Consecutive Battles

After winning the first match, Zeno had a short time to rest. The Wavebreaker had a simple Pokémon Center aboard, where Nurse Joy, an intern doctor who had just graduated, was gaining experience on the ship.

Normally, health checks and stamina recovery cost money, but since they were participating in the tournament, the captain covered all medical expenses.

"How is it? Is Carvanha okay?"

When Kam saw Zeno come out of the Pokémon Center, he asked about their condition with some concern.

"No problem!"

"Haha, I watched your match just now. You've got some skill. You were way better than this old man was back then!"

"You're too modest, sir." Zeno felt a little embarrassed by the praise.

"Go check out the other arena. Learn more about your opponents so you don't get caught at a disadvantage."

"Okay!"

The other arena was right next to theirs. By the time Zeno arrived, the fourth match there was about to begin. He looked over the battle records on the big screen and got a rough idea of the contestants. The three of them used Meowth, Numel, and Baltoy, respectively.

Zeno stood there and watched for a while. Since each trainer only had one Pokémon, the winners were decided quickly. The matches in their arena had also ended, and the staff worked swiftly. Before long, the order for the top-ten-to-top-five matches was set.

Zeno looked at the list. His opponent this time was named Ueda Hidetoshi. Zeno had just seen that name before—it belonged to the trainer who had used Baltoy in the neighboring arena. And this time, he was up first.

"Contestants Zeno and Ueda Hidetoshi, please come onto the field and prepare!" the referee shouted from the arena.

This opponent was much easier than the last one. Baltoy's greatest strength, its Psychic-type attacks, was completely ineffective against Carvanha. Thinking of that, Zeno let out a breath and silently marveled at his luck.

The moment Ueda Hidetoshi saw Zeno's Carvanha, he knew things were bad. His opponent was Water/Dark, while his Baltoy was Ground/Psychic. He truly had no idea how he was supposed to fight this.

"Baltoy, do your best."

"Carvanha, this match may be a little easier, but we still have to give it everything. Aqua Jet."

"Baltoy, use Protect right away."

A green energy shield directly blocked Carvanha's attack. Zeno had only heard his teacher mention this move before; this was his first time seeing someone use it.

"Carvanha, Scary Face."

At its trainer's command, Carvanha immediately pulled a terrifying face at Baltoy.

"Baltoy, don't look at it. Dig straight down."

Baltoy drilled directly underground, causing Carvanha's attack to miss. Now it was hiding beneath the ground, where Carvanha had no way to attack it.

"Carvanha, watch your surroundings. It could attack at any moment."

As soon as Zeno finished speaking, Baltoy burst out of the ground from the side and slammed into Carvanha. Caught off guard, Carvanha was hit. Ground-type attacks could deal normal damage to it, and this move was quite powerful, so Carvanha took some injuries.

He had thought this would be easy, but it had turned out to be so troublesome.

"Carvanha, pull yourself together. Aqua Jet."

"Baltoy, don't be afraid. Protect."

Carvanha's attack was blocked once again. Zeno's expression grew solemn. He didn't believe Baltoy could block every attack.

"Carvanha, Bite."

"Baltoy, use Protect again."

Seeing how fast Carvanha attacked, Ueda Hidetoshi still had Baltoy use Protect. Although he knew its chance of succeeding this time was low, Baltoy would be badly hurt if it took that Bite head-on. He could only gamble. But his luck was not good this time, and Protect failed.

"Ba... Bal..."

Baltoy was badly injured and lay motionless on the ground. Ueda Hidetoshi realized it had likely flinched. Seeing Carvanha about to attack again, he hurriedly spoke up.

"That's enough. I surrender."

"Since contestant Ueda Hidetoshi has surrendered, the winner of this match is contestant Zeno."

With that victory, Zeno entered the top five. By the time the other groups had finished their matches, it was already six o'clock. The staff prepared dinner for them and had them continue the competition after eating.

There was one bye in the top-five-to-top-three round. The person who drew it was Lin Yan, Treecko's trainer, and he was already guaranteed a place in the top three. Zeno's opponent this time was Jia Ya, who seemed to be a wealthy young lady.

"I watched your earlier matches. Your Carvanha is pretty strong."

"Thank you for the compliment." Though Zeno did not know her well, he still thanked her modestly.

Jia Ya's Pokémon was a Skitty. If Zeno had not mistaken it, it was even a Shiny Pokémon. This shocked him—this was his first time seeing one.

Zeno had originally thought this battle would be difficult, but Jia Ya did not seem particularly capable. Zeno won with great ease. He did not know whether it was just his imagination, but he felt that Jia Ya was going easy on him.

This time, only two matches were needed, and the results came quickly. The final three were Zeno, Lin Yan, and a boy named Chao Yang.

The final rules were as follows: two people would be randomly selected to battle. The winner would face the person with the bye. If he won, he would be champion, while the remaining two would determine their rankings; if he lost, he would directly become runner-up. Lin Yan was very lucky and received another bye.

"I know you. I've been wanting to test myself against you for a while. This is my Pokémon. Go, Sneasel."

"We've made it this far. I'll give it everything too. Carvanha, let's go!"

The two Pokémon stared at each other, and invisible sparks seemed to clash fiercely in the air.

"Carvanha, Leer."

"Sneasel, Fake Out."

Before Carvanha could act, Sneasel's strike left it unable to move. Zeno immediately sensed its condition.

"Good chance. While it's vulnerable, use Swords Dance."

"Carvanha, Poison Fang."

Seeing Carvanha regain its senses, Zeno gradually calmed down. If he let the opposing Sneasel keep using Swords Dance, they would be finished.

To keep Swords Dance from being interrupted, Sneasel took the Poison Fang head-on. The damage was considerable, and Sneasel was badly hurt.

"Your luck isn't as good as before this time. Sneasel, catch it when it comes in to Bite—Metal Claw."

Although the Steel-type Metal Claw was not very effective against Carvanha, Sneasel's Attack had risen greatly after one Swords Dance, and it still dealt a fair amount of damage.

"Carvanha, Aqua Jet."

"Sneasel, Quick Attack."

The two Pokémon were evenly matched. After colliding, both were knocked back.

Having worked with Carvanha for so long, Zeno knew its speed had increased considerably. At this point, Sneasel definitely could not be faster than it. After those two clashes, both Carvanha and Sneasel had little stamina left.

"Carvanha, use Aqua Jet with all your strength."

Chao Yang also realized this exchange would decide the match, so he went all out as well.

"Ice Shard, maximum power."

The two Pokémon collided once more, but this time Sneasel was a step too slow. Carvanha rammed it head-on and sent it flying.

"Sneasel has lost the ability to battle. The winner is contestant Zeno."