Another day had passed.
What would be held today was the winners' bracket semifinal.
Under everyone's expectant gaze, the pairing roulette began to spin on the screen.
Adrian Vane, Damian Frost, Diana Caldwell, and Ethan Black.
Those were the four semifinalists of the winners' bracket.
When the roulette slowly stopped, the final matchups were determined.
The duel everyone had been most looking forward to, Adrian vs. Ethan, did not happen.
Today's battles would be: Adrian vs. Diana, and Ethan vs. Damian.
"Damian, the water guy?"
"As far as I remember, this Damian specializes in Water-type and Ice-type Pokémon. However, his team isn't a rain team, but rather a pure mix of Water- and Ice-type Pokémon."
At that moment, Ethan reviewed Damian's information while thinking about which Pokémon to send this time.
The truth was that he had already secured a spot in the World Championship, so his mentality was much more relaxed.
The current battles were basically a dispute for resources and reputation, something Ethan did not care too much about.
While he was reflecting, the battle on the field began.
First was the match between Adrian and Diana.
Diana was the only female trainer who had obtained a spot for the World Championship this time.
Her specialty was the Grass type, and thanks to a Venusaur that had mastered the move Grassy Terrain, she managed to cause Adrian quite a bit of trouble.
But only trouble.
In terms of overall strength, the gap between the teams was still considerable. Finally, when Adrian sent out his trump card, Alakazam, it achieved a three-against-one and finished the battle in a single strike.
"He really is very strong..."
After observing Adrian's battle, Ethan felt a slight pressure.
Moreover, according to his analysis, it was very likely that that Alakazam had the ability Magic Guard.
If that were the case, the damage from the sandstorm would be nullified, greatly weakening the effectiveness of his weather-based team.
"Whew... better focus on the current battle first. Damian's strength isn't low either, and Water-type Pokémon have a huge advantage against Fire-, Rock-, and Ground-types."
Pulling his gaze away from Adrian's Pokémon, Ethan focused on Damian and slowly walked toward the battlefield.
On the other side, Damian was also watching him. The moment both of them stepped onto the field, the battle officially began.
"OHHH, it's starting!"
The audience burst into cheers.
"Then I'll attack first."
"Go, Swampert!"
Right at the start, Damian released his Pokémon.
"Swampert? It seems he wants to prevent my sandstorm strategy."
"In that case... go, Charizard!"
Ethan smiled slightly and threw his Poké Ball. Charizard's figure appeared in the air.
"Charizard?"
Damian's gaze sharpened, and he quickly ordered: "Hydro Pump!"
"Charizard, dodge and use Sunny Day!"
In the air, Charizard flapped its wings and avoided the jet of water. Then it launched a sphere of fire into the sky, which expanded and enveloped the area under the effect of the move Sunny Day.
At that very moment, Swampert fired another powerful stream of water that struck Charizard directly.
Boom!
Water splashed everywhere.
"Direct hit!"
The audience exclaimed in surprise.
A Fire-type Charizard taking Hydro Pump head-on... that was massive damage!
"No, the damage isn't that great. Under the effect of sunny weather, the power of Water-type moves is weakened."
Commented one of the spectators, covering his eyes from the scorching sun.
At that moment, a crackling sound echoed in the air.
Charizard reappeared completely unharmed.
"Flamethrower!" Ethan ordered.
A torrent of blazing fire shot out from Charizard's mouth.
Boom!
In the air, the fire collided with the water. And soon after, the flames descended forcefully, devouring the water attack.
With the support of sunny weather and its own ability Solar Power, Charizard's Flamethrower was absolutely dominant.
"Even though we've already seen it several times... the firepower of this Charizard is truly terrifying. Except for Adrian's Quasi-Elite level Alakazam, probably no Pokémon can surpass it in direct power."
While Charizard maintained pressure with Flamethrower, the audience sighed in admiration.
But just when it seemed that it would continue crushing Swampert with overwhelming power, Ethan withdrew Charizard and sent out Cacturne.
"Cacturne again. With the ability Water Absorb, this Grass-type Pokémon has a huge advantage against Water-types. And against a Swampert, with that quadruple weakness... it's a complete countermeasure."
"Moreover, this Cacturne has mastered the gigantification ability. Swampert's physical advantage is useless against it."
The spectators shook their heads; they had seen something similar before.
"Return, Swampert."
Damian recalled it into its Poké Ball.
Then he released his next Pokémon: Walrein.
Walrein had a thick bluish layer of fat beneath its skin, two long tusks, and an abundant white mane around its neck.
Crack, crack, crack.
As soon as it appeared, a layer of frost covered the ground, and the air filled with cold.
"What powerful icy energy..."
"Could it have the Ice Body ability?"
Ethan narrowed his eyes.
"Rototiller!"
Cacturne, which had already used the move Ingrain upon entering, shook its roots and began to till the soil.
"Walrein, Ice Beam, freeze the ground!"
A beam of icy energy shot forward, rapidly spreading ice across the field.
Upon colliding with the roots, they began to freeze.
In the blink of an eye, half the field was completely frozen.
"What a powerful Ice Beam!"
Ethan was surprised to see the field divided between ice and churned soil.
But that was exactly what he had expected.
"Root Domain!"
Cacturne raised its arms and a green light spread across the entire field.
As if spring had suddenly returned, countless roots sprouted from the ground and filled the terrain, completely intertwining.
"Walrein, Blizzard!"
A snowstorm swept across the field, freezing everything.
The roots turned into ice sculptures, creating a beautiful and frigid landscape.
"Is it over?"
The spectators watched in amazement.
"Wait, in the air... it's Charizard!"
At some point, Ethan had switched Cacturne for Charizard again.
"Use your temperature control to melt the ice!"
Charizard's body shifted from orange to an intense red, like a burning ruby.
The temperature of the field skyrocketed.
The sun seemed to intensify under its influence.
Like snow melting in spring, the roots began to free themselves from the ice and regain their green vitality.
"What a high temperature... is that the special ability of Champion Leo's Charizard?"
Damian's face darkened.
"Walrein, Water Pulse!"
A sphere of aquatic energy shot toward the sky.
"Charizard, Heat Wave!"
Charizard flapped its wings, mixing burning sparks into the gust.
Boom!
The Water Pulse exploded in the air and evaporated before reaching the ground.
The Heat Wave descended onto the battlefield.
Suddenly, a crackling sound echoed.
Like a spark igniting a forest fire, the roots that Cacturne had left all over the field burst into flames under the effect of Heat Wave.
In just seconds, the entire field turned into a sea of fire.
"That is..."
"It's burning!"
"Cacturne's roots are on fire!"
"You can use the roots like that?!"
The audience shouted in astonishment as Charizard used the roots left by Cacturne to turn the entire field into a blazing inferno.
"Walrein!"
Damian's eyes widened in shock.
At that moment, he also wanted to take out the Poké Ball and withdraw it...
But the sea of flames on the field was far too violent; he could not see Walrein's position at all, much less recall it to the Poké Ball.
(End of chapter)