He wasn't wearing a mask, seemingly quite confident in his own fierce appearance.
Beside him followed a Houndour; the black hound bared its teeth, letting out a low, threatening growl from its throat, its dark red eyes fixed intently on Ariel.
"Kid, are you wearing a mask because you're afraid people will see you cry?"
The man known as "Butcher" grinned sinisterly, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.
"My Houndour hasn't eaten its fill yet. I hope your little thing can keep it entertained for a while!"
The surrounding gamblers burst into laughter; clearly, they favored the notoriously fierce "Butcher."
Ariel said nothing, calmly tossing out his Poké Ball.
With a flash of white light, Froakie landed lightly on the ground, its large, agile eyes warily observing the surroundings.
"Froak?"
Seeing the small-statured Froakie, the laughter from the audience grew even louder.
"What is this? An unevolved water frog?"
"Butcher, finish him off quickly, I'm waiting to collect my winnings!"
Butcher's smugness grew even more pronounced as he waved a large hand:
"Houndour, show it what's what! Use Ember!"
Houndour suddenly opened its mouth, and a burst of scorching sparks shot out, heading straight for Froakie's face.
"Jump."
Ariel's voice was very soft, yet it reached Froakie's ears clearly.
Just as the Ember was about to hit, Froakie's legs suddenly exerted force, and its body leaped high into the air.
Its movements were far swifter than those of an ordinary Froakie; its body traced a graceful arc in the air, easily dodging the attack.
"Oh?"
Butcher was somewhat surprised, then roared again,
"Don't let it land! Use Bite!"
Houndour's paws dug into the ground as it charged like a black arrow toward Froakie's landing spot, baring its sharp teeth.
However, Froakie did not descend.
Its body made an incredible turn in mid-air, and the suckers on its limbs firmly adhered to the wire mesh at the top of the arena.
The entire Colosseum fell silent for a moment.
No one expected this tiny water frog to be capable of such a feat.
"What... kind of trick is that?"
A gambler murmured to himself.
Butcher's expression also changed; he had never seen such an agile Froakie.
"Don't panic! Use Smokescreen!"
He reacted quickly.
Houndour spat out a large cloud of black smoke, which quickly enveloped the entire arena, obscuring everyone's vision.
"Hahaha! So what if you're up there? If you can't see, you're just a sitting duck!"
Butcher laughed triumphantly.
Amidst the smoke, only Houndour's anxious growls could be heard.
Ariel, wearing his Shiftry Mask, slightly curled his lips.
Can't see?
For Froakie, there was no need to use its eyes at all.
"Calm your mind, feel the flow of the water vapor," Ariel's voice rang out directly in Froakie's mind via Telepathy.
This was his special training method. In absolute darkness and silence, he trained his Pokémon's perception of the environment. The water vapor permeating the air was Froakie's best set of eyes.
On the iron mesh, Froakie closed its eyes, focusing its entire being on sensing every minute change within the smoke.
The heat from every breath Houndour took, the airflow stirred by its every movement—all were clearly presented to its perception.
"Back left, three steps."
Froakie moved across the overhead iron mesh like a ghost, silent and noiseless.
Below, Houndour had lost its target in the smoke and could only fruitlessly spray sparks in all directions, trying to force its opponent out.
"Now."
Ariel's voice rang out again.
Froakie suddenly released its grip, its body descending like a drop of water. Between its hands, a highly compressed sphere of water was rapidly taking shape, radiating a dangerous pulse.
Water Pulse!
By the time Houndour finally sensed the threat from above, it was too late.
The blue sphere of water struck its head with precision, exploding violently. The powerful impact of the water current slammed it hard onto the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The smoke dissipated.
Houndour lay in the center of the arena, its eyes rolled back, having completely lost its ability to fight.
Froakie landed lightly in front of Ariel, shaking the water droplets from its hands with a calm expression.
The entire arena was dead silent.
A moment later, a mountain-shaking roar of cheers erupted. Those gamblers who had been mocking Ariel just moments ago were now excitedly waving their betting slips.
"Beautiful! That was so damn beautiful!"
"Who is this kid? How come I've never seen him before?"
Butcher stared blankly at his Houndour, unable to accept this result.
He looked up, glaring viciously at Ariel:
"Kid, you just wait!"
Ariel didn't even bother to give him a glance; he recalled Froakie and walked straight off the field.
The first match, the warm-up, was over.
In the subsequent battles, Ariel no longer held back.
In the second match, he sent out Malamar.
His opponent was a thuggish youth whose Pokémon was a Primeape known for its berserk nature.
"Kid, you got lucky."
The youth provoked him maliciously as soon as he stepped onto the field.
"But your luck has run out! Primeape, beat up that masked guy along with his Pokémon!"
He actually openly ordered an attack on the Trainer.
Instead of stopping him, the surrounding gamblers let out even more excited screams.
Primeape's eyes were blood-red; it roared, picked up a stone by its feet, and hurled it at Ariel.
Ariel stepped to the side, easily dodging it.
The stone struck the iron mesh behind him with a dull thud.
Wearing his mask, no one could see his expression.
Malamar floated in mid-air, its tentacles swaying gently, the light organs on its head flickering.
"Let him have a good sleep," Ariel spoke indifferently.
The Primeape was still restlessly pawing at the ground, its blood-red eyes staring fixedly at the Malamar floating in the air.
Its Trainer, that thuggish youth, spat on the ground, his face full of malice.
"Primeape, tear it apart for me! Use Fury Swipes!"
Primeape roared, its thick legs kicking off the ground as its body shot toward Malamar like a cannonball.
Its calloused fists blurred as they swung through the air, the sound of the wind echoing within the narrow iron cage.
Ariel's eyes, hidden behind the Shiftry Mask, were as cold as ice.
"Hypnosis."
His voice was very soft, yet it carried an unquestionable coldness.
The light organs on Malamar's head lit up without warning.
It wasn't a blindingly bright light, but a rapid, eerie blue-purple rhythm.
The aggressive Primeape abruptly froze mid-charge.
The moment its bloodshot eyes touched that light, its pupils began to lose focus.
Its berserk rage was replaced by a bottomless drowsiness; it didn't even have time to let out a cry before its body slumped forward due to momentum, crashing heavily onto the sand and kicking up a cloud of dust.
The entire arena was dead silent.
"Hey! Get up! You damn beast, get the hell up for me!"
The young Trainer frantically pounded on the iron mesh, the veins on his neck bulging.
However, Primeape was fast asleep, even letting out faint snores.
"Dark Pulse."
Ariel uttered two words.
Malamar let out a sharp hiss, its tentacles suddenly contracting toward its center before snapping open.
A ripple of black energy, so dense it was almost physical, surged from its body like a tide.
It was pure, malicious energy.
The black pulse instantly swallowed the sleeping Primeape.
The hard sand was plowed into a deep furrow; Primeape's body trembled violently within the pulse before being sent flying like a broken puppet, crashing heavily into the iron mesh with a dull metallic thud.
The iron mesh shook violently, even deforming slightly.
As the black energy dissipated, Primeape lay limp on the ground, its eyes rolled back, completely unconscious.
A one-hit knockout.
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