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Standing on Liam's shoulder was Larvitar. He followed the flow of people and once again entered the arena, where waves of cheers roared in his ears. Of course, they weren't for Liam specifically, but enthusiastic applause for all the trainers appearing on stage.
By now, the venue had already split into sixteen distinct battlefields. Liam was among the first batch of participants and had drawn Field No. 4 — the Rock Field.
Liam made his way to the edge of the Rock Field. His opponent, a young boy who was likely a rookie Trainer, was already standing on the opposite command platform. The kid looked extremely nervous and began gulping repeatedly when he saw Liam approaching.
"Alright! Both participants are in position, and the match on Rock Field No. 4 is about to begin! On the red side, we have a rookie Trainer from Cerulean City — Reed! On the green side, a rookie Trainer from Pallet Town — Liam! Match rules: Each side may use only three Pokémon. The match continues until all three Pokémon on one side are unable to battle or the Trainer forfeits. Pokémon cannot be swapped mid-battle except after each round is decided. These are the rules. Do both Trainers understand?"
Seeing Liam arrive, the referee at the edge of the Rock Field hurriedly reiterated the rules.
"Yeah! I understand!"
Reed, who had been quite tense at first, felt noticeably more at ease when he heard that Liam was also a rookie Trainer. Liam looked older than him by several years, but if they were both rookies, then their skill levels shouldn't be too far apart — or so Reed hoped.
"Understood," Liam nodded to the referee. He then turned to look at Reed, who seemed to have found some confidence, and swiftly pulled a PokeBall from his belt. With a slight smile, he said:
"Better be careful. This is my first official League match — and I'm not holding back."
Reed bristled at the comment and immediately pulled out a PokeBall of his own. Wrinkling his nose, he shot back:
"I never hold back either! My partners are all super strong!"
"Alright! Both Trainers are ready! The first match on Rock Field No. 4 — starts now! Trainers, send out your first Pokémon!"
"Let's go, Arcanine!"
"Go, Gloom!"
As the referee's voice fell, both Liam and Reed shouted and threw their PokeBalls. With twin flashes of light, Arcanine appeared majestically on the rocky battlefield — while facing him was a dopey-looking Gloom.
"Uh… looks like you got the short end of the stick. You're at a type disadvantage right off the bat."
Liam already felt like he was bullying someone by battling Reed. Now that the first round had begun and Reed had led with a Gloom — which was completely countered by his Arcanine — Liam felt a twinge of guilt. After all, even Sara, the Gym Leader of Celadon City, had her Victreebel one-shot by Arcanine. Liam seriously doubted that this Gloom was stronger than Sara's.
"Don't underestimate me! My Gloom is awesome! Type disadvantage means nothing to us! Gloom, use Sleep Powder!"
Clearly fired up, Reed wasn't having any of it. His Gloom quickly flapped the leaves on either side of its head, releasing a cloud of powder that drifted toward Arcanine.
"Then I won't go easy either! Arcanine, Heat Wave!"
As soon as the Gloom launched its attack, Liam pointed forward and gave his command.
"Roooaaar!"
With Liam's order, Arcanine stomped forward mightily. A wave of scorching wind surged from his body, sweeping across the field. In an instant, the Sleep Powder was blown back.
But that wasn't all — the Heat Wave carried the powder back into Gloom's face, engulfing the stunned Pokémon in the fiery current.
With a miserable screech, Gloom was lifted into the air, spinning helplessly. When the heat storm finally died down, it crashed back to the ground. Its eyes had become spirals — clearly knocked out cold.
"Gloom!"
Reed stared in shock at his defeated Gloom, disbelief written all over his face.
"Gloom is unable to battle. Red side, please send out your second Pokémon!"
The moment Gloom was down, the referee immediately called out.
"…Come back, Gloom! I'm sorry you got hurt. I promise I'll get revenge! My second Pokémon — Starmie!"
Snapping out of his daze at the referee's call, Reed bit his lip and withdrew his fainted Gloom, whispering a promise into the ball before drawing a second one and tossing it out.
"Starmie!"
With a burst of light, a purple-bodied Pokémon with a massive red gem in its center appeared — Starmie. Upon seeing Arcanine as its opponent, Starmie flexed its limbs and struck a provocative pose.
"Grrrr…!"
Arcanine growled low, clearly provoked.
"Red side has completed the switch! The battle resumes!"
"Fire types are weak to Water! Starmie, Water Gun!"
Again taking the initiative, Reed barked his command the moment the referee finished. He was extra focused now after Gloom's quick defeat.
"Star!"
Starmie's top limb curled slightly, and a jet of water blasted out at high speed.
"Arcanine, Agility!"
"Woof!!"
Just before the Water Gun could connect, Arcanine's form flickered and vanished — reappearing gracefully on the side. The blast hit empty air.
"Don't let up! Use Swift!"
Knowing now that Arcanine's speed was off the charts, Reed quickly opted for a homing attack.
"Star!"
Starmie leapt and spun rapidly, flinging a flurry of golden stars like a meteor shower toward Arcanine.
"Don't let them hit! Use Extreme Speed!"
Still smiling, Liam waved and called out.
"Roar!"
A red glow burst from Arcanine's body as it launched forward like a blazing streak of light, weaving past the incoming stars and appearing right in front of Starmie — who had just landed and hadn't regained its balance.
With a thunderous slam, Arcanine smashed into Starmie, sending it flying across the field and slamming into a rock wall. Its body slumped and quivered, clearly badly hurt.
But before Arcanine could reposition, the Swift stars looped back and struck him from behind. Arcanine let out a low grunt and shook off the impact — not seriously harmed.
"Starmie! Don't give up! Use Recover!"
Seeing her partner weakened, Reed cried out in desperation.
"Star… mie…"
Starmie raised its body weakly and gave a faint, trembling cry. A green glow wrapped around it as its body began to heal.
"Don't let it recover! Use Crunch!"
As a Water/Psychic type, Starmie was highly vulnerable to the Dark-type move Crunch.
"Woof!"
Responding instantly, Arcanine lunged forward again. In the blink of an eye, it was at Starmie's side. Its jaws opened wide, glowing with ominous black energy — and it bit down hard on the recovering Starmie.
With a pained shriek, Starmie was flung into the air. Arcanine whipped his head and hurled the starfish Pokémon clean out of the ring. After twitching a few times on the ground, Starmie went still.
"Stop! Starmie is unable to battle! Red side, send out your third Pokémon!"