Chapter 208: Advancing to the Top 32
On the second day, Ryan and his team began their final preliminary tournament match.
Ryan stood in the battle arena, looking at a woman opposite him. She was from the Alola region and her name was Lana. Trainers who could reach this stage were either incredibly strong or incredibly lucky. Ryan thought for a moment and decided on the Pokémon he would use.
As the referee spoke, four Pokémon appeared in the battle arena. Ryan saw Lana's Pokémon and instantly understood her plan: an Alolan Ninetales and a Snorlax. Ryan sent out Pheromosa and Beedrill, two incredibly fast attackers.
The Alolan Ninetales had the Snow Warning ability, and shortly after the start of the match, dark clouds filled the sky, and snowflakes began to fall.
"Ninetales, Aurora Veil! Snorlax, Belly Drum!" Lana announced directly.
Ninetales roared, its nine tails standing tall. In the snowy weather, a dazzling aurora-like curtain appeared on the field. Snorlax pounded its belly, producing a thunderous sound like a giant drum. Snorlax lowered its head in pain, but when it raised it again, its once adorable face was contorted with determination.
Ryan smiled faintly and said, "Cutting your defenses to boost Snorlax's attack. Are you trying to finish this quickly?"
With that, Ryan waved his hand, and Pheromosa and Beedrill transformed into two streaks of light, shooting directly at Ninetales and Snorlax.
"Ninetales, use Blizzard to stop them! Snorlax, let him see our full power!" Lana said.
Ninetales nodded and unleashed a powerful Blizzard. The Blizzard's power was greatly amplified by the snowy weather. This successfully blocked the attacks of Pheromosa and Beedrill. Lana immediately assumed a Normal-type Z-pose.
"This is our full power! Go, Snorlax! Get serious and unleash a devastating attack!" Lana shouted.
Snorlax enveloped its entire body in Z-Power, its fierce expression softening slightly. This large Pokémon charged towards Pheromosa and Beedrill at incredible speed with Breakneck Blitz.
"Well then, let's get a little serious," Ryan said, pressing a Key Stone on his wrist. "Beedrill, Mega Evolve!"
Beedrill instantly evolved into Mega Beedrill. It exchanged a glance with Pheromosa, then vanished from everyone's sight in a flash.
"How is this possible?! They vanished?!" Lana couldn't believe her eyes. The two Pokémon had simply disappeared!
"Vanished? They were just too fast for your eyes to process! Pheromosa, High Jump Kick! Beedrill, Poison Jab!" Ryan said indifferently.
Pheromosa instantly appeared in front of Ninetales, the power unleashed from its slender legs exceeding everyone's expectations. With a single strike, Ninetales smashed through the entire wall, completely incapacitated.
Snorlax, caught up in its powerful Z-Move, had its attacks dodged by both. As it came to a stop, it heard its partner Ninetales's cry. But just as it was about to turn around, a ghostly green light appeared behind Snorlax, with Mega Beedrill's tail stinger piercing its body, releasing a torrent of venom.
Snorlax roared in pain, but the next second, Mega Beedrill's four lance-like stingers pierced Snorlax's body, taking away its last sliver of health.
"Ninetales and Snorlax are unable to battle! Beedrill and Pheromosa win! Therefore, the winner is Ryan from Pallet Town!" With the referee's decision, the match ended.
Ryan recalled his two Pokémon and quickly rejoined Lillie and Gladion. They needed to check on Sapphire and the others as soon as possible. Their schedules were close together, which was why Ryan had sent out Pheromosa and Beedrill, even using Mega Evolution. There was no other way; they were pressed for time!
If Lana knew this, who knows what she would think, but she'd probably be frustrated.
Arriving at Sapphire's battle arena, Ryan and Lillie found the match was nearing its end. Sapphire was using Rampardos and Aggron against her opponent's Torkoal and Cacturne.
Currently, Sapphire's Rampardos and her opponent's Cacturne were down, and the battle was between Aggron and Torkoal. From a type perspective, Sapphire was at a disadvantage.
"Torkoal, use Flamethrower again!"
"Aggron, Iron Head!"
Torkoal unleashed a Flamethrower at Aggron, but Aggron completely ignored it, using Iron Head to smash through the flames and crash into Torkoal. However, Torkoal immediately retreated into its shell and used Iron Defense. It's likely that the trainer specifically trained Torkoal's defense, or had used Iron Defense a few times before.
Iron Head didn't do much damage to Torkoal, demonstrating just how strong its defense was!
But even the strongest defense can be worn down. Both Torkoal and Aggron had low HP, and the battle was almost over.
"Torkoal, Overheat!"
"Aggron, Iron Head!"
The two were going all out for a final clash; the outcome would depend on this move!
Overheat is a powerful Fire-type move, but its Special Attack is severely reduced when used, so the opponent saved it for last to maximize its power. He was caught up in his excitement and didn't notice Sapphire's expression, which was one of extreme confidence.
Aggron was charging towards Torkoal with its head down, but just as Overheat was about to hit it, a protective shield enveloped it, successfully blocking the Overheat.
"What?!" the opponent exclaimed in disbelief.
"So far in the match, I've only used Autotomize, Iron Head, and Fire Punch. I saved the last move for now! This victory is mine, Aggron, finish it off!" Sapphire said excitedly.
Aggron understood without Sapphire's command; Protect blocking the crucial Overheat had already secured its victory! Iron Head hit the defenseless Torkoal directly, sending it flying and rendering it unable to battle.
"Torkoal and Cacturne are unable to battle! Rampardos and Aggron win! Therefore, the winner is Sapphire from Littleroot Town!"
With the referee's announcement, Sapphire secured her victory in her final preliminary tournament match, advancing to the top 32. Starting tomorrow, she will step onto the main stage for the final six-on-six all-out battle!
(End of Chapter)
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