The next morning, the tournament arena buzzed with excitement.
Group A's match had just reached its conclusion.
"Weavile's Night Slash hits a critical hit! What a stunning strike! Congratulations to Paul and Ash for advancing to the Top 4!!!"
Saikikka stood nearby with his arms folded behind his head, sighing dramatically.
"Man… those two actually made it through despite barely working together. If I'd taken things seriously, I could've faced you head-on, Teacher Yan~"
Even though he had already been eliminated, he still showed up every day to watch the matches.
His excuse?
"Studying."
Peter glanced at him and chuckled. "Your partner wasn't very good. Dragged you down."
"Yeah… figures. Singles battles are way more comfortable anyway~" Saikikka nodded seriously.
Whitney tugged lightly on Peter's sleeve. "Honey, it's our turn."
"Alright—let's go."
Peter waved casually at Saikikka before taking Whitney's hand and walking onto the stage.
…
"I wonder if we'll see any new strategies this time… I'm already bored of rain teams," Payton said lazily, leaning against the railing.
"If it's Peter… there probably will be," Nessa replied, her gaze fixed on the calm figure below, her eyes shimmering with interest.
Conway adjusted his glasses. "This time… he'll probably use Rufflet."
"Who knows? But with Peter… it just feels like he can't lose!" Nemo said excitedly.
Brock stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Now that you mention it… he really hasn't lost a single official match since his debut, has he?"
Ash clenched his fist, eyes shining. "You're right! He's amazing! As expected of my rival—I'm getting fired up!"
"…"
Paul simply watched in silence, his eyes locked onto Peter.
…
With the referee's signal—
Group B's advancement match began.
Peter and Whitney sent out:
Clefairy and Rufflet.
On the opposing side, Valric and Tony released their Pokémon.
A plump purple figure with red eyes and a wide, mischievous grin—
[Gengar Lv.43 (Elite - Low)]
And beside it, a majestic eagle with dark blue feathers, red-brown wings, and a sharp beak—
[Braviary Lv.48 (Elite - Advanced)]
Peter nodded slightly.
So Braviary doesn't need to reach level 54 to evolve in this world… interesting.
"SKREEEE—!!!"
The moment Rufflet saw its evolved form, it let out a fierce cry.
Its childhood obsession ignited instantly—
It entered a heightened, battle-ready state!
The commentator's voice rose with excitement:
"Wow! Looks like both sides are on the same wavelength! Rufflet versus its evolved form, Braviary! Can Peter once again win across a level gap? Let's find out!"
"Gengar, use Nasty Plot!"
"Braviary, use Rock Tomb!"
The opposing team immediately set up a classic formation:
Backline setup. Frontline pressure.
Gengar boosted its Special Attack, while Braviary provided cover.
Whitney glanced at Peter, a playful smile forming on her lips.
"Clefairy, use Trick!"
Peter followed instantly:
"Rufflet, Brave Bird!"
"Pi~!"
Clefairy flicked its fingers—
A white scarf floated out and swapped with the item Gengar was holding before it could finish setting up Nasty Plot.
At the same time—
Rufflet soared into the sky, wings folding as it dove at incredible speed.
Flames wrapped around its body, shifting from orange-red—
To a blazing blue as it surged forward like a missile.
Tony snorted. "Hmph! A little bird dares challenge an eagle? Braviary, use Wing Attack!"
"WHOOSH—!"
A violent wind swept across the battlefield.
Rufflet tore through the falling rocks like a blade, instantly closing the distance—
—and met Braviary's glowing wings head-on.
"Clefairy, use Skill Swap on Rufflet!" Whitney called.
Thanks to its high proficiency, Clefairy executed the move instantly.
A magical glow surrounded Rufflet—
And then—
"BOOM—!!!"
The two Pokémon collided.
"SKREE—!!!"
After a brief clash—
Braviary let out a cry of pain and was sent crashing down from the sky, feathers and blood scattering through the air.
Rufflet was also knocked backward, but it quickly flapped its wings and stabilized itself midair.
It had actually—
Won the direct clash against its evolved form.
…
The entire arena erupted.
"Wait… that's actually a Rufflet???" Saikikka's jaw dropped.
Conway nodded, equally stunned. "Even though Brave Bird has higher power… that level of damage far exceeds normal expectations…"
Brock narrowed his eyes. "More importantly—after Clefairy swapped its Magic Guard ability onto Rufflet, Brave Bird no longer causes recoil damage."
"Wait—you can do that?!" Ash exclaimed in disbelief.
…
Meanwhile, on the battlefield—
Valric suddenly shouted, "Gengar, what's wrong?! Use Sludge Bomb!"
"Geng—?"
Gengar tried to gather energy—
But failed.
It clutched its belly, looking utterly confused.
At the same time—
Rufflet had already prepared its second Brave Bird.
With Peter's command, it surged forward once again, wrapped in blue flames.
"Hmph! Braviary, we'll use Brave Bird too!"
"SKREE—!!!"
Braviary roared, igniting its own blue flames as it charged.
"BOOM—!!!"
Another violent collision.
This time—
They were evenly matched, both sent flying backward.
But—
Braviary's body began to leak fragments of energy.
The recoil damage from Brave Bird had taken its toll.
Meanwhile—
Rufflet simply flapped its wings twice and steadied itself.
With Magic Guard, it completely ignored recoil damage.
"Is it really this strong…? Shouldn't Rufflet be at a lower level?" Saikikka muttered in shock.
But no one answered him.
Because Peter had already issued the next command.
"Rufflet—finish it with Brave Bird!!!"
"SKREEEE—!!!"
Rufflet let out a fierce cry as air currents surged around it, flames igniting once more.
Tony's eyes widened. "Impossible! How can it use Brave Bird again so quickly?!"
Peter smiled faintly. "Just because your Braviary can't… doesn't mean my Rufflet can't."
He glanced at Whitney.
She returned a sweet smile.
"Clefairy… use After You."
The finishing move—
Had already begun.