After recalling Onix, Drake threw out his third Poké Ball.
As the blue light faded, a deep-purple Gengar appeared in mid-air.
Seeing the new Pokémon enter the field, the announcer took a deep breath, composed himself after the disappointing loss, and said loudly, "Unsurprisingly, just as in previous matches, Drake's third Pokémon is Gengar. This Pokémon is incredibly powerful and very trustworthy. Now, facing such an opponent, how will Natsui respond? Will he continue with the still-in-good-shape Venusaur, or will he switch to another Pokémon?"
However, as soon as the words left his mouth, even he didn't realize that his tone was no longer as confident as before.
In the trainer's box, seeing Gengar appear, Natsui also took out a Poké Ball and recalled Venusaur.
Although he had many different options to fight this Gengar, following the strategy he had formulated last night, he didn't hesitate for long and simply turned his gaze to his side.
Coincidentally, Haunter looked over at the same time.
As their eyes met, before Natsui could speak, Haunter let out a loud laugh. "Ghehehehe! Let me take this battle!"
"That was my plan," Natsui nodded with a smile. "It's all up to you then!"
"Don't worry, I will absolutely not lose!"
Under the watchful eyes of thousands, Haunter slowly floated towards the battlefield. Seeing Natsui choose to send it out, the announcer said in disbelief, "Huh? What's going on? Natsui is using a Haunter to fight a Gengar!?"
The audience was also completely baffled.
Haunter? Isn't that Gengar's unevolved form?
In their established view, an unevolved Pokémon, regardless of its own stats or abilities, was definitely weaker than its evolved form.
It's so strange. He has such a powerful Gyarados, and a Venusaur that is high on morale from its recent victory. Why would he use this one to battle?
Did winning two rounds make him arrogant, and he's starting to underestimate Drake? Or does he really have that much confidence in this Haunter?
The audience couldn't figure it out. But regardless, since Haunter was on the field, it was good news for Drake. At the very least, he should be able to secure a win in this round.
But unlike the others' optimism, Drake looked extremely grave.
Although at the moment, the two Ghost Pokémon were making funny faces at each other on the field, laughing and chasing one another as if they were old friends, getting along splendidly.
But based on his prior research, he believed Natsui was not the type to go easy in a match. Therefore, this Haunter must have something special about it for Natsui to dare to send it out at this time.
Sure enough, when the match resumed, Haunter taught everyone a lesson.
Who says an unevolved form can't beat its evolved form?
As a Pokémon that especially loves to play pranks, it completely toyed with Drake's Gengar, relying on a power that was several levels above its opponent's.
Whether it was Shadow Ball, Dark Pulse, or Hex, whenever Gengar used a move, Haunter was able to easily neutralize it with its superior power.
Even when Gengar's stamina was low and it used Destiny Bond, Haunter saw through it, dragged out the time until the move's effect ended, and then finished Gengar with a grin.
This battle showed everyone what it meant to be at ease. It was completely effortless. In fact, throughout the entire match, Gengar didn't even touch a shadow of Haunter.
When they saw the referee raise the green flag and announce the result, not only did the audience look at each other in stunned silence, but even the announcer took a long time to recover. He wanted to say something, but felt as if his head had swollen.
"That… that was too easy, wasn't it? No, wait! The power gap was just too big, wasn't it?"
It's already three to zero!
Is this really the Drake we know?
Before the match, the Orange League officials had said this would be a clash of titans, an extremely intense and exciting battle. But how was it that the battle so far was so one-sided, completely different from the evenly matched contest they had expected?
Whether it was Ditto, Onix, or Gengar, these were all Pokémon that everyone had witnessed being powerful in the past. But today, compared to Natsui, it felt like the two sides were not even on the same level.
In the trainer's box on the other side, Drake looked at the fainted Gengar and shook his head helplessly.
A complete loss…
And what he found most terrifying was that Natsui hadn't participated in commanding at all. He hadn't given a single order. It was entirely this Haunter, acting on its own, that had won the match with its powerful strength and experience.
"What a powerful Haunter…" Seeing Drake silently recall his Gengar, the announcer first sighed with emotion, but a question arose in his mind, and he couldn't help but ask in surprise, "But it's really strange. With such extraordinary power, why hasn't this Haunter evolved yet? If it became a Gengar, it would surely be even stronger than it is now!"
Haunter glanced at the commentary box.
Evolution?
Isn't that the simplest thing? What's so difficult about it?
Let me show you uneducated people how it's done!
Ghehehehe!
Haunter grinned and let out a wild laugh. A white light suddenly enveloped its body, and when the light faded, it had transformed into a completely new form before the astonished eyes of the audience and Drake.
"It… it evolved!?"
The announcer shouted, then looked confused. Haunter hadn't seemed to gain enough experience in the battle, so how could it evolve at this moment? It was too strange!
And unlike the others' reactions, after seeing Haunter evolve, Natsui covered his face, utterly speechless.
How could he not understand what Haunter was thinking?
This guy, choosing to evolve at this moment, is such a show-off. Just to see others' surprised faces, he has no shame at all!
After getting its new look, Haunter triumphantly returned to Natsui's side.
"How was that? I didn't embarrass you, did I?"
Haunter… no, it should be called Gengar now. It now looked round and chubby, and along with its dark aura, it had an added touch of cuteness.
But it was clear it was still not used to its new body, stretching its legs and flexing its hands from time to time, looking at its own body with great curiosity.
Natsui also looked its new form up and down, while saying, "Mhm, you did great. But don't do that again next time."
Hearing this, Gengar was taken aback and scratched its head. "What? Was I not showy enough?"
"No," Natsui shook his head with a wry smile. "It's precisely because you were too showy. You've completely ruined the mystique of my final trump card!"
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