A massive, blue, pot-lid–shaped head dominated the creature's form. On either side of its crown sat agate-like growths the size of watermelons, while an oval agate the size of a duck egg was embedded in the center of its forehead.
Beneath that strange black head was a pair of vicious eyes. Around its mouth—and even extending behind its head—grew blue, pincer-like hardened shells. From a distance, they resembled curved blades. Centered around these massive pincers spread roughly eighty vine-thick tentacles, radiating outward in all directions.
Tentacruel—the evolved form of Tentacool.
A dual Water- and Poison-type Pokémon that primarily inhabits oceans far from land. As a result, sightings of Tentacruel in inland waterways were exceedingly rare.
Sometimes, information alone could decide a battle.
Kael understood his opponent's Pokémon perfectly, but the young trainer named Luqi knew nothing about Kirlia. That gap in knowledge had already placed him at a decisive disadvantage before the battle had truly begun.
Tentacruel was undeniably at home in a water-based arena. However, Kirlia—being a Psychic-type—held a massive advantage in terms of typing. Psychic-type attacks counter Poison-types, dealing double damage.
Lulu didn't rely on speed alone. With access to Teleport, the battlefield itself meant little to her. Even if the floating platforms hadn't existed, she could have suspended herself in midair with psychic power alone.
Luqi thrust his arm forward and shouted,
"Tentacruel! Strike first—Poison Sting!"
Pff! Pff!
Tentacruel's tentacles lashed wildly as sharp, black-tipped poison needles tore through the air.
"Teleport."
Kael's expression didn't change, nor did he speak aloud.
Working with Kirlia was effortless. Through telepathic resonance, Kael could issue commands directly through his thoughts. No spoken words were needed—and thought was always faster than sound.
This silent form of command offered countless advantages for one's own side, while leaving the opponent completely bewildered.
Watching Kirlia stand there without even attempting to dodge, Luqi couldn't comprehend what he was seeing. Why wasn't Kael ordering his Pokémon to evade? Or at least to defend?
Was she really just going to stand there and take the full barrage head-on?
The poison needles filled the air above Kirlia—
And in the very next instant, a faint ripple distorted the space around her.
Without a sound, Kirlia vanished.
"Teleport—it's a Psychic-type move!" Chubbs shouted in realization.
"So that Pokémon is a Psychic-type!"
With that explanation, the crowd finally understood. No wonder she had disappeared without warning.
Luqi, however, broke out in a cold sweat.
Type matchups were basic knowledge for any trainer—and he knew full well that Psychic-types counter Poison-types.
Kirlia reappeared on the opposite floating platform, directly behind Tentacruel. The distance between them was now no more than an arm's length.
Lulu raised her small hand.
A powerful psychic force condensed into tangible, pale-red telekinetic energy, instantly wrapping around Tentacruel's massive body. Amid its anguished screeches, she tore it violently out of the water.
The invasive psychic power seeped into Tentacruel like countless fine needles, relentlessly infiltrating its body and damaging its internal structure.
"It's over…"
Seeing this, Luqi lowered his head in despair. The outcome of the match had been decided from the very start.
With one final motion, Lulu slammed Tentacruel into the poolside wall.
Bang!
The battle ended.
The second match was Chubbs versus another young trainer from Cinnabar Island.
That trainer specialized in Fire-type Pokémon. Yesterday, his Magmar had performed well on the rocky battlefield. But today, faced with a water arena, his expression was one of complete confusion.
This was the inherent weakness of focusing on a single Pokémon type.
While specializing made it easier to build combat strength and manage training resources, it also made a trainer painfully vulnerable to being hard-countered.
Take Lance, the famed Dragon-type Elite Four member of Kanto and Johto—widely acknowledged as the strongest among them. Even so, when facing Lorelei, the Ice-type specialist from the Orange Islands, his record was barely even, sometimes losing more than he won.
Kael had watched the few recorded matches between the two.
In overall strength, Lance was indeed superior—but under complete type disadvantage, even a trainer of his caliber struggled to find solutions. And this wasn't a one-sided match; both were Elite Four–level trainers. Any gap in strength was marginal at best.
Back to the battlefield.
This time, the Cinnabar trainer didn't send out his ferocious Magmar. Instead, he chose Flareon, Eevee's Fire-type evolution. Still Fire-type, but far more agile—smaller, lighter, and much better suited for standing on a floating platform.
No one was foolish enough to send out a Pokémon that would be hard-countered.
Unfortunately, Chubbs's Golem was in an even worse position. Its sheer mass made it impossible for the floating platform to support its weight.
"Heh—good thing I saved a trump card!"
Chubbs grinned smugly.
"Kingdra, you're up!"
"Wrr!"
A flash of red light—
And an ice-blue Pokémon resembling a seahorse emerged in the pool. Its cylindrical snout looked like a cannon barrel, and sharp, predatory spines lined its back.