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On the battlefield, once the two trainers had come to an agreement, Cab raised both the red and green flags in his hands.
"Both sides, send out your Pokémon!"
Clair already seemed to have made her choice. Without hesitation, she took out her first Poké Ball, holding it confidently in her hand, her gaze eager and full of anticipation as she looked at Kai, waiting for his response.
Kai smiled lightly.
She looks so full of spirit almost like she can't wait to get started.
Although Clair appeared confident, Kai found it fairly easy to guess what Pokémon she might choose.
Even though this was technically a blind pick battle, Clair was, after all, a Dragon Tamer. As a specialist in Dragon-type Pokémon and given that this was Blackthorn Gym there was little chance she'd send out anything other than Dragon-types.
Furthermore, many Dragon-type Pokémon also possessed Flying attributes. Considering the arena featured a large pool of water at its centre, she was almost certainly going to send out a Dragon/Water-type.
That allowed Kai to narrow down the possibilities and eliminate any of his Pokémon that might be at a disadvantage.
So... who should he send out first?
After thinking it through, Kai finally reached to his right hip and pulled out the first Poké Ball in the lineup.
"All right—let's go with you!"
Seeing that Kai had made his decision, both trainers threw their Poké Balls at the same time. As the twin flashes of blue light burst across the field, two Pokémon emerged simultaneously.
Clair's first Pokémon was none other than her Charizard, the same one that had performed outstandingly during the battle against the Iron-Masked Marauder in the Dragon Sanctuary. Facing off against it was Kai's starter Pokémon Gardevoir!
Standing on either side of the pool, Gardevoir and Charizard locked eyes. Like their trainers, battle spirit ignited in both their gazes.
In terms of typing, Gardevoir's Fairy-type moves would deal half damage to Fire-types like Charizard. But aside from that, neither had a significant advantage or disadvantage.
Thankfully, Kai rarely relied on Fairy-type attacks with Gardevoir. This meant overall, the match would come down to raw strength and that was where things really got interesting.
Cab glanced at both sides, confirming they were ready. He raised his flags.
"The battle begins now!"
The moment the flags dropped, both trainers gave their commands in perfect sync.
"Gardevoir, use Psychic!"
"Charizard, take to the skies!"
Charizard leapt into the air, narrowly avoiding Gardevoir's wave of psychic energy with a swift barrel roll.
From high above, it retaliated with a Flamethrower, spewing flames toward Gardevoir. But before the inferno could reach her, Gardevoir used Teleport to blink out of harm's way.
The opening exchange was a mutual probe but neither side landed a hit.
Seeing her attack miss, Clair frowned slightly and ordered Charizard to launch a continuous barrage, trying to pin Gardevoir down and dictate the pace of the fight.
But no matter how relentless the attacks, Gardevoir always evaded them with ease, teleporting away in the blink of an eye.
"Tch. Psychic types really are a pain…"
Clair muttered under her breath. She wasn't the first trainer to feel that way. Psychic Pokémon were often troublesome for opponents, especially in real-life battles where abilities like Teleport and Psychic weren't just flashy animations but true tactical weapons.
The real issue was that Clair had no way of predicting where Gardevoir would blink next, making it nearly impossible to anticipate or counterattack effectively.
Frustrated, she changed tactics.
"Charizard, use a wide-range attack! Don't leave it anywhere to run!"
The battle continued.
But unlike Clair, Kai remained calm and composed, showing not a hint of panic.
After all, he knew Charizard far too well.
He had one of his own trained it, lived with it, battled alongside it. He understood its habits, its strengths, and its weaknesses like the back of his hand.
Clair's Charizard might be different in temperament and size, but at the end of the day, it was still a Charizard. The moves it knew, the patterns it followed they were all familiar.
So Kai simply had to imagine himself in Clair's shoes. He'd think: If I were controlling Charizard, what would I do next?
Then, through Gardevoir's empathic link, she would pick up on Kai's thoughts and prepare the perfect counter in advance.
Gardevoir began to parry and counter, slipping through attacks with uncanny precision and punishing Charizard with clean, well-timed strikes.
The tide began to shift and Clair was feeling it.
Why does it feel like he's reading my every move…?
The more she fought, the more she realized just how powerful Kai's Gardevoir really was.
No wonder he was the undefeated Champion of the Indigo League. His strength was genuine and overwhelming.
But the most terrifying part? Even during her toughest battles with Lance, she'd never felt this powerless before.
Could it be… this guy is even stronger than Lance!?
As Charizard's stamina dropped and its breathing became laboured, it finally exposed a brief opening. Gardevoir struck with a Confuse Ray, disrupting its mind just long enough to follow up with a Psyshock, stunning it midair.
Then came the clincher Hypnosis.
The moment it hit, Charizard's eyes began to droop, its muscles slackening. Completely unresisting, it began to fall.
Whoosh!
Dozens of meters…
Ten meters…
Five…
"Charizard!!"
Clair's expression changed instantly. If it were any other Pokémon, she might have let it fall shock from the water might've snapped it out of the hypnosis. But Charizard was different. Its tail flame must never be extinguished.
She reacted just in time, pulling out her Poké Ball and recalling it in midair, just before it splashed into the pool.
A technical retreat but a retreat all the same.
Cab raised the green flag, his face showing the gravity of what had just happened.
"Charizard is unable to battle! The first round goes to Gardevoir!"
Clair looked down at the Poké Ball in her hand and sighed, her expression a mix of defeat and admiration.
"I lost this one."
Kai simply smiled and said nothing.
In truth, he had planned to follow up Hypnosis with Dream Eater to completely finish the fight.
But it seemed… he didn't even need it.
----
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