"Ash! Ash! Ash!"
"Ash! Ash! Ash!"
"Pikachu! Pikachu! Pikachu!"
"Pikachu! Pikachu! Pikachu!"
"..."
"..."
With Ash and Pikachu claiming victory in the first round, thunderous cheers immediately erupted from the audience.
Although everyone had expected Ash to win, no one imagined that Pikachu—a pure Electric-type Pokémon that was supposedly at an absolute type disadvantage—would completely dominate Rhyperior, a Pokémon that possessed an overwhelming type advantage.
From the moment both sides sent out their Pokémon, to the fierce and exciting exchanges throughout the battle, and finally to the decisive conclusion of the match, every second had kept the audience's emotions running high with excitement.
Among them, the cheers coming from the front row—Gary, Green, Clarissa Joy, Aunt Mihoko, and Ash's mother Delia—were particularly enthusiastic.
"Rhyperior, return. You've worked hard."
Listening to the deafening cheers for Ash from the audience, Mr. Morkel silently recalled his Rhyperior with a somewhat lonely expression.
Before the battle began, the crowd had also cheered exclusively for Ash, but at the time, he didn't mind in the slightest. After all, he firmly believed he had a chance of defeating Ash.
And if he emerged victorious in the end, all the cheers and applause that Ash was currently receiving would eventually belong to him as well.
At most, it would simply be delayed gratification.
However, Rhyperior was the strongest ace Pokémon on his team, yet it had been thoroughly crushed by Pikachu despite possessing an overwhelming type advantage.
Although there were still two rounds remaining and he still had an opportunity to turn the tables, now that the first battle had concluded in defeat, an indescribable feeling of loneliness and desolation surfaced within him.
Deep down, Mr. Morkel knew that this feeling wasn't born solely from losing the match.
More than anything else, it was the immense pressure of facing Ash—the monstrous prodigy standing before him.
It was the realization that the waves behind had surpassed the waves before them, leaving the older generation stranded upon the shore.
No matter how unwilling he was to admit it, the difference between them was simply reality.
"The second round of the match is about to begin. Please send out the Pokémon that will participate in Round Two."
The referee's announcement pulled Mr. Morkel back to reality.
After all, this was a 3v3 battle. They had only completed the first round—two more still remained.
"Both Trainers...?"
Hearing the referee's reminder, Mr. Morkel was momentarily stunned. Looking across the battlefield, he discovered that at some point, Ash had already recalled Pikachu despite its victory.
Seeing this, he immediately remembered one of Ash's well-known habits.
As the number of Pokémon on Ash's team continued to increase while his daily time at the City Arena remained limited, he had adopted a unique battle style in order to give all of his Pokémon opportunities to gain combat experience.
Regardless of victory or defeat, Ash almost always changed his Pokémon after every single round.
Furthermore, once he sent out a Pokémon, regardless of whether it possessed a type or positional advantage, he would never switch it out midway through the battle.
Although official battles allowed Trainers to switch Pokémon at appropriate moments—both to prevent injured Pokémon from sustaining more damage and to take advantage of favorable type matchups—Ash almost never did so.
While battle regulations limited both the number of switches and imposed timing restrictions, Ash had practically never switched Pokémon during a match.
When questioned about this during a media interview in the past, Ash had openly given his reasons.
He didn't switch Pokémon because he didn't want to undermine their confidence. Instead, he wished to cultivate their ability to stand on their own—to possess the strength to battle and overcome any opponent they faced.
Secondly, there was still the matter of time.
His daily schedule at the City Arena was limited. Frequently switching Pokémon during battles would inevitably prevent some members of his team from enjoying complete and satisfying battles of their own.
Ultimately, Ash made this choice out of consideration for both his Pokémon's growth and their feelings.
Mr. Morkel was naturally aware of this habit.
However, now that he realized Pikachu had already been recalled, he found himself hesitating over which Pokémon he should send out next.
After all, he had no idea which Pokémon Ash intended to use in the upcoming round.
"Forget it. There's no point overthinking things."
"Rhyperior had an overwhelming type advantage against Pikachu, and it still ended up being completely dominated."
"Although Ash has already recalled Pikachu, I can't counterpick it anymore. Since we'll both reveal our Pokémon simultaneously, neither side will have an advantage."
With that thought, the pressure weighing upon his heart instantly lightened considerably.
Without any further hesitation, Mr. Morkel removed a Poké Ball from his Trainer's belt, pressed the release button to enlarge it, and threw it toward the center of the battlefield.
"Blastoise! The second round is yours! Our opponent is incredibly strong, so give it everything you've got!"
At nearly the same moment Mr. Morkel released his Poké Ball, Ash also selected one from his own belt and threw it onto the field.
"Greninja, this round is yours!"
For the second round, Ash chose Greninja—the Pokémon that would soon begin its Bond Phenomenon development and training regimen, and one that had yet to make an appearance in today's matches.
Click—!
Both Poké Balls opened simultaneously as two blue-colored Pokémon appeared upon the battlefield.
Unlike the previous round, where one side possessed an overwhelming type advantage while the other suffered from a severe disadvantage, the Pokémon in this round were perfectly balanced in terms of typing.
Both were Water-type Pokémon.
Although Greninja also possessed the Dark-type attribute, Dark and Water shared no type interactions whatsoever.
This would be a battle fought on equal footing.
The victor would ultimately be determined by which Pokémon had been raised more excellently and whose Trainer possessed superior command and tactical prowess.
Moreover, the audience's excitement and anticipation for this battle were in no way inferior to the previous match between Pikachu and Rhyperior.
After all, both Pokémon were Water-types—and more importantly, both represented the fully evolved forms of their respective regions' Water-type starter Pokémon.
One hailed from Kalos.
The other represented Kanto itself as the final evolution of Squirtle.
This was not merely a battle between two Water-type Pokémon—it was a clash between two regional starter aces.
In an instant, the audience's enthusiasm was ignited to unprecedented heights.
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