The overly quick end to the battles left David completely unenthused.
After a strong start in the first match, he had to wait until he was almost dozing off for his second opponent to finally appear—a Weedle.
David almost laughed. Did this person really think they were Giovanni? Moreover, it had been almost half a month since they registered as a Trainer. Given the evolution speed of Bug-type Pokémon, there should have been at least a Kakuna by now! He wondered how this "talented" individual had trained it, as it was still a Weedle.
Without suspense, the opponent in the second match was again swiftly defeated by the little fox with Shadow Sneak.
In the following matches, Pidgey, Rattata, Bulbasaur, and others took turns appearing. Except for the Bulbasaur, which took a little more time, all battles ended in an overwhelming victory, posing no obstacle whatsoever for David and Zorua.
After a morning of battles, Zorua didn't even break a sweat.
Thus, David concluded all his morning matches with five consecutive wins and took the little fox to have lunch with his friends.
...
In the afternoon, on Battle Arena No. 3.
David stood on the battle arena, looking toward the other side. This was his last opponent for the day. With just this final match, he could conclude his preliminary journey with ten consecutive wins.
He hadn't run into the Class President or Emma, so there was no need for a friendly internal battle. His luck wasn't bad!
David thought to himself.
"I've watched your previous matches. Your Zorua is very good, but unfortunately, meeting me is your misfortune. Your winning streak ends here!"
"It will be your honor to be defeated by me!"
At this moment, the arrogant, overly dramatic young man opposite looked at David and spoke with a condescending tone.
Was this guy some kind of cannon fodder villain who ran out of a cliché battle anime?
Upon hearing his theatrical remarks, David immediately felt secondhand embarrassment wash over him. He didn't want to respond at all, only wishing the match would end quickly.
"Both sides, take your positions. Let the battle begin!"
As soon as the referee's words fell, both Trainers released their Pokémon.
"Zorua~"
"Elekid!"
However, though the guy opposite seemed overly dramatic, he did appear to have some skill.
Ding~
Name: Elekid
Type: Electric
Gender: ♂
Energy Level: 14 (Ordinary)
Aptitude: Blue-Purple
Ability: Vital Spirit
Held Item: Electirizer
Moves: Leer, Quick Attack, Low Kick, Charge, Swift, Thunder Shock, Karate Chop
On the field, a yellow and black figure stood in front of the dramatic young man.
Elekid, the pre-evolution of Electabuzz, can evolve into Electivire through trade while holding an Electirizer. It's a rather powerful Pokémon. If David remembered correctly, Electivire appeared among the main Pokémon of Ash's rivals, Gary and Paul, in the anime.
"Aptitude from blue to almost purple."
"And a Hidden Ability, though I feel it's not as useful as Static would be in the real world. The move pool seems quite rich, and it's already carrying an Electirizer at the novice stage! Tsk tsk~."
David raised an eyebrow. This Elekid should be the strongest Pokémon he had encountered in his ten matches today. It was indeed a good opponent, perfect for testing Zorua's current strength.
"Elekid, use Quick Attack to close in, then use Karate Chop!"
The young man opposite immediately ordered Elekid to launch a Quick Attack.
"Perfect. Zorua, use Agility. We'll stick to our usual tactics."
Since the opponent wanted to use Quick Attack, David would let him see what true speed was.
"Elekid!" A white light shimmered around the opposing Elekid, and it charged toward Zorua with impressive speed.
The little fox stood still, showing no movement, as if it had been frozen in fear. Seeing this, the young man opposite already wore a victorious smile. As long as Elekid's attack connected—being a Fighting-type move with super-effective damage—the Normal/Ghost-type Zorua wouldn't be able to take many hits.
Just as Elekid was about to reach Zorua, the Zorua who had been frozen in place now showed a playful smile. Then, a pink glow surrounded it.
In an instant, Zorua moved at a speed far exceeding Elekid's. While running, it didn't forget to use Double Team to create five illusions, surrounding Elekid.
This sudden action not only directly interrupted Elekid's combo but, more critically, at the same time, shadows continuously spread across the ground, attacking the surrounded Elekid.
This was precisely the tactic David and Zorua had used against Togepi before: Double Team combined with Shadow Sneak, only now with the addition of Agility. How to describe it? Although simple, at the novice stage, combined with Zorua's speed, it was indeed very practical.
"How is that possible!" The young man opposite finally changed his expression. He knew his Elekid's speed—after using Quick Attack, it was definitely outstanding among rookie Pokémon. Elekid, with its running start, clearly had the advantage, yet it was easily surpassed by the opponent starting from a standstill.
What kind of monster was that Zorua? Was this really the speed a Ordinary-level Pokémon should have?
"Elekid~" A cry of pain pulled him back to reality. The surrounded Elekid was being continuously attacked by the constantly appearing shadows. At this point, it already had several wounds on its body.
"Hold on, Elekid! Use Swift with all your might and knock out all the copies at once!"
The continuously attacked Elekid, upon hearing its Trainer's command, endured Zorua's attacks and unleashed a burst of shimmering golden stars with all its might. The bright golden stars, like homing missiles, locked onto targets around them, shattering all the Double Team illusions surrounding Elekid.
As the last illusion was broken, the Zorua hidden among them finally revealed its true form.
"That's it, Elekid! Use Charge, then follow up with a full-power Thunder Shock to decide this in one go!"
The young man, seeing his method work, finally breathed a sigh of relief. It had been a long time since he encountered such a troublesome opponent. The opponent was too fast for close combat, so he'd use ranged attacks instead. He'd show them whether Zorua's speed could outrun his lightning.
Charge would increase Elekid's Special Defense, allowing for a damage trade with ranged moves. In terms of stamina, his side definitely had the advantage.
"Is that so? Zorua, use Hone Claws in place, then rush in and finish the opponent with Knock Off!"
Upon hearing the command, Elekid used Charge in place. Shimmering golden currents continuously overflowed from its body. A moment later, accompanied by Elekid's roar, an exceptionally thick bolt of electricity shot from its body directly toward Zorua.
Apparently, the Electirizer in this world was not merely an evolution item. At this moment, Elekid's electrical power, after being doubly enhanced by the Electirizer and Charge, had already exceeded the upper limit for Normal-level Pokémon.
"Boom!"
The powerful current struck the ground, kicking up bursts of dirt and smoke.
"How was it?" The dramatic young man stared intently at the center of the battle arena.
Watching this scene, David only smiled helplessly. "Stop playing around, Zorua. End this battle!"
No sooner had he spoken than a dark shadow appeared abruptly behind Elekid, as if teleporting. Before Elekid could react, a heavily charged Knock Off struck it forcefully.
"Thump!!!"
A golden Electirizer fell from Elekid's body, and Elekid's entire body was sent flying out of the arena by the blow, crashing heavily onto the ground.
"Elekid!"
...
"Elekid is unable to battle! The winner is Contestant Number 179, David!" As the referee waved his flag, David's final match of the day concluded.
"How could this be?"
After the battle, the dramatic young man still stared blankly at the battle arena, falling into deep silence. He didn't understand how Elekid's attack should have hit the opponent, yet in the blink of an eye, he was the one who lost.
"Elekid..."
At this moment, the Elekid outside the arena let out a weak cry, looking at its Trainer.
"Are you okay, Elekid?"
The young man finally reacted and quickly went to check on his Pokémon. Finding that it was only exhausted, he breathed a sigh of relief and returned it to its Poké Ball.
"It's okay, you did very well. It's my fault."
David watched this scene and nodded to himself. Although the person was a bit dramatic, his attitude toward his Pokémon had some commendable aspects.
The young man, after recalling Elekid, ran toward David.
"Although I don't know what happened, a loss is a loss. My name is Christopher. Remember my name—I will definitely defeat you next time!" After delivering his declaration, the dramatic young man turned and left without looking back.