Most of the surrounding spectators believed Dratini would easily win.
Even Sam's opponent seemed slightly lacking in confidence about his own Raticate.
But Sam didn't think that way.
There is a clear difference between wild Pokémon and Pokémon carefully trained by a Trainer.
Wild Pokémon spend most of their time playing, searching for food, and surviving. Very few can devote consistent time to structured training.
Trainer-owned Pokémon are different.
A Trainer handles everything—food, recovery, planning, and development. The Pokémon's only responsibility is to grow stronger.
Because of this, most wild Pokémon are at a severe disadvantage when facing a properly trained Pokémon.
The gap isn't just tactical—it's also physical.
Without abundant resources and structured training, even decent talent struggles to compensate.
Dratini, although now caught by Sam, had only just joined his team. In reality, it wasn't very different from a wild Pokémon yet.
This battle would not be easy.
---
"Dratini, use Twister!"
From the very beginning, Sam chose to take the initiative.
He put himself on the offensive immediately.
Raticate's Trainer hadn't expected such aggression. He seemed surprised that someone with a rare Pokémon like Dratini would attack without hesitation.
Fortunately, his Raticate had solid battle instincts.
Even without a direct command, it reacted instantly when Dratini launched Twister, narrowly dodging the unstable vortex.
Seeing how shaky Dratini's Twister looked, Sam sighed inwardly.
This was precisely why he attacked first.
Dratini's Twister was slow to form and slow to travel. If he waited passively, it would be nearly impossible to land a hit on an agile Pokémon like Raticate.
Now that he had confirmed Dratini wasn't overwhelmingly strong, Raticate's Trainer regained confidence.
"Raticate! Use Hyper Fang!"
There was no way he wouldn't be excited.
If he could defeat a Dratini, he would have bragging rights for years.
Raticate bared its massive incisors and launched forward like a cannonball.
Dratini stiffened, slightly panicked at the sight of the charging opponent.
"Don't panic," Sam said calmly. "Use Dragon Tail."
Sam had already prepared for this scenario.
His steady voice cut through Dratini's fear.
Dratini swung its tail forcefully—
Dragon Tail connected.
The move's effect triggered immediately.
Raticate was violently knocked backward. The faster it had rushed in, the harder it was thrown back.
"Now—Twister!"
This was the perfect moment.
Dratini's eyes glowed purple.
Behind Raticate, still struggling to recover mid-air, a vortex slowly formed.
Unable to dodge, Raticate collided directly into the forming Twister.
Despite its flaws, Twister still carried solid power.
The swirling wind lifted Raticate high into the air—
—and slammed it down violently.
A loud crash echoed across the battlefield.
A crater formed where Raticate hit the ground.
Thankfully, Pokémon bodies were far sturdier than humans.
A person struck like that would have been severely injured—or worse.
---
"Raticate is unable to battle!"
"Dratini wins!"
"The winner is Sam from Pallet Town!"
The crowd erupted.
"Dratini is so strong!"
"No, that's not it," a more experienced spectator commented. "Dratini and Raticate were about equal in strength. The real difference was between the Trainers."
Sam's tactical advantage had decided the battle quickly.
"Well done, Dratini."
Sam lifted Dratini into his arms.
Dratini narrowed its eyes happily, letting out soft, excited chirps.
Seeing Dratini so cheerful after battle, Sam finally relaxed.
If Dratini enjoyed battling, training it would be far easier.
---
After advancing, Sam returned to the rest area to wait for Round Two.
The next round wouldn't begin until all first-round matches concluded.
Nearby, several winning Trainers were chatting.
"Did you hear? Besides the cash prize, the winner also receives a mysterious stone."
"A mysterious stone? It's just a rock. Unless it's an Evolution Stone, it won't sell for much. I'm here for the prize money."
"Exactly. The cash reward is way more attractive."
A stone?
Ever since obtaining Gengar's Mega Stone aboard the S.S. Anne, Sam had become extremely sensitive to the word "stone."
Could this prize be another Mega Stone?
Originally, he had only entered this competition to train Dratini.
Now—
He was genuinely interested.
He decided then and there.
He would win.
Not just for training.
But to see what that mysterious stone truly was.
"Excuse me," Sam asked one of the Trainers politely, "have you seen the stone? What does it look like?"
---------------Author---------------
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