Chapter 117: The Two Who Meet in the Semifinals

On the standard rocky battlefield, a bead of cold sweat trickled down Cubone's forehead.

To be fair, it was already very close to evolving.

Under Tei Akira's training, it could confidently pat its chest and swear that its combat strength was no worse than an average Marowak's.

Maybe it could even win against one.

But the reality was—it hadn't evolved yet.

Honestly, this fight seemed unwinnable.

For Pokémon, keen perception was an extremely important ability.

Especially for those living in the wild.

Only by sharply sensing an opponent's strength could they avoid getting into a fight they couldn't win.

The moment it laid eyes on Marshtomp, Cubone felt as if it were staring at the vast, unshakable earth itself.

We're both Ground-types, so why does its Ground-typing feel... different from mine?

If it could evolve during the battle, then maybe there was a chance.

After all, it was already so close.

Alright! I'll just wait for a miracle!

Raising its bone club, Cubone looked expectantly toward Tei Akira, hoping for his command.

"Marshtomp, huh? This is going to be a problem."

Seeing Cubone's eager expression, Akira felt a pang of guilt.

He was worried that this battle might break its confidence.

As one of the officially recognized starter Pokémon of the League, Tei Akira had, of course, done his research on Marshtomp.

All starter Pokémon shared common traits: a three-stage evolution line, a relatively short growth cycle, and a final evolution form that was at least within the top tier of non-Legendary Pokémon.

They were also generally gentle in temperament, making them ideal for beginner Trainers.

Among them, Marshtomp—and by extension, Swampert—was one of the most popular.

A Water/Ground typing meant it only had one weakness: Grass. Plus, it could even Mega Evolve.

With Swift Swim as its Mega Ability, it became a fast, tanky, hard-hitting monster.

This wasn't just a battle—this was a hammer smashing down.

Even without evolving, Marshtomp was already strong enough.

Honestly, Tei Akira had no idea how Cubone was supposed to fight this matchup.

Ground-type moves would only do neutral damage, and considering Marshtomp's bulk, they'd barely make a dent.

Meanwhile, a single Water Pulse from Marshtomp could teach Cubone the harsh lessons of reality.

"Cubone, this fight is going to be tough."

"Prepare for a battle of endurance."

"Avoid direct confrontations as much as possible."

Even though he could already see how this was going to end, Tei Akira still gave Cubone a serious analysis.

So what if he knew he was going to lose?

Was he supposed to just give up and shout, 'We can't win!'?

That would be way too embarrassing.

And it would completely betray Cubone's trust in him.

No matter what, he was still the senior Trainer here. Even if he was just a stepping stone for the next generation, he had to at least lose with dignity.

If nothing else, he needed to be more graceful in defeat than the younger Trainers.

That was probably the only thing he could win in this match.

"Marshtomp, use Rain Dance and close the distance."

"Don't give it any space to maneuver."

"Once you're close, use Ice Punch on its head."

On the other side, Natsume was uncharacteristically giving direct commands during battle.

Unlike Corviknight and the others, who had been through countless struggles, Marshtomp was more like a typical greenhouse-grown Pokémon.

It had practiced move combos, studied battle strategies—

But its actual combat experience? Not much.

It only thought about training and getting stronger.

The result was that it lacked its own initiative.

Most of the time, it could only perform at its best when following Natsume's guidance.

In simple terms: strong abilities, but no independent decision-making.

That was something that definitely needed to be fixed in the future.

Though Natsume occasionally joked about being a super Hisuian Trainer,

No human's reaction time—let alone their speech—could keep up with the fast-paced battles of Pokémon.

The last match was proof of that.

Tei Akira had noticed the moment Shiny Furret attacked—

But before he could even finish speaking, Shiny Furret had already pummeled Pinsir with a Fire Punch.

In this match, Natsume would give Marshtomp a general direction,

But he absolutely wouldn't treat this like some turn-based game, issuing one command at a time.

"Marsh!"

The detached, world-weary look in Marshtomp's eyes shattered in an instant, replaced by a burning desire to win.

This was the first step on its true path to strength!

Dark clouds gathered in the sky at incredible speed.

In just two or three seconds, the sparse raindrops turned into a relentless downpour.

The two Pokémon reacted very differently to the rain.

Cubone looked extremely uncomfortable.

If it weren't for the fact that it was in the middle of a battle, it would've already fled from this hated rain.

Meanwhile, Marshtomp seemed completely unbothered.

If anything, it looked like it was enjoying itself.

With a powerful stomp, Marshtomp shot forward at incredible speed.

In just a few steps, it was already closing in on Cubone.

The wet ground and rainwater didn't slow it down at all.

"Cubone!"

With a flick of its toes, Cubone kicked up several clumps of mud and hurled them toward Marshtomp's face.

Using Mud-Slap, Cubone quickly retreated.

It didn't know how to win this fight.

So all it could do was trust in its Trainer.

As it darted backward, it let out a piercing Growl.

Mud-Slap lowered the opponent's accuracy and served as a minor distraction.

Meanwhile, Growl weakened the opponent's attack power.

Cubone's strategy for this battle was simple.

Keep its distance, use status moves to chip away at the opponent—

And wait for the perfect moment to strike!

However—

Marshtomp didn't even flinch.

It raised its arms to shield its face and bulldozed right through the mud clumps, charging forward even faster than before.

"Use Water Gun to disrupt it. Keep going."

"Marsh!"

Even after being hit by mud, Marshtomp's smooth, water-coated skin showed no signs of slowing down.

A jet of water shot out from between its arms.

It wasn't the most accurate shot, but it was enough to break Cubone's rhythm.

Dodging awkwardly to the side, Cubone barely avoided getting hit in the face.

The rain was already slowing it down, and running backward instead of turning to flee made it even less mobile.

The distance it had managed to put between them was instantly closed again.

For Marshtomp, this wasn't a chase—

It was just a few steps.

"Stealth Rock."

"Marsh!"

Marshtomp slammed its palms into the ground, sending dozens of jagged rocks into the air.

The sharp stones glowed for a moment before vanishing from sight.

In the games, Stealth Rock only dealt damage to Pokémon switching in.

But in real battles, any Pokémon that touched them would get hurt.

This effectively trapped Cubone, cutting off its escape routes.

Natsume had always preferred stable, reliable victories.

No risky plays.

No reckless gambles.

No unnecessary mercy.

As long as he secured the win, that was all that mattered.

Because in the end, a loss—no matter the excuse—was still a loss.

"Cub!"

Cubone stumbled back—

Right into a Stealth Rock trap.

The sharp explosion sent it flying straight toward Marshtomp.

And Marshtomp was already waiting.

Its fists were coated in ice, radiating an intense chill.

Raindrops froze midair before hitting the ground, turning into a fine layer of frost before melting back into the earth.

"Marsh!"

ORA!

Both of Marshtomp's frost-coated fists slammed into Cubone.

The one-two strike sent Cubone spinning into the air.

Marshtomp pulled back its fists and adjusted its stance, angling its shoulder toward its airborne opponent.

"Marsh!"

Iron Mountain Crash— (Wait, no.)

Take Down!

With a burst of raw strength, Marshtomp launched itself forward.

Cubone, already knocked back, was sent hurtling even faster in the opposite direction.

"Marsh!"

Marshtomp snapped its fingers together, forming a blade-like strike, infused with a brownish energy—

Brick Break!

With a powerful leap, it soared into the air—

And brought its palm crashing down.

"BOOM—!"

"Cubone!"

From the trainer's box, Tei Akira anxiously looked toward the battlefield.

Cubone, now completely unconscious, lay motionless on the ground.

Its bone club had rolled to the side.

Marshtomp's Brick Break never landed.

Or rather—

It had struck the empty ground beside Cubone.

"Marsh."

Marshtomp retracted its hand and struck a bodybuilder pose.

This was something it had learned from the Machoke construction crew it used to watch.

According to them, it was a victory celebration pose.

"As expected, no miracle happened."

After giving Natsume and Marshtomp a grateful nod, Tei Akira recalled Cubone.

A miracle hadn't come.

If it were that easy to achieve, it wouldn't be called a miracle.

With a sigh, Tei Akira sent out his final Pokémon.

"Dodrio, prepare for battle."

This was his last option.

Dodrio had only recently evolved, and its personality was still somewhat rebellious.

Ever since evolving, it had entered its teenage rebellion phase.

During both training and battles, it had a habit of ignoring commands.

As a middle-aged trainer, Tei Akira knew this was a serious issue for Pokémon.

But there wasn't much he could do.

At the end of the day, it was strong.

So he just had to make do while trying to fix the problem over time.

But for now?

Screw it.

Dodrio landed on the field—

And immediately turned all three heads away from Akira, bickering among themselves.

Akira felt… nothing.

Absolute silence.

He even had the urge to laugh at his own misfortune.

Go ahead, act all smug while you can.

Let's see how tough you look after this fight.

"Tei Akira is down to his final Pokémon! Will he be able to pull off an incredible comeback?!"

The host's overexcited voice blared through the speakers.

Tei Akira had only one response—

"Comeback my ass!"

If this host was so confident, they should get down here and pull off a comeback themselves!

He hadn't even been able to handle that ridiculous Shiny Furret—

And now there was Marshtomp on the field.

And judging by how Natsume had been playing so far…

Next up was probably that one.

Sure enough, in the most predictable outcome of the day,

Natsume recalled Marshtomp.

He really wants to give all his Pokémon a chance to shine, huh?

What an arrogant way of thinking.

As a former academy-trained trainer, Tei Akira had long forgotten most of what he learned in school.

But years of battle experience had taught him at least one important lesson—

Never recall a Pokémon that just secured a victory.

That momentum, that rising battle spirit—

It was an actual, tangible force that could impact the flow of battle.

But for Natsume…

It probably didn't matter.

Because Akira knew exactly who was coming next.

And there it was—

Soaring into the battlefield, the massive Corviknight appeared.

That ridiculously large bird—

No matter how many times Akira saw it in real life, it never failed to be absurdly impressive.

The moment Corviknight arrived, a blazing orb of light shot from its body, rising into the sky.

Within seconds, the dense rainclouds vanished.

The humid air dried out almost instantly.

For Corviknight—or rather, for all birds—

Rain was never a pleasant weather condition.

"GAAAH! GAAAH! GAAAH!!"

Your dad is here!

It's my favorite part of the battle—picking today's special!

Let's see who's getting beat up this time.

Its sharp eyes scanned the field.

And then—

They landed on Dodrio.

Ah.

A flightless bird.

With Corviknight's limited brain capacity, it couldn't comprehend the existence of flightless birds.

To Corviknight, Dodrio was nothing more than—

A useless, grounded, bad-tempered excuse for a bird.

Feeling Corviknight's condescending gaze, Dodrio let out a piercing screech.

With its three heads, it could attack in three directions at once—

A genuine advantage in battle.

But against Corviknight…

That advantage meant nothing.

At least—not enough to win.

Of all three battles, Corviknight's match lasted the longest.

Maybe because it just didn't like Dodrio.

Or maybe for some other reason.

But Corviknight took its time, thoroughly displaying its strength.

By the time the fight was over—

Dodrio collapsed onto the ground, its six eyes staring blankly, filled with nothing but rage and despair.

There had never been a chance to win.

It had been completely toyed with.

Completely dominated.

"Good job, Corviknight."

"Come back."

As Tei Akira recalled Dodrio,

He calmly accepted his defeat.

And that was that.

From now on, it was time to settle down and live a normal life.

The whole professional trainer thing—

That could be left to the young and talented.

As he left, Tei Akira seemed remarkably carefree.

No sadness. No disappointment. No regret.

Maybe this was just the resignation of middle age—

Or perhaps, the freedom that came with it.

In the Top 8 match, Natsume once again breezed through his opponent.

This one was even weaker than Tei Akira

Barely giving Corviknight and the others any challenge at all.

Mei's match was just as one-sided.

And so—

In the semifinals, the two finally met.

"I've finally made it this far."

Sitting in the waiting room, Mei quietly gathered her thoughts.

In her arms, Chingling chimed softly—

As if cheering her on, trying to boost her confidence.

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