This Water Field consisted of a central landmass surrounded by a pool of water.
The central land was large enough for a Pokémon like Rhyhorn to run around, which was why Jon Dickson dared to send it out confidently.
Facing the Ground/Rock-type Rhyhorn, Natsui countered with Crystal Steelix.
Thump.
Crystal Steelix's reappearance and heavy landing once again drew cheers from the crowd. Seeing its massive opponent, Rhyhorn showed no fear, instead pawing the ground, looking eager to battle.
Its confidence was indeed justified.
Resembling a mix between a Ceratopsian and a rhinoceros, its armored body looked incredibly tough. Once it started running, the destructive force it generated would undoubtedly be terrifying!
Seeing Natsui send out Crystal Steelix, Jon Dickson, in his trainer area, couldn't help but smile slightly.
Everything is going according to plan!
He had started studying Natsui's lineup long ago. After watching the matches, he had to admit that every single one of Natsui's Pokémon was incredibly strong.
However, having never battled him directly, while he felt they would be tough, he believed he could handle them.
He had especially noticed that, compared to the Indigo Conference, Natsui in the Silver Conference seemed less inclined to rely on type advantages, preferring head-on confrontations!
This gave Jon Dickson more room to maneuver.
And this time, choosing Rhyhorn first was part of his plan. Seeing Natsui send out the extremely rare Crystal Steelix to meet him head-on confirmed his prediction!
Hmph, don't be fooled by its size. In a contest of strength, his specially trained Rhyhorn has never feared anyone!
The referee looked left and right. Seeing both sides were ready, he decisively waved his flag.
"The final battle of this Silver Conference, first round, begin!"
The moment he finished speaking, under Jon Dickson's command, Rhyhorn began to charge.
Living up to its "armored vehicle" reputation, its run caused noticeable tremors on the ground, clearly different from other Pokémon.
Although slow, the unstoppable momentum it carried meant even Natsui couldn't afford to underestimate it!
However, Natsui had no intention of evading.
In a clash of strength, his Crystal Steelix feared no Pokémon!
"Block it!"
Hearing his command, Crystal Steelix lowered its center of gravity. Rhyhorn had built up significant inertia from its run, so Steelix had to coil its body, increasing its friction with the ground to withstand the impact.
Under the tense gaze of the audience, the two Pokémon finally collided.
BANG!
The immense force pushed Crystal Steelix's upper body back slightly. Fortunately, its tail anchored it firmly to the ground. No matter how hard Rhyhorn pushed, Steelix held its ground.
Rhyhorn, meanwhile, felt like it had crashed into a small mountain. Its body shuddered violently, unable to advance another step!
In the first exchange, neither gained an advantage. But compared to Natsui's calm demeanor, Jon Dickson raised an eyebrow slightly.
It couldn't even push it? Seems I underestimated the strength of this Crystal Steelix after all!
Although regrettable, the impact wasn't major, still within acceptable limits.
"Rhyhorn, use Stomp!"
Rhyhorn lifted its two front hooves high, about to use the Ground-type physical move, but Natsui naturally wouldn't give it the chance.
Ground-type moves were super effective against Crystal Steelix. If it landed, even Steelix couldn't take many hits.
"Don't let it! Use Iron Tail!"
Crystal Steelix whipped its tail violently. With a whooshing sound, its massive tail swept out and 'WHACK!' struck Rhyhorn's side.
Rhyhorn stumbled unsteadily, nearly falling over. Fortunately, its low center of gravity allowed it to regain balance just in time.
Its hide was indeed thick. Although Steelix's blow landed, it clearly hadn't caused significant damage.
However, this completely alerted Jon Dickson. Surprised, he had to be cautious, fearing Natsui would successfully attack again!
He had Rhyhorn actively create distance. This time, Jon Dickson chose to attack from afar.
He commanded Rhyhorn to use Earthquake. Instantly, the entire field shook violently. Even the surrounding pool water rippled outwards!
Good chance!
Seeing Crystal Steelix destabilized by the Earthquake, swaying with the ground, Jon Dickson knew his opportunity had come!
"Push it off!"
With his shout, Rhyhorn charged again. This time, unable to prepare in advance, Crystal Steelix was pushed directly towards the edge of the landmass. With another surge of force from Rhyhorn, it crashed heavily into the water!
SPLASH!
A huge wave erupted. In an instant, the pool water submerged Crystal Steelix, hiding it from view.
Success!
Jon Dickson cheered inwardly but kept his expression neutral. However, the irrepressible curve of his lips betrayed his true feelings.
Most Ground-, Rock-, and Steel-type Pokémon were land dwellers unable to swim; anyone with common sense knew that. Once they fell into water, they generally couldn't get back up.
"This is terrible!" Seeing this, the announcer exclaimed in surprise. "Crystal Steelix fell into the surrounding pool! Could Natsui's first battle end in defeat!?"
Even the audience gasped. After all, Natsui was the most beloved competitor of this conference, the overwhelming favorite for the championship. His popularity was immense. But under such high expectations, could Natsui actually stumble in the very first round!?
The referee glanced at the water surface. Bubbles were still rising, but the ripples were starting to calm down.
Just as he was about to declare the result, his gaze sharpened. He vaguely saw something massive moving underwater.
The audience, watching the big screen, naturally saw the shadow too. They gradually quieted down, staring incredulously.
Sensing the change in atmosphere, Jon Dickson frowned and stared intently at the water surface. Sure enough, a huge shadow was moving there!
No... no... it can't be?
Amidst everyone's astonishment, in the next second, the water suddenly exploded upwards! Crystal Steelix's massive head burst out, followed by its coiled body, actually climbing back onto the land!
Jon Dickson was completely numb.
What's going on!?
This thing can swim in water? And climb back ashore!?
Not just him, this sudden turn of events stunned most of the audience, jaws agape. Even the Kimono Sisters and Professor Elm in the waiting room were shocked.
Only those who knew the situation, like Ash, showed no surprise.
"Incredible..." Professor Elm pushed up his glasses, murmuring, "This Steelix can swim... truly unexpected..."
On the field, after climbing out of the water, Crystal Steelix gave Jon Dickson no time to react. It rapidly advanced, coiled its body around Rhyhorn's body, and lifted it up!
"Oh no! Break free quickly!"
Seeing Rhyhorn bound, Jon Dickson snapped out of his surprise. He wanted it to break free, but unable to run, Rhyhorn was like helpless prey, completely unable to resist!
Creak... creak...
As Crystal Steelix squeezed tighter, Rhyhorn's armor-like hide, its primary defense, was continuously compressed. While its hide could withstand high-damage attacks like fire, it was powerless against this crushing force.
Rhyhorn's struggles grew weaker. As Crystal Steelix tightened its grip further, Rhyhorn's eyes finally rolled back, and it went limp.
The referee raised the red flag. "Rhyhorn is unable to battle! The winner is Crystal Steelix!"
From full confidence to disbelief, it took Jon Dickson just one battle.
Only when the referee prompted him to send out his next Pokémon did he realize he had lost.
It wasn't that he couldn't accept defeat; he had experienced the painful situation of losing two consecutive rounds against Yamashita before. But this loss felt different.
Unless you've actually battled Natsui, you can't understand how strong he truly is.
He had seen this comment online before. The person who posted it seemed to be a trainer from the Whirl Islands. From subsequent information, he learned this trainer had been utterly crushed by Natsui in the recent Whirl Cup, seemingly losing all motivation as a trainer!
He had scoffed at the comment back then, thinking the trainer was just weak and making excuses.
But now, he seemed to truly understand its meaning.
From the battle videos, he hadn't seen anything particularly amazing about Natsui. But facing him directly, he felt a suffocating pressure.
It felt like there were chances to win, yet victory was impossible!
How could this be?
Recalling Rhyhorn, Jon Dickson took out his second Poké Ball with a heavy heart.
"Go, Golduck!"
Throwing the Poké Ball onto the field, although the action was the same, his tone clearly lacked its earlier confidence.
The announcer shouted, "It seems after the first loss, competitor Jon Dickson has chosen to rely on the field advantage and sent out a Water-type Pokémon! This is quite different from his previous style!"
One could imagine that Jon Dickson reaching the finals wasn't due to luck; he truly possessed the skill.
And such individuals often had their pride, not resorting to calculating field advantages or type matchups like average trainers.
But now, on a Water Field, he proactively sent out a Water-type Pokémon, indicating things had become serious!
Golduck, while a pure Water-type, could also use some Psychic-type attacks, just like Psyduck. But compared to the dopey Psyduck, Golduck looked cool, not only aesthetically superior but also quite intelligent.
It was one of Natsui's favorite Pokémon too. Unfortunately, he had never encountered a wild one, so he couldn't catch it.
His fingers brushed over Jolteon's and Dragonite's Poké Balls. After a moment's thought, Natsui finally took out Blastoise's Poké Ball.
Several days ago, Natsui had already contacted Koharu, asking her to transfer all his Pokémon from the Sakuragi Institute, except for the Red Gyarados. Even after his matches ended each day, he hadn't sent them back but kept them with him, precisely to handle various situations.
"Go, Blastoise!"
With a flash of blue light, the large and small Pokémon faced off on the battlefield.
Seeing the two Water-types, the announcer chuckled. "Oh? Competitor Natsui has also chosen to send out a Water-type! With identical types, this battle will come down to who has more experience, stronger moves, and can better utilize the field advantage!"
When the battle began, both Pokémon immediately attacked from a distance.
However, unlike Blastoise firing Hydro Pump, Golduck surprisingly didn't choose a Water-type move, instead using Confusion!
Such a little trick made Natsui laugh.
We agreed on a Water-type battle. I shoot water, and you give me this?
The Hydro Pump stream accurately hit Golduck, but being the same type, Golduck could withstand it. Conversely, hit by Confusion, Blastoise's body suddenly felt light and was lifted high into the air!
The red jewel on Golduck's forehead flashed intensely. As it pressed its hands downwards, the Blastoise bound by Confusion instantly plummeted towards the ground.
This was a standard Confusion combo.
First, deal damage with Confusion, then lift the target into the air, and finally slam it onto the ground for secondary damage.
If it were an ordinary Pokémon facing this, it could only resign itself. But Blastoise, with its shell, clearly had its unique way of dealing with it.
Without needing Natsui's command, drawing from countless similar experiences, Blastoise already knew what to do.
Just before hitting the ground, it withdrew into its shell, using the thick armor to negate the attack.
BOOM!
The ground was cratered, but the next second, Blastoise popped its head out again. It shook its head; although slightly dizzy, it hadn't taken any real damage.
Nevertheless, to prevent Jon Dickson from trying this again, Natsui shouted loudly, "Blastoise, jump into the water!"
Once in the water, with the current providing resistance and light refracting, it would be much harder for Golduck to catch Blastoise with Confusion again.
On the other side, seeing his surprise attack didn't achieve the expected result, Jon Dickson sighed but wasn't too discouraged. He also commanded Golduck to jump into the water.
Since both are Water-types, let's settle this in the water!
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