"Who's our opponent next round?"
Kaixin came over to ask after finishing her match.
"We're facing each other. Ritchie's up against Riley." Yushu pointed at the screen.
Kaixin put on an exaggerated reaction. "Oh dear, doesn't that mean we'll have to fight each other? Go easy on me, Yushu."
"You're the one who should go easy, Kaixin," Yushu said helplessly. "Tell your Chatot to watch its mouth."
An even larger crowd had gathered in the square than that morning.
Now that they had reached the semifinals, the matches were bound to get much more exciting.
"Go, Chatot!"
"Go, Miltank!"
Both Pokémon took the field at the same time.
Chatot landed on Kaixin's shoulder, tilting its head as it sized Miltank up with a look of scrutiny reserved for prey.
Miltank was as placid as ever, standing there as steady as a mountain.
Chatot launched the first offensive:
"Chat..." (Yo, pink cow, you're pretty round. What are you doing entering a tournament? Why aren't you off making milk instead of joining the fun here?)
Miltank remained unmoved.
"Chat..." (I'm talking to you. Pretending you can't hear? You must eat plenty, huh? With that figure, you don't even need to build up your Rollout. Just squat down and you're a ball.)
Miltank still remained unmoved.
Yushu silently admired Miltank's mental fortitude.
If that had been Staraptor, its feathers would probably have been ruffled long ago.
Miltank really is the one for the job. What a steady temperament!
"Chatot, use Air Slash!"
Seeing that the mockery was ineffective, Kaixin attacked directly.
"Chat...!" (Not talking, huh? Let's see if you dodge this!)
Chatot flapped its wings, sending an Air Slash whistling toward Miltank.
"Miltank, Defense Curl."
Miltank curled into a ball. Air Slash struck its body, leaving only a faint white mark.
"Chatot, keep using Air Slash."
Kaixin frowned, intending to wear it down from a distance.
Chatot flapped its wings repeatedly, sending Air Slash after Air Slash flying toward Miltank.
"Miltank, Rock Slide!"
Yushu countered with a barrage of Rock Slide to knock the bird down.
Rumble!
Several large rocks fell from the sky toward Chatot!
Chatot hurriedly dodged, weaving between the rocks while still remembering to counterattack with Air Slash!
"Keep going! Rock Slide!"
Miltank used Rock Slide again, intending to keep restricting Chatot's movements with rocks.
"Chatot, break through with Steel Wing!"
Chatot's wings shone with a metallic gleam. It smashed straight through a rock falling toward it, then gained altitude to prepare for a dive.
The two exchanged attacks like this for a while, neither able to get the better of the other.
"Miltank, Milk Drink."
During that opening, Miltank lowered its head toward its own head and began gulping down milk.
The damage from Chatot's subsequent air blades couldn't keep up with the recovery from its milk.
The corner of Kaixin's mouth twitched.
"Th-this is allowed?"
"Of course it is! Want some? There's plenty of milk."
Yushu spoke smugly.
Want to fight a war of attrition against Miltank? Not unless you bring out Blissey.
"It's drinking its own milk to recover? What a... move."
"It makes its own milk and drinks it itself. Producing and consuming its own goods-a closed-loop economy!"
"That staying power is ridiculous!"
Kaixin had figured it out. Miltank's defenses were too high, and it could heal itself. Wearing it down from a distance wasn't getting her anywhere.
She had to take it out in one go with a powerful move.
"Chatot, get close and use Steel Wing!"
Chatot had no energy left for trash talk either. Its wings shone with a dazzling metallic gleam as it dived straight down!
"Block it!"
Miltank took Steel Wing head-on, the attack slamming into its belly.
Boom!
But Miltank's weight and bulk were plain to see. It didn't budge an inch, then reached out and seized the opportunity to wrap its arms around Chatot.
"Lift Chatot up! Body Slam!"
Yushu shouted.
Chatot's expression changed instantly.
"Squawk?!" (Wait a sec! No! Calm down! Don't go down the road of crime! A bird's gonna die!)
But Miltank remained unmoved. Holding Chatot in its arms, it slammed straight down with Body Slam.
"Moo!" (Down you go!)
BOOM!!!!
"Chat... Chatot..." (I think I'm a little dead...)
"Chatot is unable to battle! The winner is Yushu!"
Zongping hadn't expected Kaixin's Chatot to lose the match this way either.
The bird that had spent all day spewing venom had finally gone quiet.
Kaixin recalled Chatot and looked at Yushu resentfully.
"That Miltank of yours... isn't it a little too cheap?"
Yushu chuckled. "Tactics. It's all tactics."
"Ranged attacks do nothing, and in close combat, it grabs you and squashes you flat... Your Miltank is a total bug!"
The more Kaixin thought about it, the angrier she got.
She had thought her Chatot's built-in Taunt was already broken enough, but there was always a higher mountain.
There's an even greater expert!
"Calm down, Kaixin. I'll treat you to cheese after the tournament. A double portion!"
"That's more like it."
Next came the second semifinal.
Ritchie versus Riley.
Yushu found a good seat by the field, ready to watch the match closely.
Ritchie was the first opponent he had encountered since transmigrating, while Riley was an Aura Guardian. A match between these two was bound to be exciting.
"Begin the match!"
Zongping gave the signal.
"Go, Bibarel!"
Ritchie sent out his ace.
"Riolu."
Riley sent out Riolu once again.
The two Pokémon faced off on the field as the atmosphere gradually grew tense.
"Bibarel, use Swords Dance!"
Ritchie made the first move.
A blue glow covered Bibarel's body. Swords Dance activated, sharply raising its Attack.
"Riolu, Vacuum Wave."
Riolu swept its arm, firing an invisible Vacuum Wave toward Bibarel.
It was so fast that its trajectory was almost impossible to see.
"Bibarel, take it head-on!"
Bibarel crossed its arms and took the Vacuum Wave head-on.
"Good, now use Rollout!"
Bibarel curled into a ball and rolled straight toward Riolu like a brown cannonball.
Riley called out, "Riolu! Dodge left!"
"Ri!"
Riolu dodged left, easily avoiding Bibarel's Rollout.
"He really can predict attacks."
Ritchie's expression soured. This was getting tricky.
"Bibarel, change direction!"
Bibarel forcibly changed direction and rolled toward Riolu again.
Riley timed his call. "Right this time!"
Riolu darted right, dodging once again.
Ritchie's expression grew grave.
Riley was far too good at prediction. Every time, he could anticipate the direction of Bibarel's attack.
At this rate, Bibarel's stamina would be wasted for nothing.
"Bibarel, use Aqua Tail!"
Bibarel leaped out of its roll, gathering water around its tail and sweeping it toward Riolu.
"Jump, then Metal Claw."
Riolu leaped lightly, avoiding Aqua Tail as its claws shone with a metallic gleam and swiped toward Bibarel's head.
"Headbutt!"
Rather than retreating, Bibarel advanced. Its head shone with white light as it rammed straight into Riolu's Metal Claw.
Bang! The two Pokémon collided. Riolu was knocked back several steps, its claws tingling slightly.
Bibarel's strength was truly astonishing, and after the boost from Swords Dance, it was even more terrifying.