Bang!
The horn slammed ruthlessly into Nidoking's chest, sending the Drill Pokémon flying backward. Heracross followed up immediately, its energy concentrating in its hands. It swung its arms with explosive force, striking Nidoking repeatedly—once, twice... the blows came so fast they were mere blurs.
Heracross continued the assault until its strength was completely spent. Only then did it stop, letting Nidoking fly through the air until its body plowed a shallow trench into the dirt.
Nidoking collapsed on the ground, struggling to rise, but its limbs failed to support it. Nearby, Heracross stood gasping for air. It had poured almost every ounce of its energy into that Close Combat. If another Pokémon were to attack it now, it would definitely be unable to hold out.
Below the stage, everyone from Silver Academy thought Heracross had the victory secured. Eichi, however, did not share that sentiment. He would not relax until the referee made the official announcement.
Seeing Nidoking's state, Asen frowned and spoke:
"Nidoking, Earth Power!"
Hearing Asen's voice, a bad premonition gripped Eichi. He shouted, "Heracross, dodge it quickly!"
Nidoking, still lying on the ground, pressed its palms into the earth. A surge of khaki-colored energy poured into the soil. Following the direction of its fingers, a crack the size of a fist split the ground at high speed, racing toward Heracross. Heracross heard Eichi's warning and tried to buzz its wings to take flight, but the ground beneath its feet erupted instantly.
Bang!
The ground burst open, and a titanic force slammed into Heracross.
"Yakkuru!"
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Heracross let out a cry of pain as it was blasted into the air before crashing hard onto the ground.
"Yakkuru..."
Heracross tried to crawl up, but as soon as it propped itself up, its strength failed, and it slumped back down. Seeing Heracross fall, Nidoking stopped pushing itself. It relaxed its body, closed its eyes, and fell unconscious. Not far away, Heracross lay motionless on the ground.
Eichi's expression shifted slightly as he looked at Asen. This opponent was truly formidable; just when Eichi thought he had won, Asen had forced a double knockout. Any other Pokémon would have lost consciousness long ago, yet Nidoking had endured the pain just to release one final attack. Its willpower was incredible.
In the stands, Tetsu turned to Sato with surprise. "This guy Asen is seriously strong. It's been a long time since anyone has managed to take down one of Eichi's Pokémon like that."
"This is the first time I've seen Heracross get defeated under these circumstances," Tetsu continued. "Watching their battle, my heart was in my throat. I didn't dare move an inch. Too strong!"
Sato didn't seem to be listening. He stared at Eichi and Asen on the field with a deep frown. He only uttered one sentence: "He is truly strong."
Behind them, Kelly and the others had mixed expressions. They no longer felt that Eichi was a guaranteed winner.
Meanwhile, in the Indigo Academy rest area, Shino, Mizuki, and the rest of the freshmen watched Eichi with solemn faces. They knew Asen's strength all too well—especially Mizuki. During the Freshmen Tournament, all of its Pokémon had been swept by Asen's Nidoking. Even though the Nidoking's level hadn't been higher than its own Pokémon back then, it had been a total sweep without excuse.
They knew how powerful that Nidoking was, yet now, that very Pokémon had been taken down in a mutual defeat by one of the opponent's Pokémon.
On the rostrum, Director Yanagi was somewhat surprised by the result. However, remembering that Heracross was Eichi's weakest Pokémon and that he still had the stronger Scizor and Beedrill, he felt relieved. He had great confidence in Eichi's strength and believed he would definitely win.
Director Kimura was also slightly surprised, but he remained confident in Asen. After all, Asen was the one who had swept the second-place student using only Nidoking.
Akemi was impressed. These two little guys are quite capable. She knew of Asen; his reputation as a super genius among the freshmen was well-known even at the academy level. The battle had actually made her blood boil a little. Both Pokémon were strong enough to be considered top-tier even in the second grade. She looked forward to the rest of the match.
"Both Heracross and Nidoking are unable to battle. Please release your second Pokémon!"
Eichi recalled Heracross and said to Asen, "You are very strong."
Asen recalled Nidoking expressionlessly and replied, "Thank you for the compliment."
The two said no more. In the quiet Battle Hall, they simultaneously threw their Poké Balls. Two streaks of white light converged into two figures on the field.
Asen released a bipedal, pink Pokémon with a frilled, umbrella-like structure around its neck. On its head was a shell resembling a conch, adorned with a red gem. Eichi recognized it immediately: it was a Slowking.
Slowking, the Royal Pokémon.
Types: Water / Psychic
Abilities: Oblivious / Own Tempo (Standard), Regenerator (Hidden)
Talent Grade: Excellent
Trainer Rank: Experienced Peak
Description: A Pokémon of incredible intelligence and intuition. It is said that the toxins from the Shellder biting its head grant it the wisdom of a world-class scientist. It remains calm under any circumstances.
Eichi used his Eye of the Bug Emperor. This Slowking shared the same talent grade and level as the previous Nidoking. Eichi's eyes, flashing with cyan light, locked onto Asen. According to the data from Director Yanagi, Asen came from an ordinary family, just like him. However, it was strange that Asen's Pokémon had such exceptional talent; he already had two Pokémon with the Excellent grade. Eichi had reason to believe Asen's final Pokémon would be at the Elite rank and also possess an Excellent talent grade.
Asen felt Eichi's gaze. He did not look away, instead staring directly into Eichi's eyes. When he saw Eichi release Scizor, he knew the data was correct: Eichi was extremely confident in his own strength. Eichi's habit of using Pokémon from weakest to strongest was very similar to his own.
Once the referee saw both were ready, he announced, "Battle begin!"
"Scizor, Bullet Punch!"
Scizor, which had been standing still a second ago, vanished, reappearing as a red blur rushing toward Slowking like a bolt of lightning. Seeing the attack, the corner of Asen's mouth curled up as he issued his command.
Eichi saw that smile and felt another bad premonition.
"Slowking, use Curse."