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David looked at his first opponent.
He was slender, with large, round, black-rimmed glasses, giving him the stereotypical impression of a 'frail scholar' at first glance. Of course, David didn't underestimate him too much—anyone who could reach the knockout rounds should have some skill.
After both sides were present, the Rotom Referee announced the official start of the match.
[Imperial City Novice Cup Knockout Round One Match, Battle Venue: Zone D, Field 3]
[Battling Sides: Contestant 136 David VS Contestant 231 Jackson]
[Both sides ready, Battle... Start!]
"Let's go, Zorua!"
"Poochyena, prepare for battle!"
As soon as the Rotom Referee finished speaking, both sides simultaneously threw out their Poké Balls.
The figure of a small fox appeared in front of David, still in its disguised form. In front of his opponent, a gray-black canine appeared, continuously growling toward Zorua and looking quite fierce.
[Name: Poochyena]
[Type: Dark]
[Energy Level: 14 (Ordinary)]
[Gender: ♂]
[Ability: Run Away]
[Potential: Light Blue]
[Held Item: None]
[Moves: Tackle, Howl, Sand Attack, Bite, Astonish, Dig, Leer, Odor Sleuth, Poison Fang]
David looked at his opponent's Pokémon data displayed before him and nodded almost imperceptibly. That Poochyena looked quite well-trained, and its potential barely reached the blue level. That Poison Fang move should be its hidden trump card—it seemed to be an Egg Move.
In the early stages, when most Pokémon lacked long-range options, a Poochyena—already naturally skilled at close combat—with a hidden Poison Fang that could cause poisoning as a trump card, was indeed quite strong in terms of combat power, aside from its slightly lower level. It was just a pity that it had run into David in the first match.
The level of competition in the knockout rounds was indeed much stronger than in the preliminary rounds. This opponent's strength, among the opponents he had encountered in the preliminary rounds, should be second only to that guy who used Elekid. By the way, what was that kid's name? Never mind, he couldn't remember. He'd worry about it if he met him again.
But that was before, and now his Zorua was even more powerful than during the preliminary rounds.
Jackson looked at the Zorua released by his opponent and couldn't help but adjust his glasses. Zorua! He sighed inwardly. Even though both were first-stage evolutions, compared to Poochyena, the two were worlds apart.
After evolving, Zoroark was a powerful Pokémon at least comparable to the fully evolved starter Pokémon, far beyond what Mightyena could compare to.
However, he and Poochyena might still have a chance to win. Zorua excelled in special attacks and speed, so he needed to find a way for Poochyena to get close and engage in close combat.
"Poochyena, use Astonish, then rush in and use Bite!"
"Woof!"
Upon hearing its Trainer's command, Poochyena first attempted to startle Zorua with a sudden yelp. A faint Ghost-type energy spread with the cry, attempting to intimidate the opponent with the Astonish attack. Then, it immediately charged quickly toward Zorua, trying to engage in close-quarters combat.
However, David clearly had no intention of giving commands at this moment. He simply watched as his opponent's Pokémon charged toward Zorua, under Jackson's excited, nervous, and slightly puzzled gaze.
This was also what Zorua had requested earlier, saying it wanted to try the feeling of battling independently. David was happy to cultivate Zorua's ability to react on the spot, so he had readily agreed with a smile.
The sudden Astonish attack seemed to have no effect on Zorua. Facing the opponent's continuously approaching offensive, Zorua merely let out a lazy yawn. It waited until Poochyena rushed right up to it, opened its mouth wide, and was about to make contact.
Zorua calmly sidestepped, dodging the opponent's attack. What followed was an intense and exciting game of 'you Bite, I dodge.'
Poochyena launched attacks with all its might, like a fierce wolf on the hunt, its fangs seemingly ready to tear its prey to shreds. Yet, Zorua remained unhurried and composed.
Each time Poochyena's attack was about to connect, Zorua would shift slightly, causing the opponent's Bite to miss completely. On the surface, it seemed like the relentlessly attacking Poochyena had the upper hand, overwhelming Zorua. But in reality, the high-intensity, continuous attacks had already left Poochyena somewhat exhausted and panting, while Zorua remained as calm and composed as it was at the beginning.
"How is this possible?"
Jackson was so shocked that he even took off his glasses, seemingly unable to believe what was happening before his eyes.
Zorua's speed was theoretically much greater than Poochyena's, but this was just too... How could it be so fast? If this continued, even if he still had Poison Fang as a trump card, there was no chance of it hitting! What should he do? What should he do? He couldn't give up, damn it! Stay calm.
"That's it!"
"Poochyena, quick! Use Sand Attack with all your might toward Zorua!"
As if remembering something, Jackson clapped his hands and quickly shouted to Poochyena.
Poochyena, already panting and having consumed considerable stamina, did not hesitate after hearing the command. It dug fiercely at the ground beneath it, kicking up a large amount of sand and dust into the air and scattering it toward Zorua.
David's eyes brightened as he watched Poochyena's performance and his opponent's on-the-spot command. Indeed, it was quite well-executed. However, he then shook his head slightly, thinking that dealing with his current Zorua wasn't that simple.
Seeing this, Zorua couldn't help but let out a small sneer. Aside from the bright pink glow in its eyes, it actually allowed the cloud of sand and dust to surge toward itself.
"Well done, Poochyena!"
"Next, use Tackle, then get close and unleash Poison Fang!"
Seeing his strategy work, Jackson's face lit up with joy, and he quickly commanded Poochyena to continue attacking, intending to win the match in one decisive strike. He no longer hid even his trump card, Poison Fang.
Watching Poochyena's figure get closer and closer to Zorua, Jackson, feeling certain of victory, glanced at the Trainer opposite him. He didn't expect that even at this moment, David's face still maintained its initial calmness, without any signs of panic.
"It can't be..."
Before Jackson could think further, on the field, Poochyena quickly closed in on Zorua with the momentum of Tackle, then opened its mouth wide. Its fangs shimmered with a dark purple glow as it fiercely lunged at Zorua, which was supposedly 'unable to dodge' due to the sand in its eyes.
"Clang!"
With a crisp sound, the Zorua that had been bitten suddenly turned into a mirage and slowly dissipated. Poochyena's determined attack only left its teeth aching, having bitten nothing but air.
"How could this happen?!"
Looking at the empty battleground, not only could Poochyena not accept it, but Jackson himself couldn't help but widen his eyes in panic. What was going on? How could Zorua disappear right under his nose?
"Alright, Zorua, you've played enough, haven't you? Stop being mischievous—it's time to end this."
Jackson looked in the direction of the voice, only to see David on the opposite side speaking with a faint smile toward the seemingly empty field. Damn it! At this moment, he could even detect a hint of affection in David's smile.
"Bang!"
As soon as David finished speaking, there was a loud explosion. Zorua suddenly burst out from underground and launched a purplish-black orb of ghostly energy toward Poochyena, which still didn't understand what was happening.
Poochyena, having just turned around, had no time to react and could only watch as the rapidly approaching Shadow Ball struck it directly.
"Poochyena!"