Pokémon: Trainers Start as Bounty Hunters.

Blaziken's slightly blue pupils emitted an almost imperceptible light as it intently watched the smoke.

"Got it!"

A weak but extremely ferocious voice rang out, and the dust and smoke were instantly dispersed.

A powerful crocodile, its body wreathed in blue, watery light, appeared at the center of the smoke.

Tetsuya and Sugiyama Kage both understood what the state caused by the turbulent flow meant.

On one hand, Feraligatr's attack power has been greatly enhanced, but on the other hand, the activation of the Torrent ability also indicates that Feraligatr's physical condition is extremely poor at this time. Basically, if it is attacked by Blaziken again, it will lose its ability to fight.

Fortunately, the frozen state caused by the Ice Fang hitting Togekiss directly indicates that this Feraligatr does not possess the Hidden Ability Force; otherwise, Sugiyama Kage's Feraligatr would be even stronger.

If forced, a Fire-type Blaziken with its Torrent ability activated might be defeated in one hit by a powerful Water-type move; this is quite possible.

The combined power of these attacks, roughly estimated, has exceeded the Blaziken's tolerance.

However, even without forcing it, Blaziken would be seriously injured if it were hit by a regular Water-type move.

Tetsuya let out a heavy sigh. It could be said that this battle had only just begun. The advantage brought by Blaziken's rapid offensive could easily be wiped out in the next moment if they were caught off guard.

The faint white light on Blaziken's body also dissipated at this moment, and the continuous effect brought about by high-speed movement ended at this time.

However, Blaziken won't need it for now, as its speed boost has been accumulated during this period.

If it were to move at high speed, it would probably lose some control over itself, which would be counterproductive.

The two elves stood facing each other across most of the arena.

"Mighty Crocodile, Surf!" Sugiyama Kage launched the first attack.

We can't afford to delay this. Activating and maintaining the Torrent ability also consumes stamina. If we delay, Feraligatr might collapse first.

A massive wave suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and a powerful Crocodile, its body wrapped in water, stood on the crest of the wave, charging menacingly towards Blaziken.

Avoidance is the only option.

In the blink of an eye, Zhe wisely made his judgment.

"Bounce," he immediately gave the command.

Since we can't stay on the ground or underground, that leaves only the sky.

Blaziken did not hesitate.

He crouched slightly, then used his legs to propel himself into the air, his fiery red figure soaring into the sky.

Sugiyama Kage wanted Blaziken to jump into the air: "Grigio, Waterfall!"

The crocodile roared fiercely again.

Suddenly, a giant wave burst forth from beneath its feet, carrying it into the sky.

Blaziken spread its claws and hovered in the air like a large bird, its eyes calm as it looked at the rapidly approaching Crocodile below.

"The swallows return."

Tetsuya's instructions were always so timely.

When the crocodile, carrying a jet of water, was about four or five meters away from Blaziken, a dazzling white light suddenly flashed across Blaziken's body.

Immediately afterwards, Blaziken seemed to defy the laws of physics, shifting several meters to the right out of thin air.

These few meters became an insurmountable barrier between Blaziken and Crocodile.

The two Pokémon exchanged a glance, and the Feraligatr's eyes remained as fierce as ever.

However, without the thrust of the water column below, the Mighty Crocodile didn't stay in the air for long; its nearly 100-kilogram body caused it to fall straight down.

"Charge! Shadow Claw!" Tetsuya continued to command.

Blaziken nimbly flipped over, and the entire Pokémon moved diagonally downwards towards Feraligatr.

Although it cannot perform true flight, it is still very good at aerial operations, not to mention that Pidgeot often teaches it how to maintain its balance in the air.

A dark light shimmered on the Blaziken's claws, and it was clear that something was wrong.

The Ghost-type Shadow Claw is not only powerful, but it is also very easy to hit vital points.

"Tear"

The sound of claws rubbing against flesh echoed in the air.

This time, the crocodile clenched its teeth and endured the excruciating pain.

For a Pokémon like Feraligatr, this scene is almost impossible to witness.

Because it knew that if it couldn't withstand this attack, then there would be absolutely no hope of victory.

"Boom"

The crocodile was slammed to the ground again, this time with even greater force than before.

The rising smoke and dust obscured everyone's view.

The Blaziken landed lightly on the ground, absorbing the impact of its fall from a great height.

It turned its head to the side, and one of its eyes met Tetsuya's.

Tetsuya nodded slightly: "Blazing Chicken, Aura Missile."

When Tetsuya called out Blaziken's name and prepared to attack, Sugiyama Kage on the opposite side was very unhappy and angry.

According to the competition rules, if it cannot be determined whether Feraligatr still retains the ability to fight, it cannot continue to attack. Otherwise, the unconscious Pokémon will suffer extremely serious damage from the subsequent attacks, and its life may be in danger.

For a trainer, this is worse than killing himself.

However, after hearing Tetsuya's instructions to use Blaziken, Sugiyama Kage was speechless.

Blaziken's use of Aura Sphere indicates that it can use Aura Sphere, meaning that in Blaziken's perception, it is very clear that Feraligatr is not currently incapacitated.

It's impossible for Tetsuya to go against the grain and do something like eliminating his opponent's spirit at the conference.

Sugiyama Kage didn't know whether she should be happy, touched, or sad.

What's heartwarming and touching is that Crocodile is still persevering under these circumstances; what's sad is that Crocodile has no hope of surviving Blaziken's wave missile attack, and its tournament journey is about to end.

In one of the Blaziken's claws, a tiny blue wave missile gradually took shape.

"Swish"

Blaziken estimated the power and felt it was about right, so it swung it out.

The spinning wave missile streaked swiftly through the air, and everyone's eyes were fixed on the small blue orb.

"boom"

The wave missile carved a clear path through the smoke and dust, striking the still struggling crocodile directly.

"Got it!"

After letting out a weak scream, the crocodile collapsed to the ground, its limbs unable to support its body any longer.

Its eyes are drawn in circles.

"Graptopetalum is unable to battle, Blaziken wins!" The referee raised Tetsuya's blue flag without hesitation.

"Wow—"

The entire venue erupted in cheers.

Blaziken and Crocodile put on a truly high-level battle.

The audience isn't stupid; they watch the games every year, and they have their own ability to discern the truth.

They knew perfectly well that the quality of their battles was so high that even in the main arena, such fights were rare.

Moreover, Sugiyama Kage's Mighty Crocodile is definitely not to be underestimated.

In this situation, Blaziken defeated its opponent with almost no damage, which further demonstrates Blaziken's strength.

Sugiyama Kage's expression darkened as he recalled the powerless Crocodile, offered a few words of comfort, and then released his last Pokémon.

The cheers from the audience did not subside.

This is the most basic respect they can give to Sugiyama Kage.

Even the dumbest person knows that Sugiyama Kage has no chance of winning—unless he has a Champion-level Pokémon that can defeat Tetsuya's remaining four Pokémon in a four-on-one battle—but that doesn't stop them from offering their blessings and cheers for Sugiyama Kage.

Tetsuya looked at the last elite-level Nidoran with Poison and Ground attributes, his expression remaining indifferent.

This scene was broadcast on television and reached countless households.

Everyone gained a deeper understanding of this young torchbearer and powerful trainer—he was a calm and collected guy who didn't seem like a young man at all.

No rookie trainer participating in the tournament for the first time would have such a calm attitude towards making it into the top 32—although there aren't many people like that before, so there's not much to refer to.

Ten minutes later.

The referee raised the blue flag representing Tetsuya for the sixth time: "Nidoran is unable to fight, Blaziken wins."

All six of Sugiyama Kage's Pokémon on the red team were unable to battle. In the first match of the round of 64 to 32 at the Indigo League, Tamaki Tetsuya from Viridian Island in Kanto, on the blue team, emerged victorious!

Amid cheers from the audience, Blaziken unleashed a powerful burst of flame from its wrist.

This can be seen as some recognition of the two opponents they just faced; they were quite strong, and it was a very enjoyable fight.

Above the field, on the huge LCD screen, Sugiyama Kage's image and the six dim Poké Balls below him completely disappeared, and Tetsuya's image occupied the entire screen.

"Let's congratulate Tetsuya Tamaki on making it into the top 32 of this year's Quartz Tournament!"

The narrator's voice was always so passionate.

Chapter 276 A Showdown Between a Silent Friend and His Friend

"Congratulations, we look forward to facing each other again next time."

As they left the venue, Sugiyama Kage walked over and shook hands with Tetsuya.

It's certainly a pity that he couldn't defeat Tetsuya and make it into the top 32, but to say he was extremely disappointed wouldn't be an exaggeration.

Sugiyama's many years of competition experience have taught him that the source of all unsatisfactory results is that he himself is not strong enough, not that his opponents are too strong.

Moreover, finishing in the top 64 isn't a bad result; it's just that he had higher expectations for himself this time.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Sugiyama Kage left the passageway.

He was going to restore his spirit, which had lost its ability to fight, and also find a place to comfort his companions.

Tetsuya went to the Pokémon Center set up in the main arena, retrieved Serperior, and restored Togekiss and Blaziken.

It didn't take much time, since his injury wasn't serious, and he quickly returned to the players' viewing platform.

The second battle on the field had already begun. Apart from a few people who noticed Tetsuya's arrival, most of the players did not pay attention to the extra person on the spectator stand.

After all, no one knows whether the winner on the field will be their next opponent.

Tetsuya secretly approached his three other friends.

"Tsk, your Blaziken is pretty good." Yozo lowered his voice and spoke to Tetsuya.

"Not bad, not bad." Tetsuya seemed very modest, but the next second he revealed his true thoughts, "I'll just beat you up."

“Indeed, he can’t do it.” Lu Ping nodded in agreement.

These two destined rivals were opponents in the round of 64 to 32, and he naturally didn't forget to constantly try to undermine Ye Zang.

"You? I, Blazing Roaring Tiger, could beat your Lizard King with one hand, you believe me?" Ye Zang was not to be outdone, and his mouth went on and on.

Tetsuya watched their childish banter without any emotional reaction; he even felt like laughing.

Who told him to have already made it into the top 32?

"This new technology does save a lot of time." Yamashiro-kun completely ignored the conversation between the three people and instead stared at the field with great interest.

He felt even less pressure, since he was going to lose anyway.

As for the new technology he mentioned, he meant a battlefield that could be restored to a completely new state in a short time.

Normally, after a full-scale battle, the battlefield would take about an hour to regroup.

If it gets too intense, this time will need to be extended.

The power and skills of the spirits were simply too great, leaving countless craters and potholes on the field after the battle.

Even with the power of the elves, repairing many subtle details still takes a lot of time.