Chapter 12: Doubles Match on the Ferry
"Ugh," Ryan leaned against the ferry's railing, feeling somewhat deflated.
"Don't be so down. You didn't want the badge I offered you for free anyway," Lillie said, hugging Snowy and patting Ryan on the back consolingly.
"You haven't decided on your trainer path yet, so you don't understand how frustrating it is to not be able to battle at full strength," Ryan said glumly.
"Well, maybe you just haven't had enough challenging battles. This ferry is quite large, and it takes three days to reach Vermilion City. They're hosting a small doubles tournament on board—you should enter! I heard there's an Evolution Stone for first place," Lillie suggested.
Hearing about the competition and prizes, Ryan perked up immediately. His system also issued a quest for claiming victory, offering substantial Battle Points and rare items. This instantly reignited Ryan's enthusiasm!
They were currently aboard a ferry from Cerulean City's harbor, bound for Vermilion City. Having already obtained the Cascade Badge from Cerulean Gym, Ryan had admittedly found the challenge underwhelming. The three Waterflowers sisters running the gym were easily defeated by his level 36 Frogadier . This Cerulean Gym was undoubtedly the weakest in Kanto.
Perhaps only when Misty returned from her travels and took over would the Cerulean Gym truly become formidable. It had been three days since leaving Saffron City. Given how often Ash and his group got lost, they might encounter each other in Vermilion City, though there was no guarantee.
Ever since hearing the system's assessment of naturally gifted trainers, Ryan had been craving a serious match to gauge his current abilities.
However, there was no point dwelling on that now. The prize was appealing, and since it was a doubles match, Ryan convinced Lillie to register as his partner. Lillie was excited—this would be her first official Pokémon battle.
After registering, they received competitor badges numbered three and headed to the ferry's open deck. A large crowd had already gathered around the spacious battle arena.
The captain emerged to give opening remarks, and the matches began. Being a small, private tournament, there weren't many participants—just eight teams total. Team One faced Team Two, Team Three faced Team Four, and so forth.
Team One consisted of twin brothers using Pidgeotto and Hypno; Team Two was a young couple using Magneton and Golem. Ryan glanced over and quickly lost interest. The level and potential differences were too stark—the couple would clearly win.
As expected, they won, though with some difficulty. Ryan shook his head, remembering that a trainer's strategic commands and predictions were crucial factors. Raw power wasn't everything.
In the second match, Ryan and Lillie took the field, sending out Frogadier and Snowy respectively. Their opponents were two male friends fielding Rhydon and Venusaur. Ryan's eyes lit up—both opponents had impressive levels and potential. This would be entertaining.
"Hail!" Ryan commanded. Against a Rhydon and Venusaur—both weak to Ice-type moves—this weather condition was perfect. Greninja called out to the heavens, and dark clouds gathered overhead. Ice crystals and snow began falling, dealing continuous damage to non-Ice-types.
"Rhydon, use Rock Slide! Target that Vulpix!"
"Venusaur, Razor Leaf! Attack the Vulpix too!"
Both opponents immediately had their Pokémon counter-attack, focusing fire on Snowy. Lillie hesitated momentarily, then called, "Snowy, use Powder Snow!"
"Don't worry about Snowy, Lillie. Greninja, use Protect! Shield both of them," Ryan instructed calmly.
Frogadier leaped in front of Snowy, creating a translucent green barrier that completely blocked the Rock Slide and Razor Leaf attacks. Meanwhile, Snowy's Powder Snow, boosted by the Hail weather, dealt significant damage to both opponents, with ice beginning to form around Rhydon's feet.
" Frogadier , finish Rhydon with Hydro Pump!" Ryan commanded immediately.
"Venusaur, help Rhydon! Block that attack!" The opponent reacted quickly, positioning Venusaur in front of the immobilized Rhydon. The massive water blast struck Venusaur directly. Though incredibly powerful, Venusaur's Grass typing reduced the Water-type damage by half, allowing it to endure the hit.
"Snowy, keep using Powder Snow!" Lillie called out.
"Venusaur, use Razor Leaf again!"
"Rhydon, break free from that ice!"
Both opponents were growing increasingly desperate. Ryan laughed and said, "Stop struggling! Frogadier , finish this with Giga Impact!"
Frogadier roared, building tremendous momentum as it blasted through the Razor Leaf attack and slammed into Venusaur with devastating force, sending it crashing into the ship's wall and knocking it unconscious.
Frogadier entered the typical recharge state after using Giga Impact. However, Rhydon remained frozen solid, unable to move. The opponent smiled ruefully and said, "We forfeit."
He knew full well that a single frozen Rhydon couldn't defeat two healthy opponents. Moreover, that blue frog appeared to be Water-type with powerful moves like Hydro Pump. He decided to spare Rhydon unnecessary suffering.
Having won this match, Ryan felt unsatisfied—it had been too easy. Lillie, however, jumped excitedly, hugging Snowy in celebration. The next two matches proceeded similarly, though one trainer's Arbok impressed Ryan with its effective use of various poison techniques and status effects. Still, he felt no pressure. Greninja alone would suffice, though he wanted to push Greninja harder. After all, it was already level 36 and ready to reach its full potential.
He'd been wanting to explore Greninja's bond evolution for some time, and he was tantalizingly close to unlocking it.
In the semifinal against the couple, Snowy barely needed to participate—just sending out occasional Powder Snow while Frogadier dismantled both opponents with ease. Ryan gradually became more familiar with Frogadier Protean ability.
Protean: Each time the Pokémon uses a move, its type changes to match that move's type.
Undeniably, with this ability, Frogadier became the most versatile Pokémon on his team. With access to moves of different types, Frogadier could adapt to virtually any situation and always gain STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus).
In the other semifinal, the trainer Ryan had noticed also won. His Weezing performed brilliantly, combining various poison-type techniques with impressive strategy. Ryan stroked his chin thoughtfully: This guy's clearly specializing in Poison-types. If Koga ever steps down as Fuchsia City's Gym Leader, this trainer might be a strong candidate for the position.
The final round was about to begin. The captain appeared personally and presented the winning prizes: two Moon Stones. Perfect for both him and Lillie—they could help evolve Nidorino and Nidoran♀ into their final forms, Nidoking and Nidoqueen.
Ryan sent out Frogadier again. Lillie hesitated briefly, then chose Clefairy instead. After all, Snowy was getting tired, and she didn't want to overwork her starter.
The opposing trainer sent out Arbok, while his partner chose Wartortle. Both sides exchanged respectful nods and immediately began the final battle.
To be continued...
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