"Dragonair, use Water Tail!"
As Dragonair's slender tail stirred the rushing water, Flint's Lairon fell in response.
However, to defeat Lairon, Dragonair also paid a hefty price, panting heavily and appearing very weary.
Flint returned Lairon with a Pokeball, maintaining a calm and composed demeanor, neither arrogant nor impatient, and quietly said to Lairon, "You did very well."
On the other side, Lance didn't hesitate either, recalling the exhausted Dragonair.
In this state, although Dragonair won, continuing to fight would only deplete its energy without much effect.
Though it seemed like Lance had won, the outcome wasn't much different from a draw.
"Great! His Dragonair can't continue either!" Du Juan exclaimed excitedly, clenching her little fist.
In her view, as a Quasi-God Pokémon, it should be the ace Pokémon, right?
The first battle already proved tough.
Natsuhiko just smiled without saying much.
Lance and Flint are somewhat different. Flint's initial Pokémon was a Shiny Iron Dumbbells, which has stayed with him the longest, much like Hilona's Gible.
Lance, however, only rejoined the Dragon Taming Race later, and he recently captured his Dragonair, so calling it an ace is still a bit premature.
"The choice for the second Pokémon is particularly crucial." Natsuhiko narrowed his eyes, pondering which Pokémon he would send out if he were in their shoes.
Du Juan rolled her eyes beside him.
No kidding, with only three Pokémon each, every choice is important, right?
She didn't understand Natsuhiko's point, and he wasn't bothered to explain.
He just muttered to himself, "Flint might send out Skarmory. Lance... is it Gyarados?"
As he finished speaking, Flint and Lance threw their Pokeballs again.
Du Juan's eyes widened in disbelief, looking at Natsuhiko, who stood with arms crossed, deep in thought.
Because the Pokémon Flint and Lance summoned were exactly as he predicted.
"How did you know?"
Natsuhiko didn't look at her, just continued muttering to himself:
"Unfortunately, Lance's courage wasn't big enough. If he had sent out Gyarados from the start, the battle's outcome would be decided. Lairon would have given Gyarados more prep time, and if Gyarados used Dragon Dance enough, pushing the team was not impossible. But choosing the safer Dragonair wasn't wrong either; it just added a bit of suspense."
Continuing, he said, "But Flint is bold in his Pokémon's order. By leading with Lairon, he's already avoided his biggest weakness."
Simply put, the battle between Flint and Lance was really "I predict your prediction of my prediction" type of clash.
Psycho-strategic maneuvers determine victory more than the actual battle instructions.
Du Juan watched Natsuhiko analyze alone, feeling a bit lost about what he was saying.
What she learned from books seemed similar yet different, though she couldn't point out how exactly.
"So who will win this time?"
Du Juan unconsciously wanted Natsuhiko's judgment.
Natsuhiko glanced at her, chuckling softly, "Barring any surprises, Skarmory should win this time."
Flint's Skarmory is excellent, and of course, Lance's Gyarados is no less, but Skarmory holds the aerial advantage, allowing it to probe with Air Slash multiple times.
As long as Gyarados flinches even once, Skarmory's win probability rises slightly.
After all, this isn't turn-based; it's not just an exchange of turns.
And indeed.
Shortly after, Lance's Gyarados fell heavily to the ground, losing its combat ability.
Skarmory descended slowly from the sky, not in the best condition, with arcs of electricity jumping across its body.
It hit successfully once with Thunder, causing that much trouble for Skarmory.
But the hit rate of Thunder is too low, and in the end, Skarmory won by relying on Air Slash.
However, much like Lance, Flint chose to recall Skarmory.
"Great! Flint's ace hasn't even come out yet; victory is assured!" Du Juan exclaimed in excitement.
She instinctively looked at Natsuhiko, wanting to see disappointment on his face.
In her view, being Flint's supporter meant Natsuhiko was for Lance, and thus the supporter with more spirit shouldn't lose.
"Flint won't send out Metang," Natsuhiko just stated plainly, as if revealing a fact.
"Why?"
Because Metang is countered by Charizard... Natsuhiko didn't answer, just murmured to himself.
But if a Rock-type Pokémon were to be sent out, it'd be different, given it has a four-time advantage over Charizard.
"In that case... Lance won't send out Charizard in the end either, interesting."
"Charizard? So Flint's opponent has a Charizard?" Du Juan seemed to finally glimpse some understanding.
The Honedge behind Natsuhiko also kept its gaze on the field.
'Why are they all so strong?'
...
...
The final Pokémon from both sides.
The two trainers threw their Pokeballs simultaneously.
Roar—
Roar—
Two loud roars.
Yet as they saw the Pokémon each other summoned, both were momentarily stunned.
"Not a Charizard?"
"Not an Onix?"
Unexpectedly, they had summoned identical Pokémon.
Two.
Aerodactyl!
Natsuhiko couldn't help but chuckle.
This psychological maneuvering, full marks.
Flint thought Lance would send out Charizard as the final play, with Rock-type Aerodactyl having a four-time advantage over Fire and Flying-type Charizard, offering formidable suppression through type.
Lance foresaw that Flint wouldn't call out Metang, but surely a Rock-type Pokémon like Flint's Onix, being a fan of both Rock and Steel-type Pokémon.
Never doubt Flint having a Rock-type Pokémon.
Among Flint's Rock-type Pokémon, Onix was quite famous, so Lance opted for Aerodactyl, playing on aerial and agility advantages, seeing Aerodactyl as better suited than Charizard.
Furthermore, the Aerodactyl Lance caught recently is quite strong.
And the result?
They saw it; they made a mistake.
It turned into Aerodactyl VS Aerodactyl.
Du Juan no longer spoke, just stared blankly at Natsuhiko.
Who is this person really?
How can he accurately anticipate the choices of Flint and Lance every time, and also clearly know the outcome?
An insider in the betting world?
How could she see Natsuhiko as someone very strong?
"It's over." Natsuhiko shook his head.
The same Aerodactyl, Lance's Aerodactyl, was slightly stronger by a margin.
But there wasn't much being said in this battle.
Since Flint was much younger than Lance, if you put them on the same age level, the result might be different.
No, it would definitely be different.
In growing Trainers, even a few months' age difference yields a significant gap, let alone a few years.
Comparatively, Lance had the advantage of age and experience, while Flint had the advantage of receiving the best education and resources earlier than Lance.
"Didn't expect this trainer, proficient in Flying-type Pokémon, is quite formidable."
Once Dragonair evolved into Dragonite, it would have Flying-type attributes; Aerodactyl, Gyarados, and the yet-to-show Charizard are all Flying-type Pokémon too.
Isn't this a Flying-type Pokémon Trainer?
Du Juan, despite feeling unfair towards Flint, had to acknowledge Lance's power.
Natsuhiko's expression turned somewhat odd.
A trainer proficient in Flying-type Pokémon?
Well, that's something he certainly didn't say.