Chapter 203: Battle Against Team Rain
In the afternoon, all the preliminary rounds were completed. The match list for the first doubles battle was also released. Ryan checked his opponent's information; it was a man named Bernard from Lilycove City.
Lillie also came over, looked at the information, and said, "Nothing particularly impressive, it'll probably be over soon."
"Want to guess which Pokémon the opponent will use?" Ryan said, turning to the side. "If I guess right, you'll kiss me. If you guess right, I'll kiss you, okay?"
Lillie rolled her eyes at Ryan, saying, "If I don't, I'll be the one who loses. But guessing which Pokémon he'll use, I reckon he'll use these two."
As she spoke, Lillie pointed to Bernard's two Pokémon: a Banette and a Snorlax. Ryan asked, "Why do you think that?"
"Most Snorlax have the Thick Fat ability, making them reliable tanks to absorb damage. And Banette, as a Ghost-type Pokémon, is great for disrupting opponents. Even if they can't defeat their opponent, they can use Destiny Bond to drag another Pokémon down with them," Lillie explained her analysis.
Ryan shook his head and said, "I think he'll send out these two."
He then pointed to two other Pokémon. Lillie glanced at them and said, "Pelipper and Ludicolo? Is there a reason for this?"
Ryan smiled and shook his head, saying, "Is the bet on?"
"Fine. If you guess right, I'll kiss you. If you guess wrong, forget about it. But if I guess right, you cook me a nice meal, okay?" Lillie said.
"Okay. It's a deal!" Ryan said, "We'll see tomorrow."
The next day, Ryan arrived at the second round of the tournament. He was assigned to the first match of the morning on Field A. Ryan walked out of the player tunnel and stood on the competition field.
The tournament was now considered a formal competition, and there were many more spectators. Bernard stood ready, and with the referee's signal, both Ryan and Bernard simultaneously sent out their Pokémon.
Ryan sent out Nidoking and Blissey, while Bernard, as Ryan had predicted, sent out Pelipper and Ludicolo.
Ryan looked towards Lillie and smiled smugly at her: "See? I told you so. Don't forget the bet."
Lillie bit her nails and muttered, "Why did he choose Pelipper and Ludicolo? They're not that strong."
But the next second, a raindrop landed on Lillie's nose, and she instantly understood: it was Pelipper's Drizzle ability!
Pelipper's Drizzle ability gave Pelipper and Ludicolo an immediate advantage. And Ludicolo's abilities, Swift Swim and Rain Dish, one boosting speed and the other restoring HP, both perfectly complemented the Drizzle ability.
"Ludicolo, use Zen Headbutt on Nidoking! Pelipper, use Hydro Pump on Nidoking too!" Bernard shouted.
Ludicolo instantly dashed forward and slammed into Nidoking, while Pelipper also fired a Hydro Pump at the airborne Nidoking, slamming it hard against the wall and inflicting massive damage.
Ryan smiled; they underestimated Blissey's healing power. Nidoking slid off the wall, shook off the water droplets, and disdainfully beckoned to the two Pokémon: with Blissey as its backing, it was fearless as long as it wasn't one-shotted!
"Nidoking, let them see what power is! Megahorn on Ludicolo! Blissey, Sunny Day," Ryan said calmly.
Nidoking roared and charged directly at Ludicolo. Ludicolo tried to dodge quickly, but Blissey had already launched an Energy Ball into the air, dispersing the rain clouds and instantly slowing Ludicolo down.
"Pelipper, Rain Dance! Ludicolo, dodge and use Leech Seed!" Bernard shouted.
Pelipper changed the weather to rain again. Ludicolo narrowly dodged Nidoking's Megahorn, firing two Leech Seeds directly at Nidoking. But Nidoking completely ignored the vines that grew from the Leech Seeds, breaking free and smashing its Megahorn into the wall, shattering the entire wall to pieces.
"Whoa!" The spectators in the stands gasped. Such destructive power! This Nidoking was incredible!
The walls around the arena were actually reinforced on the outside, with thick metal plating on the inside, designed to prevent the walls from being broken during Pokémon battles. But Nidoking's Megahorn was utterly devastating, completely ignoring the thick metal plate and smashing the entire wall to pieces.
That's right, Nidoking had mastered the essence of Sheer Force—absolute power! Blissey's understanding of healing had also reached an extraordinary level, greatly enhancing its healing abilities.
Nidoking dusted itself off and emerged from the ruins of the wall. Without a word, it unleashed another Megahorn at Ludicolo. Blissey didn't use Sunny Day to regain weather control again, instead using Gravity to pull Pelipper to the ground.
Seeing this, Nidoking turned around without hesitation and launched another Megahorn at Pelipper.
"Pelipper, Protect! Ludicolo, Hydro Pump to stop Nidoking!" Bernard shouted.
Due to Gravity, Pelipper was unable to fly; how fast could a Pelipper, limited to walking on the ground, run? It could only use Protect to block Nidoking's Megahorn.
However, Ryan laughed: Did you think it was that easy to block?
Nidoking's Megahorn, despite the Hydro Pump attack, shattered Protect with overwhelming force and then struck Pelipper. Pelipper was sent flying, and by the time it landed, it was already unable to battle.
"One more push! Blissey, Sunny Day! Nidoking, give it a final Megahorn!" Ryan shouted.
Blissey instantly dispersed the rain clouds, and Nidoking made its final charge. Without the rain's advantage, Ludicolo's speed was no match for Nidoking. A single Megahorn sent it flying, landing side-by-side with Pelipper, unable to battle.
"Pelipper and Ludicolo are unable to battle! Nidoking and Blissey win! Therefore, the winner is Ryan from Pallet Town!" the referee announced.
Ryan smiled and recalled Nidoking and Blissey. Turning to Lillie, Ryan smiled mischievously.
Lillie blushed instantly upon seeing Ryan's wicked grin.
Ruby and Sapphire excitedly ran over to Ryan and Lillie, wanting to tell them the news of Sapphire's victory. Then they saw Ryan and Lillie passionately kissing.
"Ugh, get a room!" Ruby said sourly.
(End of Chapter)
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