Jolteon's defeat had not come as a surprise to Virgil.
After all, wins and losses were part of Pokémon battles. Whether he defeated someone else or was defeated himself, Virgil had long been mentally prepared. He had seen and experienced so much that he was used to it.
He simply had not expected his Pokémon to lose so easily.
How long had it been since something like this last happened?
Virgil felt a little dazed.
It felt as though Jolteon had already been defeated before he had even really gotten going.
Never mind Virgil's surprise-even the Pokémon Trainers watching could not help whispering among themselves after their initial shock.
Before the battle began, they had all thought this would be an evenly matched, thrilling fight. They had been ready to watch a clash of titans, so why did it now feel... completely different from what they had imagined?
Hadn't Virgil won more than a dozen battles in a row?
Why had he suddenly become so lackluster?
Was it because all those earlier battles had drained too much of his energy?
But that wasn't right either. After all, the one battling now wasn't Vaporeon, but the freshly sent-out Jolteon!
Indeed, that was exactly how this battle looked to everyone.
Although Jolteon's attacks were as sharp as Vaporeon's had been, it always felt as though Virgil and his Pokémon were being restricted at every turn, unable to display their earlier strength. It was like a child who could lord it over the other children suddenly being made to face an adult-there was little he could do.
And if even outsiders could clearly notice this, it went without saying that Virgil could too.
But he thought a little further than the others. He wondered whether this Dragonite might be his opponent's strongest Pokémon.