Top 32.
The quality of the opponents was rising at a visible rate.
In terms of pure game knowledge, if the previous round's opponent was at the level of Ash Ketchum during the early Kanto arc, this one was at least at the level of Johto-era Ash.
The most obvious sign—the opponent recognized Magnet Rise. He immediately commanded his Hippowdon to cancel the Sand Tomb it was preparing.
Furthermore, in terms of combat instincts, his willingness to use Dig multiple times to evade attacks was commendable. At the very least, it was a strategy favored by Elite Four member Bertha when she crushed Ash back when he only had seven badges.
It was, indeed, effective.
However.
"Fire Fang!"
Boom!
The ground fractured and sand exploded as a massive, black-nosed, yellow-skinned hippo surged from the earth. Its menacing aura blended with a gaping maw wreathed in flames as it lunged toward the mid-air Mawile.
"I was waiting for that! Lean back and use Ice Punch!"
"Maw-ile!"
Mawile jerked its head up, narrowly avoiding the Hippowdon that had leaped three or four meters high. The erupting flames nearly scorched its face.
Unfortunately for the hippo, after missing its mark, its exposed underjaw was now right in front of Mawile.
A chilling frost rapidly gathered on Mawile's small fist, glowing with a gem-like brilliance. In one fluid motion, it pulled back, twisted its hips, and threw its shoulder into a sudden, explosive punch!
Thud!
The powerful fist slammed into Hippowdon's jaw, punctuated by the shattering sound of bursting frost!
Hippowdon was sent flying uncontrollably, hitting the ground with a heavy crash and rolling several times.
Under the influence of its Sheer Force ability, Mawile's abnormal, monstrous strength was unleashed to its full potential!
"Impossible!"
The opponent cried out in shock, unable to believe his Hippowdon had been overpowered in a direct clash.
However, the two previous subterranean lunges had already exposed the flaw: the trainer couldn't direct Hippowdon to dodge once it was airborne. To a Mawile that had already read its rhythm—
The hippo was nothing but a sitting duck.
Once you avoided the upward lunge, you could do whatever you wanted.
Hippowdon was nearly knocked out by that single punch. Had it not been for its high physical defense and the fact that Ice isn't Mawile's primary type, it never would have survived that blow.
"Come back!"
The opponent frantically ran forward and recalled Hippowdon to its Poké Ball.
While this wouldn't have any mechanical effect in the video games, in this world, a Pokémon returned to its ball could indeed recover a bit of stamina through rest.
Is he not using Slack Off, or is he just afraid to? Kashiwagi mused silently.
A moment later.
The opponent wasted no time releasing his second Pokémon, placing it a significant distance away from Mawile.
Normally, this was the standard way to deploy. Only an idiot like the opponent from the last round would waste time without considering positioning.
That guy had been taken down in a single combo.
Pop.
A flash of white light.
A majestic bird with flowing crest feathers appeared in the air. Its full chest muscles and broad wings gave it an incredibly agile flight posture.
Standing nearly 1.8 meters tall, its massive size was a testament to how well its trainer had raised it.
"Pidgeot."
Kashiwagi narrowed his eyes, took out a Poké Ball to recall Mawile, and sent out Chansey in its place. "Come on, it's time to test our results!"
"Chan~sey..."
Chansey looked up at the spirited Pidgeot. It felt a twinge of intimidation from the bird's size, but it remained standing its ground with honest resolve.
After everything it had been through over the past month, it had long since cured its habit of getting nervous when standing alone on the field. It was just one step away from being truly independent.
Besides, Kashiwagi had told it that even if it couldn't attack, it could still contribute to the team. Chansey believed him implicitly.
"Quick Attack!"
Pidgeot flapped its wings and transformed into a streak of white light, diving down at a speed so fast that even dynamic vision struggled to track it.
Facing such a fierce assault, Chansey stood still as if dazed, waiting for the opponent to close in until—
"Protect!"
"Chan!"
Chansey's face tightened as it raised its small paws. A shimmering green membrane of light instantly expanded just before Pidgeot made contact!
Thud!
Pidgeot's Quick Attack slammed into the barrier but couldn't move an inch further. The energy and impact were absorbed completely, like a stone sinking into the ocean.
Protect: it shields the user from most moves.
This was Chansey's most significant recent achievement!
The opponent was momentarily stunned but didn't worry too much, knowing that Protect is difficult to use consecutively. With Pidgeot and Chansey in close quarters, he clearly had the advantage.
After all, Chansey's physical defense was legendary for being poor.
Using a move like that only hurts yourself! the opponent thought.
Kashiwagi, however, did not share that sentiment. "Use Telekinesis to grab its chest feathers!"
"What!?"
The opponent panicked. "Pidgeot, don't let it!"
"Pidge!"
Pidgeot shrieked in response and struggled violently to fly backward, but Chansey simply closed its eyes and lunged forward, sticking itself right onto the bird's chest and belly.
A pale pink glow enveloped them both, forcing them to "fly wing to wing."
No matter how hard Pidgeot struggled, it couldn't break free.
"Peck its head! Use Wing Attack to knock it off! Hurry!"
The opponent didn't know what Chansey was planning, but a wave of impending doom washed over him.
Pidgeot lowered its head and began a frantic series of pecks at Chansey's smooth scalp. Unfortunately, it didn't actually know the move Peck, so these were just physical strikes devoid of elemental energy.
The Wing Attacks produced flashes of white light, but they were equally ineffective.
Telekinesis acted like superglue, ensuring the two Pokémon remained inseparable.
"Dive! Use a nosedive to shake it off!"
The opponent was grasping at straws.
Kashiwagi, meanwhile, calmly called out: "Minimize! Crawl behind its head!"
Chansey, enduring the wing slaps and pecks, gave its body a shake. It instantly shrank significantly and, just before Pidgeot slammed into the ground, perilously scrambled to the back of the bird's neck.
Boom!
Pidgeot went for the wool and came home shorn; it ended up smashing itself into the ground, grimacing in pain.
In this position, aided by the adhesive effect of Telekinesis, Pidgeot couldn't shake Chansey off and couldn't reach it to attack.
Furthermore, because Pidgeot was thrashing around so wildly, the opponent couldn't even manage to recall it into its Poké Ball.
"How can this be happening!? Since when is this a thing!?"
The opponent was dumbfounded. While he had a decent knowledge base comparable to Johto Ash, he was easily overwhelmed when faced with a "first-encounter kill" strategy like this.
"Sing."
Kashiwagi coldly pronounced Pidgeot's death sentence.
Pink soundwaves pulsed above Pidgeot's head accompanied by a soothing melody. The bird's eyelids grew heavy, and it involuntarily sank to the ground, drifting into a deep slumber.
"Stealth Rock."
Chansey's setup continued.
The opponent looked at Kashiwagi, whose tactics were operating with seamless, terrifying efficiency. He grit his teeth, wanting to put up one last fight.
But as the earthy-brown glow from Chansey's hands spread across the field, countless rocks materialized in the air before turning invisible.
The moment the opponent swapped in his Hippowdon, it was immediately greeted by the agonizing sting of Stealth Rock—
And fainted on the spot.
Pidgeot was sent back out.
As a Flying-type, it suffered even more damage from the rocks, and it was still fast asleep.
Mawile, switched back in by Kashiwagi, ruthlessly finished it off.
"You... this... Chansey... I... Argh!!!" The opponent's face twisted in frustration. He felt he had lost in the most humiliating way possible he felt very disgusted.