"On the green side, we have competitor Giselle from Vermilion City!" The announcer's voice rang out across the stadium.
"Competitor Giselle has studied at the Kanto Region's Pokemon Academy. She has received advanced Pokemon knowledge education since childhood and has consistently been a top student at the academy."
"However, she relied on her own strength to collect her Badges, combining the school's theoretical knowledge with practical battle experience to make it this far. Let's look forward to what kind of performance she'll show us in this match!"
The match hadn't started yet, but the commentators had already begun building excitement. The Trainers who had made it this far were all skilled competitors who might very well stand out in the future, so it was natural to provide more detailed introductions.
"On the other hand, the red side features the biggest surprise of this conference. Although he hasn't yet entered the next round, many fans already have high hopes for him to win the championship—competitor Ash from Pallet Town!"
"In his previous matches, competitor Ash achieved three consecutive victories, using only one Pokemon across all three battles and demonstrating overwhelming strength."
"If competitor Ash maintains this performance in today's match, he will break an unprecedented record at the Indigo Plateau Conference. However, in this final match that determines advancement, both sides will give it their all. Creating history won't be easy."
After introducing Giselle, the commentator began discussing Ash as well. Although this wasn't his first appearance, the commentator knew how to build anticipation.
Many people understood that maintaining a winning streak was essential in this tournament, because losing even a single match meant elimination. Only when determining third place would there be a second chance to compete.
The truly remarkable aspect was achieving a winning streak with only one Pokemon—that was the most difficult accomplishment.
Bang!
While the commentator was still talking, Ash and Giselle each stepped onto their respective battle platforms. Soon, the platforms began to rise, and simultaneously, the battlefield itself emerged from the ground.
On the large screen, both competitors' portraits appeared, and the squares representing their Pokemon teams lit up at the same time.
"The fourth round of the qualifying stage, the third match of the day on the Grass Field, officially begins!"
The commentator's voice rang out, signaling the official start of the match. After Ash's and Giselle's battle platforms finished rising, the game was ready to begin.
"Ash, I've shouldered the expectations of many people for this competition. I'm here to show you my determination!"
"I'm counting on you! Marowak!"
At the start of the match, Giselle took the initiative and threw her Poke Ball, releasing her first Pokemon.
Marowak was the evolved form of Cubone, with a beast-like skull on its head, a body resembling a small dinosaur, and a white bone club gripped firmly in its hand.
"It's Marowak!"
Looking at Giselle's first Pokemon, observers noted that Marowak was a Ground-type Pokemon. There wasn't much advantage to sending it out on this particular field.
Moreover, sending it out first seemed risky. On this Grass Field, her opponent would likely send out a Grass-type Pokemon, which would have a complete type advantage over Marowak.
However, Giselle's expression remained unchanged. It seemed she had already considered this possibility. Even if her opponent brought out a Grass-type Pokemon that countered Ground-types, she didn't seem concerned. She still looked completely confident.
For Giselle, this Marowak had been her companion for a long time. It had still been a Cubone before she left the school.
During her travels, it had evolved into Marowak through continuous training and battle experience.
"Competitor Giselle's first Pokemon is Marowak! What Pokemon will competitor Ash use first?"
Ash looked at the field, then took out a Poke Ball and stared at it thoughtfully.
"Maybe I can understand how you want to prove yourself to those who support you, but I can't afford to lose either!"
He raised the Poke Ball in his hand and pointed it in Giselle's direction. While she watched with surprise, Ash threw the Poke Ball forward.
"The decision is yours!"
Boom!
With a flash of light, the Poke Ball opened. As the light emerged, a tall figure gradually appeared, and the shape within the light suddenly let out a violent roar.
"RAAAHHH!"
A deafening roar echoed across the battlefield, and with that cry, powerful air currents whipped up all around. Marowak instinctively raised the bone club in its hand to shield itself from the intense wind.
As the light faded, a terrifying dark figure appeared on the field.
Its entire body was covered in pitch-black scales that seemed to absorb light like a black hole. The sharp claws on its hands and feet, along with the scarlet edges of the exaggerated axe-shaped tusks on both sides of its mouth, provided the only color against its dark form.
Those crimson eyes were filled with an intimidating, fierce aura. Even though it had stopped roaring, a low, menacing rumble could still be heard emanating from its throat.
"Ah! This... this is!" The commentator stared at the Pokemon on the field, momentarily speechless.
"This is Haxorus, a very rare Pokemon in the Kanto Region. It's a Dragon-type Pokemon first discovered in the distant Unova Region."
"The color of competitor Ash's Haxorus is also different from a typical Haxorus."
Commentators rarely encountered Pokemon like Haxorus, but after working in this role for so long, they were still quite knowledgeable.
The reason for the initial confusion was the unusual coloring—it had taken a moment to identify it correctly.
Before evolution, there wasn't much difference, but after evolving, the color of this Haxorus was significantly different from that of a normal Haxorus.
"Haxorus? A Dragon-type Pokemon?" Giselle's brow furrowed slightly as she looked at the Pokemon before her.
It was a Pokemon she had never seen before, and she could tell from the roar just moments ago that this Pokemon was extraordinary.
"It's Haxorus! Ash is taking this very seriously!"
In the spectator stands, Misty and the others recognized the Pokemon Ash had sent out and spoke among themselves. Even though Fraxure had been stored at Professor Oak's Laboratory during the latter half of Ash's journey, it had trained with Ash for a long time before that.
The amazing power it had displayed after evolving on Mount Hideaway had been truly remarkable.
By sending it out now, Ash clearly wanted to secure his spot in the next round without any doubt.