Pokémon: Trainers Start as Bounty Hunters.

Just as Pidgeot completed this series of actions at an extremely fast speed, the two skills collided, producing an unexpected series of loud booming sounds, each one louder than the last.

"Dude, this Hoenn Coordinator also knows that move of yours."

In the rest room of the Asakusa Dojo, A-Xing, who was watching Tetsuya's match live with A-Ju, said.

"Yes, but she made some improvements, hiding the preparatory work before using Butterfly Dance, and the powder is also more tightly bound." A-Ju nodded, responding to her younger sister's question.

"Why don't you seem surprised at all?" Ah Xing complained to her older brother.

"Because I used it when she came to challenge the gym, but you ran off again, so I had to do it myself." Aju gave her worry-free younger sister a flick on the forehead.

"Ah ha~" Ah Xing could only laugh awkwardly, indicating that she couldn't understand what her older brother was saying.

However, this guy is pretty amazing. She watched the scene on TV and was able to replicate and even improve upon what Ah Ju had used. This is not something that can be done easily.

The explosions on the field finally ended, and smoke and dust filled the air.

"oh!!!!

What's going on? We saw the silver whirlwind collide with the hot air and suddenly explode violently! And it's still going on!

This is extremely disadvantageous for Tetsuya's Pidgeot; the epicenter of the explosion is just too close to it!

The commentator, who was initially introducing the skills, suddenly became passionate because of the situation on the field.

As for the fact that it's completely different from what he initially said, so what? It's perfectly normal for a commentator to be proven wrong.

He was actually hoping to get hit a few more times, because that meant the battle was taking an unexpected turn and often meant the fight would get even more exciting.

During the main competition, his salary is closely related to the viewership ratings, and he worked very hard to obtain the job of commentating on the Olympic torch runner's race.

"Will the scales explode?" Tetsuya thought with a grim expression, wondering how much damage Pidgeot had avoided.

He didn't deduce it because he knew Ah Ju knew this move.

However, this scenario is still understandable upon reflection.

Pokémon powder moves and insect scales are both highly flammable substances, and almost all trainers use fire to deal with them.

That's why Fire-type Pokémon are said to be completely effective against Bug and Grass types.

Conversely, when the dust cloud formed by such flammable material is confined within a certain range, it does not even require an open flame to ignite it; only a small amount of thermal energy is needed to detonate it.

At this point, the flammability of the powder actually increases the explosive power, and the lower limit of density required to achieve the explosion is also lowered.

Did he intentionally scatter a lot of scales when he used Butterfly Dance? Tetsuya recalled the scene of the battle just now, and it was really hard to observe.

It's perfectly normal for Pokémon like Beautifly to occasionally shed scales while flying, especially when attacked by Pidgeot's powerful Wind Rush move. The scattered scales mix with the wind and are completely invisible under sunlight.

Although the second explosion was powerful, Yuuki should have already successfully used it by then, so the damage she suffered would be less. It's just unknown whether she had completed her defensive stance during the first explosion. Tetsuya kept calculating Pidgeot's state inside the smoke.

The most dangerous aspect of using powder explosions is not the first explosion, but the second.

The initial blast wave will blow up the dust deposited on the ground, and then the negative pressure generated at the explosion's epicenter will draw in the surrounding air. As the two mix, the density of the dust increases, and the explosion becomes more violent.

Tetsuya's expression was solemn. As expected of the Indigo League, every contestant was of high quality, and every opponent was not to be underestimated.

Even without powerful spirits, they have many ways to use powerful skills.

Tetsuya's attitude became even more serious.

After assessing the situation, he launched another attack: "Whirlwind Blade, prepare."

After using Roost, Pidgeot will temporarily lose its Flying type and only have a Normal type left. Therefore, Flying-type moves will no longer have the same type bonus effect.

Fortunately, one of the standard skills is Whirlwind Blade, which can be used for ranged attacks.

Noriyoshi Sugiyama gritted her teeth. Honestly, she hated trainers with this kind of relentless offensive style the most.

If the guy on the other side hadn't switched to hot air so decisively, the power of his Hunting Butterfly's scale powder explosion would have been even stronger.

A vortex of air suddenly appeared in the smoke and dust on the field.

"Aim at the target and use Shadow Ball."

The instant the Whirlwind Blade's charged-up state manifested, Sugiyama Noriyoshi hurriedly directed the Hunting Butterfly, which had barely managed to stabilize itself from the aftershocks of the explosion, to launch a counterattack.

There's no other way; Pidgeot's type provides excellent resistance to Bug and Grass-type moves that Butterfree excels at. Rather than wasting energy and stamina on those low-damage moves, it's better to attack with Shadow Ball.

If you're lucky, you might even be able to disrupt Pidgeot's energy, reducing its energy defense capabilities.

She did want to use poison skills to wear down the opponent's stamina, but considering the weak toxicity of her hunting swallowtail butterfly and the difference in strength between the two, she decided against it. This job was better suited for the poison moth.

A dark purple Shadow Orb spawned in front of the small main body of the Hunting Swallowtail.

With a flick of its mandibles, the Hunting Butterfly sent the Shadow Ball hurtling towards Pidgeot's location.

"boom."

The sound of collisions rang out, but the air vortex remained completely undisturbed.

Undeterred, the Hunting Butterfly conjured another Shadow Ball and threw it at Pidgeot.

"laugh--"

This time, the Shadow Ball failed to hit Pidgeot. The Whirlwind Blade, which needed some time to charge up, was ready. The blades made of air formed a vertical vortex and crashed directly into the Shadow Ball. After destroying it, it continued its momentum, frantically slicing around the Butterfree.

The hunting swallowtail butterfly let out a painful cry.

"Air Slash, take care of it."

As Tetsuya gave his final command, several more air blades flew out from the lingering dust and struck the already wounded body of the Hunting Butterfly.

The hunting swallowtail butterfly finally couldn't hold on any longer and spun around before falling into the dust.

The dust and smoke dissipated.

The swallowtail butterfly's eyes darted around in circles, and the eagle spread its wings and flew back into the air.

Apart from its feathers being slightly ruffled, it didn't seem to have suffered any damage.

"Butterfly is unable to battle, Pidgeot wins, should the blue player change their Pokémon?"

The referee raised a blue flag, indicating that Tetsuya was the winner of the match, and then asked...

Tetsuya shook his head, signaling Pidgeot to continue fighting.

"Now, please send out your second Pokémon, and the battle will begin again!" The referee lowered the blue flag and raised the red flag again, signaling to Sugiyama Noriyoshi.

"You little devil, teach it a lesson!"

Noriyoshi Sugiyama threw out a deluxe ball with great flair.

An elf with an indigo body, topped with five huge, bright red petals with white spots and an orange central axis forming a "flower," appeared on the ice field.

The two elves stared at each other across the air, as if everything had just begun.

However, on the large screen next to the field, under Noriyoshi Sugiyama's image, a Poké Ball had dimmed, and next to it was an image of Beautifly.

Although she shouted with great enthusiasm, she knew the bitterness in her heart. She felt unlucky enough to be drawn on the ice field as her first match. In the first round, she also encountered a strong opponent who could be said to have the strength to make it into the top 64.

They can't beat them at all.

Her Pokémon's type was basically completely countered by Tetsuya's Pokémon.

The same pattern was observed in both the hunting swallowtail butterfly in the previous game and the queen beetle in this game.

Nidoqueen is alright, but it's an ice-type terrain. You can't expect a Pokémon like Nidoqueen to move freely on ice floes. If it accidentally falls into the icy water, it could be fatal for a Ground-type Nidoqueen.

"Air Slash".

Tetsuya once again seized the initiative and continued to wear down his opponent from a distance.

Sugiyama Noriyoshi felt like she was going crazy. Your Pidgeot strength is clearly far superior, so why are you playing so conservatively?

Tetsuya didn't care about any of that. Poison-type and Ghost-type Pokémon are arguably the two types most adept at winning against stronger opponents, and he didn't want to be caught off guard.

After the explosion of scales, he dared not underestimate his opponent.

"Throw".

However, Sugiyama Noriyoshi had no choice but to command the Queen of Flowers to passively defend.

With Pidgeot's strength and speed, seizing the initiative would be a piece of cake. As the weaker party, she naturally wanted to take the initiative and do something in hopes of winning, but that was not up to her.

Sighing helplessly, she thought to herself, "If only the other side had chosen to change their Pokémon."

The losing side sends out their Pokémon, and the right to attack first remains the same as at the beginning, with each side vying for it; whoever uses their skill first becomes the first to attack.

It's like starting a new game, the only difference being the state of the winning Pokémon and the overall situation of the battle.

However, if the winning side chooses to change their Pokémon, it's as if the losing side's Pokémon is already on the field, allowing them to charge up and use their skills in advance. In this case, the latter will inevitably attack first.

Don't underestimate the importance of striking first or last; it greatly influences who gains the initiative in the battle.

This is precisely why, in dojo battles, the challenger, who is in a weaker position, naturally has the first-strike advantage.

However, trainers rarely change their Pokémon after a victory, as it's not a worthwhile choice unless absolutely necessary or when victory is assured.

"bang bang bang"

Pidgeot's air slash collided with the ice block thrown by Vileplume's throwing skill, producing a dull thud. The shattered ice block turned into icy mist and drifted into the air.

The fine strands reflect sunlight, creating a dazzling array of colors.

"Wow, as expected of a Coordinator from the Hoenn region, Ji Jia is extremely skilled at creating such aesthetically pleasing scenes."

Some viewers in the Kanto region may not be very familiar with the Coordinator class. So, what exactly is a Coordinator...?

The scene became somewhat dull for a moment. The air slash was superior in quality, while the thrown ice blocks were superior in quantity and speed. The commentator could only find a unique angle to start explaining the science.

"This Vileplume is pretty good. It's even mastered a non-type throwing skill so skillfully," Tetsuya exclaimed.

"Raise the altitude, and send hot air downwards."

This stalemate wasn't going to work. Although Pidgeot was likely to win in the end, it would be too much of a waste of time. Tetsuya decisively changed his move again.

The advantage of taking the initiative is that the opponent's rhythm must follow yours.

Upon hearing the command, Pidgeot unleashed several air slashes, forcing Vileplume to defend itself. Then, it flapped its wings and instantly appeared sixty or seventy meters in the air.

This is the maximum height that flying sprites can stay at for an extended period of time in the competition. Any higher than that can only be briefly skipped, otherwise it will be considered as passive play and result in a loss.

That makes sense, since many Pokémon can't fly, and you can't hit them if they're too high up.

The fiery red curtain reappeared on the field, but this time it wasn't moving from left to right, but rather pressing down from top to bottom.

“kelakela”

Under the helpless gazes of Sugiyama Noriyoshi and Bawanghua, the ice field gradually began to melt away.

There was absolutely nothing the Queen of the Night could do.

You can't expect powder or venom to fly that high when it's used; at most, it'll only be about fifty meters, which is far too low to reach the target.

Not to mention that the presence of hot air above will quickly deplete these substances.

The setting of 60 to 70 meters is very unfriendly to some Pokémon that do not have ranged attack methods, and coincidentally, Vileplume is one of them.

"Sunbeam, shatter it!"

As the fire-type hot wind melted the ice field and continued to attack the grass-type Vileplume, Sugiyama Noriyoshi made a final stand.

After a long period of charging up, a blazing beam of light shot upwards.

A large circular hole was suddenly torn open in the middle of the fiery red curtain, revealing the Queen of the Night flower standing on a small ice floe below.

The surrounding area was completely filled with water.

The Queen of the Seas says that although it is a Grass-type and not afraid of water, it cannot swim at all; it is a complete landlubber.

Pidgeot, having anticipated this, began its high-speed flight high in the sky just as Vulpix began charging its Sunbeam.

The powerful Grass-type move Solar Beam didn't even touch it.

Or rather, even if it encounters a problem, it's not a big deal, since Grass-type moves only deal half the damage of their standard power. Given the difference in strength, even a fragile creature like it can withstand at least two or three Solar Beams.

The battle proceeded as expected.

"The Queen of Paprika is unable to fight, Pidgeot wins..."

The referee continued to perform his duties as always.

"It's quite a drain," Tetsuya thought, looking up at Pidgeot, who was slightly panting.

The gap between a near-elite king and an elite peak isn't ridiculously large. After defeating two opponents in a row, Pidgeot also suffered some damage, and its stamina declined noticeably.

However, winning the last one shouldn't be a problem.