"Come back, Jynx." While the Announcer was still chattering away, A Xuan recalled Jynx and said to Liu Qing, "Liu Qing, I only have one Pokémon left now. I know my chances of beating you are slim, but I'll still give this last battle everything I have, so I won't have any regrets."
"A Xuan, I'll give this last battle my all too," Liu Qing said with a nod.
"Go, Primeape!" A Xuan took out a Poké Ball and tossed it into the air. A flash of white light revealed a Primeape perched on an ice spike, constantly hopping about and swinging its fists.
That Primeape has plenty of fighting spirit, Liu Qing thought admiringly.
"Primeape, Foresight!" That move was essential when using a Fighting-type against a Ghost-type, so A Xuan ordered Primeape to use it as soon as the battle began.
A red light flashed in Primeape's eyes, and a red veil of light spread outward from its body, sweeping over Gengar in an instant and extending across the entire field.
"Gengar, Shadow Ball!" Liu Qing's command came at that same moment.
"Primeape, dodge, then Focus Punch!" A Xuan shouted immediately afterward.
Facing the rapidly approaching Shadow Ball, Primeape nimbly leaped and flipped down to the ground to dodge it, then charged at Gengar with its right fist glowing white. Clearly annoyed that its opponent had evaded its move, Gengar fired one Shadow Ball after another, but the exceptionally agile Primeape swiftly dodged them all. Before long, it closed in on Gengar and threw a punch.
"Hypnosis!" Liu Qing was taken aback by Primeape's agility too. But no matter how agile you are, it won't do you any good once you're asleep.
As Primeape jumped up and punched toward Gengar, Gengar gave a sinister grin and shifted sideways to Primeape's flank, raising a red orb in its left hand and pressing it into Primeape's body.
"Huh, it has the Vital Spirit Ability." Seeing that Primeape showed no sign of falling asleep, Liu Qing immediately realized what was happening and shouted, "Gengar, dodge, quick!" Foresight was still in effect on the field, so Gengar's illusions were useless. This was its real body, and taking a hit would be disastrous.
"Too late! Primeape, Punishment!" A Xuan's command came just then.
Primeape's sharp eyes locked onto Gengar at its side. Its left fist gleamed with a dark light as it punched Gengar before it could dodge. A grayish-white flash swept over Gengar's body, and it crashed to the ground, unable to battle.
"Gengar is unable to battle!" The referee lowered his flag.
"Mom, Primeape clearly got hit by Hypnosis just now, so why didn't it fall asleep?" Liu Yuan asked from the stands as he listened to the Announcer over the speakers.
"That's the Vital Spirit Ability. It prevents the Pokémon from falling asleep," Mili explained.
"Agile movements, quick reactions, boundless fighting spirit, and tremendous strength. That really is a powerful Primeape," Liu Qing praised as he recalled Gengar.
"Thanks for the compliment. So, which Pokémon will you use next?" A Xuan asked.
"Scizor, I choose you!" Liu Qing threw his second Poké Ball.
"Scizor!" With a flash of white light, the red Scizor appeared in midair and took a battle stance.
"Liu Qing has now sent out his second Pokémon, Scizor. In his previous three matches, Liu Qing's Scizor..." The Announcer quickly found the information on Liu Qing's Scizor and launched into an enthusiastic spiel.
"Scizor, Aerial Ace!" Liu Qing took the initiative.
"Scizor!" Scizor let out a low cry and flipped over. Several bands of white light appeared around its body as it flew swiftly toward Primeape.
Having successfully defeated Gengar, A Xuan now faced Liu Qing's second Pokémon, Scizor, with a new conviction: if he could beat Scizor, he and Liu Qing would be back on equal footing. He had to muster every ounce of focus, fixing his eyes on the battle.
Just as Scizor was about to hit Primeape, A Xuan finally spoke. "Primeape, jump!"
At A Xuan's command, Primeape, already tense and ready, immediately leaped up, narrowly avoiding the attack. But dodging was not A Xuan's real goal, and he issued another command. "Primeape, Fire Punch!"
Primeape's right fist burst into flames as it leaped, and it struck down toward Scizor below. Annoyed that its attack had been dodged, Scizor flipped over and changed direction, continuing its attack upward toward Primeape.
Boom! Aerial Ace collided with Fire Punch in a violent explosion. The shock wave instantly sent both Pokémon tumbling away.
"Scizor, Swords Dance, Aerial Ace!"
"Primeape, Focus Punch!"
The instant the two Pokémon were blown away, Liu Qing and A Xuan issued their commands simultaneously. Scizor began spinning as it hurtled backward, forming a red-and-white "drill" that charged straight at Primeape. Primeape performed a backflip in midair, pushed off an ice spike, and rushed straight toward Scizor with its right fist shining a brilliant white.
As the two Pokémon unleashed their powerful moves and charged toward a collision, everyone in the stadium instinctively held their breath, staring unblinkingly as the distance between them grew smaller and smaller...
A moment later, the two Pokémon met. But the instant Primeape threw its punch, Scizor abruptly dipped beneath it, then flipped around and attacked from behind.
"Oh no!" A Xuan was alarmed, but there was nothing he could do now. Primeape's punch hit empty air, throwing its airborne body off balance. Before it could adjust, Scizor's attack struck home. The tremendous force drove Primeape forward, smashing every ice spike in its path to pieces. Only when it reached the stadium's perimeter wall did Scizor slowly come to a stop, revealing Primeape embedded deep in the wall, unconscious.
"Primeape is unable to battle! Since all three of A Xuan's Pokémon are unable to battle, the winner of this match is Liu Qing!" The referee delivered his final ruling, and the entire stadium erupted in cheers.
"He's won!" The Announcer's voice rang through the stadium. "Congratulations to Liu Qing for clearing all four qualifying matches on the Rock, Grass, Water, and Ice Fields! He has secured a place among the Indigo League's top sixteen and qualified to compete in the Main Stadium. Now, I'll give everyone a detailed recap of the key moments in Liu Qing's four qualifying matches..."
After hearing so much commentary, Liu Qing had realized that these commentators would say whatever drew people's attention, so he paid it no mind. As A Xuan walked up to him, he reached out and shook his hand. "That was a wonderful match."
"It was. Even though I lost, I'm satisfied after a match that exciting." A Xuan smiled as he continued, "You beat me, the guy who was supposed to become champion, so I'm leaving that job to you now."
"Of course. That's the only goal I entered this tournament for!" Liu Qing said resolutely.
Liu Qing went to the VIP seats and chatted with Mili and Liu Yuan for a while before turning his attention to the match. Both sides had already lost two Pokémon, and the battle had reached its decisive moment. A blue-haired man in his twenties launched a fierce offensive, and his Kingler slammed a Crabhammer into the opposing Ninetales, winning the match.
Once this match ended, the computer would arrange the next day's matches in the Main Stadium and display them on the big screen. The spectators therefore stayed rather than rushing to leave, waiting patiently.
About ten minutes later, an announcement sounded across all four stadiums at once. "Good morning, spectators and Pokémon Trainers! After so many days of qualifying matches, sixteen powerful Pokémon Trainers have finally emerged. The computer will now randomly arrange the matches between these Trainers in the Main Stadium. Please look at the big screen!"
As the announcement ended, photographs of the sixteen competitors appeared in two rows on the big screen. Aside from himself, Liu Qing spotted Ash, Reggie, Han Ye, and Xiao An among them. Gary, meanwhile, had been eliminated in the top thirty-two, just as he had in the anime from Liu Qing's previous life.
After the sixteen photographs appeared, they immediately began shuffling rapidly. When they finally stopped, every photograph had changed position. Liu Qing was now first, and his opponent was a long-haired girl whose slightly upturned lips gave her a playful look. As expected, Ash was matched against Ritchie. Han Ye and Xiao An, two people Liu Qing knew, had been paired against each other in the last two slots of the first row. Reggie's match would be the last one on the second day.
"The pairings are out! Tomorrow's first match in the Main Stadium will be between Liu Qing from Saffron City in Kanto and A Li from Celadon City. It will begin at nine in the morning. Both competitors, please arrive on time..." After announcing Liu Qing's match time, the broadcast went through the times for all the other matches.
Before you continue