Chapter 189: The Indigo League Begins!

Before the official opening ceremony of the Indigo League, a preliminary round is held to determine the 256 official participants.

Many trainers lacking sufficient strength will be eliminated during this stage. However, some fortunate ones might make it through the preliminaries and enter the official tournament.

The first step before the battles begin is to draw lots to determine opponents.

The preliminaries follow a one-on-one battle format—losing a match means immediate elimination.

To ensure their advancement, most trainers choose to send out their strongest Pokémon in this round, guaranteeing their best chances of success.

Ron was no exception. However, unlike other trainers, Ron had to be wary of potential hidden threats from the League itself, requiring him to maintain the highest level of vigilance.

Despite the large number of participants, the preliminary matches proceeded in an orderly fashion without any chaos.

Soon, Ron's first preliminary match began.

No one knew how many battles they would have to endure before securing a spot among the final 256 participants.

As the battle commenced, Ron's opponent was especially cautious, fearing that Ron's Machamp would seize an opportunity to end the match swiftly.

Unfortunately for them, their strongest Pokémon was merely an Mid Elite level Venusaur. No matter how careful they were, they stood no chance against Machamp.

"Machamp, Finger Pistol: Fire Blade!"

Seeing that his opponent hesitated to attack, Ron commanded Machamp to take the initiative.

Using Shave, Machamp vanished from its original position. Even without moving at full speed, its velocity was overwhelming, leaving both the opposing trainer and their Venusaur unable to react in time.

Tiny embers danced in the air as Machamp's attack landed squarely on Venusaur.

The searing flames, combined with the sheer impact, sent Venusaur flying.

"Machamp, jump and use Finger Pistol: Fire Blade again!"

Before Venusaur could land, Machamp launched another attack.

The opponent quickly responded, ordering Venusaur to use Vine Whip in an attempt to restrain Machamp.

However, Machamp's speed was still superior.

Fire Punch ignited as Machamp struck, sending Venusaur crashing into the ground.

Facing a mere Level 45 Venusaur, it only took two attacks for Venusaur to lose all fighting capability.

Ron watched as his opponent stood in shock, unable to accept how easily they had been defeated.

The realization of an entire year's effort—earning eight Gym Badges, enduring rigorous training—only to be eliminated so swiftly, brought tears streaming down the trainer's face.

It was much like an academic entrance exam—sometimes, a single point could determine one's entire future.

If circumstances allowed, Ron wouldn't have minded giving his opponent more opportunities to display their full strength.

But now, he couldn't afford to do so. Who knew whether hidden eyes were watching him from the shadows? It was imperative to finish the battle quickly, preventing any spies from fully gauging Machamp's abilities. This way, he could maintain an advantage.

Per tournament regulations, the next preliminary battle took place two hours later.

Once again, Ron's opponent was only at Mid Elite level, and once again, the battle ended within a few attacks. It was so effortless that even Ron found it somewhat unexpected.

Not until the third round did Ron finally face an High Elite level opponent.

"Go, Charizard! Use Blast Burn!"

As soon as the match started, Ron's opponent, Carson, took the initiative by commanding Charizard to attack.

Taking advantage of its airborne position, Charizard unleashed a raging Blast Burn toward Machamp.

"Machamp, Aura Sphere! Use Stone Edge to chase!"

Since this was only the preliminaries, Ron needed to keep some of his trump cards hidden.

A bright blue Aura Sphere shot forth. At Level 58, Machamp significantly outclassed Carson's Level 53 Charizard, and with Aura Sphere's superior power over Blast Burn, the fiery attack was easily overpowered. The sphere continued its trajectory, forcing Charizard to evade.

At the same time, Machamp executed Stone Edge, using the levitating stones to propel itself upward with Moonwalk, rapidly closing the distance between itself and Charizard.

"Charizard, use Heat Wave to force Machamp back!"

"Machamp, Shave: Thunder Blade!"

Both trainers issued their commands simultaneously.

Just as Charizard dodged Aura Sphere, it swiftly activated Heat Wave.

In an instant, the surrounding air grew scorching hot.

Stepping off the last airborne stone, Machamp lunged forward, lightning crackling around its arms as it effortlessly sliced through the Heat Wave.

With a direct hit to Charizard's chest, electricity surged through its body, while Machamp's other three arms swiftly grabbed onto Charizard's wings.

Combining Finger Pistol with Thunder Punch, Machamp inflicted severe damage on Charizard's wings before using all its strength to hurl Charizard downward, crashing into the ground and leaving a deep crater.

"Charizard, Fire Blast!"

"Machamp, Quadruple Thunder Punch!"

Both trainers shouted their commands once more.

But this time, Charizard couldn't react in time. Overwhelmed by pain, its reflexes slowed.

Lightning illuminated the crater as electrical energy engulfed Charizard.

Due to the Electric-type attack's effectiveness against Flying-types, Charizard's agonized roars gradually faded.

As the electric discharge dissipated, Charizard lay unconscious, completely defeated.

Finger Pistol combined with Thunder Punch's super-effective damage left Charizard's entire body charred, with an additional wound on its chest from the Finger Pistol strike.

"How is this possible!"

Carson's eyes went blank with shock, but Ron didn't linger. He recalled Machamp and swiftly left the battlefield.

Now that High Elite-level opponents had started appearing, Ron knew they would keep coming one after another. He had to prepare himself as soon as possible.

Back in the resting area, Ron released Bellossom and Gardevoir, allowing them to assist in Machamp's recovery. Meanwhile, he pretended to give Machamp a standard massage, but in reality, he was using his Fighting Aura energy to heal it.

Although Gardevoir's psychic abilities hadn't detected any surveillance equipment, Ron couldn't rule out the possibility that the other side had used materials that blocked psychic detection. He had to remain cautious.

Just as Ron expected, within just half an hour, his next preliminary match was announced—once again against an High Elite-level opponent. However, this time, his opponent's Pokémon had reached level 57, only one level below his Machamp.

Before the Indigo League, Ron had already considered the two most effective ways to sabotage him.

The first method was eliminating him during the preliminaries—nothing would damage a trainer's reputation more than an early exit.

The second method was letting him build up a strong reputation by progressing through the tournament, only to have someone defeat him fair and square after two-thirds of the competition had passed.

From the looks of it, the League had chosen the first method.

Even if Ron won this match, he knew it wouldn't be long before he was forced into his final battle of the preliminaries.

But Ron wasn't worried.

In fact, he was more curious—if he managed to survive the preliminaries, what kind of opponent would the League send against him next?

Stepping out of the resting area, Ron walked toward the battlefield. His opponent was already there, fully prepared and waiting for him.

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