Three figures stepped forward Reggie, representing the Cerulean Gym; Hayato, representing the Saffron Gym; and Kaji, representing the Cinnabar Gym.
These were the strongest competitors, chosen to represent their respective gyms rather than being mere successors.
It was hard not to suspect that the drawing process had been tampered with.
The other three likely had the same thought, as their expressions seemed somewhat odd.
After all, these four had been perfectly arranged to avoid facing each other in the semifinals.
Silas and Hayato had each been matched against successors from other gyms who only had a single Pokémon at the advance level.
Meanwhile, Reggie and Kaji were luckier, as they faced opponents whose Pokémon were only at the Standard level.
Still, it wasn't something they could complain about.
For them, avoiding a fight against each other before the semifinals was already a relief. At least they didn't have to worry about an early elimination.
If they lost too soon, their respective gyms might reconsider their ranking within the system.
Besides, looking around at the audience, Silas realized that this exchange event was, in a way, a demonstration of Kanto's gym leaders' future potential.
If the top four contenders turned out to be weak, it would be embarrassing for everyone. Even if just one of them was unimpressive, it would look bad.
As the four competitors stepped onto the stage, the crowd's cheers grew even louder.
After witnessing the quarterfinals, the audience knew that these four were among the strongest of their generation, raising their expectations for the battles to come.
Most of the cheering voices came from the female spectators.
They could be heard saying things like:
"That guy in the black sleeveless shirt is so handsome!"
"Yeah, the other three are just average in comparison!"
There was even a deep, gruff voice from the crowd:
"Hey, Black Sleeveless Boy, wanna train with me?"
Reggie, Hayato, and Kaji had sharp ears and could clearly hear the audience's shouts.
When they heard the female voices, they couldn't help but look at Silas who was wearing a black sleeveless shirt with expressions filled with envy, jealousy, and resentment.
But after hearing the muscular man's voice, their gazes changed to ones of silent pity.
Silas, however, chose to ignore everything.
His only hope at this moment was that Reggie wouldn't do something to make him die of embarrassment in front of everyone.
After all, he had already spotted Uncle Chisato and the others watching him from the stands.
Fortunately, Reggie seemed aware of the situation and didn't do anything outrageous.
After drawing lots and stepping off the stage, Silas finally let out a sigh of relief.
"The next match will be between Silas Alaric from Pewter Gym and Kaji from Cinnabar Gym!"
Yes, Silas had drawn Kaji for his first battle, meaning Reggie would be facing Hayato.
Stepping onto the trainer's platform, both competitors tossed out their Poké Balls as the referee signaled the start of the match.
"Go, Combusken!"
"Go, Poliwhirl!"
Both trainers had chosen to send out their stronger Pokémon right from the start, rather than holding back with weaker ones.
"Flamethrower!"
"Water Gun!"
The commands were given in perfect sync, straightforward and direct.
Despite being called "Water Gun," the attack from Poliwhirl an Advance-level Pokémon was closer in size and power to a full-blown Hydro Pump.
The streams of fire and water clashed at the center of the battlefield.
Steam immediately rose into the air, clouding the arena.
"Dodge!" Kaji ordered, his expression turning more serious.
He hadn't expected this.
Even though Poliwhirl had the type advantage and was at a similar level, its Water Gun was actually being pushed back by Combusken's Flamethrower.
Through the mist, the fiery stream could still be seen forcing its way toward Poliwhirl.
Hearing his trainer's command, Poliwhirl cut off its Water Gun and swiftly retreated from its original position.
A split second later, Combusken's Flamethrower landed where Poliwhirl had just been standing.
This is tricky, Kaji thought.
He realized that this Combusken was far stronger than expected.
Based on previous battle records, it was known for its Fighting-type abilities, but he hadn't expected its Fire-type moves to be just as powerful.
Both the proficiency and the energy intensity of Flamethrower were superior to his Poliwhirl's Water Gun.
"Agility! Then use Flamethrower again!"
While Kaji was caught up in his thoughts, Silas wasted no time pressing his advantage.
Seeing Poliwhirl dodge, he immediately gave his next command.
Combusken used Agility, increasing its speed dramatically. Enhanced further by its Speed Boost ability, it moved like a blur across the battlefield.
From different angles, it continuously fired bursts of flames toward Poliwhirl.
Without direct orders from its trainer, Poliwhirl could only evade as best as it could.
While dodging, it occasionally fired Water Guns to weaken some of the incoming flames.
Even so, Poliwhirl still got hit several times. Though Fire-type moves weren't highly effective against it, the damage was still uncomfortable.
"Overheat!"
Seeing that Combusken was getting closer, Silas issued another command.
"Tank it! Use Rain Dance!"
Kaji's face darkened. He knew he had made a mistake by letting Combusken get this close.
At this distance, Poliwhirl had no chance of dodging Overheat.
Using Water Pulse to counter it would take too long.
So he made a tough decision to endure the damage and set up Rain Dance.
After all, Poliwhirl was a Water-type Pokémon. Even if it took some damage, it wouldn't be too serious.
But once Rain Dance was activated, all three of Silas' Pokémon would be at a disadvantage for a while.
"Quick Attack! Follow up with Thunder Punch!"
Silas was slightly surprised by Kaji's strategy.
From his perspective, the best counterplay would have been to back away while charging up a Water Pulse, which might have blocked Overheat.
Still, Kaji's approach wasn't wrong it was just different.
And Silas already had a plan to deal with it.
Combusken's body flashed white as it used Quick Attack.
With its already extreme speed boosted further, it instantly closed the gap between itself and Poliwhirl, following closely behind the Overheat attack.
Its claws crackled with electricity as it prepared to strike.
Kaji panicked.
He knew that Silas would try to get close since Combusken had the advantage in melee combat.
After all, Poliwhirl only had Ice Punch, while Combusken had Thunder Punch.
But he hadn't expected Combusken to be this fast faster than he could have imagined.
"Damn it… a Speed Boost Pokémon with a Champion-level potential?"
Kaji quickly realized the truth.
The official battle records hadn't mentioned this. Even in Combusken's previous fights, it hadn't been obvious.
But as an experienced trainer personally chosen by Blaine, the Cinnabar Gym Leader he wasn't clueless.
If he couldn't figure something this simple out, all his training would have been a waste.
However, it was too late now.
Just as Poliwhirl completed Rain Dance, Combusken struck.
Still in a brief moment of stiffness from using the move, Poliwhirl had no chance to dodge.
Crackling with electricity, Combusken's Thunder Punch landed squarely on its body.
Poliwhirl let out a series of pained cries.
...
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