In the afternoon, inside the trainers' lounge for the Ice Field.
Koharu sat leisurely in a chair, swinging her fair legs from time to time. Her reddish-brown ponytail swayed back and forth, adding a touch of playful charm to her usually calm and composed demeanor.
On the table in front of her lay her phone, its screen displaying videos of Gary's recent tournament matches!
On the screen, two Pokémon were battling each other. With the announcer's passionate commentary playing from the video, Koharu occasionally jotted something down on a piece of paper, only looking up to glance at the phone once in a while.
Only when the phone became hot to the touch did she pick up the paper and walk over to Natsui.
"I have to say, compared to you, this guy Gary really has a lot of Pokémon!" Koharu remarked, then handed the paper to Natsui. "Look, in his last three matches, he's used a different set of Pokémon each time. There's no pattern at all. I have no idea what he'll send out in a bit!"
At that moment, Natsui was squatting on the floor, grooming Jolteon's fur. Hearing her words, he briefly glanced at the contents of the paper and shook his head with a smile.
At school, Koharu was a model student, and with a Professor for a father, she had developed a habit of summarizing and organizing information.
However, her knowledge of Pokémon was still quite limited. Beyond the basics, she couldn't yet discern deeper aspects like abilities, weaknesses, and so on.
"If you can't guess, then don't bother trying," Natsui said nonchalantly. "No matter what he sends out, I just have to defeat them all. Besides, numbers don't decide everything. Having too many Pokémon means you don't have enough time to care for and bond with them, nor the energy to train them effectively."
Koharu thought about it and realized he had a point.
"That's true. So, are you confident you can beat him?"
"Maybe..." Natsui shrugged. "But who can ever guarantee victory? That said, I do know a thing or two about Gary. Don't be fooled by his arrogant attitude; on the battlefield, he's actually very calm and has a decent strategic mind. He's especially good with Ground and power-type Pokémon. He's definitely not someone to be underestimated!"
Just then, the announcer's voice came over the loudspeaker.
"Trainer Natsui, your match is about to begin. Please proceed to the contestant tunnel immediately to prepare for entry. Trainer Natsui, your match is about to..."
Glancing at the time, Natsui stood up, recalled Jolteon into its Poké Ball, and left Koharu with nothing but a view of his departing back.
"Alright, it's my turn to go on. Now, please cheer for me!"
Koharu smiled sweetly, her hands clasped in front of her chest. Watching him walk further and further away, she nodded firmly. "Does that even need to be said? Of course I'll cheer for you!"
...
"Welcome, everyone, to the final match on the Ice Field today! This is also the very last match of the fourth round. When this battle concludes, the winner will join the victors from the other fields to become one of the Top 16 and advance to the next stage of the main tournament!"
The announcer's loud voice echoed through the stadium, and the long-waiting audience responded with thunderous applause!
"First, let's welcome the trainer from the red corner, Natsui! As one of the most popular competitors in this tournament, he just eliminated a top contender in the last round and has reached this point with a perfect winning streak, without losing a single Pokémon in any of his battles!"
Natsui walked out of the tunnel at a steady pace, smiling and waving to the crowd around him.
His handsome face, magnified by the big screen, was clearly visible to every spectator.
The crowd erupted in a massive cheer. Given Natsui's looks and skill, his popularity among the remaining competitors was virtually unmatched!
The bikers were shouting their hearts out, but by now, Natsui's fanbase had grown dozens of times over. Their voices were completely drowned out by the enormous wave of sound.
"Next, let's welcome the trainer from the green corner, Gary! His impressive variety of Pokémon has left a deep impression, and as one of the top contenders for the championship, he has defeated many strong opponents on his way here. His skills are also extremely outstanding!"
Gary emerged from the tunnel with one hand in his pocket, his face still wearing that cool expression.
However, what bothered him was that even without looking at the stands, he could clearly feel that the applause for him was nowhere near as enthusiastic as it was for Natsui.
Hmph, after this match is over, you'll all see who's better!
On the other side, Natsui walked up to the trainer's platform, glanced at Gary, and then looked down to survey the field.
The Ice Field was rectangular, apparently a converted swimming pool covered with a thick layer of solid ice. Dozens of ice blocks of various sizes were piled up on both sides. Even from the elevated platform, he could feel a chilly draft.
Seeing that both trainers were ready, the referee announced, "Both sides, please send out your Pokémon at the same time!"
Hearing the referee's call, Gary took out his chosen Poké Ball, his gaze toward Natsui filled with utter confidence.
He had prepared extensively for this battle. Through his research, he knew that Natsui loved to use type matchups to gain an advantage.
Since Natsui had no Ice-type Pokémon, Gary boldly guessed that Natsui would likely send out a Water or Fire-type Pokémon to counter a potential Ice-type from him, thus preventing Gary from capitalizing on the field advantage!
Therefore, after much thought, he had chosen a Pokémon that was not weak to either of those types to handle this situation.
"Come on out, my Pokémon!"
As Gary released his Pokémon, the announcer's surprised voice followed. "Oh? Gary has sent out a Fearow!? I can't believe a Flying- and Normal-type Pokémon is making an appearance on the Ice Field. This is truly unexpected!"
At the same time, Gary's eyes were locked on the hand Natsui was using to hold his Poké Ball.
However, when Natsui opened his Poké Ball and a flash of blue light faded, the spiky fur and slender body of the Pokémon that appeared made Gary's expression change drastically!
What? It's a Jolteon!?
Why would it be Jolteon? Electric-types have no advantage over Ice-types!
This is bad!
While Fearow wasn't weak to Fire or Water, as a Flying-type Pokémon, it was weak to Electric!
Damn it, my prediction was wrong after all!
At this thought, Gary couldn't help but clench his fist. He had thought Natsui was on the second layer of strategy while he was on the third, but he never imagined that Natsui had predicted his prediction!
He just couldn't understand what Natsui was thinking, sending out an Electric-type Pokémon as his lead on an Ice Field!
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