Tucker noticed that Natsui was unfriendly toward him, but he neither understood why nor cared enough to think about it.
Tucker was proud enough to make decisions without even consulting Natsui.
That kind of attitude left little room for him to consider how Natsui felt.
As far as Tucker was concerned, he had done nothing wrong.
Arguing with him would accomplish nothing, so Natsui had chosen a more direct response.
Natsui's refusal to play along made Tucker feel that the situation was slipping out of his control. Still smiling for the cameras, he looked at Natsui. "This must be your first time at the Battle Dome, right? Then let me explain the rules..."
Explaining the rules was only an excuse. With a packed audience and the match being broadcast, Tucker wanted another chance to charm the crowd and promote the Battle Dome.
Natsui raised a hand and cut him off halfway through the sentence.
"No need," Natsui said calmly. "I looked them up beforehand. Unless the rules were changed specifically for me, let's just get started."
The interruption was rude, especially in front of the cameras and the packed stands.
Tucker clearly did not appreciate being cut off.
His expression tightened for an instant, but with the cameras on him, he forced a laugh and stared at Natsui for a moment.
He's really arrogant.
Let's see how long you can keep acting like that once the battle starts.
The host noticed the awkward pause and quickly stepped in before the audience could dwell on it. "Natsui certainly came prepared for the Battle Dome challenge! Now, let's see what theme Tucker has chosen for today!"
As usual, Tucker revealed both of his Pokémon first and wrapped their pairing in one of his dramatic battle themes.
The showmanship might have impressed most challengers, but Natsui was already impatient.
Tucker threw two Poké Balls into the air. In two flashes of blue light, a Salamence and a Charizard appeared on the field.
"Fire and dragons ruling the sky! Today's theme: Double Dragon Roar!"
Tucker struck another dramatic pose, and his fans erupted the moment Salamence and Charizard appeared.
His regular supporters immediately recognized them as two of his strongest Pokémon.
Compared with the previous day's battle, both Charizard and Salamence looked especially well-conditioned.
Seeing Tucker bring out two of his best Pokémon only raised the crowd's expectations.
Some of his fans were already talking as if he might defeat the Champion.
To them, Tucker had always been strong enough to compete at the highest level. Some even believed that, had he entered the Indigo League instead of remaining at the Battle Dome, he could have challenged for the championship.
Now they were eager to see how far he could push Natsui.
"Tucker!!"
"Go Tucker!! Show him how strong you are!!"
From the command area, Natsui listened to the cheering and looked at Tucker's two Pokémon.
Finally.
Of all the opponents Natsui had faced, Tucker had taken the longest just to get a battle started. He had turned a simple opening into an entire performance.
At least the performance was over now.
Natsui sent out the two Pokémon he had already chosen for the match.
A Poké Ball left Natsui's waist and opened in a flash of blue light, releasing Gardevoir. At the same time, Gengar emerged from his shadow with a smirk and floated beside her.
Anyone familiar with Natsui knew what it meant when these two appeared together.
Either the opponent was dangerous enough to demand them, or Natsui was annoyed enough to want the battle finished quickly.
Tucker fell firmly into the second category.
Tucker, unaware of Natsui's mood, was still focused on the matchup.
Salamence's Dragon-type attacks would be useless against Gardevoir's Fairy typing, but otherwise Tucker saw no obvious type disadvantage that worried him.
From Tucker's perspective, the matchup still looked manageable.
He still believed he could compete with Natsui on even terms.
Misty, watching from the lounge, understood much better what Tucker was about to face.
Watching the big screen, Misty smiled at May. "Natsui is really fed up with him. It's only a Battle Dome match, and he still sent out Gardevoir and Gengar."
May had seen Natsui win plenty of battles, but she had rarely watched Gardevoir and Gengar fight seriously. She knew they were among his strongest Pokémon, but not how large the gap truly was.
"Are these two Pokémon that strong?"
"Of course." Misty kept her eyes on the screen. "Just watch. This won't take long."
The match officially began at the referee's signal.
At Tucker's command, Charizard and Salamence launched themselves forward together, closing the distance on Gardevoir and Gengar.
Natsui watched them rush in and spoke quietly.
"Don't let them stay standing."
He did not need to raise his voice. Gardevoir and Gengar heard him clearly.
Gardevoir shared a telepathic bond with Natsui. If someone insulted him, she felt that anger with him, and she had no intention of letting it pass.
Gengar was naturally mischievous, but it was just as protective of its Trainer. Anyone who pushed Natsui too far quickly became a target for its less playful side.
Neither Pokémon was in the mood to hold back.
Tucker was still smiling when Gardevoir and Gengar raised their hands at almost the same time.
Their eyes flashed.
Psychic struck before Charizard and Salamence could launch an attack.
The invisible force hit both Flying-types head-on and stopped their charge in midair.
For a fraction of a second, Charizard and Salamence hung there as if they had slammed into an unseen wall.
Then the pressure surged.
Both Pokémon were hurled backward even faster than they had approached.
Charizard hit the field first, skidding across the ground before rolling onto one side.
Salamence crashed down several meters away and scraped across the battlefield before finally coming to a stop.
"What?"
Tucker's smile vanished.
He looked down in disbelief. Charizard and Salamence were already on the ground, struggling to rise.
"How is that possible?"
"What just happened?"
The battle had only just started. His Pokémon had barely moved forward, yet both had already been thrown back.
Confused voices spread through the Battle Dome as the spectators tried to understand what they had just seen.
The host quickly called for a slow-motion replay on the big screen.
Only then did the audience see what had happened.
The replay showed Charizard and Salamence rushing forward together.
Then Gardevoir and Gengar raised their hands.
Their eyes glowed.
Psychic caught both Pokémon at exactly the same moment.
The force stopped their momentum, compressed against their bodies, and then blasted them backward across the field.
The exchange had happened so quickly that the replay was the first time most spectators could follow it clearly.
The audience understood what had happened now.
What they could not understand was the difference in power.
This was nothing like the battle they had expected.
They had expected something close to an even fight.
Instead, Tucker's two strongest Pokémon had been blown away in the very first exchange.
Tucker's fans fell silent.
The confidence finally disappeared from Tucker's expression.
He had never expected Charizard and Salamence to be pushed back so easily.
Neither of them had ever been handled this easily before.
They were hurt, but both were still conscious and trying to get back onto their feet.
For the first time, Tucker realized just how badly he might have underestimated Natsui.
A bead of sweat ran down the side of his face.
He opened his mouth to warn his Pokémon, but Natsui's pair moved first.
Gardevoir and Gengar raised their hands again.
Charizard had only managed to brace one arm against the ground.
Salamence had barely lifted its head.
Psychic seized both of them before either could fully recover.
This time, Gardevoir and Gengar did not throw them backward.
The invisible pressure forced them straight down.
Charizard's body slammed flat against the battlefield.
Salamence was driven into the ground beside it with enough force to crack the surface beneath its chest.
Both Pokémon tried to move.
Charizard's arm trembled once before giving out.
Salamence's head lifted only slightly before dropping back down.
Neither rose again.
The referee checked both Pokémon, then raised his flags.
"Charizard and Salamence are unable to battle! Gardevoir and Gengar win!"
The entire battle had lasted barely ten seconds.
Charizard and Salamence never managed to launch a single attack before Gardevoir and Gengar finished them.
Even Natsui was mildly surprised by how quickly it had ended.
They were still the strongest Pokémon of a Frontier Brain, and they had held up better than most of the Pokémon Natsui had faced from Team Magma or Team Aqua.
Even so, two clean Psychic attacks had been enough to put both of them down.
Once the result sank in, the stadium erupted into confused noise.
No one had expected the match to end like that.
Some spectators were already questioning how a Frontier Brain could have been defeated so quickly.
Others joked that they had seen wild Pokémon put up longer fights.
The initial shock quickly turned into loud criticism and disbelief.
Tucker stood pale and stunned while complaints spread through the stands.
The mood of the crowd had turned against him almost instantly.
The polished image Tucker had tried so hard to present had taken a serious hit.
For Natsui, that was enough.
Tucker had wanted attention, and Natsui had made sure everyone was watching.
He had wanted to show off. Instead, the battle had embarrassed him in front of the same audience he was trying to impress.
Even losing for publicity had backfired. The defeat had been far too one-sided to make Tucker look impressive.
With the match being broadcast across Kanto, Tucker now had to deal with thousands of viewers seeing that humiliating loss.
That was enough of an answer for Natsui.
Natsui recalled Gardevoir and Gengar, gave Tucker one final glance, and returned to the lounge without saying another word.
Normally, Tucker would personally present the Tactics Symbol to the winner. After that defeat, however, he was in no state to do it.
His attention had already shifted to salvaging the damage the broadcast had done to his image.
Natsui had no sympathy for him. Tucker loved putting on a show.
Now he could figure out how to recover from one that had gone completely against him.
Natsui was content to let the staff deliver the Tactics Symbol later.
When Natsui returned to the lounge, Misty greeted him with a smile.
"Well? Feel better now?"
Misty knew exactly why Natsui had treated Tucker that way, and she did not feel sorry for him.
As far as she was concerned, Tucker had brought it on himself.
"A little," Natsui said with a shake of his head. "I only meant to teach him a lesson. I just didn't expect his Pokémon to go down that quickly. I thought they'd last longer."
"That's because Gardevoir and Gengar are too strong," Misty said with a laugh. "You're the Champion of three regions now. You can't expect every Frontier Brain to match your main team."
That blunt way of putting things was one of the reasons Natsui enjoyed traveling with her.
Misty had a way of keeping things light when her friends needed it.
With the Battle Dome challenge finished, their next stop was Cerulean City.