Join my p@treon for more chapters
[email protected]/Tempest_29
Facing the massive wave before him, Mandi fought with everything he had, knowing that being caught in Surf would spell disaster.
He utilized the Rollout technique to rotate Graveler's body, maximizing the surface area to deflect the water's impact. If he could break through the enormous wave ahead, there might still be a chance.
Graveler used Rollout and charged headlong into the towering wave. Its heavy body crashed directly into the water wall.
The tremendous impact instantly erupted into a massive spray, accompanied by a thunderous roar as the huge wave surged toward the platform.
At that moment, a bulge appeared on the back of the wave, and Graveler—spinning so rapidly its form was barely visible—broke through the barrier. It successfully penetrated the massive wave and emerged on the other side, its body descending toward a floating platform below.
"Yes!" Mandi unconsciously clenched his fists as he watched the scene unfold.
Graveler was still spinning in midair, conveniently shaking off the water clinging to its body before extending its limbs and falling toward the platform below.
Boom!
The heavy body landed on the floating platform. The structure swayed slightly but quickly stabilized. As Mandi breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Graveler, which had just touched down, his eyes suddenly widened in alarm.
Splash! Splash! Splash!
The instant Graveler's feet touched the platform, the water behind it suddenly surged upward. When Mandi spotted the figure emerging from the water, his expression changed drastically.
"Graveler, move!" Mandi shouted in panic. Graveler had already sensed the movement in the water behind it.
Acting on instinct, it turned around and locked eyes with Kingler. Its expression transformed instantly into one of shock.
"Kingler, Crabhammer!"
Ash called out at that precise moment. Kingler raised its massive claw, and brilliant light instantly enveloped its entire left pincer.
BANG! BOOM!
Just as Graveler completed its turn, it was struck directly by the Crabhammer. The collision of two incredibly hard bodies produced a deafening crash.
Graveler was launched backward by the tremendous force, its entire body hurtling through the air like a cannonball. The Crabhammer sent it flying completely out of the battlefield, slamming into the wall behind Mandi.
Crabhammer was a Water-type move, which proved super effective against Graveler with its dual Ground and Rock typing.
"The Crabhammer connected—it's super effective! Can Graveler still get up?" the commentator announced while observing the scene.
Every spectator's eyes turned toward the area behind Mandi. As the smoke gradually cleared, Graveler's form became visible. The Rock Pokémon's body was embedded in the wall, completely unconscious.
"Graveler is unable to battle! All three of Competitor Mandi's Pokémon have lost their ability to fight! Competitor Ash wins the match!"
On the large screen, Mandi's final indicator light dimmed, and then his avatar faded and disappeared entirely.
Ash's avatar moved to the center of the big screen, and the advancement logo appeared beneath it.
"WOOOOO!"
The audience erupted with excitement, accompanied by a wave of thunderous applause. Ash had successfully advanced from his first match, defeating his opponent using only Kingler.
Anyone who, like Mandi, had thought Ash was merely lucky to have captured Moltres no longer dared to underestimate him.
"Well done, Kingler! Come back and rest!" Ash said with a smile, watching Kingler excitedly wave its pincers in celebration. He then pulled out the Poké Ball and recalled it.
"Don't judge others by your own narrow standards. Not everyone is worthy of me using Moltres against them."
After recalling Kingler, Ash looked at the still-stunned Mandi and spoke calmly.
If his opponent hadn't harbored any ill intentions, Ash wouldn't have been harsh. But for someone like Mandi—well, he deserved it.
Ash didn't deliberately lower his voice, and many people in the venue heard his words clearly.
At this conference, there were numerous competitors who shared Mandi's mindset, believing that Ash had simply gotten lucky in capturing Moltres.
They all assumed Ash would rely heavily on Moltres throughout his battles. While using Moltres didn't violate any rules, it would inevitably draw criticism from those who considered themselves superior.
They thought that without Moltres, Ash wouldn't stand a chance against them. But now Ash had slapped them in the face with his actions.
Hearing Ash's words, Mandi hung his head in shame. Though he felt somewhat angry at being mocked so publicly, after having his entire team swept, he had no grounds to say anything in response.
Ash glanced at Mandi's deflated expression and ignored him. With his hands in his pockets, he walked down from the battle platform with Pikachu and entered the passage behind him, accompanied by the cheers of the crowd.
Ten Minutes Later
"Ash, congratulations!" As Ash emerged from the venue, Misty and the others quickly approached. Yellow exclaimed excitedly upon seeing him.
"Thanks!" Ash responded with a smile.
Having won his first match, the three of them were naturally pleased.
Although it was only the opening round, Ash's performance had given everyone confidence in his future matches.
"What's next?" Brock asked.
"Let's go watch Gary's match!" Although they could return to the Pokémon Center to watch it on TV, since they were already out, they decided to head directly to the venue.
"Sounds good! Gary's match should be starting soon."
After hearing Ash's suggestion, Brock and the others readily agreed. They all knew each other well. Although they might face each other later in the tournament, they naturally hoped everyone could achieve good results before such encounters.
When the four of them arrived at Gary's competition venue, his match had just begun. Green had finished watching Ash's battle and had also come to Gary's side to observe.
Gary appeared extremely confident, and his performance certainly justified that confidence.
Following Green, Ash, and Ritchie, Gary became the fourth trainer to defeat his opponent's three Pokémon using only a single one of his own.
Although the competition had only just begun, those who knew each other seemed to have already started competing indirectly.
In essence, the unspoken message was: "If you can sweep three opponents with one Pokémon, then I should be able to do the same. If I can't accomplish this, I'd be too embarrassed to call myself a talented trainer."
The performances of these several individuals attracted considerable attention from the audience, who discovered that this year's conference featured an unusual number of young dark horses.
Solo sweeps weren't unprecedented, but upon closer examination, people realized that the only ones who had accomplished this feat so far in this year's conference were Rookie Trainers who had just turned ten years old.