-041- A Narrow Encounter Between Foes

The match was about to begin. First came the pre-match drawing of lots, which would determine the opponents for today’s four rising stars and the order of their battles. The person conducting the draw was the president of the Qixi Bluebird Group, as he was the main sponsor of the event.

Once the draw was complete, Tong Si’s opponent was revealed. Unexpectedly, in the very first round, he would be facing Song Xuyang, the one who had just greeted him moments earlier. Meanwhile, Lin Jintong was matched against another newcomer king named Lei Yu.

“Consider yourself lucky, but sooner or later we’ll have to face each other. When that time comes, I will have my revenge!” Lin Jintong had somehow appeared beside Tong Si, once again throwing down a challenge.

Tong Si didn’t respond. Aside from Lin Jintong, both Song Xuyang and Lei Yu were still present. Upon seeing the matchups, Lei Yu immediately left the stage to prepare, with Lin Jintong following close behind.

“Tong Si, fate certainly has a sense of irony. Who would’ve thought we’d meet in the very first round?” Song Xuyang made a rude gesture at Tong Si.

Tong Si couldn’t be bothered to react and simply walked onto the battle platform. Once both competitors had ascended, the platform rose, signaling the imminent start of the match. The battlefield was an ordinary arena, devoid of any special attributes, ensuring fairness for all.

The crowd’s cheers echoed thunderously throughout the venue. King versus king—if anything, the audience was even more excited than the four contestants themselves. Many of them had been eliminated during the selection for the newcomer kings and now relished the spectacle.

“You’re both familiar with the rules. This is a one-on-one battle; you cannot swap out your Pokémon. The match ends when one side concedes or their Pokémon can no longer fight. If you’re ready, please send out your Pokémon.” The referee yawned as he spoke. It was the first match of the morning and he was still groggy, having spent a long night with Bilu, which left him with only a few hours of sleep.

“Let’s go, Electabuzz!” Without hesitation, Tong Si tossed out his Pokéball.

“Bee-bee!” Electabuzz spun through the air and landed with flair.

“Wow… this Electabuzz looks impressive.”

“So cool! Electabuzz, I’m rooting for you!”

“I know this new trainer, Tong Si—he’s my buddy!”

The audience was already shouting and cheering. Among them, Jiang Tao was especially enthusiastic. After all, this was his good friend Tong Si’s match.

“Hmph! Go, Grotle!” Song Xuyang didn’t hesitate to send out his own Pokémon.

“Yashi!”

A Grotle, several times larger than Electabuzz, entered the battlefield.

“Grotle?” Tong Si hadn’t expected that Song Xuyang’s Turtwig had already evolved into a Grotle. Using his scanning eye, Tong Si quickly checked Grotle’s stats on his data panel.

Grotle
Level: 18
Ability: Overgrow
Potential: Gym Leader-class
…

“A level eighteen, Gym Leader-class Grotle…” Tong Si swallowed nervously. It hadn’t been long since their last battle, but he hadn’t expected Song Xuyang’s Grotle to have improved so rapidly.

“Battle, begin,” the referee announced lazily.

Electabuzz launched the first attack, a burst of lightning flashing directly toward Grotle. Grotle remained perfectly still, as if calmly waiting for Electabuzz to draw near.

“Electabuzz, change tactics! Lightly tap the ground, leap, and use Brick Break from above!” Tong Si, seeing Song Xuyang’s confident expression, quickly guessed his strategy. Grotle was slow; dodging Electabuzz’s Quick Attack would be impossible. He was waiting! Song Xuyang was waiting for Electabuzz to close the distance, so Grotle could counterattack at that critical moment.

“What?” Song Xuyang was stunned by Tong Si’s command. Had Tong Si really seen through his plan?

“Doesn’t matter—Grotle, Withdraw!” As before, Electabuzz used Quick Attack followed by Brick Break, while Grotle responded with Withdraw.

Last time, when Grotle was still a Turtwig, Electabuzz’s Brick Break had been enough to knock it out in one blow. But this time was different—Grotle’s defense had increased tremendously after evolving.

“Bang!” Electabuzz’s Brick Break landed squarely on Grotle’s shell, but it seemed to have little effect.

“Hah! My Grotle isn’t what it used to be. A little Brick Break like that won’t defeat it,” Song Xuyang sneered, seeing Grotle withstand the blow with ease.

“Grotle, it’s our turn to counterattack. Use Toxic!” At the moment Grotle’s head emerged from its shell, Song Xuyang ordered him to release poison.

“Yashi!”

Grotle unleashed a thick cloud of toxic gas, enveloping the center of the arena. There was no way Electabuzz could evade it.

“Bee-bee!” After inhaling the poison, Electabuzz’s expression visibly worsened.

“He’s actually using poison!” Tong Si hadn’t expected Song Xuyang to have taught Grotle Toxic. Toxic combined with Withdraw was a rather underhanded but effective tactic.

“In that case, let’s end this quickly!” Tong Si hadn’t intended to reveal Electabuzz’s full power in the first round, but he was left with no choice. If this dragged on, the poison would steadily sap Electabuzz’s strength.

“Electabuzz, use Thunderbolt at maximum power!” He had previously agreed on a signal with Electabuzz: “maximum power” meant using two Thunderbolts, layered with electric energy. With the help of Magnet’s boost, Electabuzz’s Thunderbolt would be even fiercer than a lightning strike.

However, to avoid revealing Electabuzz’s ability to multitask, Tong Si communicated with him using the secret phrase “maximum power.”

“Bee-bee!” Electabuzz raised his arm and gestured “understood” to Tong Si. In a flash, he appeared right in front of Grotle.

“Grotle, Withdraw!” Song Xuyang was brimming with confidence. As long as Grotle used Withdraw, what could Electabuzz possibly do? Meanwhile, Toxic would continue to drain Electabuzz’s strength. Victory was certain. Already, Song Xuyang was deciding which girlfriend to take out to celebrate tonight.

“Bee-bee!” Just as Song Xuyang was basking in confidence, a deafening crash of thunder split the air. The arena erupted in a roar of electricity.

“What’s happening?” Not only Song Xuyang, but the audience and referee were all stunned. Electabuzz’s antennae released a tremendous surge of energy that collided with the descending bolt of lightning.

“Rumble, rumble…” Thunder crashed overhead. In an instant, a bolt of lightning more powerful than any thunderstorm struck Grotle directly.

“Zzzzzz…” Amid the intense hum of electromagnetism, Electabuzz stood bathed in lightning, as if he were the very child of thunder.

… (To be continued)