Strictly speaking, Scizor's Special Attack isn't particularly high, so the power of its Swift wasn't especially impressive on its own.
However, its level was far higher. Against Magmar, the same move hit with tremendous force.
Countless shining stars rained down, striking Magmar head-on and blasting it into the air before it crashed to the ground with a heavy thud.
Seeing this, the referee waved his hand."Magmar is unable to battle! Scizor wins!"
Scizor's effortless two consecutive victories placed enormous pressure on Gao Wu.
"S-So strong… way too strong! Why did I have to face an opponent like this in the very first round?" Cold sweat poured down Gao Wu's back. He looked utterly miserable, on the verge of tears.
"Roooaaar!" Beside him, Feraligatr let out a thunderous roar, slapping its chest and demanding to fight.
"Alright then! Go, Feraligatr!" Gao Wu steeled his nerves. No matter the result, he would give it everything he had.
Feraligatr stomped onto the battlefield.
The final evolution of Johto's Water-type starter Totodile, Feraligatr stood upright in a humanoid posture, nearly two meters tall. Its body—especially its thick, muscular arms—radiated raw power.
Clearly, it was a physical powerhouse, a Pokémon specialized in Attack. Yet even its Special Attack was not low.
"Feraligatr, Hydro Pump!" Gao Wu roared, not caring about type matchups. He only wanted to unleash a full-force strike.
"Boooooom!"
A massive torrent of water erupted from Feraligatr's jaws, surging toward Scizor with tremendous force. Just as the blast was about to land, Scizor suddenly vanished.
Its speed was too great—Scizor dodged with ease.
"Metal Claw!" Yozora commanded sharply.
Scizor became a red flash, darting across the field with uncanny speed. Before Feraligatr could even react, Scizor's gleaming claws struck, sending it flying backwards.
"Swift." Yozora's next order followed without pause.
Without giving Feraligatr a chance to recover, Scizor spread its claws wide. A barrage of white stars shot forth, peppering Feraligatr midair and piling on more damage.
"Grrraaaah—!" The pained roar cut short as Feraligatr collapsed to the ground, unable to rise again.
Scizor folded its claws and stood tall, its stance elegant and unruffled.
The crowd exploded in cheers."What flawless combos! Scizor's speed is unbelievable!" the host shouted in excitement.
The referee lifted his flag."Feraligatr is unable to battle! With three straight knockouts, Scizor secures the victory for Yozora in the first round of the preliminaries!"
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
During that time, Yozora fought through round after round of preliminaries, each time overwhelming his opponents with ease.
As the days went by and the matches continued, the hundreds of original contestants had dwindled down to only a few dozen.
Now, the preliminaries had reached their final round.
"Ladies and gentlemen, up next we have Yozora versus Wang Qi! Both of these trainers have displayed tremendous strength throughout the preliminaries. Now let's see which one of them will advance to the main tournament!"
At the host's announcement, Yozora and Wang Qi stepped onto the battlefield.
Wang Qi was a tall, dark-skinned man, a red headband tied around his head, dressed in the garb of a martial artist.
Clearly, he specialized in Fighting-type Pokémon.
"By the draw order, Yozora will be the first to send out his Pokémon," the host declared.
Without hesitation, Yozora tossed his Poké Ball."Go, Weavile!"
A flash of white light revealed Weavile. The Pokémon crossed its arms, a confident smirk on its face with a faintly sinister edge.
It was unmistakably the smile of a predator—a true powerhouse.
Weavile's very presence drew excited screams from the crowd.
"Weavile, huh? Perfect! Go, Hitmonchan!" Wang Qi responded quickly, sending out his own Pokémon.
As an Ice/Dark-type, Weavile was weak against Fighting. Hitmonchan's punches would deal double damage.
"Trainers ready… begin!" the referee declared, waving his flags.
"Hitmonchan, Mach Punch!" Wang Qi shouted with fiery determination.
Hitmonchan burst forward like lightning, fist cocked back as a crimson afterimage trailed behind it. The punch roared through the air, about to smash into Weavile—
Yet…
Before the blow landed, Weavile's body blurred. In the next instant, countless afterimages split apart, surrounding Hitmonchan from all directions.
Double Team!
Hitmonchan struck through one copy, shattering it into nothing—but that was all.
All around, Weavile's silhouettes darted about at blinding speed. Hitmonchan's eyes darted frantically, cold sweat streaming down its face.
This wasn't just Double Team—it was Double Team combined with Agility, a deadly combo!
"Unbelievable! Hitmonchan has been completely thrown off! What will Wang Qi do now?" the host exclaimed, his voice carrying the tension of the moment.
Wang Qi's expression grew grave.Double Team and Agility? That kind of combination existed? How was he supposed to counter that?
For a moment, he stood frozen, caught in a dilemma.
Yozora noticed the hesitation and smiled faintly."Strike now, Weavile—Ice Punch!"
At his command, the afterimages converged into one. Weavile materialized directly in front of Hitmonchan, its fist already glowing with icy light.
"Bam!"
The punch landed squarely, sending Hitmonchan flying backward. Midair, its entire body froze into a solid block of ice, before crashing heavily to the ground.
"Wreeeh!" Weavile screeched, pouncing immediately. With swift strikes, it shattered the ice sculpture and knocked the unconscious Hitmonchan out cold.
"Hitmonchan is unable to battle! Weavile wins!" the referee announced.
"As expected of Yozora—his battle style is clean and decisive, always finishing fights in the shortest time possible!" the host praised loudly. He had already fully recognized Yozora's strength.
The audience cheered wildly. Even though Yozora hadn't yet revealed the full extent of his power, the dominance he had shown was enough to win the crowd over. Many already hailed him as one of the top eight contenders.
"Too strong… Hitmonchan, return."
Wang Qi recalled his fainted partner, offering Yozora a respectful nod before sending out his next Pokémon—Machamp.
Machamp was stronger than Hitmonchan, a Gym-level Pokémon that clearly showed Wang Qi's own level of mastery.
The second battle began.
This time, Wang Qi held back, adopting a defensive stance. It was the only choice—Machamp's strength was great, but its speed was poor. Defense first, then wait for the chance to counter.
"Weavile, use Ice Shard," Yozora ordered with a grin.
Weavile raised its hand, exhaling sharply. A shard of ice formed instantly, hurtling toward Machamp at high speed. The sound of air being torn rang out.
There was no way Machamp could dodge such speed. Wang Qi had no choice but to defend."Machamp, Bulk Up!"
Machamp tensed, its muscles bulging. A golden aura flashed around its body as its Attack and Defense both rose.
The ice shard smashed into its chest with a sharp crack, exploding into glittering frost. For a moment, the icy mist clouded its vision.
When the frost cleared—Weavile was gone.
"What?!" Wang Qi's heart sank. In just that instant, Weavile had disappeared.
Machamp's eyes darted nervously, its earlier courage faltering into unease.
On the sidelines, Yozora's lips curled into a cold smile."Weavile—Feint Attack."
A black blur sliced through the air.
"Shhhk!"
Weavile reappeared behind Machamp, its claws glowing darkly as they raked across its back.
"Graaagh!" Machamp cried out, staggering forward in pain. Though it wasn't down yet, the damage was severe.
"Turn around, Machamp! Grab it!" Wang Qi bellowed.
Machamp whipped around, all four arms outstretched to seize its foe.
But Weavile was too quick. With a fluid twist, it slipped out of reach, retreating at blinding speed to create distance.
"Incredible—Weavile's speed and agility are simply untouchable!" the host shouted in amazement.
Weavile didn't stop. It conjured more icy projectiles, flinging them one after another.
Ice Shard!
Each strike was weak on its own, but as the barrage continued, red welts began to cover Machamp's body. At last, drained of stamina and covered in bruises, it toppled to the ground.
"Machamp, unable to battle!"
"What a brutal finish! To be pelted like that until collapse—it's too tragic!" the host cried, half in sympathy, half in theatrical flair.
The audience laughed, enjoying the spectacle.
Wang Qi, however, looked utterly grim. To him, Machamp's defeat was his own humiliation. But what could he do? The gap in strength was too great.
With a bitter smile, he sent out his final Pokémon—Ursaring.
The outcome was the same. Weavile overwhelmed it without difficulty.
The match was over.
Weavile had swept through all three of Wang Qi's Pokémon, securing Yozora's victory and advancement into the main tournament.
Three days later, the preliminaries ended, and the top thirty-two contestants were confirmed.
Among them were many familiar faces: Ash, Gary, Clair's cousin Ibuki (Clair's family representative), and even Harrison, the Hoenn trainer who once appeared in the anime.
The big screen rotated rapidly to determine matchups.
Soon, the brackets were set.
Yozora's very first opponent in the main tournament was none other than Gary Oak.
Yozora blinked in surprise.
In the original story, this match was supposed to be Ash versus Gary. Yet his presence had disrupted the flow of fate, altering the matchups.
"Yozora…"
Across the room, Gary stared at Yozora's picture on the bracket board, his expression somber.
After his crushing defeat at the Indigo Plateau and a year of deep reflection, Gary had matured greatly.
Now, faced with Yozora as his opponent, the pressure weighed heavily on him. Without a word, he left to prepare—he would spend every spare moment refining his battle plan.
Time flowed swiftly.
The day of Yozora's battle against Gary arrived.
At the host's call, the two trainers stepped into position.
"This will be a full 6-on-6 battle between Yozora and Gary Oak! Yozora will send out his Pokémon first!"
"Go, Tangrowth!" Yozora declared.
Tangrowth emerged in a flash of light, its Drought ability triggering instantly. The clouds parted, and blazing sunlight flooded the battlefield.
"A Grass-type to start with? Then Gary will surely answer with a Fire-type… could it be Arcanine?" Brock speculated from the stands.
Misty nodded.Fire beat Grass, and under harsh sunlight, Fire-type moves would become even stronger.
Sure enough, Gary wasted no time."Go, Arcanine!"
The majestic Pokémon appeared, its mane gleaming under the sun's rays. The sunlight amplified its fiery aura, making it even more intimidating.
But Yozora smirked inwardly.So what if it's super effective? I've got Flash Fire.
"A perfect choice!" the host shouted. "Against Tangrowth, Gary Oak has indeed chosen Arcanine!"
The referee raised his flags. "Battle begin!"
Gary's eyes gleamed with resolve."Yozora, this first match is mine! Arcanine, Flamethrower!"
"Arroooh!"
Arcanine dashed forward with fierce speed, then unleashed a torrent of blazing fire.
Gary was nothing if not careful and methodical. He only commanded Arcanine to attack after ensuring the hit would be precise.
"Whooosh!"
The flames engulfed Tangrowth completely.
"Incredible! A perfect hit! That Flamethrower landed clean, and it's super effective against Grass-types!" the host exclaimed.
For the first time since the tournament began, the crowd leaned forward, eager.
Since the Silver Conference had started, Yozora had won every match by overwhelming force. Not once had he lost ground. Not once had he struggled.
Every victory had been a one-sided crush.
Now, the audience was finally about to see—what would happen when Yozora was on the back foot?
But then…
The fire surrounding Tangrowth began to shrink.
Three seconds later, it vanished entirely.
(End of Chapter)