon leaped backward.
"Kame, kame..."
Upon landing, Wartortle couldn't take it. It immediately clutched its bald head, its eyes watering as a large lump began to swell.
On the other side, however, Graveler seemed completely unaffected. It gestured with one arm, giving Wartortle a taunt.
"Looks like your *head* isn't as hard as I thought~"
Shengdai smiled smugly. Thanks to Graveler's Ability—Rock Head, engaging in a head-on impact like that was undoubtedly the most foolish move.
(end of chapter)
