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The next morning, as he stepped into the stadium, Kai immediately noticed the fatigue on Zane's face.
Their match had been scheduled as the first of the day.
Zane looked to be about the same age as Kai early twenties. He had short black hair, tanned skin, a green half-sleeve shirt, and khaki shorts. Calm. Collected. The kind of Trainer who never lost his cool.
Kai could respect that. The guy had a similar vibe.
Zane was a local born and raised on the Whirl Islands. Before the tournament even began, he had been the fan favorite to win it all… that is until Kai showed up.
Their battle would follow standard semifinal rules: each Trainer could use only two Pokémon.
When Zane sent out his Quagsire, Kai smiled.
He already knew this was coming.
Quagsire was a frequent presence in Zane's past matches a dependable tank with serious firepower.
It looked dopey, with a plump blue body and sleepy black eyes, but Quagsire was deceptively strong. Its Water/Ground typing gave it key resistances and a unique battle rhythm.
Most of the time, it barely moved, waiting for prey to stumble close.
But underestimate it, and you'll regret it.
Kai nodded to himself.
Time to show the crowd why the real favorite… had never changed.
The semifinal match kicked off the moment the referee gave the signal.
Kai and Zane both issued commands instantly but their strategies couldn't have been more different.
While Zane aimed to close the gap and engage in close quarters, Kai chose to keep his distance, ordering Blastoise to fire from range.
Quagsire wasn't built for speed. It couldn't dodge in time. Zane had no choice but to return fire.
Twin streams of water surged across the fieldbone narrow, one powerful. It was easy to tell which was which: Quagsire's [Water Gun] met Blastoise's [Hydro Pump] in midair.
The collision was over in seconds.
The smaller stream shattered on contact, bursting into a fine mist. The force of Blastoise's [Hydro Pump] continued forward and slammed into Quagsire, knocking it back.
Though Water is strong against Ground, Quagsire's own Water typing helped absorb some of the damage. Still, it wasn't ideal.
Zane gritted his teeth. He hadn't wanted to trade blows like that but now he had no choice.
"Get underwater!" he shouted.
Quagsire dove into the water, swimming swiftly beneath the surface toward Blastoise. Kai narrowed his eyes.
Seconds later, Quagsire launched itself out of the water right in front of Blastoise.
Both of its stubby arms came down in a double slam [Body Slam] disguised as a [Seismic Toss] opening.
But Blastoise didn't retreat. It rotated sideways, slamming its thick, armored shell straight into Quagsire's exposed belly [Tackle].
WHAM!
The two Pokémon collided.
Quagsire stumbled back, its move failing to land cleanly. Blastoise, with its smooth shell and lack of grab points, had cleanly deflected the assault.
Twice now, Kai had won the exchange.
Quagsire's overall stats were well-balanced, with no glaring weaknesses and no standout strengths. It was a jack-of-all-trades, perfect for long battles against unpredictable opponents.
But today it faced something worse: a more powerful version of itself.
Blastoise didn't just match Quagsire. It surpassed it in power, endurance, and experience.
The two Pokémon clashed again and again atop their stone platforms, trading blows with growing intensity. Each strike sprayed mist and shockwaves across the arena. Neither Trainer let up.
But it soon became clear Blastoise was winning the war of attrition.
Though Quagsire managed a few solid hits, Blastoise's defense and counterattacks were simply more effective.
In a final high-impact clash, both Pokémon used [Aqua Tail]. Their tails, wrapped in spiraling jets of water, collided with a resounding crack.
Water exploded into the air.
When the mist cleared, Quagsire had lost its footing.
Blastoise pressed the advantage, slamming forward and knocking Quagsire off its pillar and into the water.
Splash!
Quagsire floated belly-up. Unconscious.
The referee raised a flag.
"Quagsire is unable to battle! Blastoise wins!"
The crowd buzzed. A mix of surprise and inevitability.
Sure, Kai was the reigning Indigo League Champion, of course, he'd win. But Zane had been the tournament's second favorite. Most expected a closer match.
Back on the field, Kai let out a breath.
It looked easy. But Quagsire had nearly turned the tide mid-battle. Zane had clearly done his homework and pushed Blastoise more than anyone else so far.
Kai had won the round, but he wasn't letting his guard down.
As Zane recalled Quagsire and reached for his second Poké Ball, Kai turned his head slightly—just enough to catch sight of four familiar faces in the second row.
Erika, Misty, Ash, and Brock were waving excitedly at him. Pikachu and Togepi stood on their seats, fanning themselves with tiny hand fans like a mini cheer squad.
Kai smiled and gave them a quick wave before turning back to his opponent.
Zane took a deep breath, raised his Poké Ball to his lips, and whispered something.
A silent prayer?
He stepped forward—and threw.
A flash of light, and out came… Feraligatr.
The evolved form of Johto's Water-type starter, Totodile. And a fan favorite in the region.
Feraligatr stood tall on its hind legs, like a muscular blue crocodile. Its thick-scale armor gleamed under the sun. With its powerful jaw, bulky limbs, and intimidating presence, it was built for damage and intimidation.
Despite its slow movements, when Feraligatr lunged it was fast. One moment, it was still. The next, it was tearing through the battlefield with terrifying speed.
Kai tensed.
Feraligatr might share Blastoise's Water typing, but their approaches were vastly different.
Feraligatr was all offense. Blastoise, defense, and technique.
And battles were never won on stats alone.
This would come down to training, tactics… and pressure.
The referee signaled for round two.
Before Kai could issue a command, Feraligatr attacked.
Zane wasn't holding back.
"Go!"
Feraligatr launched itself into the water, tearing across it like a torpedo. It erupted from beneath, mouth wide open, and went on the offensive with a relentless fury.
Blastoise tried to counter, but Feraligatr took the hits without hesitation, trading blow for blow with reckless abandon.
The attack frequency was staggering.
Blastoise blocked with [Iron Defense], parried with [Protect], and even retreated into its shell to minimize the damage but it wasn't enough to stop everything.
Kai narrowed his eyes.
This wasn't how Feraligatr fought in Zane's earlier matches.
He'd changed his entire battle style. All-out offense. No holding back.
Kai understood the message: Zane was betting everything on this one match.
But even a reckless onslaught had limits.
Kai scanned the battlefield carefully.
No, he wasn't going to sit back and wait. That wasn't his style.
And then… he saw it.
The stone pillar beneath the two Pokémon cracks had begun to form.
Not deep but just enough. And from his angle, only he could see it.
Kai's eyes lit up.
"Blastoise—STOMP!"
Blastoise hesitated but only for a moment. Then it raised one heavy foot… and slammed it down.
CRACK!
The pillar split.
Both Pokémon lost their balance but Blastoise, prepared for the tactic, braced itself.
Feraligatr, caught off-guard, stumbled and crashed into the water.
Kai didn't wait.
"Now—Hydro Pump!"
Blastoise's cannons roared to life, launching jets of water down at Feraligatr as it struggled below.
Hit after hit, the crocodilian Pokémon thrashed, unable to retaliate or get its footing.
It dove beneath the surface to escape.
But it couldn't stay down forever.
Moments later, it resurfaced, panting, clearly exhausted. The cost of its earlier assault had finally caught up with it.
As it struggled to climb back up the pillar, Kai saw his opportunity.
"Charge!"
Blastoise bolted forward and slammed into Feraligatr with its full body weight.
WHAM!
Feraligatr was flung backward.
Another splash.
Another unconscious opponent floating in the water.
The referee raised his flag.
"Feraligatr is unable to battle! Blastoise wins! Kai advances to the finals!"
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