บท 40: Battle against Mareep
After Yuga took the stage, another participant followed shortly after, and from the host announcement, Yuga learned that his name was Ah He.
Ah He was a boy who appeared to be younger than Yuga, but it was hard for Yuga to tell by how much exactly.
"As the competition continues, we're finally approaching the end of the first round. The previous participants have given us splendid performances. Now, let's see how the next two participants will perform. Let's watch."
Once Yuga and the others were on stage, the host began his enthusiastic commentary.
"Are both participants ready? If you're ready, the match will begin."
Yuga and his opponent exchanged a glance, and they both said in unison, "We're ready."
"Then, let the match begin!"
With the host command, both Yuga and his opponent released their Pokémon simultaneously.
Since it was the first round, Yuga didn't send out his strongest Absol but chose to have his Floette battle instead.
Yuga main purpose was to train his Pokémon and make them adapt to the official competition stage. He didn't want to focus solely on winning. If he kept using Absol for every match just to win, he would lose sight of the true purpose of his participation in the competition.
However, his opponent Pokémon was quite surprising. It wasn't a native Hoenn Pokémon but a unique Pokémon from Johto region called Mareep.
Speaking of Mareep, these species of Pokémon were not considered rare in Johto region. Their final evolution, Ampharos, was a very powerful and rare Pokémon.
Pokémon evolution wasn't easy, and for Mareep to evolve into Ampharos was quite challenging.
This Mareep didn't have the aptitude of Yuga Floette. It only had a Yellow aptitude, but its level was slightly higher than Yuga Floette. Yuga Floette was at level 26, while the Mareep was at level 29.
"We see that both participants have released their Pokémon. What's surprising is that neither of these Pokémon is native to the Hoenn region."
The appearance of Floette and Mareep in the battle surprised the host. It was the first time in this competition that Pokémon from other regions were participating, and two of them appeared at once.
"Perhaps not everyone is familiar with these two Pokémon. On the left, Ah He Mareep is an Electric-type Pokémon from Johto region. We don't know if Ah He is originally from Johto or if he just captured this Mareep there.
And on the right, Shimizu Pokémon is Floette, even though it looks like a Grass-type Pokémon, it's actually a Single Fairy-type, from Kalos region."
For the convenience of the audience, the host briefly introduced these two Pokémon from other regions.
"Mareep, Thunder Wave!"
After the match began, Ah He immediately commanded his Mareep to launch an attack at Yuga Floette. Golden electric currents wingding towards Floette like thin threads.
Being hit by Thunder Wave would paralyze the opponent, putting them in an extremely disadvantageous situation.
However, Floette was quite vigilant. Without Yuga reminder, it swiftly flew through the air to avoid the electric currents that attempted to wrap around it.
"Floette, Magical Leaf!"
With Yuga command, Floette quickly stabilized itself in the air and then rapidly flung out four sharp and emerald-green leaves.
After practicing for a while, Floette Magical Leaf was no longer the kind of skill that could only release one leaf at a time and was soft and ineffective.
Watching the dangerously sharp Magical Leaves coming towards Mareep, Ah He immediately ordered Mareep to dodge.
However, Mareep speed wasn't fast enough, and with Magical Leaf tracking effect, despite Mareep attempts to dodge, it was accurately hit by the Magical Leaves.
After being hit, Mareep looked rather bedraggled, but it quickly climbed to its feet, ready to launch its own attack.
"Mareep, Thunder Shock!"
Thunder Shock was a basic skill for Electric-type Pokémon, and it was a commonly used skill when Electric-type Pokémon were at lower levels.
Apparently, this also applied to Mareep. Practice makes perfect, and its Thunder Shock skill was very proficiently used. Its speed of execution and attack speed were both very fast.
"Floette, Fairy Wind."
The dazzling golden snake was rushing towards Floette, but it was stopped in its tracks by the Fairy Wind from Floette, keeping it at a distance.
The collision between the Electric Snake and the Swift Wind caused the surrounding air currents to fluctuate, making the host and the two participants' clothes rustle.
"Floette, Magical Leaf!"
"Mareep, Thunder Shock!"
After the Thunder Shock and Fairy Wind reached a draw, Yuga and Ah He simultaneously gave their Pokémon the next command.
The leaves and electric currents quickly met in the air, but they didn't collide.
The delicate electric currents flashed through the gaps in the leaves, directly hitting Floette and causing it to let out a cry of surprise.
However, shortly after, Mareep also let out a miserable cry. It was clear that it hadn't managed to dodge the attack from Magical Leaf.
The rapid exchange of blows between the two Pokémon resulted in a significant depletion of energy. Both Floette and Mareep were panting heavily.
However, the Mareep that had been hit twice by Magical Leaf was now in a very weakened state.
"Mareep, Thunder Shock again."
It seemed that this Mareep had a very limited number of skills. Up until now, it had only used Thunder Wave and Thunder Shock.
Although Pokémon had fewer skills when they were at lower levels, most Pokémon owned by trainers had at least three skills.
Yuga Floette had a total of five skills. Even though Yuga hardly used Protect and Tackle, its Magical Leaf, Vine Whip, and Fairy Wind were frequently used skills.
But regardless, Ah He seemed to have given up using Thunder Wave with Mareep and opted for Thunder Shock, indicating that he wanted a quick resolution. After all, Mareep wouldn't be able to hold on for much longer.
"Floette, dodge."
Floette, who could fly, obviously had a significant advantage in the air, easily evading the fast-moving Thunder Shock.
"Magical Leaf!"
Following the leaves thrown by Floette, Mareep let out another cry of agony, indicating that it had lost the ability to battle.
Clearly, in situations where Pokémon had lower levels and fewer skills, a skill like Magical Leaf that was guaranteed to hit had a considerable advantage.
If Mareep knew moves like Thunderbolt, Discharge, or Thunder, the story might be different. In that case, Magical Leaf wouldn't have been so effective.
But obviously, that wasn't the case here. The guaranteed-hitting Magical Leaf was running rampant against this Mareep, having its way.
After the match ended, Yuga quickly left the stage and found Rand standing in the audience.
"How was it? Any thoughts after watching my match, buddy?"
Yuga was in a good mood after winning the match, and he proudly asked Rand.
"It was alright."
Rand response to Yuga remained lukewarm.
Actually, Rand was quite surprised that Yuga won the match so easily. He had known Yuga since they were kids, and he knew what Yuga used to be like.
But when did Yuga change so much?
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