Ceil sent out a Samurott—one of Unova's starter Pokémon, indicating his family background was likely quite solid.
Samurott resembled a four-legged blue sea beast. Long white whiskers extended from its snout, and on the back of its head rested a massive beige, spear-like horn resembling a helmet. Its torso was protected by a blue-gray shell, and all four limbs were armored with segmented beige plating like bracers. In battle, it could draw blade-like limbs—"seashell swords"—from these armored segments.
These shells seemed like natural extensions of its body.
The lower bracers and upper parts with spikes acted as scabbards and sword hilts for its leg-blades.
Each of Samurott's limbs ended in three navy-blue toes, and its tail was flipper-shaped, with a beige underside.
The blades on Samurott's forelimbs were massive. It was a master of Iaido, the quick-draw sword art, striking in an instant with the blades tucked within its front legs—often ending battles with a single slash.
A glare from it could silence its enemies, and a roar could send them running. It ruled its kind with strict discipline, ruthlessly punishing those who broke the rules.
This Samurott had clearly been well trained by Ceil—it carried itself with sharp focus and commanding presence.
Rex responded by sending out Blaziken—one of Hoenn's starters—but in terms of typing, he was at a disadvantage.
A clash of starters from two different regions immediately drew a lot of attention.
Spectators couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for Rex. In battles where strength was otherwise evenly matched, a type disadvantage often spelled defeat.
But what they didn't know was that Rex's Blaziken had fought through countless powerful opponents and had grown far beyond what its typing might suggest.
"Samurott, Aqua Jet!"
With Ceil's command, the match officially began.
Samurott's body became encased in a stream of water as it shot toward Blaziken at high speed.
Just before impact, the horn on its head gleamed as it prepared to deliver a piercing strike—combining Aqua Jet and Razor Shell into a single, deadly quick-draw maneuver meant to end the battle instantly.
But Blaziken was no stranger to close-range combat. It didn't even need Rex to give a command. At the exact moment the blade neared its body, it reacted on its own—delivering a swift double kick.
The first kick struck Samurott's horn dead-on, throwing the blade off course. The second landed squarely on its armored belly.
Bang!
Samurott was knocked into a sideways tumble and slammed heavily into the ground, carving a deep gash into the arena floor.
Thankfully, its shell armor absorbed most of the impact. It wasn't seriously injured, but the humiliation was immense. Its eyes turned blood-red with fury as it locked a deadly glare onto Blaziken.
Without waiting for further commands, Samurott roared, drew its twin shell blades, and lunged at Blaziken like a swordmaster seeking vengeance.
Blaziken didn't dodge. Instead, it ignited flames along its legs and engaged head-on.
The clash that followed looked more like a duel between a master swordsman and a martial artist than a Pokémon battle.
With its powerful legs, Blaziken parried every strike from Samurott's shell blades. Its mobility gave it the upper hand, and it even managed to land solid kicks on Samurott's torso now and then.
Flame Kicks didn't deal heavy damage to Samurott, but the sheer technique gap was clear—Blaziken was slowly taking control of the match.
If nothing changed, Samurott would eventually be worn down and lose.
"Samurott, Water Pulse!"
Realizing that brute force wasn't enough, Ceil tried to turn the tide with type advantage.
A solid plan—but too late.
Blaziken didn't give Samurott the chance. It unleashed a flurry of Double Kicks, each strike landing on weak points of Samurott's defenses.
Ever since obtaining Keldeo's crest feather, Blaziken had developed a deeper understanding of Fighting-type energy. That understanding now allowed it to chain Double Kick attacks seamlessly—and precisely.
Samurott collapsed, dazed, and the match was over.
Rex gave Ceil a respectful nod, then recalled Blaziken and quietly returned to the sidelines to watch the rest of the matches.
The round continued quickly. Aliza also advanced, using her Serperior to defeat a Krookodile.
In Rex's eyes, the Krookodile had the stronger stats overall—but Serperior's Grass typing gave it a natural edge, and Aliza made full use of it.
Ecstatic after her victory, Aliza chatted Rex's ear off—thanking him for all their training and marveling at her own luck.
After a ten-minute rest, Round Two began.
Rex's opponent this time was a trendy, energetic girl whose Pokémon was a charming Lilligant.
Unfortunately for her, she was unlucky—Rex chose to send out Heracross.
With both a type advantage and overwhelming power, Heracross easily overpowered Lilligant.
The girl had known she was in trouble the moment Heracross appeared. She could only hope its strength wasn't too overwhelming.
Unfortunately, it was exactly that. Even without the type advantage, Heracross could've won with ease.
After this round, only nine trainers remained. Because of the odd number, the trainer who drew number nine would receive a free pass into the next round.
Aliza's luck ran out. Her Galvantula was matched against an Excadrill.
A brutal mismatch—Excadrill's Ground typing gave it a huge edge, and its raw power sealed the outcome. Galvantula didn't stand a chance.
Disappointed but realistic, Aliza knew she'd done well just making it this far.
"Rex, you've got this! I hope you go all the way!"
Though she was down for only a moment, Aliza bounced back quickly and offered her enthusiastic support.
"Don't worry. I'll give it everything I've got."
Rex flashed her a confident look and replied with calm determination.