"Bite."
Seeing Hoothoot fall to the ground, Ash's gaze turned cold. He gave no room for Falkner to recover, immediately ordering Eevee to press the attack.
Eevee lunged forward and clamped down hard.
As a Normal-type Pokémon, Eevee lacked flashy elemental techniques. Ash had never forced it to learn improvised or unnatural moves. Eevee's true brilliance would only emerge after evolution.
But Ash had no intention of evolving Eevee yet.
Before its potential was fully unlocked—and before Ash decided on its evolutionary path—Eevee would focus solely on physical conditioning and mental discipline.
"Hoo—!"
Hoothoot screamed as Eevee bit into its right wing. It flapped violently, trying to throw Eevee off, but Eevee's footing was steady. Ash's training was ruthless—this much resistance wasn't enough.
"Hoothoot, stay calm—use Confusion!" Falkner ordered, forcing himself to steady his breathing.
Hoothoot's red eyes glowed blue.
Invisible psychic force surged outward, enveloping Eevee.
For an instant, Eevee's movements slowed. At the same time, the pressure forced Hoothoot free from Eevee's Bite. But almost immediately, Eevee broke free as well.
Their attributes countered each other. The psychic binding force wasn't strong enough to fully restrain Eevee.
"Good," Ash thought calmly. "Hoothoot's stamina has dropped to about 40%. Eevee is still above 80%."
Through the Sharingan, Ash could clearly see Hoothoot's accelerated blood flow and irregular heartbeat—classic signs of heavy stamina loss.
Eevee, by contrast, showed steady circulation and controlled breathing.
Even without chakra-enhanced vision, Ash could judge a Pokémon's condition by fur texture, sweat, and muscle response. With chakra, the process became effortless.
Why ignore a useful ability?
Falkner wiped cold sweat from his forehead.
"He's reading everything… My timing, my intent—he already knows what I'm going to do."
For the first time since the match began, Falkner hesitated to issue an order.
"Did you notice?" Ash said calmly. "Your observation isn't bad."
Since Falkner didn't move, Ash took the initiative.
"Eevee—Dig. Keep moving."
Eevee slammed its paws into the ground and vanished underground in an instant.
Only Hoothoot remained on the battlefield.
Because of its injured right wing, Hoothoot couldn't take off immediately. It needed time.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
Eevee surfaced on one side of the field—then immediately burrowed again. Holes began appearing across the arena, one after another.
But Eevee never attacked.
"What… what is he doing?" Falkner frowned deeply.
Such a perfect opportunity—and yet no strike.
No matter how he thought about it, staying grounded felt dangerous.
"Hoothoot—fly up! Gain altitude!"
Hoothoot flapped its wings and rose into the air.
Due to its body structure, it couldn't fly very high—only about the height of a tree. True high-altitude flight would only be possible after evolving into Noctowl.
Still, the pain in its wing had eased enough to allow flight.
That alone was good news.
But Ash smiled.
"You finally flew," he said softly. "Much better than wasting time with a ground stalemate."
From the sidelines, Sabrina frowned slightly.
"…You're already trapped."
She understood Ash too well.
At this stage, Eevee couldn't overwhelm opponents directly. Ash was using his signature style—
Data-driven combat.
Analysis. Prediction. Environmental control.
Exploiting every possible advantage until victory became inevitable.
Put bluntly—
A strategist's battle.
And Falkner had just stepped into it.
"Hoothoot, use Air Slash!"
At Falkner's command, Hoothoot flapped its wings sharply. Each sweep released a compressed blade of wind that cut straight toward the battlefield below.
"Go into the tunnel you just dug—and use Swift," Ash said calmly, a faint smile on his lips.
Boom!
The air blade struck the spot where Eevee had been standing moments earlier. The ground cracked open, dust and debris flying, proving just how powerful the attack was.
Boom!
"Hoo—!"
Before Hoothoot could react, several golden stars suddenly shot out from one of the holes in the battlefield, striking it midair and forcing out a painful cry.
Before it could even stabilize—
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
More golden stars burst out from other holes scattered across the field.
The attack paths were completely irregular.
Hoothoot couldn't even determine where Eevee was hiding.
"Damn it… it's calculated," Falkner muttered, his face turning pale.
"Those earlier Dig attacks weren't meaningless. Eevee wasn't repositioning—it was setting firing points."
With so many holes across the field, any one of them could launch Swift at any moment. There was no safe angle, no time to dodge.
"It's too late…"
From the very start, Falkner had been pulled into Ash's rhythm. Their Pokémon were evenly matched in strength, yet the battle had never once escaped Ash's control.
"Hoo—!!!"
Under the relentless barrage of Swift, Hoothoot finally let out a final cry and collapsed, completely losing its ability to battle.
A moment later, Eevee emerged from one of the holes, landing lightly on the ground.
Its breathing was heavy.
But it was still standing.
The first round was over.
And Ash had won—exactly as planned.
(End of Chapter)
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