Fortunately, although the success rate of continuously using Protect isn't high, the chances of it working on the first attempt in battle are still very good.
Just as Pidgeot was about to strike Toucannon, a green light shield enveloped the latter's body—the Protect move had successfully activated.
Pidgeot's afterimages passed through one by one, but the fight wasn't over yet.
"Follow through and use Aerial Ace!"
Tetsuya's relentless offensive had clearly thrown Kajiyama off balance. He couldn't pinpoint Pidgeot's exact location, let alone direct Toucannon to properly defend itself.
As for the fact that the rain would expose Pidgeot's shadow clones, Kajiyama could only curse the downpour—it was too heavy to see clearly.
No matter. He gritted his teeth and commanded, "Use Whirlpool and surround yourself with it!"
If he couldn't track the opponent, then he'd target everything—including himself. After all, Toucannon had a Water typing, meaning the damage it sustained would be far less than what Pidgeot would suffer.
The battlefield was chaos. Toucannon was surrounded by Pidgeot and its numerous clones. Remaining composed, Pidgeot dove from below, its wings slicing through the rain along with its phantom copies. The slight contact disrupted the lingering Protect around Toucannon, making it fade away.
Then, as Tetsuya called out for Aerial Ace, a spectacular scene unfolded.
Every Pidgeot figure, real and fake, began glowing with the brilliant white energy of the attack. With Toucannon at the center, more than a dozen giant birds shot out in all directions, attacking from every angle.
Some Pidgeots looped back after flying past, cutting through the sky in wide arcs before diving toward their target. Others soared high before plummeting in steep dives, while a few even crossed over each other midair, striking from unexpected angles.
But Toucannon wasn't idle either. Taking advantage of the brief window when the Aerial Ace was charging up, it began summoning a Whirlpool. What started as a thin stream of water from its beak rapidly expanded, spinning violently into a massive vortex—five or six times larger than Toucannon itself.
Just as the first Pidgeot made contact, its image vanished—it had only been a shadow clone. Kajiyama let out a sigh of relief. The real Pidgeot hadn't struck yet.
Toucannon wrapped itself in the Whirlpool, though it inevitably suffered some damage in the process. Unlike a Tornado, a Whirlpool's center was still turbulent, leaving only a small, unstable safe zone.
However, the biggest issue was that by encasing itself, Toucannon could no longer track Pidgeot's movements, nor hear its trainer's instructions clearly.
All it could do was hold on and wait for the inevitable attack.
Outside the swirling vortex, Kajiyama's expression darkened. The battle wasn't going as planned.
He had expected the Whirlpool to wipe out Pidgeot's shadow clones and force its real body into a direct attack. In that case, even if Pidgeot managed to blitz through at high speed, it would still take substantial damage. The Whirlpool would also disrupt its balance, making it difficult to reach Toucannon's core.
And in some ways, he was right. One by one, the Pidgeot illusions vanished upon contact with the water. However, Pidgeot's real body never charged in.
Instead, after executing Aerial Ace, Pidgeot skimmed the edge of the Whirlpool, using the attack's energy to weaken its force just enough to slip out unharmed.
Now, from a safe distance, Pidgeot hovered in the sky, gazing down at Toucannon trapped within the churning water.
Moments later, the Whirlpool began to fade, revealing a thoroughly exhausted Toucannon.
"Air Slash!"
Tetsuya's eyes gleamed. This was his chance.
"Hyper Beam!"
Kajiyama knew the opponent wouldn't let up now. He had to take a gamble.
At this point, he was completely on the back foot. Toucannon had already drained much of its stamina. It was slower than Pidgeot, and long-range attacks were not in its favor.
So he bet it all.
With the current distance between them, there was just enough time for Hyper Beam to charge before Air Slash reached Toucannon. And with the beam's sheer speed, even Pidgeot wouldn't be able to dodge it in time.
But if Toucannon failed to knock Pidgeot out in one shot, the exhaustion that followed Hyper Beam's usage would leave it wide open for multiple counterattacks.
"Damn it, this all comes down to luck now."
Kajiyama knew that gambling in a Pokémon battle was usually a terrible idea, but given the situation, he had no other choice.
Still, he was fortunate—Tetsuya had chosen Air Slash, meaning his strategy had a good chance of working.
When Tetsuya heard Kajiyama's command, his expression tensed. He hadn't expected Toucannon to unleash Hyper Beam at this level.
He had planned to decide the battle with Air Slash—but he had miscalculated.
Too late to change course, he issued a desperate order. "Use Substitute immediately!"
Pidgeot would try to endure, but Tetsuya wasn't willing to take the risk. Even if Substitute consumed significant energy, it was better than getting hit head-on and losing outright.
As soon as Pidgeot heard the word "Air Slash," it suspended in midair, folding its wings to gather power before slashing forward with razor-sharp wind blades.
Meanwhile, Toucannon had been building up its Hyper Beam. A yellow sphere of energy glowed intensely in its beak, bursting forward just as Air Slash neared.
"Boom!"
A beam of golden light tore across the battlefield, obliterating the incoming air blades before continuing straight toward Pidgeot.
By the time Pidgeot had regained its balance from using Air Slash, the Hyper Beam was already upon it.
A split second later—
Poof.
Pidgeot vanished.
Kajiyama's initial triumph turned to horror. Hyper Beam wasn't strong enough to completely erase a Pokémon from existence—meaning Pidgeot had successfully used Substitute at the last possible moment.
As the energy dissipated, a panting but unharmed Pidgeot reappeared in the sky.
"Mirror Move!"
Tetsuya wasn't about to waste this opportunity.
With Toucannon in its post-Hyper Beam cooldown phase, Pidgeot mimicked its move, gathering energy for its own Hyper Beam.
A quick strike to end things—Tetsuya was already preparing for his next Pokémon.
Toucannon stood frozen, unable to act, as Pidgeot fired a golden beam directly at it.
Given its prior exhaustion, the attack was too much. Toucannon crashed to the ground, unable to battle.
"Return, Toucannon! Go, Ponyta—use Flame Charge!"
The rain had stopped by then.
Kajiyama knew victory was slipping away, but he wasn't going to give up easily.
Pidgeot, still recovering from battle, took a direct hit.
"Damn…" Tetsuya muttered as he recalled it. "You did great."
He threw out another Poké Ball.
"Let's go, Combusken! It's your turn!"
With the rainy battlefield finally cleared, it was time for a true fire battle.
But the fight wasn't going to be easy. Kajiyama's Ponyta had the Flash Fire ability, granting it immunity to fire attacks.
That meant Combusken had only one option—close combat.
"Use Agility—keep your distance!"
A familiar start.
Knowing Flash Fire rendered ranged fire attacks useless, Tetsuya opted to build up speed instead, allowing Combusken's Speed Boost ability to activate again.
"No chance! Charge forward, Flame Charge!"
Ponyta was fast, and Kajiyama wasn't about to let Combusken gain momentum.
The battle raged on.
"Use Bounce."
Of course, Tetsuya wasn't going to let Ponyta fight Combusken head-on.
It wasn't that Combusken couldn't win in a direct confrontation—there was just no need to take that risk.
Ponyta was incredibly fast on the ground, but it had one undeniable weakness: it couldn't fly.
As Charmander steadily closed the distance, Combusken followed Tetsuya's command, crouched low, and then launched itself high into the air.
Though it didn't have the absurd leaping ability of its evolved form, Combusken, which could clear a 30-story building with ease, Combusken could still jump several stories high—more than enough for the battle at hand.
Suspended in the air, Combusken adjusted its balance using the feathers on its head, preparing to strike as it descended toward Ponyta, who was still in motion below.
As a Pokémon capable of briefly hovering, Combusken could shift its trajectory mid-air, a critical advantage in this fight.
Seeing the incoming attack, Kajiyama barked out a command, brimming with confidence. "Jump to evade!"
Tetsuya blinked. Was he serious?
If Combusken had launched a Flamethrower or another ranged attack, dodging by jumping would have made sense. But this was Bounce.
Sure enough, Ponyta obeyed, using its powerful legs to leap upward. It had an impressive jump for a horse, but compared to Combusken's aerial prowess, it was no contest—a champion high jumper against a high school athlete.
Moreover, Ponyta had another crucial disadvantage: it couldn't control its body mid-air. Once it committed to the jump, it had no way to adjust course before landing.
Combusken, on the other hand, had full control.
Tetsuya smirked as his Pokémon shifted slightly in the air, positioning itself right above Ponyta.
Then, with a powerful kick, Combusken struck Ponyta square in the abdomen, sending the Fire-type hurtling toward the ground.
"Now, follow up with Double Kick!" Tetsuya commanded.
"Stand your ground and use Stomp!" Kajiyama countered.
"Bang! Bang!"
Combusken's powerful legs, glowing with Fighting-type energy, clashed against Ponyta's front hooves. Both Pokémon were forced back from the impact.
But Combusken was the first to regain its footing, while Ponyta staggered, struggling to stabilize itself.
"Rock Slide!" Tetsuya ordered.
"What?!" Kajiyama's eyes widened in shock.
On the battlefield, Combusken quickly picked up a large rock and hurled it straight at Ponyta.
"Dodge it, Ponyta!" Kajiyama shouted desperately.
He knew all too well that Rock-type moves were brutally effective against Fire-types.
Ponyta barely managed to steady itself, but as it looked up, a massive boulder was already descending toward it.
Kajiyama's command reached its ears.
But what could it do? There was no time. A helpless look flickered in Ponyta's eyes as the rock came crashing down.
"Neigh—!"
Ponyta let out a painful cry.
It was still just a young Pokémon.
Tetsuya raised an eyebrow. Impressive—Ponyta was still standing. It hadn't gone down yet.
"Keep up the Rock Slide."
If one wasn't enough, he would keep going until Ponyta couldn't stand anymore.
Combusken grabbed another large rock and flung it toward the already weakened Ponyta.
"Neigh~!"
Ponyta lifted its head defiantly—
And then—
"Boom!"
The rock struck. Ponyta collapsed, unconscious.
"Ponyta is unable to battle! Combusken wins!"
The referee raised a flag, signaling the end of the match. "All three of Kajiyama's Pokémon have been defeated. The winner of this match is Tetsuya Tamaki from Pewter Gym!"
The arena erupted in cheers, a well-deserved ovation for both competitors.
Tetsuya recalled Combusken, stepped off the battlefield, and extended a hand to Kajiyama. The two trainers shook hands, acknowledging each other's efforts.
"I'll win next time," Kajiyama said with a determined grin.
Tetsuya chuckled. "I'll still win."
They exchanged smiles before heading toward Nurse Joy to heal their Pokémon.
Meanwhile, the host's voice echoed over the speakers: "The battlefield will now undergo a ten-minute repair. Next, we ask Reiji from Cerulean Gym and Shunta from Goldenrod Gym to prepare for their match!"
Tetsuya handed his Poké Balls to Nurse Joy, exchanged a few words with Kajiyama, and then returned to his seat.
Kajiyama knew exactly why. Tetsuya wasn't wasting any time—he was scouting his next opponent.
After all, information was crucial in battle. If he allowed his rivals to observe his team's strengths while he remained ignorant of theirs, it could cost him the tournament.
That was exactly what had happened between him and Kajiyama earlier. Neither had seen the other's full capabilities before their match, leading to several mistakes from both sides.
But in the end, Tetsuya's raw strength had carried him through. While Kajiyama had been thoroughly suppressed, the battle could have gone differently if their skill levels had been closer.
Tetsuya closed his eyes and began analyzing his previous match.
"First, I shouldn't have used Fire Blast when Combusken was close to Poliwhirl. I should've gone with Flamethrower instead.
Fire Blast's charge time gave Poliwhirl the chance to set up Rain Dance, which severely weakened Combusken's firepower for the rest of the match. If I had gone with Flamethrower, I could've fired two quick shots with better accuracy and potentially interrupted the Rain Dance altogether.
Second, the low kick on Poliwhirl wasn't strong enough. If its balance hadn't already been unstable, that attack wouldn't have been enough to bring it down. I need to teach Combusken a stronger kicking move.
Third, I should have swapped out Combusken earlier when facing Wingull. Instead, I wasted time, allowing the rain to drain its energy. If I had switched to Pidgeot sooner, I would've had more stamina left for the final battle against Charmeleon.
Fourth, Pidgeot shouldn't have used Aerial Ace. I should have gone with Air Slash to keep up the pressure. Aerial Ace slowed the tempo down too much.
Fifth, if I did use Aerial Ace, I shouldn't have relied on Air Slash afterward. I should've closed the distance and finished the fight in close combat. Otherwise, I was just giving my opponent the opportunity to counter with Hyper Beam.
Sixth..."
Tetsuya's mind continued breaking down his performance, refining his strategy for the next battle.
This time, he wouldn't make the same mistakes.