Just like yesterday, the chubby man's first Pokémon was once again Quagsire.
Nathan sent out Frosmoth.
The moment Frosmoth appeared, the crowd of spectators from Nathan's home country erupted in cheers that seemed to shake the sky.
"Frosmoth, it looks like your popularity is starting to catch up to Volcarona's,"
Nathan said with a smile to his Pokémon.
Frosmoth affectionately nuzzled his hand.
"Go on, let everyone witness your power!"
Nathan pointed toward the chubby man's Quagsire as he spoke.
Frosmoth took flight, spreading its wings wide. Shimmering scales fell from its wings, forming a glowing trail behind it like falling snow.
"Frosmoth, use Icy Wind!"
Nathan commanded, pointing at the opponent's Quagsire.
Frosmoth flapped its wings, stirring up a chill across the battlefield.
As it continued flapping, more and more cold air gathered, soon forming a hazy, shimmering frost-dance across the arena.
Icy Wind was not only an offensive move—it enhanced the power of Frosmoth's other attacks within a certain range.
The frigid environment also provided a natural advantage for Frosmoth in battle.
And this technique wasn't just a buff for Frosmoth—it also had a debuff effect, lowering the enemy's reaction speed.
"Frosmoth, use Quiver Dance and release your ice poweder!"
Nathan gave his next command.
Frosmoth soared over ten meters into the air, gracefully dancing through the sky.
Scales from its wings descended like snowflakes with each turn of the Quiver Dance.
Soon, the arena resembled a breathtaking, snowy dreamscape.
"So beautiful! I'm kind of jealous of that Quagsire now."
"As expected of Nathan's Pokémon. Even its moves are this elegant."
...
Whether in the stadium or online, people everywhere were stunned by the breathtaking spectacle.
Such a magnificent battle scene was truly rare.
If Volcarona's battles were blazing and passionate, then Frosmoth's were elegant and ethereal.
But beneath any beautiful exterior, danger could be lurking.
The snowflake-like powder drifting down from the sky landed both on the ground and on Quagsire.
At first, the chubby man had also been mesmerized by the stunning visuals.
But as soon as he realized what was happening and saw the powder on Quagsire's body, he was shocked.
He'd been tricked!
"Quagsire, use Safeguard!"
He hastily ordered a defensive move.
But by then—it was too late.
The powder already resting on Quagsire's body began to take effect.
Frosmoth's wings operated at temperatures of minus 180 degrees Celsius.
Naturally, the powder it shed wasn't much warmer.
The powder on Quagsire began releasing intense cold.
Soon, the Quagsire was shivering uncontrollably.
In areas with more powder, patches of ice had already formed.
And this wasn't on the ground—this was forming on the Pokémon's body itself!
Pokémon, like humans, are warm-blooded creatures.
"Frosmoth, use Icicle Spear to shatter its defense!"
Nathan sneered. Trying to defend now was far too late.
Frosmoth, still hovering in the air, suddenly stopped moving.
It extended its arm-like appendages, and a sharp icicle quickly formed in front of it.
In just a couple of breaths, the icicle grew to nearly two meters long.
Under Frosmoth's control, it launched straight at Quagsire.
Seeing this, the chubby man cried out, "Quagsire, dodge it quickly!"
Quagsire struggled to move its frozen body, but its speed had been reduced drastically.
Compared to the speed of the descending icicle, Quagsire was practically crawling.
Thud!
The icicle struck the Safeguard around Quagsire's body.
The barrier lasted less than a second before it shattered under the impact.
The difference in strength between the two Pokémon was simply too great.
If both Pokémon had been at Champion or Elite level, perhaps Quagsire might have held on.
But with such a large gap in power, Safeguard stood no chance.
The icicle pierced through the shattered shield and slammed into the ground, creating a massive crater.
The chubby man saw that Quagsire had just barely dodged the icicle and let out a sigh of relief.
Thankfully, he had ordered Quagsire to shift its position slightly.
Otherwise, it might have been knocked out instantly by that attack.
"Quagsire, use Muddy Water to counterattack!"
He gave his next command.
Quagsire opened its mouth and spewed out a wave of murky liquid aimed directly at Frosmoth in the sky.
"Frosmoth, use Aurora Veil!"
As Nathan's command rang out, a shimmering veil like an aurora appeared in front of Frosmoth.
Just like all of Frosmoth's other moves, Aurora Veil was beautiful and elegant.
The murky liquid hit the veil and was completely repelled.
Frosmoth, standing behind it, now truly looked like a spirit of the aurora.
At that moment, everyone from the audience had the same phrase come to mind:
"Untainted despite the filth."
Draped in pure white, Frosmoth now resembled a lotus blooming in the mud—surrounded by filth, yet remaining pristine like jade.
"Fatty, you'd better go back and train your Pokémon some more."
Nathan sneered mockingly.
After all the frustration he'd endured yesterday, there was no way he'd let this guy off easily today.
Even if he was going to win, he'd make sure to thoroughly humiliate him first—for daring to sully his beloved Frosmoth.
"You bastard! Quagsire, use Mud Wave!"
The chubby man barked angrily.
Quagsire activated the move, and the ground beneath its feet turned into a muddy swamp.
Waves of sludge rolled up from the ground like tidal waves, rushing toward Frosmoth.
But the Aurora Veil remained as solid as ever.
The waves of mud slammed into it and were blocked just as easily.
"Quagsire, use Sludge Bomb!"
Seeing Mud Wave fail, the chubby man tried a different move.
Quagsire placed its hands into the sludge below.
A lump of foul-smelling, poisonous muck formed in its hands.
It hurled the bomb at Frosmoth's barrier, and it exploded on contact.
The explosion was loud—but had little effect.
The Aurora Veil wavered slightly, but remained intact.
…
"This is it? This is the strength your so proud of?"
Seeing how his Frosmoth's Aurora Veil wasn't even scratched, Nathan jeered.
The crowd burst out laughing at his words—well, at least the ones from his own country did.
During domestic competitions, Nathan had always been this sharp-tongued.
But how you treat others depends on what kind of people they are.
For a shameless group like Valar's team, Nathan had no reason to hold back.
"Frosmoth, use Aurora Beam and end this match!"
His throat dry from all the trash talk, Nathan finally let Frosmoth go on the offense again.
A beautiful aurora condensed into a beam from Frosmoth's wings and fired at Quagsire.
The chubby man quickly ordered, "Quagsire, use Rock Tomb to protect yourself!"
But the power gap was too great.
Rock Tomb didn't stand a chance against Aurora Beam.
The rocks shattered on impact, and the unimpeded beam struck Quagsire directly.
Quagsire was knocked out instantly.
With a dark expression, the chubby man recalled his Pokémon.
This match had been utterly miserable.
His attacks couldn't break through the opponent's defenses, while he couldn't withstand even a single hit from Frosmoth.
Soon, he sent out his second Pokémon.
But the result was the same—crushed by the overwhelming power difference.
All three of the chubby man's Pokémon were defeated one by one by Frosmoth.
Frosmoth still looked immaculate, its white body unblemished, without taking a single hit.
After the match, Nathan stepped off the stage, grabbed a bottle of water, and returned.
All that trash talk had left his throat dry.
In the following matches, Nathan continued his dominance, relying solely on Frosmoth to defeat every member of Valar's team.
Eventually, only one person remained: Fujiwara Taka.
Yet, as he sat below the stage watching his teammates fall one after another, Fujiwara showed no signs of panic.
When Nathan defeated the last of Valar's team (besides Fujiwara), he turned his gaze toward Fujiwara.
At that very moment, Fujiwara looked back at him.
Battle intent.
Nathan saw clear battle intent in Fujiwara's eyes.
Fujiwara gave him a thumbs-up.
Then, with a twist of the wrist, turned his thumb downward.
Nathan merely responded with a faint smile.
(End of Chapter)