Pokémon: Trainers Start as Bounty Hunters.

Most of the audience members instinctively covered their ears, their faces showing pain.

Only the experienced referees who sensed something was wrong, and some spectators who frequently watched powerful trainers compete and paid attention to the referees' actions, uniformly took out special earplugs to plug their ears.

The commentators didn't notice either, but after being reminded by his referee colleagues, he promptly hid in the designated protective area to avoid being tortured.

Fortunately, the people in the Elf World have extraordinary physical abilities in all aspects, otherwise the aftershocks from the clash of these skills would have been enough to injure many people.

The aftershocks of the explosion gradually dissipated.

Looking at the Pidgeot, whose massive body was covered by its wings not far above him, Tetsuya finally felt a little relieved.

"Beep—"

The high-pitched birdsong rang out again.

The eagle spread its wings in the air, and with slight wounds, it appeared in people's sight, panting.

The crow leader on the other side wasn't doing much better.

Or rather, compared to Pidgeot, which retreated at the same time but at a faster speed, Pidgeot, as the one taking the initiative, suffered more severe injuries.

The leader of the crows got a little greedy.

Based on its usual habits and training, it should have given up suppressing the Evil Wave Explosion much earlier.

But it wanted to inflict even more serious damage on the Pidgeot, so it gritted its teeth and forcibly extended the time.

Unexpectedly, this mere few seconds of delay allowed Pidgeot to realize something was wrong and retreat.

"Cheer up, crow leader!"

Shinagawa Seiji noticed in time that something was wrong with his Pokémon's mental state.

After thinking for a moment, he realized that his partner was blaming himself, so he quickly comforted him.

This can't be blamed on the crow leader; at least the opposing trainer didn't notice. It was just unexpected and a pity that Pidgeot discovered it.

"Well done."

Coincidentally, Tetsuya on the other side was also cheering on his spirit.

His back was covered in cold sweat after the match had gone on for so long.

If Pidgeot hadn't noticed the problem and retreated, it would have definitely lost its fighting ability due to the impact of the explosion at close range.

Therefore, in Pokémon battles, Pokémon and trainers are always complementary.

The game went into a brief break.

Off the field, the audience, having recovered from their initial shock, turned the quiet main arena into a cacophony of noise.

"Wow~ I can't believe it! It's hard to believe we're watching the round of 16. If it weren't right in front of me, I'd think we were watching the final of the Quartz Conference!"

The commentator, having returned to the field from safety, switched back to professional mode, showering praise on the two trainers and their Pokémon.

The wildly cheering audience showed how deeply his words resonated with people.

However, some players on the viewing platform looked rather unhappy.

While it's true that they played well and were very strong, this statement underestimates them. And were their matches not exciting?

No trainer of similar strength would easily admit that they are weaker than their opponent, especially not these "veterans" and Tetsuya.

Before a true all-out battle takes place, no one can define who is stronger or weaker.

The commentator, who was far away from the two elves in the air, couldn't help but shiver.

He looked up at the blazing sun, and as he spoke, he retreated a distance away from Pidgeot and the raven leader.

I still feel like this place isn't safe enough.

If it weren't for my duty, I wouldn't want to stay here at all; it's just too dangerous. The sky is not humanity's domain.

"Philippines, Tornado!" "Crow leader, Swallow turn and swoop!"

Two loud shouts interrupted his unprofessional train of thought, and the commentator quickly turned his attention back to the field.

Chapter 289: The Ace Showdown Takes Places Ahead of Schedule

Under the command of their respective trainers, both Pokémon reacted simultaneously.

The Pied Eagle stood upright in the air, and tornadoes gradually rose on both sides of it.

With a flap of its wings, two tornadoes burst forth, merging into one as they moved forward to form a massive tornado.

Despite its already small size, the crow leader was not afraid of the imposing scene before it and charged forward with a white light.

The wind whipped up the dark clouds, and between the clouds and the ground, crows, their heads like black lightning bolts, soared proudly.

For some reason, Tetsuya suddenly remembered these words.

In the blink of an eye, the crow leader's figure disappeared into the tornado.

"Bi Diao, prepare to return."

Tetsuya watched the disappearing crow leader and slowly gave the order.

He didn't expect the tornado to stop the Crow Chief from using the Swallow Return Flight.

Even as a dragon-attribute skill, the tornado's power is still not very strong, and the actual damage suffered by the crow leader who rushed in was not that great.

The greater purpose of the area-of-effect tornado is to buy time.

With a cry, the Pidgeot's body shone with a dazzling white light, just like the raven leader from before.

Maintaining its swallow-like posture, its sharp eyes continuously scanned the entire tornado.

Suddenly, ripples like water appeared at a certain point in the swirling wind that shot into the sky, and Pidgeot immediately turned its gaze in that direction.

"It's fake, on the left."

At the same time, Tetsuya's slightly anxious shout pulled its gaze back.

However, it was already a little late.

The raven leader, glowing white, burst out of the tornado.

Although the crow leader's condition was visibly worse than before, its aura had become even more ferocious.

The Pidgeot was not to be outdone. Although it was a step too late, it still charged toward the crow leader, trailing a white light.

The audience held their breath, watching two white lights rapidly approach each other in the sky above the arena, waiting for the moment when the outcome would be decided.

To everyone's surprise, just before the two beams of white light were about to collide, the two spirits changed direction at the same time, flying past each other in opposite directions.

"How wonderful this is..."

Before the commentator could even praise the brilliant aerial maneuver, the situation in the air changed again.

The two spirits, now seemingly mirror images of each other, moved in an arc, one to the left and one to the right, and faced each other again.

Pidgeot's eyes were full of fighting spirit, and the raven leader's eyes were full of ferocity.

"Beep—" "Ugh—"

The sharp cry that rang out indicated that this was the real showdown; the previous evasion was just an appetizer.

At the speed of two flying sprites, it was only a blink of an eye before the two beams of white light collided.

The white light representing the use of the Swallow Return skill on the heads of the Pidgeot and the Crow that passed each other again gradually dissipated.

The two elves, now back to normal, flapped their wings and stood high in the sky, much like the scene often seen after a duel between two swordsmen.

But in any contest, there is always a winner and a loser.

"Ugh—"

After a harsh cry, the crow leader's eyes turned into circles, and it fell helplessly from the sky.

“Come back, Crow Chief.”

Seeing that things were not going well, Shinagawa Seiji immediately took out a Poké Ball and recalled Crowhead to prevent it from falling to the ground and being injured again.

The referee cast an inquiring glance his way.

Shinagawa Seiji nodded slowly.

"The raven leader is incapacitated; Pidgeot wins!"

Seeing this, the referee raised the flag representing Tetsuya without hesitation.

Cheers erupted once again.

Generally, in such cases, the trainer should be asked to release the Pokémon again to confirm the situation; otherwise, no conclusions should be drawn hastily.

However, as long as the trainer agrees, not releasing the trainer for confirmation can also be considered as losing the ability to battle.

When a Pokémon shows obvious signs of being unable to battle, the trainer's suggestion to switch Pokémon cannot be used as a reason to recall a Pokémon from the field; this is clearly stated in the tournament rules.

The referee has a great deal of discretion in this process, but under the watchful eyes of the public, experienced referees are unlikely to make any major mistakes.

Besides, they wouldn't dare to make a wrong judgment.

Seeing its opponent being taken back and the referee declaring it the winner, Pidgeot, which had maintained its composure, immediately slowed down and began to pant heavily.

If it weren't for the greater damage caused by the Dark Pulse explosion, if it weren't for the fact that it used a significant amount of its stamina to create a decoy using its Stand when it emerged from the tornado, if it weren't for Pidgeot's desperate efforts to avoid being hit in vital areas during its attack...

Recalling the series of actions just now, Tetsuya's expression remained unchanged despite his victory.

Looking at Pidgeot, whose condition was almost zero, you could tell how hard-won this victory was, and the battles to come would only be more difficult.

"Please release Seiji..."

The referee performed his duties as usual.

But one problem after another arose.

Pidgeon, dragging its weary body back to its own half to prepare for its next opponent, seemed to be struck by something and collapsed straight down.

Shinagawa Seiji's face, which was somewhat serious due to the second loss, couldn't help but show a slight smile, which he quickly suppressed.

Tetsuya was completely unprepared for this and stared at the scene in utter astonishment.

He then realized the reason.

"Invisible Rock?"

He muttered a helpless complaint under his breath.

It can only be said that Pidgeot, having exhausted its stamina, became too sluggish in sensing its surroundings. In addition, the well-buried cloak rock was indeed difficult to spot, which is why it suffered a great loss.

But that doesn't make sense either, Tetsuya frowned.

The Giant Rock and Onix have been setting up the Invisible Rock together for a long time. Putting aside the impact of their skill clashes that shattered the Invisible Rock, it's also impossible for it to last that long.

This location...

Tetsuya retracted his Pidgeot while constantly examining it.

"Tell me how you discovered that the Raven Leader was using a Stand, and I'll tell you why the Invisible Rock was in that location, okay?"

Shinagawa Seiji's voice carried across the area.

Tetsuya narrowed his eyes and nodded: "Okay."

Then he changed the subject: "However, we'll talk about it after we've finished the fight."

His fighting spirit was made no attempt to conceal.

Upon hearing this, Shinagawa Seiji laughed: "Then I hope you won't be so angry when you're the loser."

"You, as a loser, don't seem to have the right to say such things, do you?"

Tetsuya responded tit for tat.

The audience, who had just been confused because they couldn't hear a specific explanation, were immediately stimulated by the atmosphere between the two contestants.

Cheers from supporters on both sides were deafening.

"Now that Pidgeot is unable to battle, please send out your next Pokémon."

That's why they say they're experienced; the referee quickly came to his senses and corrected his statement.

The two who were exchanging barbs snorted coldly.

"Burn everything, Blaziken!" "Let's show them what true power is! Go, Blastoise!"