Early the next morning, Ace opened his eyes.
He looked down to see Ralts sleeping soundly on his chest, a little drool escaping its mouth.
"This little guy," Ace chuckled, gently lifting Ralts and placing it to the side.
After getting up and quickly washing up, Ralts woke up as well.
"Good morning, Master," Ralts greeted Ace, who then picked it up and headed to the dining hall.
After finishing breakfast and feeding his Pokémon, Ace hurried to the drawing lot area.
This was the final drawing, and once the number was determined, it would not change.
Following the crowd, Ace quickly drew a folded slip of paper. He opened it to reveal a big "1."
"Number 1, that's great. The first match can start right away."
Ace looked at the tournament bracket and found the name of the number 2 participant.
Pete, a native of Sinnoh, specializing in Water-type Pokémon.
After a quick glance, Ace decided on the order of his Pokémon.
Taking Ralts with him, Ace arrived at a more official-looking stadium. This was the main venue for the matches and felt more formal compared to the previous, smaller arenas.
The schedule for the top 16 matches was quickly set. Ace and Pete took their positions at opposite ends of the battlefield.
As the referee took his place, the spectators surrounding the field moved back.
"Begin the match!"
With the referee's command, Ace and Pete both threw out their Poké Balls.
A flash of light, and Gible darted out, a Dragon Claw aimed at the opposing Octillery.
"Octazooka!"
Seeing Gible's "unscrupulous" preemptive attack, Pete quickly reacted. Octillery rapidly shot out ink-filled water projectiles towards Gible.
Gible swung its Dragon Claw, shattering the Octazooka. Its forward momentum was halted, and Octillery took the opportunity to dodge, preventing Gible's initial attack from landing.
"Ice Beam!"
The moment the Octazooka dissipated, Octillery fired an Ice Beam at Gible.
Gible didn't have time to dodge, so it quickly raised a hard fin to block the attack. However, a thin layer of ice formed on its fin.
"Dragon Pulse."
The instant the Ice Beam ended, Gible immediately opened its mouth and shot a Dragon Pulse towards Octillery.
"Again! Ice Beam!"
Seeing how Gible reacted, Pete fearlessly commanded Octillery to go head-to-head with it.
The Dragon Pulse and Ice Beam collided. Instead of exploding, the two attacks canceled each other out.
But even so, the Dragon Pulse was clearly more powerful than the Ice Beam, pushing the latter back towards Octillery.
"Protect!"
Seeing that the Ice Beam was about to be overwhelmed, Octillery instantly stopped its attack and used Protect. A light barrier appeared in front of Octillery, shielding it from the Dragon Pulse.
Upon seeing this, Ace's lips curled into a slight smile. Once his opponent resorted to defense, Ace would have full control of the battle's rhythm!
The light barrier and Dragon Pulse vanished, and the battlefield was now without Gible.
"It's Dig! Octillery, be careful..."
Before he could finish, Gible burst from the ground, sending Octillery flying. Gible followed up with a Dragon Claw, severing two of the octopus's tentacles and causing the defeated Octillery to flop weakly in front of Pete.
"Octillery is unable to battle! Gible wins! Pete, please send out your next Pokémon."
As the referee announced the result, Pete reluctantly recalled Octillery. No one cared about the two severed tentacles, since an octopus's tentacles can easily regenerate.
"Go, Walrein!"
Pete sent out his ace Pokémon, a massive and very plump Walrein. It landed on the field, making the ground tremble.
"Come back, Gible."
Seeing the tough and bulky Walrein, Ace decisively recalled Gible. He then threw out a Poké Ball, and Victreebel appeared on the field.
"Gasp... a Victreebel!"
Watching from the sidelines, Cynthia realized that Ace had put away his intention to test his new Pokémon. The Pokémon he was about to send out were his main powerhouses!
And what was even more intimidating was that Ace's previous few Pokémon were so familiar that people were used to countering them. Now, with a new main Pokémon, Ace would be the one countering his opponent's Pokémon. The next fight...
"I hope it doesn't end too quickly, or it will be very disheartening."
Cynthia sincerely lamented. But in the next moment, she regretted saying that.
"Blizzard!"
Pete roared, and Walrein took a deep breath. But before it could unleash the Blizzard, Victreebel's vines shot out like iron whips, lashing Walrein and sending it flying!
"Razor Leaf!"
Walrein rolled twice on the ground and hadn't even gotten up when countless sharp leaves came, all showering down on its body.
If it weren't for Walrein's Thick Fat ability and its extreme bulk, these consecutive attacks would have likely taken it down directly!
"Ice Ball!"
Seeing Victreebel's rapid attack speed, Pete panicked and immediately ordered Walrein to defend.
A freezing aura instantly encased Walrein in an ice ball, which then started rolling towards Ace's Victreebel, crushing everything in its path.
But...
"Power Whip."
With Ace's calm command, Victreebel whipped the ice ball. The forward-moving ice ball instantly started spinning rapidly like a top.
Two more lashes, and the ice ball spun even faster. Victreebel then withdrew its vines, and sunlight began to gather on the leaves at its tip.
"Oh no!"
Just as Pete's words escaped his mouth, a Solar Beam shot straight at the ice ball!
Amidst the sound of cracking ice, the Walrein, weighing several hundred pounds, was blasted away and crashed heavily to the ground, unable to battle.
"I knew it..."
Cynthia couldn't help but cover her eyes, unable to bear the sight.
Victreebel's attack speed was incredibly fast. When a slower Pokémon used one move, Victreebel would have already launched two or three attacks. There was no comparison.
So, was Victreebel invincible?
Of course not!
Its extremely slow movement speed was its biggest weakness.
Walrein was the perfect example. If a Pokémon couldn't quickly get close and defeat Victreebel, the plant-like Pokémon would make everyone realize what it meant to be an immobile cannon turret!