"Both trainers ready? Ok. 3,2,1, Go!"
Alex said coldly, "Crobat, use Taunt and then Confuse Ray."
The female trainer said at the same time, "Vileplume, use Sleep Powder."
Crobat was faster than Vileplume in using the move and was safe from the Vileplume using the Sleep powder.
After Crobat successfully used Taunt, he started using Confuse Ray.
The female trainer saw the Vileplume could only attack and said, "Use Solar Beam."
Solar Beam is a move that gets stronger during the day. Especially in the summer, this move is devastating. Now in an open arena, under the strong sunlight, this move was not only powerful but very quick too.
Alex knew that but was still surprised by the speed Vileplume's Solar beam charged up. Even though Crobat started using his move a little earlier, Vileplume blasted off the Solar Beam at nearly the same time Crobat used Confuse Ray.
Both could not dodge the attacks as they were in the still position and were hit by the enemy's move. Crobat couldn't move because his Confuse Ray was not on Expert rank, and Vileplume didn't have any time to move as it started using the move later than Crobat. So it blasted the Solar Beam as soon as it was charged up.
Crobat, who was hit by Vileplume's strongest move, took a little damage.
Alex wasn't surprised by the fact that Crobat took only a little damage from this attack. Crobat that has a 4-fold resistance to Grass-type attack can easily handle a Solar Beam. Especially when you consider that Crobat is 5 levels higher than Vileplume.
The female trainer saw that Vileplume was confused but said, "Use Solar Beam again."
Alex, who heard this, couldn't help but laugh, "Crobat, dodge with Fly."
Crobat flew high in the air and successfully dodged Vileplume's attack. After successfully evading the attack, he dived in the direction of Vileplume.
The female trainer knew that this attack would cause great damage to Vileplume if hit, so she said, "Vileplume, Protect yourself."
Crobat flew at breakneck speed towards Vileplume, who was using Protect.
Vileplume's shield couldn't withstand Crobat's attack even for half a second before it broke.
Although Protect was able to reduce the damage caused by Crobat, Vileplume still suffered a lot of damage. Vileplume only had around 70% HP after this attack by Crobat.
The female trainer didn't know what to do when she saw that. She said after a bit of hesitation, "Try Sludge Bomb."
Alex, who saw this, said with disappointment, "Finish it by using Fly again."
Although Crobat was hit by a Sludge Bomb while flying upstairs, the damage inflicted on him was minimal.
Crobat successfully knocked Vileplume unconscious with Fly and easily won the fight.
"Participant 297 Pokémon passed out. Participant 68 won this round."
Alex saw how easily Crobat won and couldn't help but let a smile appear on his face.
The blonde referee went towards Alex with a smile and said, "Participant 68, congratulations on your victory. With this, you have finished all preliminary rounds and successfully enter the top 64. Please go to the infobox after this match to get your new participant number."
"Thank you. I'll go there now."
"Good luck."
Alex went to the infobox of the arena and gave his participant number there.
After Alex's identity had been checked, he got a new number.
The woman at the info box said in a professional tone, "This is your new number. The number is sorted according to the level of the participants. It is done to prevent the strongest participants from fighting each other early in the tournament."
Alex looked at his number and had to suppress his surprised expression.
He walked out of the arena, and then he whispered, "6". That meant that the avg level of Alex's Pokémon was 6th highest.
Alex, who saw the number, couldn't help but think about how his chances of winning the tournament were almost non-existent. In the history of this Kanto rookie tournament, no participant with a number higher than 3 has ever managed to win this tournament. Although the level of a Pokémon does not necessarily represent the strength of a Pokémon, Alex does not underestimate the advantages of having a higher level. In this world, differences in level are particularly noticeable. Especially when you reach benchmark levels like level 40 and 60 (also known as Elite and Champion rank Pokémon).
That reminded him of the time when he had to defeat Maria's Ekans and her Rock Slide with his Zubat. Alex's Zubat could only withstand two strikes of Rock Slide and hardly cause any harm to the Ekans. Probably almost all trainers in the world would lose that fight in his situation. But Alex almost managed to win. Although he lost at the end, it was a very close fight where he had a 50:50 chance of winning and losing. Maybe with a bit of luck, he could have also won that match. But he isn't the type of guy who makes excuses. He doesn't want to rely on luck to win the battles.
As he thought about this past, Alex screamed in his mind, "6!!! 6 !!!! FCK 6! I will win this tournament. Even if a person with a number higher than 3 has never won this tournament, I will be the first person to do so. I am sure that with the right tactics, I can defeat even an Elite Pokémon. I only lost the last time because my tactics weren't perfect. It's not impossible for me to win this tournament, and I will prove it."
When Alex walked out of the arena with a cold expression, Alex saw a beautiful blonde woman with a microphone and a camera team following her.
The beautiful blonde woman looked at Alex's participant number (in his hand) and walked along with the camera team in his direction.
Alex knew that this woman probably wanted to do an interview with interesting participants before the tournament starts. Although he had no interest in becoming famous, he couldn't help but think about an advantage that this interview could bring him.
The beautiful woman looked at Alex and said with an enchanting (fake) smile, "Hey, trainer! We are from Pokéworld TV and wanted to ask if you have some free time for an interview."
Alex looked emotionlessly at the reporter's fake smile and said, "Ok."
The beautiful woman couldn't help but show a surprised expression. She had met many young male trainers but never someone who was not even a little bit fascinated by her. She guessed that he must have learned to keep his urges in check.
While Alex had an expressionless face when interacting with the blonde reporter, inside he couldn't help but feel attracted to her body but, he can practically always keep his emotions in control. Aside from Maria, Alex had never met a woman/person who could affect him emotionally (except his family members). That's why Maria is very special for him.
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