Of course, the fleeting thought of guilt only crossed his mind for a moment—after all, the match wasn't over yet.
For the second battle, Nozomi planned to continue using Bulbasaur.
Meanwhile, Daisy, after recalling Seaking, found herself in a dilemma.
"Should I use Poliwag, or Seel…"
Nozomi's hearing was exceptionally sharp; even from a distance, he caught Daisy's indecision.
"Honestly, it doesn't matter what you pick."
Nozomi muttered this in his mind.
But saying such a thing aloud would be too harsh. Nozomi wasn't dumb enough—or perhaps, socially inept enough—to actually voice such a comment.
After a moment of hesitation, Daisy grit her teeth and threw out her second Poké Ball.
"Poliwag, show the fighting spirit you had yesterday! Win this match!"
Daisy clearly hadn't given up yet.
"Fighting spirit from yesterday??" Nozomi froze for a moment, recalling the scene he had witnessed by the sidelines: Poliwag and a Voltorb exchanging weak jabs, clumsy attacks bouncing back and forth—two rookies clashing.
Two dark lines immediately appeared over his head.
Was Daisy really comparing his strength to those trainers? She must be seriously underestimating him.
Determined to prove himself, Nozomi decided to demonstrate his power right from the start.
"Bulbasaur, finish this quickly! Use the Blitz Tactic!"
The Blitz Tactic was a strategy Nozomi had specifically developed for his Pokémon.
Its hallmark was relentless offense: overwhelming the opponent with rapid strikes to disrupt their rhythm, and then striking decisively while the opponent floundered in confusion.
In a single word: reckless.
"Bulba!"
Bulbasaur pressed down on its flat little head with determination. Normally its big, round eyes seemed adorable, but now they gleamed with seriousness. With a sudden swing, it launched two Razor Leafs from behind its back.
Poliwag, unwilling to be outdone, fired a Water Gun at the incoming Razor Leafs.
But a Water Gun from a Water-type Pokémon was no match for the Grass-type Razor Leaf. In a single stroke, the Razor Leaf sliced the Water Gun in half and continued its trajectory toward Poliwag.
Completely unprepared for its attack being cut in midair, Poliwag froze in shock.
Swish swish!
The first Razor Leaf struck Poliwag squarely in the center of its belly's circular pattern, eliciting a painful cry. The second Razor Leaf sent Poliwag flying.
And that was just the beginning.
Pew pew pew!
The Seed Machine Gun fired relentlessly, seeds pelting Poliwag from all directions.
Unlike Seaking, Poliwag was much smaller. The impact of the seed barrage spun it uncontrollably through the air.
It was a full-on, spinning ascent to the skies.
Then, two more Razor Leafs hit Poliwag, like striking a moving target on a training field, knocking the spiral-patterned Poliwag from the sky.
The unending onslaught left Poliwag no room to counterattack.
Bang!
By the time Poliwag slammed heavily onto the floating platform, Daisy was still in shock.
Who am I? Where am I? What just happened?
She was utterly stunned by Nozomi's storm-like offensive.
After a long moment, she finally snapped out of it and dazedly recalled the incapacitated Poliwag.
By now, she realized: Nozomi's strength was far beyond her ability to contend with. Any hope of defeating him had vanished.
"Better to just resign myself to being a couch potato… Pokémon training really isn't for me," Daisy sighed.
It seemed studying synchronized swimming had always been a better fit for her.
With that mindset, her Seel was also easily defeated by Nozomi.
"This match… I lost. It was an excellent battle!"
Though lacking in strength, Daisy maintained the dignity of a Gym Leader.
"You saying that actually makes me feel a bit embarrassed," Nozomi said with a faint smile.
"That's fine. We've long since gotten used to it," Daisy replied.
Her nerves were clearly strong; she had experienced nearly a hundred battles and could genuinely be called a seasoned Pokémon Trainer, even if she always lost.
She reached into her pocket to present Nozomi with the badge, but a moment later, an apologetic look appeared on her face.
"Please wait a moment… I need to get the badge."
Nozomi watched as Daisy brought out a massive, one-meter-square box.
When she opened it, the box was filled with glittering blue badges.
Nozomi's lips twitched.
You use a box this big just for badges? How many trainers do you have to give them to in a year to need this many?
He remembered that Brock had only used two palm-sized boxes for his badges, holding no more than a dozen.
Here, it was a full box—and the two Gym halls were separated by only a single tunnel. The difference was staggering.
Taking the Cascade Badge from Daisy, Nozomi's system promptly chimed.
[Ding! Congratulations, host has obtained the Cascade Badge. You have earned one Silver Draw. Draw now?]
Nozomi glanced at the Cerulean trio and then at Gary. Now was clearly not the right moment for a draw.
"Not now."
After speaking to the system in his mind, Nozomi turned to the next challenger, Gary.
"Gary, I won't wait here for you—I'm leaving first!"
"Huh? You're leaving now? I was going to invite you to lunch!" Gary was momentarily stunned by Nozomi's sudden departure.
He hadn't expected him to leave so abruptly.
Nozomi, of course, didn't mention that he was impatient to see what the draw might yield. He just smiled lightly:
"We'll talk about lunch another time. My next stop should be Vermilion City. If there's a chance, we'll meet there."
Since Nozomi insisted on leaving, Gary had no choice but to let him go.
"Then I'll contact you once I'm in Vermilion City. Don't leave before I get there!"
"Don't worry!"
Nozomi waved to Gary and the Cerulean trio, then left Cerulean Gym without looking back.