Boom!!!
Hawlucha slammed the "Flying Knee Kick" into the ground forcefully, causing the field to crack rapidly, with fine fissures spreading out.
The sole flaw of the "Flying Knee Kick" technique is that if it fails to hit the enemy, it suffers massive recoil damage itself.
Just like now, as Hawlucha landed, its eyes squeezed shut in pain.
"Gravity?" Karin was quite surprised, looking at the fallen spoon of Alakazam.
Indeed, it's the move "Gravity."
Under the "Gravity" move, the "Flying Knee Kick" cannot be used.
It's brutally interrupted.
What surprised Karin wasn't that Alakazam knew the "Gravity" technique but rather the timing of its use.
It clearly could have used "Gravity" much earlier to render many of Hawlucha's techniques unusable.
Not just "Flying Knee Kick," but also moves like "Bounce," "Soar," "Ascension Pressure," etc., thus avoiding danger early on.
Yet it didn't do so, choosing instead to wait until Hawlucha used "Flying Knee Kick."
Plus, earlier, it used the "Freezing Technique" to lock down Hawlucha's only major threat to Alakazam, the "Hell Spike."
It feels like...both Karin's and Hawlucha's tactics were all anticipated by Natsuhiko.
This is somewhat terrifying.
Suffering the massive recoil from the "Flying Knee Kick," Hawlucha posed no threat to Alakazam, and with just two "Mental Shocks," it completely lost its ability to fight.
Karin glanced at Natsuhiko in confusion.
'This person? Understands me and Hawlucha this well?'
If Natsuhiko knew of Karin's thoughts, he would definitely say that though he might not deeply understand Karin, he's very familiar with Hawlucha, especially the "Light Armor" trait Hawlucha.
In the first match, Natsuhiko won.
As for the tactical twists and turns involved, only a few could comprehend them. Most were purely entertained, only aware that Natsuhiko won a match unexpectedly.
But this is merely the beginning.
Karin's next two Pokémon mark the true onset of the challenge.
Called Alakazam back.
"Well done." Natsuhiko praised.
Alakazam had nearly perfectly executed the scenarios Natsuhiko planned the night before, deploying different strategies for different situations with great effect.
Although it sustained injuries, they weren't too severe, and it still retained some fighting capacity.
Karin didn't rush to summon her Pokémon but rather looked at Natsuhiko with a mix of complexity and admiration.
"No wonder you're the 'Tactical Master.'"
Kona's interview had Karin half-believing, but through this first battle, she was convinced that Natsuhiko's tactical prowess was indeed strong.
In any case, stronger than hers.
Natsuhiko's expression stiffened slightly, and he chuckled awkwardly.
"Just luck, really."
Karin smiled slyly, "You're quite modest, much like a friend of mine. He's modest too."
Lysandre?
Natsuhiko dared not compare himself to him.
"It seems I'll need to give my all for a chance to win," Karin added.
And then, under the judge's signal, both summoned their Pokémon again.
While the two had a brief exchange, an Elite Four member who understood their earlier tactical chess match explained the events to the audience simply.
Finally, the audience grasped the deeper level of their duel, expressing amazement.
In summary, it comes down to a single sentence.
Natsuhiko.
The true Tactical Master!
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Counting the earlier 5000 words, it's almost 9500 now~~ Asking for monthly tickets~~