"Prinplup, Water Sport, then Wrap them with water."
"Prin~!"
Silas' calm commands echoed across the battlefield, which resembled a small swimming pool.
His opponent, meanwhile, wore an expression of complete helplessness.
In the middle of the pool, a well-raised Corsola was being thoroughly overwhelmed by Silas' Prinplup.
One interesting fact was that Yellow Rock Island in the Whirl Islands was famous for its Corsola.
Rather than being a tourist destination, the island focused on orchards, aquaculture, terraced farming, and Pokémon ranching. Its signature souvenirs were made from naturally shed Corsola branches, and since ancient times, the island's residents had built their homes atop Corsola colonies.
That was because the waters surrounding Yellow Rock Island contained the largest Corsola reef in the Pokémon world.
As a result, many contestants participating in the Whirl Cup brought a Corsola as one of their battle Pokémon.
Corsola was actually a surprisingly capable Pokémon.
Those with good potential could learn Life Dew, allowing them to heal injuries. Some exceptionally gifted individuals could even master various Psychic-type moves.
With enough luck, they could practically function as half-Psychic Pokémon.
Of course, the odds of that happening were fairly low.
Generations of breeding had long since stripped the nearby Corsola of much of their wild instincts and combat awareness.
Even those with decent potential often failed to live up to their Trainers' expectations.
Still, having the possibility was better than none. Silas' current opponent happened to be one of those incredibly lucky Trainers.
His Corsola had apparently inherited Amnesia, and if it continued growing stronger, it might eventually comprehend even more Psychic-type techniques.
That, however, was something for the future.
Against Silas and Prinplup, both the Trainer and his Corsola appeared completely powerless.
"What in the world is this?"
The Corsola Trainer gritted his teeth as he stared at the nearly invisible streams of water wrapped around his Pokémon.
Corsola's body was primarily pink with a white underside and limbs, while four coral branches extended from its back.
Now, both its limbs and all four coral branches were tightly restrained, preventing it from resisting Prinplup's attacks.
"Tsk... This little guy's control over water has improved dramatically."
Silas rubbed his chin while studying Prinplup's progress.
There was no need to think too hard.
This was undoubtedly the result of Lugia's blessing from yesterday.
Previously, Prinplup had been capable of using similar techniques, but they had been unstable and fragile. Restrained Pokémon could usually break free with a little effort.
Now, however, the bindings were practically inescapable.
If Silas' opponent had been capable of observing finer fluctuations in energy, he would have immediately understood how Prinplup was accomplishing it.
Inside the transparent streams of water wrapped around Corsola, the currents continuously rotated in tiny whirlpools.
It was a Water-type control technique that combined Whirlpool with Water Pulse.
Prinplup gently flapped its wings.
Just as Corsola began glowing white in an attempt to break free, it cried out in pain.
Though the water appeared calm, it was sharper than blades.
While restrained, Corsola suffered continuous damage.
This was precisely why Silas had valued Piplup so highly back at Mt. Mortar.
Although its potential was only Elite-level, this extraordinary mastery over water wasn't something an ordinary Water-type Pokémon could replicate.
Even some Elite Four-level Pokémon couldn't necessarily control water better than Prinplup.
A Pokémon's potential only measured the highest level it could eventually reach.
It didn't automatically determine how strong it would be compared to others within that same level.
Prinplup possessed this exceptionally rare talent despite having only Elite-level potential.
It could only be said that every gift came with its own trade-off.
"Alright, let's finish this. Use consecutive Metal Claw attacks."
Seeing that the battle had dragged on long enough, Silas gave the finishing command.
"Prin~!"
Once battle began, Prinplup became far more composed than usual.
Its wings glowed with brilliant silver energy.
Slash! Slash!
After several rapid strikes, the helpless Corsola quickly lost the ability to battle.
"Corsola is unable to battle! Silas advances! Borei is eliminated!"
The referee briefly announced the result before signaling both Trainers to leave the field.
All the preliminary battles had to be completed within a single afternoon, so everything was run on a very tight schedule.
Neither Silas nor his opponent, Borei, wasted any time. They recalled their Pokémon and exited the battlefield.
"Prin~!"
Back at the temporary recovery station, Prinplup proudly stood with its flippers on its hips after Nurse Joy and Chansey restored it to full health.
See? I'm awesome!
It looked proudly toward its Trainer.
"You were amazing."
Silas smiled as he rubbed the golden crest atop Prinplup's head.
It was surprisingly firm.
"Prin~!"
Prinplup nodded in satisfaction.
Their interaction naturally attracted quite a bit of attention.
After all, the Piplup evolutionary line was the Water-type starter Pokémon of Sinnoh, making it quite rare.
Many Trainers assumed Silas was simply a rookie Trainer who had recently begun traveling through Johto.
"Kid, both you and your Pokémon have great spirit. This old fisherman thinks you'll achieve some good results. Keep working hard and defeat your opponents!"
A middle-aged fisherman patted Silas on the shoulder while speaking in a seasoned tone.
Silas simply smiled.
"I'll do my best. What Pokémon are you using, sir?"
"Hahaha! Me? My partner is an incredibly powerful Octillery!"
The fisherman laughed proudly before continuing to boast.
"My goal this time is to make it into the main tournament!"
Octillery.
Silas nodded slightly.
Evolving from Remoraid around Level 25, Octillery was an excellent offensive Pokémon.
Combined with its Hidden Ability Sniper, it became an absolute nightmare against opponents with lower durability.
Its species was also famous for a move that was almost exclusive to it, Octazooka.
It was only "almost" exclusive because Horsea could inherit the move through breeding.
Even so, the move was named after Octillery itself, making it obvious how perfectly suited it was.
To put it more simply, Octazooka was essentially a cannon blast of ink.
Besides dealing damage, it also sharply lowered the target's accuracy.
Although Water-type Pokémon weren't completely blind underwater, their vision could still be heavily obstructed.
Furthermore, Octillery's ink contained chemicals that dulled an opponent's sense of smell, allowing it to confuse even Pokémon with excellent noses.
It was even used as a cooking ingredient.
Silas wondered whether this fisherman's Octillery had already reached the Advance level.
If it had, and provided the Trainer's command ability wasn't too poor, reaching the main tournament should be quite achievable.
"Contestant No. 987! Contestant No. 987! Your second match will begin shortly at Battlefield No. 37. Please proceed immediately."
Nurse Joy's announcement echoed throughout the resting area.
The fisherman slapped his forehead.
"That's my match! Gotta go! I'll teach you some fishing tricks after I'm done. Good luck!"
"Thanks. You too."
Silas politely saw the fisherman off.
The man might not have looked particularly remarkable, but he was genuinely skilled at catching Pokémon.
At least, Silas felt the man was much better than he was.
According to him, he hadn't caught his Octillery using an ordinary fishing rod. Instead, he'd employed a trap similar to a traditional fishing pot.
That was no easy feat.
It just went to show that Trainers in the Pokémon world all had their own unique talents. Without a few tricks up their sleeves, they wouldn't get very far.
Beside Silas, Prinplup crouched on the ground, absentmindedly playing with streams of water in its flippers.
It wasn't interested in fishing.
Eating fish, on the other hand that was another story.
Prinplup genuinely couldn't understand the appeal of sitting beside the water with a fishing rod waiting for Pokémon to bite.
What Pokémon would be dumb enough to fall for that?
If you wanted to catch a Water-type Pokémon, why not just jump into the water and catch one directly?
The next moment, Silas' hand landed on its head and vigorously ruffled its feathers.
"Come on, it's our turn."
Pop!
Prinplup immediately compressed the stream of water in its flippers into a floating bubble before letting it burst into the air.
If every battle was going to be as easy as the previous one, this tournament really wasn't much of a challenge.
The Trainer and his Pokémon disappeared into the crowd.
"Battle begin!"
With the referee's command, another fierce match commenced.
Second Match: vs. Corphish — Victory.
Third Match: vs. Krabby — Victory.
Fourth Match: vs. Shellder — Victory.
There was virtually no suspense.
Silas and Prinplup won match after match with ease.
Against opponents who were also around the Normal level, the carefully trained Prinplup completely dominated the competition.
Besides, the little penguin had always trained diligently.
If it actually lost to opponents like these, that would have been surprising.
"Ugh..."
Silas stretched with a pained groan.
The most boring part of any tournament was always the preliminary rounds.
Unfortunately, they couldn't simply be skipped.
Pokémon battling was just too popular.
A tournament like the Whirl Cup, which had almost no entry requirements, naturally attracted an overwhelming number of participants.
"I wonder who my final preliminary opponent will be. Hopefully this ends soon."
Still grumbling, Silas led Prinplup toward the battlefield for his fifth preliminary match.
"Prin?"
As they stepped onto the Trainer's platform, Prinplup tugged curiously at the corner of Silas' shirt.
"Huh, what a coincidence."
Silas lazily waved toward the Trainer across the field.
"Don't you think so, sir?"
His fifth opponent, turned out to be the very same fisherman he'd chatted with after his first battle.
The fisherman was equally surprised.
After staring blankly for a moment, he scratched the back of his head and burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Kid, this really is fate!
Though at this stage, the chances of running into someone you know aren't actually that low."
By the fifth round, only around a hundred Trainers remained.
Running into an acquaintance wasn't unusual at all. Compared to earlier rounds, the odds had increased dramatically.
"Both Trainers, please send out your Pokémon."
The referee mercilessly interrupted their reunion.
"Well then, kid! Good luck, but I'm not going easy on you! This victory is mine!"
With a sweeping gesture, the fisherman released his octopus Pokémon.
The crimson Octillery, with its yellow suction cups, splashed into the pool.
Silas shrugged.
"I think I should be the one saying that. Sorry, sir, but it looks like I won't be letting you reach the main tournament."
A quick glance activated Zero's analysis of the opposing Octillery.
Seeing that it had reached the Advance level made Silas' expression become noticeably more serious, despite the relaxed words he'd just spoken.
"Prin!"
Without waiting for instructions, Prinplup eagerly leapt into the water.
Finally a respectable opponent.
It had been bored to tears.
As for losing?
That possibility never even crossed Prinplup's mind, despite its opponent being roughly ten levels stronger.
Below the Elite level, differences in level weren't impossible to overcome.
Examples of Normal-level Pokémon defeating Advance-level opponents were far from uncommon.
"Then I'll make the first move! Octillery, use Octazooka!"
The fisherman clearly understood the fundamentals of Pokémon battling.
Unlike inexperienced Trainers who insisted on giving away the first move, he immediately seized the initiative.
He had intentionally sent out Octillery first to establish battlefield control.
Once the battlefield was covered in black ink, his Octillery became nearly unbeatable.
The fisherman had absolute confidence in that strategy.
Pitch-black ink immediately sprayed from Octillery's tentacles.
A strange odor spread across the battlefield.
"Prinplup, Aqua Ring."
Silas responded without hesitation.
A shimmering ring of water began flowing around Prinplup's body.
Although the dark ink desperately tried to penetrate the protective current, it couldn't break through.
Within the pitch-black water, the clear area surrounding Prinplup stood out like a beacon.
"Not bad, kid."
The fisherman praised him.
"But my Octillery isn't that easy to beat. Use Bullet Seed!"
Silas blinked in surprise.
Tiny green seeds rapidly fired from the yellow suction cups lining Octillery's tentacles.
It was unmistakably a Grass-type move, one highly effective against Water-type Pokémon.
Although Bullet Seed wasn't especially powerful, and Octillery didn't receive STAB from it, it still posed a significant threat to Water-types.
No wonder the fisherman had confidently claimed he could reach the main tournament.
He genuinely had the skills to back up his words.
..
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