A tall, handsome young man slowly walked out of the contestant tunnel.
Cheers erupted from all directions, and the audience stands instantly began to boil with excitement.
"Go, Natsume-sensei!"
"Tokyo Metropolitan University, fight on!"
"Natsume-sensei, I came to see you!"
The deafening cheers made the commentator couldn't help but exclaim:
"Natsume from Tokyo Metropolitan University is incredibly popular!"
The referee waved his flag: "Both sides, release your Pokémon!"
At the same time, Natsume threw his Poké Ball.
The ball bounced off the ground and landed gracefully back into Natsume's palm.
"Squirtle!"
Squirtle made a dazzling entrance, adjusting the sunglasses on its face with a calm and composed demeanor.
Juro spoke in a deep voice: "Go, Onix!"
A red light flickered, and a loud rumble echoed across the battlefield.
The audience stands erupted in gasps:
"Whoa, what the heck is that Onix?!"
"That thing is huge! Natsume-sensei is in trouble today!"
"Is Squirtle even going to survive one Iron Tail?!"
The towering Onix, standing at a staggering ten meters, looked down at Squirtle with a mocking expression on its rocky face.
The commentator said gravely: "The standard size for an Onix is only 8.8 meters. Juro has clearly put a lot of effort into breeding this Onix!"
With a loud rumble, Onix twisted its upper body, its rocky form creaking and groaning. Its sheer size was enough to send shivers down anyone's spine!
Natsume glanced up at Onix.
[Onix, Rock/Ground
Ability: Sturdy
Moves: Dig, Iron Tail, Rock Slide, Rock Polish, Bind…]
Natsume pondered for a moment.
Hmm… It definitely seems stronger than the one at Tokyo Metropolitan University's Pokémon Day Care.
But Onix's Special Defense and Attack stats are… well, let's just say they're not exactly impressive.
After all, not every Onix has an Attack stat of thirteen thousand.
The referee's whistle blew: "Battle begin!"
"Onix, Dig!"
The circular battlefield erupted as Onix burrowed into the ground, creating a jagged tunnel of rocks!
Natsume was slightly taken aback.
Wow, so the repair costs for the battlefield really don't come out of my pocket?
Well, that's a relief!
The commentator shouted: "In the underground tunnel, Onix's movement speed is astonishing!"
A loud rumble echoed as the tunnel rapidly approached Squirtle.
It seemed hopeless—Squirtle's Water Gun wouldn't be able to hit its target!
"Now, Onix!" Juro commanded, "Dig!"
With a roar, Onix burst out of the ground right beneath Squirtle!
Natsume narrowed his eyes—this was the moment he had been waiting for!
"Withdraw!"
The powerful impact sent Squirtle flying into the air. As it soared, Natsume suddenly ordered:
"Squirtle, Water Gun!"
Squirtle quickly popped its head out, adjusting its sunglasses with style as it began to descend.
"Squirtle!" It opened its mouth, and a powerful stream of water shot out!
The commentator exclaimed in shock: "Using the recoil from Water Gun, Squirtle managed to cushion its fall perfectly!"
Juro was equally surprised by how quickly Natsume had switched from defense to offense.
And with its massive size, Onix had no way to dodge the torrent of water heading straight for it!
"Onix!!"
Onix writhed in pain as the powerful water stream nearly split it in half!
The audience stands erupted in chaos.
"Is that even a Water Gun?!"
"I get it now! Calling Hydro Pump a Water Gun is Natsume-sensei's strategy to throw off his opponent!"
"Wow, Natsume-sensei is playing dirty!"
"That Hydro Pump accuracy rate??? You're not the Natsume-sensei I know!"
Water splashed everywhere as Squirtle landed gracefully, using the water's recoil to cushion its fall.
Onix's massive body crumbled, rocks falling off as it struggled in pain, its HP nearing its limit!
Juro was at a loss.
His Onix… had never been at such a disadvantage, even during the Kanto Hoku Gym challenge!
One Water Gun… and it had triggered Onix's Sturdy ability?!
Juro swallowed hard and commanded:
"Onix, use Dig and then Rock Slide!"
Even though visibility was lost in the tunnel, and Rock Slide's accuracy was questionable—
It was still better than getting hit by another water attack!
Onix had almost been shattered by that last one!
With a pained expression, Onix burrowed back into the ground, leaving the battlefield riddled with tunnels.
Natsume thought for a moment: "Water Pulse!"
The wave energy clearly revealed Onix's location to Squirtle.
Squirtle closed its eyes, and when it opened them, a glint of determination shone through.
In an instant.
Squirtle took a deep breath, puffed out its cheeks, and blasted a powerful stream of water into the ground!
The recoil lifted Squirtle into the air as the massive Water Pulse surged like a tidal wave, threatening to cover the entire battlefield!
The commentator was in disbelief:
"A full-field Water Pulse! But… the power is just too overwhelming!"
Natsume was also a bit stunned.
Are you sure… this is Water Pulse?
First, you turned Water Gun into Hydro Pump…
And now you're doing the same with Water Pulse?
Are you kidding me, Squirtle?!
Boom!!
The water rippled out, striking Onix through the tunnels and erupting from the ground.
The terrifying Water Pulse knocked Onix out cold!
The entire arena fell silent.
The sheer battle strength displayed by this unevolved Squirtle left everyone in awe.
"Natsume-sensei… bred it to be this strong?"
"I saw it holding an Everstone earlier… Natsume-sensei is playing the long game!"
"Whoa, I almost forgot this Squirtle hasn't even evolved yet!"
The referee, snapping out of his daze, blew the whistle:
"Winner, Natsume!!"
Juro recalled Onix and let out a long sigh.
During the battle, Juro had clearly felt the gap between himself and his opponent.
This difference in skill wasn't something that could be bridged by the number of badges one had.
Shaking Natsume's hand, Juro said sincerely: "Congratulations."
Natsume nodded: "Good match."
Juro was taken aback.
Are you serious?
Squirtle didn't even have a scratch… and you call that a good match?!
That's just rubbing salt in the wound!
"Squirtle…"
Squirtle patted the dust off its shell, its eyes showing a hint of caution.
That was close…
I almost lost!
Seeing Squirtle's serious expression, Natsume's face twitched slightly, as if he could guess what it was thinking.
"Let's go… get you healed up…"
Natsume complained inwardly.
Even though Onix couldn't even scratch you, let alone deal any real damage…
"Squirtle!"
Squirtle nodded cautiously.
Whether I'm hurt or not, let's grab ten Hyper Potions just to be safe!
...
On the first day of the Public Challenge Tournament, all the gyms were buzzing with excitement.
But to most people's surprise, the seeded contestant and Kanto Hoku's rookie champion, Juro, had been eliminated in the first round?
"What the heck! I came here just to see Juro!"
"Who did he lose to? Some gaming streamer?"
"Haha, Natsume-sensei coming to this tournament is just unfair!"
Tokyo Gym Leader Takuya was also shocked when he heard about Juro's elimination.
After all, Juro had already earned the Kanto Hoku Badge, so losing in the first round was a huge upset!
However, when Takuya heard who Juro had lost to, his expression turned strange.
Natsume, who had made a stunning performance in the Piplup Cup…
In less than a month, he had bred another incredibly powerful Squirtle…
Adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses, Takuya muttered with a sweatdrop:
"Maybe I should start preparing for a gym challenge soon…?"
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