"You've never paid attention to the Trial Tournament before?" Leo asked, puzzled.
"No," Nathan shook his head.
Back then, even though he watched matches, he never cared about the rewards. After all, there was no point in focusing on something he couldn't get; he might as well spend that time learning.
Hearing that, Leo nodded in realization, then explained, "The organizers took into account that some rookie trainers specialize in one type, so even though the official reward Pokémon is announced in advance, it's not set in stone. If you win the championship and feel the Pokémon doesn't match your style, you can request a different one—within limits, of course. The alternative has to be something the officials actually have and are willing to give out. If you ask for a Larvitar, for example, sorry—no way."
"That considerate?" Nathan looked surprised.
"Well, the Trial Tournament is aimed at rookie trainers," He Rongrong said with a smile. "So it makes sense to be more accommodating. After all, not every family can afford to raise rare Pokémon—some require massive resources and funding just to train. Many families just can't handle that. But for the national championships? Forget about switching."
"I see..."
Nathan touched his chin, lost in thought.
He had originally thought that the Ice-type Ninetales was pretty good, but now it seemed like he could consider other options.
Pseudo-legendaries might be off the table,
…but there were still plenty of solid choices.
At that moment, the PA system blared:
"Contestants Nathan Vesper and Leo Ford, please proceed to Arena 2 immediately. Your match is about to begin!"
"Contestants Nathan Vesper and Leo Ford, please proceed to Arena 2 immediately. Your match is about to begin!"
"Contestants Nathan Vesper and Leo Ford, please proceed to Arena 2 immediately. Your match is about to begin!"
Leo: "???"
Hearing the announcement, Nathan stood up, while Leo wore a dumbfounded expression.
"What the heck? Me again? Why am I fighting you again?"
As the tournament progressed and fewer contestants remained, the matchups were no longer visible on the official site and were instead randomly assigned by the system.
The corners of Nathan's lips curled upward. "You could always consider forfeiting again."
"Yeah right," Leo scratched his hair and sighed. "If I forfeit again, people are gonna think I'm done for."
With that, Leo headed down the contestant tunnel.
Nathan chuckled and shook his head, taking the opposite tunnel.
He had wanted to face Leo that morning anyway—he just hadn't expected it to actually happen.
Stepping onto the battlefield,
The crowd erupted into cheers.
For the young viewers of Poplar City, every match involving Nathan had become a must-watch. As a local contestant who had made it this far, he'd become a source of pride for the city. He even had his own fan club now—made up entirely of pretty girls, no less.
"Go easy on me, bro," Leo said helplessly, then tossed out his Poké Ball. "Let's go, Venusaur!"
Right from the start, Leo sent out his Venusaur.
It was a particularly large one, over two meters tall—clearly well-trained and more powerful than your average Venusaur.
"Go, Pangoro!" Nathan followed suit and tossed his own Poké Ball.
Pangoro appeared on the field.
Seeing it, Leo's eyes lit up.
"Oh bro, you are going easy on me! You're not sending out Volcarona—giving me a chance to save some face, huh?"
He had no chance of winning against Volcarona,
…but against Pangoro?
He felt confident.
"Heh."
Nathan didn't respond, simply giving him a deep, meaningful smile.
With the referee's shout of "Battle begin!", the match kicked off.
"Venusaur! Start with Sweet Scent and then Grassy Terrain!" Leo shouted.
Venusaur roared, and its flower bud released a fragrant gas toward Pangoro. Then it raised a foot and stomped the ground hard.
Grass quickly sprouted across the battlefield, turning the entire area into a lush, green field.
'Sweet Scent lowers evasion, and Grassy Terrain boosts Grass-type moves while healing Pokémon on the ground,' Nathan recalled from memory.
But then, the corners of his mouth curved upward again.
'Let's test out the power of the Sap Sipper ability.'
"Pangoro, Work Up!" Nathan commanded calmly.
Pangoro immediately began to psych itself up.
Leo seized the opportunity.
"Venusaur, Razor Leaf!"
Buzz.
Dozens of sharp leaves swirled around Venusaur and launched toward Pangoro.
"Tank it," Nathan said firmly, his eyes gleaming.
Pangoro, fully trusting Nathan's command, didn't even try to dodge.
The Razor Leaf barrage hit dead on—but rather than taking damage, it was as if Pangoro had absorbed the blow entirely.
There was no sign of pain on its face.
In fact, Pangoro let out a roar at Venusaur, as if to say:
"That tickles!"
..
"This is unbelievable! We've seen Leo's Venusaur in earlier matches and know how strong its attacks are—yet it seems like Pangoro didn't take any damage at all. What's going on?"
"While Pangoro has shown solid defense in previous matches, it was never like this. Could this be some kind of new secret technique?"
"Now that you mention it, I remember that some Pokémon have special traits—abilities that enhance defense or even grant immunity to certain types of moves."
"Right, I recall that an Elite Guardian member from the Island Nation has a Ninetales that's immune to Fire-type attacks. Could this Pangoro have a similar trait?"
In this world, people hadn't yet formed a full concept of Pokémon Abilities,
…but they had begun to notice that some Pokémon possessed unusual characteristics.
The two commentators were clearly shocked, and the match was becoming even more exciting for the audience.
"Just as I thought," Nathan smirked.
The Sap Sipper ability gave Pangoro a massive edge against Grass-types.
Even though it only worked against Grass-type moves, its effect was overwhelming.
Now, it was time for Nathan to get serious.
"Pangoro, get in close—use Fire Punch with Feint combo!"
"Roar!"
Pangoro let out a thunderous cry, its eyes sharp as blades.
It clenched its fist, flames surging around it.
Then, it dashed forward with explosive speed—like a comet streaking toward Venusaur.
"Venusaur, lay down Seed Bomb traps!" Leo shouted.
Venusaur quickly spat out several Seed Bombs, laying them on the ground ahead like a minefield—
A creative way to use the move as a barrier.
"Interesting," Nathan commented.
"Using Seed Bombs to create a trap field. If Pangoro didn't have Sap Sipper, he'd definitely take some damage charging through."
"Pangoro, charge through anyway!"
"Roar!!"
Pangoro roared again, accelerating even faster.
It ran straight through the Seed Bombs.
Boom!
A chain of explosions erupted,
Creating a thick smokescreen.
Leo's eyes lit up with hope.
Even if Pangoro was tough, no way it came out of that unscathed... right?
But the very next moment—he was stunned.
Pangoro charged out of the smoke completely unharmed and closed in on Venusaur.
It didn't hesitate.
Boom!
The Fire Punch connected, sending Venusaur flying backward.
The spot it hit was visibly burned.
"What the—what is this?!"
Leo stood there dumbfounded, unable to believe what just happened.
First Razor Leaf, then Seed Bomb...
Neither did a thing?
This wasn't just about defense—
It was like Pangoro was immune to Grass-type damage.
And that thought hit Leo like a punch to the gut.
"Bro, you said you'd go easy on me..." he muttered.
"I didn't use Volcarona," Nathan shrugged innocently.
"Ugh…"
Leo was speechless.
His mouth twitched.
Then he gritted his teeth. "Venusaur, use Growth!"
"Venuuuu!"
Venusaur roared as its body expanded, becoming even more massive. Its eyes burned with fighting spirit.
Leo quickly followed up.
"Double Powder!"
"Venu!"
Venusaur released a cloud of powder toward Pangoro—
a mix of Sleep Powder and Poison Powder.
"Damn..." Nathan's brow furrowed.
"Pangoro, fall back! Dodge the status moves!"
While Pangoro was immune to Grass-type attacks, it couldn't resist status conditions like poisoning or sleep.
Pangoro quickly retreated out of the powder cloud's range.
"Venusaur, Solar Beam!" Leo shouted.
"Venuuuu!"
Venusaur began charging solar energy, glowing with intensity.
This was one of the strongest Grass-type moves—120 base power.
Nathan hesitated.
Should he stop the charge-up?
No.
He wanted to see it.
Could Solar Beam—one of the most powerful Grass moves—
...actually hurt Pangoro with Sap Sipper?
The powder cloud lingered in the air like a barrier,
Blocking Pangoro's direct path.
"I don't believe it," Leo muttered, eyes narrowed.
"Razor Leaf didn't work. Seed Bomb didn't work. But Solar Beam? You have to take damage from that."
The next moment—
Venusaur finished charging.
Nathan's voice rang out.
"Pangoro, charge in—Fire Punch!"
"Roar!!"
Now that the powder cloud had faded, Pangoro dashed forward once more.
"Venusaur, blast him! Solar Beam!!"
"Venuuu!!"
BOOM!!
A blinding beam of light shot out from Venusaur's mouth,
roaring straight at Pangoro.