After waiting for the preceding country's match to finish, Evelyn finally took the stage.
Just like before, she sent out her Gyarados the moment she entered the arena.
However, when her opponent saw the Gyarados, he merely chuckled softly before sending out his own Pokémon.
But when Evelyn saw the opponent's Pokémon, she couldn't help but jump in shock.
"Guzzlord?!"
Evelyn exclaimed in disbelief.
Nathan was also caught off guard.
He hadn't expected Evelyn to encounter a Guzzlord this early—in just the second round of the tournament.
Guzzlord was one of the Ultra Beasts.
In the world it originally inhabited, it might have been a fairly ordinary creature.
But in this world, it was an extremely powerful Pokémon.
It had an enormous body and terrifying strength.
As soon as it was released, it began to devour everything in sight—whether it was rocks or trees, it grabbed them and shoved them straight into its mouth.
"I originally didn't intend to use my Guzzlord so early," the Liberty Union contestant said coldly to Evelyn, "but Samuel insisted that we must win this round."
Evelyn frowned deeply.
This was going to be a very tough battle.
Even though Nathan had helped her train for an entire day, greatly improving her Gyarados, in front of an Ultra Beast like Guzzlord, that boost might not be enough.
After all, Ultra Beasts weren't called that for nothing.
"I might not lose either!"
Though a bit anxious inside, Evelyn still spoke with unwavering determination.
Win or lose—you never know unless you fight.
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Compared to the battle-ready Evelyn, the viewers online were far less calm.
In the eyes of the average person, Guzzlord was a terrifyingly evil-looking Pokémon.
Mostly because of how grotesque it looked—like a monster that had crawled up from the abyss.
What's more, it could eat nonstop—literally nonstop, and it didn't even poop.
There had once been a country that encountered a Guzzlord.
But due to its slow response, several of its buildings were devoured by the beast before it was finally driven off, leaving behind nothing but shattered foundations.
"Why does the Liberty Union contestant have a Pokémon like that?"
"Miss Mist has met her match. But hey, this kind of matchup is what makes battles worth watching!"
"I just want to know if Guzzlord can actually eat that Gyarados."
All sorts of bizarre and hilarious comments flooded the live stream.
More than a few lamented that they couldn't be there in person.
Watching a match like this live would've been an unforgettable experience.
"Gyarados, use Aqua Tail!"
Evelyn gave the command, although she didn't really expect it to do much—it was just a probing move.
Her opponent merely smiled and said, "Guzzlord, use Swallow."
Gyarados swung its massive tail, sending a five- or six-meter-wide column of water barreling toward Guzzlord.
Yet Guzzlord didn't even bother moving—
It simply opened its gaping maw.
The Aqua Tail blast landed right in its mouth.
Have you ever seen someone drink straight from a fire hydrant?
Well, that's exactly what this looked like—
Guzzlord gulped down the water column like it was nothing!
Gasps erupted from the audience and even from viewers watching the stream.
It was insane—just swallowed it, like that?
Nathan's brow furrowed tightly.
If this continued, Evelyn would lose in her very first battle.
If Gyarados fell, her remaining Pokémon wouldn't stand a chance.
Against a Guzzlord, they were simply too weak.
"Hmph! So this is the strength of? How laughable!"
"Guzzlord, use Heavy Slam, followed by Wrap!"
The Liberty Union contestant issued the command again.
"Use Iron Defense and Protect, quickly!"
Evelyn, well aware of how dangerous Guzzlord was, didn't dare to slack off.
Guzzlord's twenty-meter-tall body lunged at Gyarados.
Though Gyarados was nearly a hundred meters long, its body wasn't nearly as thick.
Guzzlord crashed into the Protect barrier, shattering it instantly.
Then the two Pokémon collided directly.
Seeing this, the Liberty Union contestant thought victory was already his.
Very few Pokémon could withstand Guzzlord's Heavy Slam followed immediately by Wrap.
But then, something astonishing happened.
Guzzlord's massive body slammed into Gyarados and—
DING~
It was like someone had smashed their head into a steel pole.
Nathan, watching from the sidelines, burst into laughter.
He laughed unrestrainedly, and he wasn't alone—the other contestants around him also cracked up.
As for the online audience?
They were laughing so hard their stomachs hurt.
They'd seen people walk into lampposts before, but seeing something like that happen to Pokémon was rare.
Still, a few sharp-eyed viewers noticed something else.
"I can't… that Ding~ sound really killed me."
"Was that Guzzlord the bald guy who hit a pole? I'm in love with this scene!"
"Didn't you all notice? That Gyarados just used one of Nathan's custom techniques!"
After crashing into Gyarados, Guzzlord looked dazed.
Its oversized head, which made up 80% of its body, was spinning.
The Liberty Union contestant looked completely dumbfounded.
How could a Pokémon's body be that tough?
Naturally, Evelyn wasn't going to let an opportunity like this go to waste.
"Gyarados, use Hurricane!"
As her words fell, a massive tornado formed.
Guzzlord, just recovering from its dizzy spell, was immediately sucked into the vortex.
Then began a washing machine-style spin cycle.
After the hurricane subsided, Guzzlord was once again completely disoriented.
"Gyarados, use Hyper Beam!"
Evelyn seized the chance again.
The opponent had practically handed her the opportunity.
The beam struck Guzzlord directly, blasting it into the air.
Boom—
It crashed hard into the ground and struggled to stand up.
Although the attack had done significant damage, it wasn't quite enough to take down Guzzlord completely.
Once it got back up, its injuries had only made it angrier.
"Guzzlord, use Gastro Acid!"
Seeing that his Guzzlord had gotten back on its feet, the Liberty Union contestant sighed in relief.
He had truly feared it might lose just like that.
At the same time, he had become wary of that weird technique Gyarados used earlier.
Guzzlord opened its mouth and, after belching once, vomited several large splashes of stomach acid.
The acid went straight for Gyarados.
Due to its massive size, it was nearly impossible for Gyarados to completely dodge.
Even after doing its best, several patches of acid still landed on its body.
The areas touched by the acid began to corrode, and even its Special Defense stat dropped.
"Guzzlord, use Tantrum!"
The Liberty Union contestant commanded swiftly, seeing that the acid had landed.
The furious Guzzlord swung its bizarre limbs and charged at Gyarados.
Because of the pain from the burns, Gyarados couldn't dodge fast enough.
Guzzlord's twisted limbs smacked it again and again, leaving large, red welts.
"Don't give it a chance! Use Gyro Ball combined with Thrash!"
Now that he had the upper hand, the Liberty Union contestant wasn't about to let Evelyn recover.
Just moments ago, the tide had nearly turned against him—
If he gave her another opening, it would be over for him.
Guzzlord furiously flailed its limbs while spinning its massive body.
Using both moves at once, Guzzlord had turned into a full-blown attack machine.
Continuous, unrelenting strikes rained down on Gyarados—
Until one strike landed squarely on its head.
Gyarados fainted!
Its nearly 100-meter-long body collapsed like a skyscraper toppling to the earth.
The ground trembled from the sheer weight of its fall.
Seeing her injured, unconscious Gyarados, Evelyn sadly recalled it into its Poké Ball.
After Gyarados was defeated, she sent out her other Pokémon to continue the fight.
But against an Ultra Beast like Guzzlord, she still lost.
Having beaten Evelyn, the Liberty Union contestant gleefully waved at the camera, full of excitement.
----------------------
"Hey! You're celebrating too early!"
Nathan glared furiously at the Liberty Union contestant.
This guy had actually defeated Evelyn.
It was infuriating!
(End of Chapter)