Machamp, Withdraw!
"Honestly, I didn't see this coming at all. Zeraora actually pulled off a one-vs-four sweep!"
"And the most impressive part is—every time it was a one-hit KO! Player Nathan's style is still as crisp and decisive as ever!"
Looking at the results on the battlefield, commentator Lee shouted excitedly.
Meanwhile, the veteran commentator next to him remained silent, needing some time to soothe his injured pride.
Even though he knew it was just a staged match, it still felt horrible being repeatedly "sacrificed."
…
"I have to admit, you're really strong—truly a worthy genius."
"But I won't give up, and I can't give up!"
Sai stared directly at Nathan, eyes blazing with fiery determination.
If this were an anime, the intense, blood-pumping battle theme would've already started playing.
But this was reality.
Nathan simply looked at him quietly as if watching someone give their final words, and then sent out one of his last two trump cards—
A Elite-tier Charizard!
"Zeraora, want to come back? You might get hurt… or even lose."
Ignoring the overwhelming aura from Charizard, Nathan used their synch mode to ask Zeraora.
Those four swift one-hit KOs looked satisfying, but they came at a heavy cost in stamina.
After four consecutive fights, Zeraora was already a bit winded.
"Zoar!"
But Zeraora resolutely shook its head and gave Nathan a thumbs-up.
The message was simple: I absolutely trust my Trainer!
"Alright then! Let's achieve the glory of a one-versus-five!"
"Zeraora, Quick Attack!"
Fueled by Zeraora's unwavering trust, Nathan felt his blood boil with excitement.
His mystical golden eyes gleamed even brighter.
"Hmph, you think I'll let you get your way? Charizard, Flamethrower!"
Seeing Zeraora dash forward, Sai calmed himself and growled.
He absolutely could not allow himself to be beaten one-on-five—
That would be an utter disgrace!
"Charrr!"
Charizard let out an enraged roar and unleashed a scorching stream of pure flames!
"Dodge it! Keep using Quick Attack!"
Nathan remained completely composed.
After reading the attack trajectory, Zeraora started darting toward Charizard in a zigzag, Z-pattern movement!
The electricity on its claws condensed into sharp lightning blades.
"Damn it! Charizard, get airborne and engage in melee combat!"
"I refuse to believe this Zeraora can break the boundary between Gym-level and Elite-level!"
Teeth clenched, Sai's bloodshot eyes were filled with disbelief.
He simply couldn't accept it.
A Gym-tier Pokémon taking on four others in a row and still having enough left to defeat an Elite-tier?
Even novels wouldn't dare write something like this!
"Perfect. Zeraora, close combat!"
Seeing Charizard go into melee mode, Nathan was thrilled.
Even though Zeraora hadn't learned any formal martial arts techniques, Nathan had absolute confidence in his Thunder Combat Mode!
Combined with the Navy Six Styles—an inhuman set of moves—Zeraora's close-combat prowess was definitely not weak!
As the two Pokémon clashed, the battle entered its most thrilling phase.
Zeraora's strikes were sharp and lightning-fast, almost like teleportation, leaving Charizard no room to breathe.
But Charizard wasn't to be outdone—defending and counterattacking while also mixing in more Flamethrowers.
Caught off guard once, Zeraora was almost face-blasted!
"We can't keep this up… this Charizard's stamina is way higher than expected."
After an intense exchange, even Nathan had to catch his breath.
Due to synch mode, even Zeraora's breathing patterns were mirrored by Nathan—
As if Zeraora weren't a Pokémon, but a mecha extension controlled by Nathan himself.
This state left many people deep in thought, and online discussions were exploding with speculation.
But none of them noticed the most important detail.
"We need to finish this fast. Zeraora, can you use Indra's Arrow one more time?"
Ignoring the commentators' dramatic commentary, Nathan asked Zeraora.
He needed a finishing move—something decisive.
Otherwise…
Just looking at Charizard, covered in wounds yet showing no signs of going down, filled both him and Zeraora with a sense of helplessness.
Except for that Scyther, all of Sai's Pokémon seemed built like tanks.
"Zoar!"
With a low growl, Zeraora signaled it could still go on.
As Nathan's Pokémon, how could it admit defeat?!
"Good! Zeraora, Quick Attack!"
Seeing Zeraora's fighting spirit, Nathan forced himself to refocus.
Zeraora's form became a blur again, completely dodging Charizard's continued Flamethrowers.
"Hmph! So what if you dodge? It won't be long before your Zeraora completely runs out of energy!"
Seeing Zeraora still hanging in, Sai composed himself once more.
He had only defeated one of Nathan's Pokémon, yet he already felt overwhelming excitement—
Even a little emotional!
This brat was just a teenager—why was he so hard to deal with?!
Back in university, Sai had been hailed as a prodigy too!
"Fly, Zeraora! Fly to the highest point!"
Ignoring Sai's emotions, Nathan calmly watched Zeraora's retreating figure.
With each dash, Zeraora climbed higher and higher into the sky.
From Nathan's view, it grew smaller and smaller—
But through synch mode, he could clearly sense the lightning energy at Zeraora's back surging, ready to break through like a chrysalis.
The bluish-white hue of its lightning was beginning to turn into a pure, radiant gold!
"Now! Indra's Arrow!!"
At the peak altitude, Nathan's eyes snapped open as he roared.
"ZOOAAAR!!"
Zeraora echoed with a roar of its own, channeling its entire Thunder Combat energy into a massive longbow and lightning arrow!
Only then did Sai realize something was terribly wrong.
Damn it—how could that move still be usable after bond-evolution?!
Wasn't Zeraora supposed to be completely out of stamina?!
But no matter how much he cursed inside, he had to shout out his command:
"Charizard! Stop it!"
Unfortunately, it was far too late.
Zeraora had already drawn the golden lightning bow to its limit and let the arrow fly.
The once blue-and-white lightning now turned into a dazzling golden thunderbolt!
"It's over!"
Nathan recalled the plummeting Zeraora and gave a tired smile at Charizard, who was desperately trying to dodge.
But there was no escape.
Zeraora had climbed so high not just to avoid being intercepted—
But also to seal off every possible escape route for Charizard!
In the end, Charizard had no choice but to take the full hit from Indra's Arrow.
Under the eyes of the entire crowd, it barely managed to stand.
"Did it fail…?"
Seeing the battered Charizard still holding on, countless spectators felt a mix of awe and disappointment.
This genius had ultimately not achieved the miracle of using a single Gym-tier Pokémon to sweep five.
Even Nathan looked slightly disappointed—
Until Charizard collapsed with a thud, sending up dust from the battlefield.
Charizard — Defeated!
Zeraora — Exhausted!
…
"Charizard! Defeated! A Gym-tier Pokémon facing off against an Elite-tier Charizard—and this was after taking down four other Gym-tier opponents beforehand!"
"Who would've thought the national tournament would start with such a jaw-dropping upset from Trainer Nathan?!"
Lee stood atop his chair, face flushed with excitement as he screamed with all his might.
Even though everyone expected Nathan to surprise them, this level of brilliance in just the first match was beyond anyone's expectations!
[Nathan, Eternal God!]
[You can always believe in Nathan—always believe in Zeraora!]
[Strong! Unstoppable!]
[From today on, I'm officially a die-hard Nathan fanboy!]
(End of Chapter)