"Now then, what will Yozora's third Pokémon be? Will it be Scizor, Weavile, or Ampharos?"
"But against the surging might of Golem, none of those seem to have much advantage!" The announcer threw out the question and answered himself, stirring up the atmosphere in the stadium.
Scizor, Weavile, Ampharos—these were all Pokémon Yozora had used in previous matches.
Adding Tangrowth and Arcanine to the list, the rest of his team had yet to be revealed.
At this moment…
The entire audience looked at Yozora with eager anticipation, hoping he would send out something new.
Only Gary Oak wore a wary expression.
He was still relying on his old team, while Yozora had been bringing out fresh members one after another.
Gary knew all too well the terror of Yozora's veterans—Beedrill, Charizard, Buzzwole… if any of those came out, who could possibly withstand them?
But if it was a new member, then he felt he had a chance to fight back!
Under the gaze of thousands, Yozora finally released his third Pokémon."Go, Gyarados!"
A flash of white light—then a massive crimson Gyarados materialized on the battlefield. Its ferocious visage, its strange red scales, its immense, muscular body… the moment it appeared, the stadium erupted like boiling water, the roar of the crowd deafening.
"Wh—what?! My goodness! Yozora's third Pokémon is a Shiny Gyarados!" The announcer nearly lost his words in shock.
The stands went wild, fans screaming and chanting Yozora's name.
Too insane! Too incredible!
After showing off a Shiny Arcanine earlier, now he revealed a Shiny Gyarados. How could anyone not be floored by this?
Even the other main tournament competitors—normally proud and untouchable—stared at Yozora as if they were looking at some kind of monster.
A Shiny Arcanine. A Shiny Gyarados.These weren't ordinary prizes—each one alone was enough to be treated like royalty. And Yozora had both?
Damn it all… was this what people meant by "the chosen one"?
One by one, the official competitors couldn't help but feel bitter and envious.
Even outside the arena, a competitor from Hoenn named Yue Ye was watching Yozora gravely, already treating him as a rival and mentally simulating battle strategies against him.
"A Shiny Gyarados! That's an excellent choice! With this, the type advantage flips completely!" the announcer shouted excitedly.
Earlier, Golem's typing gave it a natural edge over Arcanine.
But now, it was Gyarados who held the advantage against Golem.
Gary, ever the theory-heavy trainer who placed great importance on type matchups, felt the pressure mounting. Still, he raised his voice with determination:"Charge, Golem—use Rollout!"
On the field, Golem tucked in and spun rapidly, barreling straight for Gyarados.
With its immense weight, Rollout from Golem was no laughing matter—few Pokémon could withstand its crushing impact.
But Yozora's crimson Gyarados was colossal, like a living juggernaut. Compared to it, Golem looked small and almost insignificant.
As Golem closed in, Gyarados waited calmly, only swinging its tail at the last possible moment.
Aqua Tail!
Boom! The watery tail whipped across Golem's body, a wave of water exploding outward as the Rock Pokémon was sent flying.
Four times super effective—the result was devastating.
Golem crashed to the ground, limbs sprawled, eyes spinning in swirls. Completely knocked out.
"Golem is unable to battle! Gyarados wins!" declared the referee, blowing his whistle to mark the end of the first half.
The first half concluded with Yozora leading five to three.
He still had five Pokémon left, while Gary had only three.
"Yozora's too strong. I looked up his record—he became Kanto's Indigo League Champion in his rookie year. To win a championship in your first year… and now he's only gotten stronger!"
"True, but the Silver Conference isn't the Indigo League. This tournament's level is much higher. Whether he can claim the title here is another story…"
"Yeah, the official competitors are no joke—especially Hoenn's Harrison and Shōshi from the Blackthorn Clan. Both are top tier!"
During the ten-minute intermission, the audience buzzed with speculation, analyzing the strongest seeded players with sharp eyes.
Soon, the second half began.
As the advantaged player, Yozora had to send out first. He chose to keep Gyarados on the field.
"Still going with Gyarados. How will Gary respond?" the announcer mused.
Gary released his next Pokémon—Electabuzz.
The scoreboard updated with Electabuzz's image, while Arcanine, Scizor, and Golem's slots dimmed, marking their defeats.
"Electabuzz—an excellent choice! Type advantage is absolute here. Gary truly lives up to his reputation as a theory-focused trainer!" praised the announcer.
In Pokémon battles, type advantage often determined everything—double damage, resistances, or outright immunity. Unless there was an enormous gap in level, exploiting type matchups was the foundation of all competitive play.
"Battle begin!" signaled the referee.
"Strike first, Electabuzz—Thunderbolt!" Gary ordered.
Sparks surged, and Electabuzz unleashed a powerful bolt of lightning that struck Gyarados head-on.
Electricity crackled over the Shiny Gyarados' body. Yet, to everyone's surprise, it showed no pain at all—its gaze remained savage and full of fighting spirit.
"Incredible! Yozora's Gyarados actually withstood Thunderbolt! Is this the power of a Shiny Pokémon?!" the announcer cried dramatically.
Gasps filled the stadium.
Gyarados was Water and Flying type—quadruple weak to Electric. Under normal circumstances, Thunderbolt should have obliterated it. Yet here, it endured effortlessly. What kind of monstrous level did this Gyarados possess?!
Gary's face twisted in disbelief. His Electabuzz wasn't weak, and Thunderbolt against a 4x weakness should have at least gravely injured Gyarados. Yet the result was… nothing.
Not even a scratch.
Across the field, Yozora's lips curled into a sly smile. His Gyarados had the Volt Absorb ability. It wasn't just resistant—it was completely immune to Electric attacks.
"Use Aqua Tail!" Yozora commanded.
Wham!
The long, water-coated tail slammed into Electabuzz, sending it flying.
Super effective damage!
Electabuzz, despite the type edge, had no resistance to Water moves. Gyarados' overwhelming level and raw power crushed it in one blow, leaving it sprawled unconscious on the ground.
"Such power! Truly worthy of a Shiny Gyarados!" exclaimed the announcer.
Gary's expression grew darker. Now he had only two Pokémon left.
After a pause, he released his strongest partner—Dragonite.
"The little one from before has finally grown up," Yozora murmured, sensing a familiar aura.
Indeed, after all these years, it had fully evolved.
This Dragonite was strong—at the very peak of Elite level, far surpassing Gary's earlier Pokémon.
"Yes, Dragonite! Kanto's pseudo-legendary—Gary Oak is finally getting serious!"
The battle resumed. Gary, still clinging to type advantage, commanded another Thunderbolt.
This time, Gyarados winced slightly from the attack—but still remained largely unharmed.
"No… it's not just its level. That Gyarados must have some kind of hidden resistance to electricity!" Gary finally realized, quickly recalling Dragonite.
That was his ultimate ace. He wanted to save it for last.
"Go, Blastoise!" he called, sending out his next Pokémon.
"Blastoise!" The shellfish Pokémon landed heavily on the field, its confident eyes sweeping over the crimson leviathan before it.
This Blastoise was one of Gary's most trusted powerhouses, its strength at mid-Elite level.
"So Gary chose Squirtle as his starter after all," Ash whispered from the stands, watching Blastoise with a trace of emotion.
Ash's own Pokémon philosophy was different—he rarely forced evolutions. Many of his partners, like Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Totodile, and Cyndaquil, still remained in their unevolved forms.
But Gary, like Yozora, believed that evolution was synonymous with power.
"Gyarados, Aqua Tail!" Yozora struck first as the match began.
"Blastoise, Iron Defense!" Gary countered immediately.
Blastoise retracted into its shell with a metallic shimmer—this wasn't just Iron Defense. It had combined Withdraw and Iron Defense together.
Withdraw raised defense by one stage. Iron Defense by two.
Stacked, it boosted defense by three whole levels—effectively doubling Blastoise's already formidable armor.
When Aqua Tail struck, the waters exploded outward, blasting Blastoise back.
But Gary only smiled confidently. He and Blastoise shared a deep bond, and he knew: that strike had barely scratched it.
"Rapid Spin!" Gary ordered.
Blastoise spun within its shell like a massive top, slamming repeatedly into Gyarados' body.
Individually, the damage was small, but the constant spinning inflicted steady pain, forcing cries from Gyarados.
Yozora's eyes narrowed. "Gyarados—wrap around it and Bind!"
The serpent coiled upward, constricting Blastoise tightly.
"Now—Hyper Beam!" Yozora shouted.
Golden energy surged in Gyarados' maw. Pressure mounted. Gary's face tightened as he countered desperately:"Blastoise, Hydro Pump to break free—then Rapid Spin escape!"
The torrent blasted outward, forcing Gyarados to release its grip. Blastoise spun at high speed, slipping away just in time as the Hyper Beam missed its mark.
"Finish it—Skull Bash!" Gary roared.
Blastoise rocketed forward like a launched missile, its armored shell slamming brutally into Gyarados.
The leviathan was thrown back, crashing to the ground unconscious.
"Gyarados is unable to battle! Blastoise wins!" the referee declared, raising the red flag toward Gary's Pokémon.
"What a mighty Blastoise—combining offense and defense in perfect balance! This is Gary Oak's true strength!" Even the announcer was awestruck.
Indeed, Gary's mastery over Blastoise went far beyond brute force.
Its Rapid Spin not only countered traps but also compensated for its natural lack of speed, turning its defense into a weapon.
Overall, this Blastoise seemed flawless—no weaknesses, only strengths.
Gyarados had fallen.
On the scoreboard, its image dimmed.
So far, Yozora had revealed three Pokémon: Tangrowth, Arcanine, and Gyarados.
Both Tangrowth and Gyarados were defeated. Only Arcanine remained unharmed, still at nearly full strength.
But against Gary's powerful Blastoise, sending out Arcanine would be suicide.
Intimidate could weaken Blastoise's offense somewhat—but its real danger was defense. With both level and typing against him, Arcanine could do nothing meaningful. It would be like serving up free food.
This was the tyranny of type matchups.
Sometimes, no matter how strong Yozora's Pokémon were, he couldn't simply brute force his way through.
"Has Yozora finally run out of options against Gary's overwhelming Blastoise?!" the announcer called, riling up the audience.
But Yozora did not hesitate long. Soon, he sent out his fourth Pokémon—Ampharos.
…
(End of Chapter)