When Shiko remained silent for so long, Himeko tactfully chose not to press him any further.
Like Shiko, she turned her gaze toward the battles taking place below.
Most of the competitors participating in this round had reached the Quasi-Elite Four level.
Battles between Trainers of this caliber were extremely entertaining.
Not only were powerful and spectacular moves constantly flying across the arenas, but the Trainers' experience and tactical judgment also far surpassed those of ordinary Trainers.
As a result, the course of each battle was remarkably unpredictable.
A Pokémon that was being relentlessly overwhelmed one moment might suddenly switch from defense to offense in the next.
In the blink of an eye, it could completely overturn the unfavorable situation.
Matches like these firmly held the spectators' attention.
Thunderous cheers and applause erupted throughout the venue from time to time.
Shiko, however, had no interest in Quasi-Elite Four-level battles that ordinary people might consider exceptionally advanced.
His attention was focused on a match taking place in one of the corner arenas.
Although that arena was situated in a relatively remote position, it had attracted more attention than any other match in the venue.
More than half of the spectators were watching it.
There was only one reason.
Both Trainers competing there were genuine Elite Four-level experts.
On the unofficial tournament rankings, both of them had entered the top twenty.
They could truly be considered experts among experts.
A battle between two Elite Four-level Trainers was naturally far more spectacular than the surrounding clashes between Quasi-Elite Four-level competitors.
The two Trainers were named Denjiro and Daisuke.
Denjiro was a young man with his hair styled like a samurai's.
A large character representing his name was emblazoned across the chest of his clothing.
Daisuke, who stood opposite him, was dressed exactly like a motorcycle gang member.
"Spiritomb, use Shadow Ball!"
Denjiro shouted.
Spiritomb immediately gathered a sphere of black energy in front of itself and launched it toward Bellossom.
"Magical Leaf!"
Daisuke shouted with a cold expression.
Bellossom lightly waved one hand.
Countless leaves instantly materialized out of thin air and shot toward Shadow Ball.
The two moves collided.
Shadow Ball shattered dozens of leaves before finally exploding with a deafening boom.
"You seem fairly capable," Denjiro said while looking at Daisuke.
"You're not bad yourself."
Daisuke's expression became serious and cautious.
From their very first exchange, he had already realized that his opponent would be extremely difficult to deal with.
The slightest carelessness might cause him to fall during this round.
He could not allow that to happen.
His goal was to become this year's champion.
The remaining Magical Leaves continued flying toward Spiritomb.
As an Elite Four-level Pokémon, Bellossom possessed extremely powerful energy.
The countless leaves swept across the arena like a raging storm.
Spiritomb continuously weaved between them.
Its speed was not particularly impressive.
Strangely, however, it always managed to avoid the incoming attacks.
"Bellossom, use Sunny Day!"
Daisuke shouted.
Before the match, he had carefully investigated his opponent.
Although Denjiro's Spiritomb was not fast, it possessed exceptionally sharp instincts when evading attacks.
"Now! Solar Beam!"
Daisuke seized the opportunity before Spiritomb could counterattack.
Without any warning, a brilliant Solar Beam suddenly erupted from the flower on Bellossom's head.
"Quickly, dodge!"
Denjiro shouted.
Spiritomb immediately attempted to evade.
However, the surrounding Magical Leaves had become exceptionally dense.
A large number of leaves closed in from eight different directions and completely sealed off Spiritomb's escape routes.
With no other choice, Spiritomb could only attempt to retreat into the Odd Keystone beneath its body.
However, another problem immediately became apparent.
The true target of Magical Leaf had never been Spiritomb's twisted, incorporeal body.
It had been the Odd Keystone beneath it.
Spiritomb no longer had enough time to break through the leaves and evade Solar Beam.
Even if it withdrew into the Odd Keystone, the keystone itself would still be struck.
The attack had arrived far too suddenly.
There was no longer enough time to counter it with another move.
"Withdraw and defend!"
Denjiro issued the order with a troubled expression.
There was nothing else he could do under the current circumstances.
The next instant, Solar Beam struck the Odd Keystone head-on.
"BOOM!"
A tremendous explosion shook the arena.
Thick smoke immediately surged upward.
Judging by Denjiro's expression, the scale of the explosion had clearly exceeded his expectations.
"My method of raising Bellossom is to have it specialize in one move at a time," Daisuke explained.
"Its Magical Leaf has already been trained until it is almost flawless."
"The move we're currently focusing on is Solar Beam!"
"What do you think? There was no warning at all, was there?"
"And its power has also been thoroughly strengthened!"
After successfully landing the attack, Daisuke spoke with immense confidence.
The tension on his face eased slightly.
The opening exchange had gone well.
His chances of winning the battle had increased considerably.
It was common knowledge that certain Pokémon possessed protective shells.
Shellder was one such example.
When those Pokémon withdrew into their shells, the damage suffered by their main bodies would decrease.
However, the shell was still part of their body.
Once it cracked, the intense pain would often cause them to immediately lose the ability to battle.
From the beginning, Daisuke had anticipated that Denjiro might rely upon Spiritomb's Odd Keystone for defense.
Therefore, the moment he confirmed that Denjiro had sent out Spiritomb, he began executing a strategy specifically designed to target the keystone.
(End of Chapter)
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