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When he stepped onto the field in Zone D30, his opponent was already waiting there.
It was a dark-skinned Middle-aged man with heavy eyes and muscular arms; he looked like the type who frequently engaged in wilderness survival and training.
He didn't waste words; seeing Ariel, he simply nodded.
"The match begins!"
"Go, Golbat!"
A Pokémon a size larger than an ordinary Golbat flew into the sky, opening its huge mouth and emitting a piercing Supersonic.
Ariel still sent out Deino.
"Golbat, use Confuse Ray!"
The Middle-aged man had clearly done his homework, knowing he couldn't let this seemingly cute and dorky little dragon attack easily.
Eerie colored rays shot from Golbat's eyes, heading straight for Deino.
Ariel did not order it to dodge.
Deino was hit by the ray, its body swaying as star symbols representing confusion appeared above its head.
"Now! Air Slash!"
Seizing the opportunity, the Middle-aged man immediately ordered a follow-up.
Golbat's wings flapped rapidly, and several transparent blades of air slashed toward the confused Deino in an overlapping pattern.
However, Deino swayed on the spot as if drunk, yet perfectly managed to dodge all the air blades.
The Middle-aged man's pupils constricted.
Was this... a coincidence?
No, that's not right!
Ariel watched the field, his expression remaining indifferent.
Ariel had long since connected with Deino through mental power; every step taken while confused was actually an instruction issued by Ariel!
"Roar!"
Deino seemed to grow tired of this game of hide-and-seek. It suddenly raised its head, and where its eyes were hidden by thick fur, two points of red light seemed to flash by.
A Dragon-type energy, far more terrifying than before, began to converge in its mouth.
The Middle-aged man's face changed drastically; he sensed the aura of destruction within that energy.
"Quick! Golbat! Use Poison Fang!"
He tried to interrupt Deino's charging.
Golbat also realized the danger. It shrieked and turned into a purple shadow, diving down with fangs gleaming with toxic light aimed at Deino's neck.
Too late.
Ariel thought to himself.
"Draco Meteor."
His voice was very soft, almost masked by the sound of the wind.
But Deino heard it.
The Energy Ball in its mouth shot into the sky and exploded violently at high altitude, turning into several miniature meteors burning with orange flames. Trailing long tails of fire like a grand meteor shower, they covered the entire sky.
Then, they plummeted toward the sole target—Golbat!
The scene was spectacular yet filled with despair.
Golbat's dive came to a screeching halt. It looked in horror at the Draco Meteor crashing toward it and let out a final mournful cry.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Meteors smashed onto the field one after another, striking Golbat's body.
The entire Zone D30 shook violently; dust filled the air, and rubble flew everywhere.
When everything settled.
The field was a mess, covered in charred craters smashed out by the meteors.
Golbat lay in the center of one of the large craters, scorched black and completely incapacitated.
As for Deino, its Special Attack had dropped significantly because it used Draco Meteor. It was lying on the ground panting heavily, but its arrogance hadn't diminished in the slightest.
The Middle-aged man stared blankly at the scene on the field. After a long time, he shook his head with a bitter smile and recalled his Golbat.
He walked up to Ariel and extended his hand.
"I lost. Your Pokémon is exceptionally well-trained."
Ariel reached out and shook his hand.
"Your Golbat is also very strong."
This wasn't just polite talk.
That Golbat's combat discipline far exceeded that of the opponents he had encountered before.
All four matches in the morning were over.
Ariel had secured four consecutive victories without any suspense.
He went to the rest area and found a corner to sit down.
On the giant electronic screen, the current rankings were scrolling by.
Since rankings were based on win-loss records, all the contestants with four wins and zero losses were crowded together.
Ariel glanced at his own name; he was ranked 355th.
This meant that at least three hundred and fifty-four people, like him, had easily finished the first day of competition with an undefeated record.
Among them should be those geniuses from various regions who were deliberately hidden by the organizers.
The cameras for the preliminary rounds were indeed all focused on those star contestants.
On his side, he hadn't even seen the shadow of a camera drone.
However, this was fine too.
Ariel leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.
The afternoon would be the losers' bracket for the 1,000 eliminated people, from which 100 would be selected.
Of course, this had nothing to do with him.
Just then.
A set of deliberately lightened footsteps stopped beside him, accompanied by the scent of perfume.
"Ariel, you worked hard in your battles. Have some water."
A soft, feminine voice sounded.
It was Ayaka.
Ariel opened his eyes. The woman in front of him was holding a cup of water, a perfectly timed smile of concern on her face, though a trace of hard-to-detect nervousness was hidden deep in her eyes.
He reached out and took the cup; the wall of the cup was cool, and the water was clear, showing no abnormalities.
But Ariel's nose twitched slightly.
Colorless, yet there was an extremely faint chemical smell almost masked by the fresh scent of the water itself.
He was very familiar with this smell; it could even be called an old friend.
A common hallucinogenic drug.
The technique was crude; she hadn't even done the basic odor neutralization before bringing it over so bluntly.
Ariel felt a bit like laughing.
With this level of skill, she dared to play such tricks?
He didn't expose her, but simply brought the cup to his mouth, opening his lips slightly to make a drinking motion, his Adam's apple Rollout accordingly.
In reality, not a single drop of water entered his mouth.
"Thanks."
He set the water cup down, his voice betraying no emotion.
A flash of joy crossed Ayaka's eyes, while a smear of contempt also appeared on her face.
As expected, all men are the same—all hypocritically serious.