---
Venusaur's appearance was no last-minute decision.
That very morning, Kai had specifically contacted Cerise's Lab, asking Chloe to have it transferred through the Pokémon transport system.
Unlike Ash, who often left his old partners aside, Kai never abandoned the Pokémon he had once caught.
Even though Venusaur hadn't battled for a long time and its sharpness might have dulled, its solid foundation remained. For a preliminary match, it was more than capable.
Seeing Venusaur, Kai's opponent, Kimura, wore a mixed expression of relief and dread.
Relief, because from what he'd seen in the Indigo League, Venusaur had been Kai's most "standard" battler. Reliable, but not as flashy or terrifying as Charizard, Gyarados, or Gardevoir.
That meant this battle might be less daunting.
But dread lingered, because Venusaur was still very strong and no pushover.
When Kimura hesitated too long, the referee urged, "Trainer Kimura, please send out your Pokémon."
Only then did Kai learn his opponent's name. He hadn't bothered memorizing it from the matchup board earlier after all, Kimura wasn't a notable trainer, nor someone who had appeared in any televised matches.
Snapping back to reality, Kimura quickly weighed his options. After several tense seconds, he carefully selected a Poké Ball.
With a flash, his Pokémon appeared: Ledyba, a Flying-type. The choice was obvious using type advantage against Venusaur.
"A smart decision! Flying-types have a natural edge over Grass-types. It looks like Kai may be in for a difficult match!" The announcer's voice rang through Arena A. "Both sides are ready let's see who takes the first victory!"
---
The preliminaries were fought under 3-on-3 rules. Each trainer could send out three Pokémon.
In his first match, Kai fielded Venusaur, Scizor, and Tyranitar, who defeated Kimura's Ledyba, Magmar, and Jumpluff in clean, decisive battles. The result: a flawless 3–0 victory.
Though Kimura's Pokémon fought hard, they posed little real threat. The difference in strength was simply too wide for anyone to miss.
"Boss is just as strong as ever!" Martha shouted excitedly, though her enthusiasm waned at the one-sided nature of the match. "Even with a type disadvantage, it barely slowed him down. Honestly, who can stop him from taking the championship?"
"Don't say that just yet," Misha countered, more cautious than her sister. "This is only the preliminaries. The strength gap between competitors is still wide. Once the top eight are set, the real tough opponents will show up."
After shaking hands with the dejected Kimura and nodding politely to the roaring crowd, Kai exited the arena through the trainer's tunnel.
Winning his first preliminary match earned him three points. Now, all he had to do was defeat the remaining opponent in his group to secure a spot in the top sixteen.
As for Kimura, his chances were slim. For him to advance, Kai would have to lose to the third group member, and Kimura would then need to beat that trainer and somehow topple Kai in a rematch. The odds were almost nonexistent.
The audience erupted into cheers for Kai, though the result was exactly what they had expected. If he had lost, that would've been the real shock.
---
Later, Kai reunited with Erika outside the arena. Side by side, they returned to the dormitory lobby to watch Ash's battle on the big screen.
By that time, Ash's match had reached its climax.
His opponent was a girl about his age named Moé. She wore twin braids, with a round, blushing face that made her look rather plain and not particularly bright.
Yet, surprisingly, Ash had been pushed to the brink!
The score was 1–2. Moé's Magcargo had fainted, but Ash's Phanpy and Totodile were already down.
Erika frowned at the screen. She knew Ash's true strength well after traveling with him for so long. She had expected him to struggle, but not to be cornered like this.
"This…" she hesitated for words, "this is a bit unexpected. I thought he might fall behind, but I didn't think it would be such a tough fight."
Kai analyzed calmly:
"Look closely. Moé's three Pokémon, Magcargo, Quilava, and Electabuzz, are all revealed now. Ash has used Totodile and Phanpy. Clearly, he adjusted his team to counter her lineup. Totodile for the two Fire-types, and Phanpy as a Ground-type to guard against Electric."
Erika nodded. "That kind of planning… that's not really his usual style."
Kai shook his head. "That's Brock and Misty coaching him from the sidelines. But even with good predictions, Moé isn't easy to handle. Now it's up to Ash to fight his way out."
On the screen, Ash threw his final Poké Ball.
To everyone's surprise, it wasn't Pikachu. Instead, it was Squirtle, the same one he had entrusted to Officer Jenny as the leader of the Squirtle Squad!
The choice shocked many, especially since his last opponent was Electabuzz. Not a favorable matchup at all.
But Ash, true to form, proved himself the master of type disadvantage.
With sheer determination and Squirtle's grit, he turned the tide first defeating Electabuzz despite the odds, then taking down Quilava in a type-favored battle.
Against all expectations, Ash secured the win.
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