Over a month earlier, Gary had failed to recognize Mudkip when he saw it, while Caster had recited everything he knew about it from memory. Gary had taken that to heart.
Afterward, he had quietly boned up on Pokemon from other regions, hoping to catch up with Caster.
He had never expected it would also give him a chance to show off in front of Ash. That was a nice bonus.
"Medi!"
On the battlefield, Medicham balanced on one leg.
Psychic power surged from within it, spreading across the entire field and quietly locking onto the shell-less Shellder a short distance away.
"Shel!"
Shellder shivered under the faint probing of that psychic power. It brought back the fear of being at Slowpoke's mercy!
"Come back, Shellder!"
After a moment's thought, Caster recalled Shellder into its Poke Ball.
Without its shell, Shellder's Attack, Special Attack, and Speed had risen sharply, but both its defenses had fallen just as much. Its shell was its strongest shield. Now it had cast that shield aside, leaving its whole body exposed. One solid hit could put it in danger.
Psychic power was especially formidable in this world. Once it locked onto you, you were all but helpless unless you could break free.
Caster did not want Shellder to suffer a crushing defeat, or even an injury, just before it joined with Slowpoke to evolve. That might affect the evolution.
"Oh! What am I seeing? Caster has recalled Shellder!"
The announcer's excited voice rang over the speakers. "As far as I know, Caster has used only Shellder in the tournament so far, and it has won every match by an overwhelming margin. But Mack has finally forced him to send out a second Pokemon!"
"So what will Caster's second Pokemon be?"
The announcer knew how to work a crowd. Every eye in the stadium turned toward the field.
"Go, Dragonair!"
Dragonair appeared before the watching crowd, its graceful, majestic form drawing gasps from the stands.
"A Dragonair!"
The announcer's eyes lit up. "Dragonair lives in pristine seas and lakes and is known as the divine Pokemon. They say that if you see one flying through the sky at the start of the year, twisting its body as it goes, you'll enjoy good health all year long!"
Cheers and applause broke out as soon as he finished. With New Year so close, the crowd took Dragonair's appearance as a good omen.
"Dra!"
Though it had no wings, Dragonair floated in midair. The orb at its neck began to glow, and a strange aura spread from its body until it covered the whole field.
Patter, patter!
Dark clouds gathered above the stadium in the blink of an eye. Heavy raindrops poured down, soon soaking the battlefield.
"There it is. Caster's rain strategy!"
Gary's gaze sharpened, his expression turning serious.
Anyone who had watched Caster's major battles on his video channel could tell that rain meant he was getting serious. A rain team without rain meant Caster was holding back. Even then, plenty of Trainers could not stand up to him.
"Medicham, be careful!"
Across the field, Mack wiped the rain from his face and warned his Pokemon, his expression grave.
"Medi!"
Medicham nodded and changed its stance, spreading its arms like a crane unfurling its wings.
Clang, clang!
The bell rang to resume the match.
At once, powerful psychic force closed around Dragonair from every direction, pressing in like the weight of the sea and trying to hold it in midair.
Medicham's psychic power was considerable. It would have pinned the shell-less Shellder firmly in place. But to a thick, powerfully built Dragonair more than eight meters long, the pressure was nothing much.
"Dra!"
Dragonair gave a slight shake and easily broke free. Hazy light surrounded it, and it shot forward in a streak. In an instant it was upon Medicham, its tail whipping out with lightning speed.
A priority move. Extreme Speed!
"Medi!"
Medicham remained calm. A gleam flashed in its eyes as it read Dragonair's movement as though it could see right through it.
Whoosh!
It leaned back and let the tail sweep past. At the same time, white lightning crackled around its fist, which radiated cold. Medicham drove the punch into Dragonair's belly.
Ice Punch!
"Dra!"
Dragonair cried out and went flying.
Fortunately, the giant Dragonite's scale and Energy Orbs had made Dragonair's body exceptionally tough. Ice Punch was not one of Medicham's own types, so even though it was super effective, the blow did not leave Dragonair badly injured.
"Dra!"
Caught off guard, Dragonair quickly twisted away from Medicham and climbed high into the air to regroup.
"Was that Detect?"
Caster raised an eyebrow. This Medicham really was troublesome.
In the games, Detect was a Fighting type move that completely blocked an opponent's attack, much like Protect. In reality, it was even stronger in some ways. It did not require the user to maintain an energy barrier, so Medicham could counterattack sooner and catch its opponent off guard.
Mack looked up at Dragonair circling overhead and shouted, "Medicham, don't give it time to recover! Keep using Vacuum Wave!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Medicham fired off rapid punches, sending visible waves of compressed air slicing toward Dragonair.
"Dra!"
Dragonair twisted nimbly to dodge the successive attacks. As it moved, it danced in a strange pattern.
Before long, Medicham ran out of strength and had to stop. Two flashes of white light ran along Dragonair's body overhead, and its aura climbed higher still.
"Draco Meteor!"
"Dra!"
Dragonair raised its head and gathered Dragon type energy in its mouth. A dazzling ball of energy emerged and flew into the sky.
Boom!
The ball burst apart, scattering across the sky like fireworks. It was a beautiful sight, but Mack knew better than to underestimate it.
"Medicham, use Detect again!"
Draco Meteor was one of the Dragon type's most powerful moves. A direct hit would be disastrous.
"Medi!"
Medicham's eyes shone as it darted left and right, dodging the falling blasts. When it avoided the last one, the strange light in its eyes finally faded.
That was when Dragonair, waiting overhead, plunged toward it. Teal energy wrapped around its body, turning it into a missile with tremendous force and speed.
Dragon Rush!
Medicham had spent its strength dodging Draco Meteor and had yet to recover. It could do nothing to respond. Caster and Dragonair had picked the perfect moment.
Boom!
Dragon Rush connected and drove Medicham from one end of the battlefield to the other. By the time it hit the ground, its eyes were spinning.
"Medicham!"
Mack stared, feeling as though all the strength had left his body. Medicham was his ace. If it could not beat Dragonair, his last Pokemon had no hope of winning.
He was right. His third Pokemon, Poliwrath, was no match for Dragonair. It soon fell under a terrifying barrage of lightning.
"Poliwrath is unable to battle!"
The referee stepped forward and waved his flags. "The winner is Caster from Cerulean City!"
"We have a winner!" the announcer cried. "Congratulations to Caster on reaching the top sixteen of this year's Indigo League Conference! We wish him even greater success in the rounds ahead!"
Thunderous applause filled the stadium.
As the crowd cheered, a reporter carrying a camera hurried over to Caster. "Caster, congratulations on making the top sixteen. You're a strong Trainer. Do you think you can stand on the top step of the podium?"
"The top step? You mean win the whole thing?"
Caster looked into the camera and rubbed Gyarados's Poke Ball with his fingers. He smiled. "I wouldn't say I'm all that confident. But if I get caught up in the moment, I might just win it."