The roaring cheers and thunderous chants from the crowd felt like a tidal wave, making it seem as if this was Hiko's ho field.
Only when the referee on the battle arena raised the flag high did the noise gradually die down.
"Round of 16 to Round of 8! First round, first match—Isobe Hiko versus Uesugi Seiki! The battle begins!"
The command flag in the referee's hand swung down, officially declaring the start of the match.
"Charleon!"
"We want to see Charleon!"
"Hurry! Send out your Charleon already!"
"...!"
Shouts rose again and again from the stands.
Once soone started it, the calls spread in waves, piling into a chaotic mix—until the only words that could be clearly made out were:
"Charleon!"
More and more people wanted Hiko to send Shiko out to battle.
What Shiko had stirred up on the day of the Entry-level Trainer Exam was already common knowledge across the entire plaza. With such a powerful Pokémon, everyone naturally wanted to see what he could do—how strong he really was.
And the people who had placed bets on Hiko wanted to see it even more. They wanted to confirm Shiko's true battle power with their own eyes so they could finally feel at ease.
"Hey… do you want to go out there?"
The deafening roar of the crowd made even Hiko—soone who had lived two lifetis—feel her scalp tingle.
She couldn't help asking Shiko again, to see whether he might change his mind under this kind of pressure and decide to show his skills.
"No."
Shiko refused with complete calm.
The noise outside didn't affect him in the slightest. He stuck to his own understanding and approach.
As the main character, he would obviously only step in during the final, decisive mont.
These opponents were too easy—no challenge at all. Lopunny and Kirlia could handle them while getting so practice in.
Besides, the last of his "spectate battles" daily quest still wasn't even halfway complete.
Shiko cared a lot about that experience.
Once he finished all today's daily quests and claid the experience, he should be only about ten points away from reaching Level 35.
And the next stage of evolution at Level 36 was already right in front of him.
Which evolution form to choose next—that was what mattered most to him right now.
After confirming Shiko's opinion, Hiko didn't force it.
Her hand swept across the three Luxury Balls at her waist, and in the end she selected the one on the inside.
The big shots in the VIP seats, along with the evaluators, imdiately noticed sothing—sharp as ever.
This wasn't the Luxury Ball that held the Shiny Lopunny from the morning.
It was a different one.
So… did that an—
Was she really sending out Charleon to fight?!
Anticipation surged through everyone's hearts in an instant.
It's coming!
The mont everyone had been waiting for is coming!
"Kirlia!"
A red beam shot out from the Luxury Ball, condensing into a Pokémon that looked like a skirt-wearing young girl.
Her hands were held protectively in front of her chest. In her gemstone-like red eyes, faint ripples of energy shimred.
This is…!?
Kirlia!?
A rare Psychic-type Pokémon!
No one expected Hiko's final main battler to be this!
Even though the long-awaited Charleon didn't appear, Kirlia's entrance still made the entire crowd—and even the VIP seats—show expressions of shock and surprise.
Psychic- and Ghost-type Pokémon were powerful and rare, second only to Dragon-types.
Hiko's luck was absurd.
In the morning, she had a Shiny Lopunny.
Now she had a Kirlia.
This lineup really was… extravagantly stacked.
Hiko's opponent, Seiki, stared at Kirlia, blinking in a daze for a mont.
Then he pulled out his own Poké Ball and threw it.
His lead Pokémon was a Beautifly.
Its gorgeous, vivid wings beat as it rose the mont it appeared, imdiately gaining altitude and widening the distance between itself and Kirlia.
A Bug-type Pokémon's natural sharp instincts made it "sll" extre danger from Kirlia.
An entry-mid Beautifly?
Hiko checked Beautifly's level.
In that case, there was nothing to worry about.
It would be best to end this match with a quick, decisive finish.
After deciding on her plan, Hiko gave Kirlia a subtle look.
Kirlia understood at once.
"Beautifly! Use Gust!!"
Seiki gave the order.
He decided to test things first—attack from long range and probe the situation.
A few seconds passed.
The expected howling wind never ca.
Everything around them was quiet.
So quiet it felt wrong.
A powerful sense of dread rose in Seiki's chest.
He snapped his head up—
And saw his Beautifly tightly bound by a mass of pink energy.
It wore an expression of pain as it thrashed and beat its wings, struggling desperately to break free—
But it was useless.
At that mont, Kirlia slowly extended a hand toward Beautifly.
Then—
Her finger suddenly pointed downward.
Whoosh!
The pink energy wrapping Beautifly plunged from midair like a falling teor.
Boom!!
It smashed hard into the ground, kicking up a spray of dirt and debris.
When the dust cleared—
Beautifly had already fainted, unconscious and unable to battle.
That scene plunged everyone present into deep shock and astonishnt once again.
(End of Chapter)
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