บท 38: The Start of the Competition
After registering with Nurse Joy, Yuga brought Rand to the competition venue.
When Yuga arrived at the competition venue, a temporary arena had already been set up, and a considerable crowd had gathered around it.
However, not all of these people were participants; most were just there to watch the excitement. But that was exactly what Devon Corporation aimed for.
By holding Pokémon battles to increase their branch visibility in Verdanturf Town and boost the company profits, they achieved their goal as long as people showed up.
In essence, Verdanturf Town was small, and its influence would not be extensive unless an official Pokémon League event was held. Consequently, the number of trainers participating in the competition would naturally be limited, with most being locals.
After waiting for about an hour, the crowd around the arena grew larger, and Yuga noticed several participants with Poké Balls hanging from their belts. Finally, the organizers made their appearance.
There were three judges for the competition: Nurse Joy, Officer Jenny, and the general manager of Devon Corporation Verdanturf Town branch.
Speaking of which, Devon Corporation indeed had some clout to be able to invite these two local powerhouses for a small competition.
Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny were not people anyone could casually invite. In the world of Pokémon, their presence could be found in any city, and they could be called the true "local powerhouses."
After a series of announcements and commentary by the host and commentator, the competition officially began. Of course, the host didn't miss the chance to promote Devon Corporation.
The rules for this competition were one-on-one for the earlier rounds, transitioning to three-on-three for the finals. Without this rule, Yuga wouldn't have been able to participate, given that he only had three Pokémon in total.
After all, Yuga only has three spirits in total, among which Chimecho is purely a support, with no combat abilities.
The first pair of contestants to step onto the stage were two boys, both quite young. The one on the left appeared to be around Yuga age, while the one on the right was much younger, perhaps three or four years younger than Yuga.
Considering that the age limit for this competition was under sixteen, including sixteen, Yuga felt a bit embarrassed to be considered a "mature player."
Following the host signal, both sides released their Pokémon.
On the left was a Corphish, full of vigor. As soon as it entered the stage, it brandished its huge claws toward its opponent, exuding an air of dominance. With its bright red shell, it looked as imposing as a general about to go to battle.
On the right was a Taillow. Known for its strong-willed nature, it naturally wouldn't back down when confronted. Flapping its powerful wings, it fixed its sharp eyes on the challenging Corphish.
Yuga used his "Insight" ability to assess the aptitude and levels of the two Pokémon, as these factors directly influenced their combat strength.
Both Pokémon had the same aptitude, being of Yellow quality. If there was a distinction, Corphish emitted a slightly more radiant light than Taillow.
However, in terms of levels, Taillow was significantly lower. Corphish was level 32, while Taillow was only level 24. Such an obvious gap meant that unless Taillow trainer was highly skilled, the outcome of this match was quite clear.
Next to him, Rand, who was also watching the match, turned to Yuga and pulled on his clothes, asking, "Who do you think will win?"
Yuga, who was caught off guard by Rand tugging, casually replied, "Definitely Corphish."
Rand found Yuga matter-of-fact tone strange. "How do you know Corphish will win?"
Yuga glanced at him playfully. "It's a secret."
With Yuga somewhat pretentious response, Rand turned away and ignored him.
In reality, Yuga was just trying to be cool. After all, Rand always acted as if he didn't care about Yuga, so Yuga decided to tease him a bit.
Since his attempt at looking cool backfired, Yuga chose to remain silent and continued to watch the match on the stage.
At this point, the two Pokémon had begun battling under their trainers' commands.
Taillow pointed, pale-yellow beak emitted a burst of white light. With a gust of wind, it dashed aggressively towards Corphish below.
Facing the incoming Taillow, the trainer of Corphish calmly ordered his Pokémon to use Harden.
With a robust exoskeleton, Corphish Harden skill didn't let Taillow Peck have much impact. Instead, due to getting close, Taillow found its head clamped by Corphish huge pincers.
Being held in those pincers, it was needless to say that it must have been quite an uncomfortable experience, as evident from the anguished cry of Taillow.
Soon after, Corphish flung Taillow onto the arena floor with force and followed up with a Bubble attack, swiftly taking down Taillow. It could be described as a quick victory.
In reality, such an outcome was quite normal. Taillow trainer was young and had likely become a trainer not too long ago. Compared to Corphish trainer, who was several years older, he not only lacked strength but also experience.
If it weren't for Yuga coincidentally rescuing the injured Absol, Taillow trainer wouldn't be much different from Yuga himself.
Seeing Corphish indeed win the match, Rand gave Yuga a surprised look before turning away.
At first, Yuga was a bit smug about seeing Rand astonished expression and was ready to continue acting cool. However, he dropped the idea due to the cold look Rand shot his way.
Yuga thought to himself, "This kid really isn't adorable."
The second pair of contestants was a boy and a girl, both a year or two younger than Yuga.
The boy Pokémon was a Poochyena, while the girl was a Surkrit, both common native Pokémon of Hoenn.
Both these Pokémon were also of Yellow quality and had a similar level gap. Unlike the previous match, where the winner was determined almost instantly, this match promised to be much more intense.
Surkrit was clearly much faster than Poochyena and, lacking strong attacking abilities, under the trainer commands, it continuously shifted positions to harass Poochyena.
Insufficient attacking power was a common challenge for many low-level Pokémon. They knew only a limited number of moves, most of which had low attack power. Some Pokémon even lacked an offensive move entirely—Yuga Chimecho was a prime example.
Surkrit was seen swiftly sliding across the arena while releasing bursts of pink gas that spread slowly in all directions.
The trainer of Poochyena, of course, noticed the sweet fragrance wafting through the air, but it was evident that he was powerless.
Though Poochyena attacking power wasn't low, it was at a loss against the incredibly fast Surkrit. Even if it was being played around and left dizzy, it couldn't catch Surkrit.
Of course, if Poochyena possessed ranged attack moves, this situation might have been different. But evidently, due to its lower level, it didn't have any long-range attacks.
Finally, under the constant harassment and attack from Surkrit, Poochyena reluctantly lost its ability to battle.
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