The moment Tangrowth entered the field, its Drought ability activated. A blazing sun appeared overhead, and the temperature of the battlefield instantly spiked into searing heat.
"Hm?" Jasmine lifted her gaze toward the blazing sun high above, then looked back at Tangrowth, a flicker of surprise flashing across her face.
She was a seasoned Gym Leader, long famous for her calm judgment and experience. She had indeed seen Ninetales summon sunlight this way before—But to see Tangrowth possess such an ability was unexpected.
"In harsh sunlight, Grass-types gain the benefit of instantly using Solar Blade or Solar Beam… but nothing else. Could it be he's only laying the groundwork?" Jasmine's eyes narrowed, calculating.
As a top-tier trainer, she knew weather teams inside and out.
Every weather team required a core Pokémon that could instantly change the battlefield conditions.A Rain team had its instant Drizzle user, a Sun team had its instant Sunny Day user.
The core was not always the ace.
A core was a core. An ace was an ace. They were different roles entirely.
And in a weather team, the core's greatest purpose… was setup.
"In harsh sunlight, Fire-types will shine even brighter…" Jasmine muttered under her breath.
As the Steel-type Gym Leader, Jasmine's strength naturally lay in Steel Pokémon—but Steel was weak to Fire, taking double the damage.
And under harsh sunlight, Fire moves struck even harder.
In that instant, Jasmine had already seen through Yozora's tactic. Tangrowth was nothing but a setup piece. She was sure his next move would be to unleash a Fire-type Pokémon.
"Heh, interesting. If you're changing the weather, then I'll just change the terrain! Magneton, Electric Terrain!"
At her command, Magneton let out a metallic cry. Golden currents of electricity surged from its body and struck the battlefield like thunderbolts.
In the blink of an eye, the entire arena shimmered with golden sparks. Tangrowth tensed, its vine-covered body alert, watching the changes unfold. The currents themselves weren't harmful—But Electric Terrain was fertile ground for devastating Electric attacks.
Here, Magneton would be like a fish in water—its life force bolstered, its electrical attacks boosted by fifty percent!
The moment the terrain stabilized, Yozora gave his own command:"Now, Tangrowth—use Vine Whip!"
Tangrowth's twin arms stretched out like whips, lashing toward Magneton.
"Dodge, Magneton." Jasmine's voice was calm, and her Pokémon did not disappoint. Its metallic body flickered with speed, effortlessly avoiding the vines.
"Don't think it ends there! Tangrowth—full power! Vine Whip again!" Yozora shouted.
"Shhhh—!"
Before its arms even retracted, Tangrowth's body erupted with vines, writhing like tentacles. A dozen green whips surged forth, hissing through the air like serpents as they lashed toward Magneton from all directions.
Magneton froze, overwhelmed. There were simply too many whips—no room to dodge!
"Whap! Whap! Whap—!"
The storm of vines struck from every angle, snapping hard against Magneton's steel frame. Its metallic body shuddered under the blows, sparks crackling as it cried out in pain.
Tangrowth's body vines lacked the brute strength and flexibility of its true arms, but sheer numbers made up the difference.
A dozen lashes landed in unison. Even though Magneton's level surpassed Tangrowth's, the punishment left it heavily battered.
"Not done yet! Tangrowth—bind it with Bind!"
At Yozora's command, the vines coiled downward, wrapping around Magneton's body, tightening until the Steel-type strained in agony.
Watching her partner's pained expression, Jasmine's face darkened. She hadn't expected Yozora's offensive to be this fierce. In such a short span, Magneton was already near its limit—despite being the stronger one!
"Don't give in, Magneton! Use Thunderbolt!" Jasmine gritted her teeth.
Magneton was her mainstay, her most trusted partner of many years. Their bond was deep, their hearts connected.
At her call, its dim eyes regained focus. With a desperate cry, its body blazed with electricity—
BOOM!
The currents surged outward, running up the vines that bound it and exploding into Tangrowth.
With Electric Terrain amplifying its power, Magneton's lightning burst like a thunderstorm. Tangrowth's body shuddered, wrapped in blinding light.
Despite being a Grass-type and naturally resistant to Electric, the amplified force inflicted tremendous damage.
"Hold on, Magneton—keep pushing!" Jasmine cried.
On the other side, Yozora shouted in turn:"Tangrowth—don't let go! Slam it down with Slam!"
Through pain and grimace, Tangrowth obeyed. With a guttural roar, it heaved Magneton upward and smashed it down into the ground.
BANG!
The arena floor split like shattered glass, dust and smoke erupting skyward.
Both trainers fell silent, eyes locked on the field.
When the smoke cleared—
Both Tangrowth and Magneton lay motionless.
Magneton was sprawled on its back, fainted. Tangrowth lay face-first on the ground, unmoving for three long seconds before it, too, went limp.
"Both Tangrowth and Magneton are unable to battle!" the referee Kosha declared.
"Return, Magneton." Jasmine recalled her partner, whispering reassurance before pocketing the ball. She turned to Yozora with a faint smile. "Your Tangrowth is truly strong. A shame it doesn't know Solar Blade or Solar Beam—otherwise, this wouldn't have been a draw."
Yozora chuckled, recalling his own Pokémon.
She wasn't wrong. Solar Blade was the mightiest Grass physical move, Solar Beam the mightiest special. Both required charging… unless used under harsh sunlight.
Tangrowth's Drought ability made such instant power possible. If it could learn either move, its strength would multiply exponentially.
Vine Whip was serviceable, but compared to Solar Blade or Solar Beam—it was nothing. Had Tangrowth known them, Magneton would've been felled outright.
"I'll have to train it toward Solar Blade," Yozora thought. "Only then will its Drought ability reach full potential."
As he clipped the Poké Ball to his belt, Jasmine produced another ball of her own—but didn't throw it.
The previous round had ended in a draw. She wasn't obligated to reveal her next choice first.
After all, going first was a disadvantage—it gave her opponent a free chance to counterpick.
"The second match begins!" Kosha declared.
Both trainers threw simultaneously.
Yozora sent out his Shiny Growlithe, while Jasmine unveiled a towering Blastoise.
"Blas-toise!" The water cannon Pokémon roared, its presence overwhelming. Even under Growlithe's Intimidate, it stood proud, glaring down at its opponent with disdain.
The level gap was stark.
Growlithe had only reached peak Commander-tier. Blastoise, however, stood at solid Gym Leader level.
"Surprised?" Jasmine smirked. "A Steel Gym Leader… using a Water-type?"
Yozora shook his head—he wasn't surprised at all.
Still, Jasmine explained, "Precisely because I'm Steel-type, I often face challengers with Fire Pokémon. My Blastoise is here to extinguish them."
Her opponent remained calm, unshaken.
"What? You're not shocked in the slightest?" she pressed.
"Of course not." Yozora's voice was even. "Your counterpick was obvious. Knowing I run a Sun team, of course you'd bring something to punish Fire-types. What exact Pokémon you chose didn't matter."
Jasmine rolled her eyes. "If you could predict my prediction, why still insist on Fire-types?"
Yozora shrugged. "I can't waste the weather I summoned. And besides, predictions aren't certainties—you could just as well have sent another Steel-type."
This wasn't an official League match. In League battles, teams were locked in advance—no mid-battle substitutions allowed.
Here, Jasmine had access to all her Pokémon, making Yozora's weather team much less effective.
Still, in a proper tournament, his strategy would've been secure. After all, how could anyone know whether he'd bring Sun, Rain, or even Hail?
"Wow—a golden Growlithe!" Jasmine herself was unfazed by rare Pokémon, but Koshia stared in awe, her eyes lingering until Jasmine gave her a sharp glare. Embarrassed, the referee cleared her throat and signaled the battle to begin.
"Blastoise, end this quickly! Use Hydro Pump!"
"Blas-toise!"
The cannons on Blastoise's back swiveled, twin torrents blasting forth toward Growlithe.
"Dodge and counter with Extreme Speed!" Yozora called.
Growlithe darted forward in a blur, narrowly evading the water blasts. Its body ignited in golden light as it rocketed straight into Blastoise.
WHAM!
The impact struck true—But Blastoise barely flinched. Its defense and higher level absorbed the blow.
"Now, Mega Punch!" Jasmine commanded.
Blastoise roared, thrusting forward with a massive fist. The strike slammed into Growlithe, sending it tumbling across the floor.
The pup struggled… then went limp.
"Growlithe is unable to battle! Blastoise wins!" Kosha declared.
Yozora calmly recalled it. Growlithe still had much room to grow. This loss was a lesson, not a failure. Evolution could wait.
After all, with just a Fire Stone, it could become an Arcanine.
"Go, Eevee!" Yozora sent out his third Pokémon.
Eevee could evolve into Flareon, gaining the sun's boost—but now, the true answer was Jolteon.
"Eevee?" Jasmine frowned. The little fox's level was decent, nearly Gym-tier—but against a Blastoise? Surely it was a hopeless mismatch.
"Blastoise, Hydro Pump!"
"Eevee—use Dig."
"Vee!"
Eevee tunneled underground, leaving Blastoise's water blast to strike only dirt.
The turtle stood firm, unbothered. With its immense defense, even if Eevee struck first, it could retaliate and end the fight.
"Well done, Blastoise. Stay calm," Jasmine praised, pleased by her partner's composure.
On the other side, Yozora's lips curved into a sly smile.
Suddenly—crash! Eevee burst up from behind Blastoise.
"Now, Eevee—Thunderbolt!"
In an instant, Eevee's body glowed white—evolving mid-battle into the sleek, radiant form of Jolteon. Its power and aura surged.
From its spiky frame erupted a colossal bolt of lightning, thick as a heavenly thunderstrike, crashing down on Blastoise.
"Blaaaas—!"
The giant turtle screamed as electricity coursed through its body.
Its defense was high—But Jolteon's power was higher. Boosted by its Adaptability ability and amplified further by the still-active Electric Terrain, its Thunderbolt was devastating.
Lightning raged like a storm, engulfing the battlefield.
(End of Chapter)