NOVEL NEXT Chapter 63: Chapter 63: The Elimination Round Begins
Unaware that he's already been marked as a target, Long waits patiently for the staff to announce the next set of instructions.
To Long, with his level 39 Nidoking, this tournament is all but won. His task is simply to identify each opponent and take them down one by one.
"If I can face that Machoke and its Trainer in the next round, it'll be a good chance to settle the score from the preliminary round," he muttered as he watched the staff assign the match numbers.
On the other side, Ron, having decided on his strategy for dealing with Long, calmed down. Whether or not they face each other in the next round, Long's fate was already sealed: death.
The match numbers were quickly assigned, seemingly in order of registration. Ron received number 32, while Long drew number 2. Based on the bracket, the two wouldn't face each other until the finals.
After a quick sigh at Ron's good fortune, Long followed the staff's guidance to the battle arena.
To ensure the audience didn't miss a single match, battles were held one at a time. As number 2, Long was up first.
From the waiting area, Ron watched Long's battle with quiet intensity.
Long's Nidoking was undeniably strong. At level 39, it was just shy of Elite Intermediate level, arguably the strongest participant in this tournament phase.
In terms of moves, aside from the standard skills Nidoking learns through leveling up, it also wielded Flamethrower, Ice Beam, and Thunderbolt—a formidable arsenal.
As for their enhanced versions—Fire Blast, Blizzard, or Thunder—Ron wasn't certain. Regardless, the moves displayed so far were impressive enough.
The only flaw was Nidoking's ability. Instead of Sheer Force, it had Rivalry, which offered situational advantages against Pokémon of the same gender.
In summary, Long was a strong contender for the championship and likely to meet Ron in the finals.
Ron, however, couldn't help but worry. If he crushed Long too thoroughly, the latter might flee, robbing Ron of his chance to kill him. With that thought in mind, Ron began devising ways to make the battle appear more challenging.
While Ron strategized, Long's Nidoking finished its first battle.
With a barrage of Flamethrower, Thunderbolt, and Ice Beam, the opponent's Pokémon quickly faltered. A decisive Earth Power sealed the victory.
Striding past Ron with the swagger of a victor, Long couldn't see the indifferent expression on Ron's face. Mistaking it for fear, Long dismissed Ron from his mind, unaware that Ron was already plotting his demise.
As more competitors entered the arena, Ron gradually assessed the strength of his remaining opponents.
Like Long, one other Trainer had a level 39 Pokémon. Judging by the bracket, Ron might face them before the finals.
The rest, however, were lackluster—most on par with Machoke in power, average at best.
Notably, Buggy failed to pass even the first round of the preliminaries and now sat among the spectators. Clearly, this Buggy didn't inherit the luck or charm of that Buggy.
Finally, it was Ron's turn.
Once the referee announced the rules, Ron and his opponent, Wally, released their Pokémon.
Now that the preliminaries were over, Ron saw no reason to hold back.
"Machoke, charge in with Leer!"
"Sandslash, use Dig!"
In the preliminaries, Wally had relied on Sandslash's Dig to survive until the end. He seemed intent on repeating that strategy.
Unfortunately, this was a one-on-one match, not a chaotic preliminary round.
Before Sandslash could fully burrow underground, Ron's Machoke used Shave, swiftly closing the gap and yanking Sandslash halfway out of its tunnel.
"Throw it, Leer, then Close Combat!" Ron commanded.
Machoke flung Sandslash into the air before pinning it down. Wally tried to counter with Poison Sting, but Machoke was faster.
Sandslash flinched under the repeated Leer debuffs, unable to retaliate effectively. A flurry of punches followed as Machoke unleashed Close Combat, leaving Sandslash battered and unable to fight.
After the referee declared the match over, Ron calmly withdrew Machoke, restoring its stamina with his Fighting Aura ability as they left the field.
Compared to Ron, the other participants weren't as fortunate. The tournament's limited rest periods, combined with the strain of consecutive battles, took a toll on their Pokémon despite the available medical facilities.
In the waiting area, Long observed Ron's return with a newfound wariness.
It wasn't just Machoke's ghost-like speed that unsettled him. Long now regretted not targeting Ron's Machoke in the preliminaries when he had the chance.
Before he could dwell on his regrets, Long's second match began.
"Nidoking, Flamethrower barrage! Burn them to ashes!"
Spotting his opponent's Victreebel as a lower level, Long let his frustration fuel his attack strategy.
Columns of searing flames filled the battlefield. Without hesitation or flair, Long aimed to overpower with sheer force.
Despite some initial resistance, Victreebel's Trainer couldn't find an opening for a counterattack. In the end, one final Flamethrower secured Nidoking's victory.
Watching Long from the sidelines, Ron couldn't help but question his intelligence.
Clearly, there were more efficient ways to conserve energy. Instead, Long chose the most draining method possible, despite knowing the limited recovery time between rounds.
Given Long lacked any special abilities to expedite recovery, this short-sightedness seemed self-sabotaging.
Ignoring Long's provocative glare as he returned, Ron was now certain: Long posed no real threat to his championship claim.
--------------------------------
If you want to support me and read advance chapters, please visit:
patreon.com / madbot635
I would greatly appreciate your support if you choose to join my patreon 🙏