Immediately after, Mewtwo's figure vanished, and when it reappeared, it was already behind Alakazam.
The Josan trainer reacted quickly upon seeing this.
"Alakazam, use Teleport to dodge!"
Having just experienced a one-shot defeat earlier, the Josan trainer didn't dare underestimate Nathan again.
Alakazam teleported just in time, causing Mewtwo's attack to miss.
"Hmph, Psychic-type Pokémon are actually at a disadvantage against Mewtwo! Mewtwo, use Psystrike!"
As Nathan gave the order, a psychic storm centered around Mewtwo burst forth.
Alakazam had just stopped moving after teleporting and was immediately engulfed by the storm.
This storm was immensely destructive, but it only targeted psychic energy and minds.
Unfortunately for Alakazam, it was like a fatal move.
As one of the top Psychic-type Pokémon, Alakazam's psychic powers were indeed exceptional.
But in exchange for that, it had very low physical endurance.
In other words, Alakazam was a classic glass cannon—high attack but low defense.
What's worse, Psystrike also temporarily disabled its ability to use psychic powers.
Under its effects, Alakazam wasn't even as capable as a regular Gym-level Pokémon.
"Mewtwo, use Sky Uppercut followed by Fire Blast!"
Mewtwo quickly closed in on Alakazam.
At the moment, Alakazam was writhing in mental agony and couldn't react in time.
Sky Uppercut struck Alakazam directly on the chin, sending it flying.
The spoons in its hands also fell to the ground.
While Alakazam was still in the air, Fire Blast followed immediately.
With a loud explosion, Alakazam was launched even higher.
Unconscious, it then crashed heavily to the ground, showing no signs of waking up.
The Josan trainer glared angrily at Mewtwo.
This Pokémon was just too powerful—he really stood no chance.
If his Bellossom was defeated instantly, he could blame it on underestimating the opponent.
But now that his Alakazam had also lost, he knew this was simply a gap in true strength.
Recalling Alakazam with his Poké Ball, his expression turned extremely grim.
Alakazam was his strongest Pokémon. If even it couldn't stand up to Mewtwo, the rest didn't stand a chance either.
"Even if you're strong, so what? I don't believe you alone can defeat our entire national team!"
Despite saying this, the Josan trainer's tone was more stubborn than confident.
He threw out his third Pokémon.
This time, it was a Golem—an Alolan form of Golem.
Alolan Golem had short front limbs with only two fingers, and similarly, its feet had two toes.
It had black stone-like protrusions over its eyes and mouth that resembled facial hair, formed by magnetic iron sand on its chest.
Its back carried a launcher-like device with three pillars: a short black central one and two taller black ones on each side, embedded with golden electric crystal stones.
Because these back stones couldn't retract into its body, the Alolan Golem couldn't curl into a ball to roll.
It could, however, launch electrified stones, and any that made contact could cause paralysis.
However, it couldn't fire continuously.
To be fair, this trainer's Golem was very well-trained.
Unfortunately, it had the wrong trainer.
With proper training, an Alolan Golem could be just as good as Pangoro.
But seeing that this one was only level 55, Nathan could only feel regret.
Right now, the Josan trainer had a simple plan—to drain Mewtwo's stamina and make it easier for his teammates to take Nathan down later.
"Golem, use Rock Tomb to block yourself!"
As soon as he released Golem, the trainer gave this command.
Nathan blinked in confusion—opening with Rock Tomb as defense?
Using defense to substitute for offense? He'd only ever heard of using offense as defense, not the other way around.
But clearly, he underestimated this trainer.
"Golem, use Rock Polish, then Dig to hide underground!"
This follow-up command genuinely shocked Nathan.
Bro, this is a competition—are you playing hide-and-seek out here?
"Nathan, even if your Pokémon are strong, so what? You'll never defeat my Golem!"
Despite sounding confident, the trainer was deeply worried.
He feared Nathan might just stall him out, which would foil his plan to drain Mewtwo's stamina.
"Heh~"
Nathan just gave a soft laugh.
You might as well write "I'm trying to drain your energy" on your forehead.
But Nathan had no interest in dragging this out.
Just a Golem—even with defense moves—was no threat to Mewtwo.
"Mewtwo, use Earthquake to destroy Rock Tomb!"
Nathan snorted softly as he spoke.
Rock Tomb? That's nothing in front of Mewtwo.
Mewtwo landed on the ground, stomping down hard with one foot.
A crack quickly expanded from the impact point, heading directly for the Rock Tomb.
The first layer of Rock Tomb began to shatter.
…
The crack reached the Rock Tomb barrier, and it shattered like fragile pottery under Earthquake.
"Mewtwo, follow up with Bulldoze!"
Mewtwo's feet glowed a dull yellow-brown.
The tunnel Golem had dug collapsed as the battlefield terrain was restored.
Golem was forcibly pushed back to the surface.
"Mewtwo, use Rock Smash and follow with Hyper Beam! End this match!"
At Nathan's command, Mewtwo charged toward the now-surfaced Golem.
Its fist, charged with immense power, slammed into Golem's chest.
Although the Alolan Golem's body carried electricity, it was meaningless against Mewtwo's special resistance.
The punch struck its chest hard, scattering the magnetic iron sand it had absorbed.
Its body rolled backward from the impact.
Then came Hyper Beam.
"Golem, use Protect!"
Seeing Mewtwo about to unleash Hyper Beam, the Josan Country trainer hastily gave the command.
But Protect was like a soap bubble in front of Mewtwo's Hyper Beam—it burst upon contact.
The massive beam smashed straight into Golem.
The beam—thick as a barrel—exploded on impact, sending debris flying.
When the dust cleared, Golem had lost many of its rocky parts, now looking like a broken sculpture—battered and incomplete.
"Next!"
Nathan declared confidently after defeating Golem.
Mewtwo returned to his side, adding to Nathan's dominating aura.
"Nathan~~ I love you! I wanna have your babies!"
shouted a spectator through a loudspeaker.
If it had been a sweet-voiced girl, that might've been fine—but this gruff voice...
I refuse! Bah, not happening!
The man's shout sent the Celestian audience into roaring laughter.
That laughter stung the Josan trainer like mockery not knowing what it meant, leaving him utterly humiliated.
He dejectedly recalled Golem and retreated to the waiting area.
In the following matches, Nathan continued to display overwhelming strength, crushing four more of Josan Country's trainers in succession.
The Celestian spectators screamed themselves hoarse, but their excitement made them forget the strain.
Look! This is our national champion! This is our strength!
Even if all our other players were targeted and eliminated early—
As long as Nathan stands on the battlefield—
We remain undefeated!
"Pangoro, use Body Slam! Let's end today's battle!"
With Pangoro's massive body crushing the final Pokémon of the last Josan trainer,
Nathan completed a legendary feat—defeating an entire national team by himself!
Cheers erupted not only in the arena,
but throughout every corner of Celestia.
"Congratulations to Nathan Vesper! He secures the first victory point in the round-robin tournament!"
(End of Chapter)