The most traditional form of practical Pokémon battling—
There were no restrictions on when or why Pokémon could be switched, and no distinction between who moved first.
There were no limits on the battlefield.
Even multiple Pokémon could be present at once, so long as there were fewer than three and you could control them.
Other than the rule forbidding attacks on the opposing Trainer, it was practically worlds apart from modern competitive Pokémon battles.
But the latter had extremely poor spectator value and lacked fairness, because battles became incredibly chaotic. Things happened so quickly that viewers could barely take them in; often, the commentator had only just explained what happened when another crucial move occurred the next second.
Precisely because it was unfriendly to commentators, spectators, and Trainers alike, the Johto Pokémon Association had been the first to change the competition format.
It became the highly watchable competitive format.
If one had to describe the difference between the two, one emphasized tactics, strategy, and setups, because there was enough time to react and think of countermeasures. The other emphasized the practical effects of attacks. There was not much time to react, and even one or two ordinary moves could often create unexpected consequences.
In other words, the Mega Evolution Heiduo relied on might only have one chance to be used—or perhaps none at all.
Heiduo was a champion of competitive tournaments, while Red was a champion of traditional battles.
Though they excelled in entirely different fields, Heiduo would inevitably have to accommodate Red.
Of the Pokémon Red currently possessed, Gyarados and Pika were absent, replaced by Charizard and Blastoise. From this, it was clear that Blue trusted Red greatly. Otherwise, how could she have lent Blastoise to him?
So the first Pokémon sent out was—
Venusaur!
"Vine Whip!"
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