"Oh! Meowscarada's Aura Sphere hits the bullseye! That's not a good start for Aggron. Fighting-type moves are super effective against it!"
"Hmm, that was a surprise attack for Aggron. You can tell Meowscarada has a deep move pool. It seems Contestant Ding Wanning didn't expect this move from his opponent!"
Because one of the contestants was the two-time champion of the previous Academy Cup singles battles, the match between Ding Wanning and Rowan immediately caught the commentators' attention from the very beginning.
At this moment, the screens on both sides of the arena were temporarily allocated to their match by the broadcast director, along with detailed introductions of the Pokémon being displayed.
Pokémon battles are different from other competitions; they're not just for entertainment. The organizers hope that regular Trainers can learn many things from these matches.
Therefore, the commentators invited are generally quite competent. While they may not speak in poetic verse, at least they avoid misusing idioms or making inappropriate literary references.
As a Steel- and Rock-type Pokémon, Fighting-type attacks are among Aggron's biggest weaknesses. Moreover, Aggron typically has stronger physical defense, with Special Defense being its shortcoming.
Even after special training, there's still a noticeable gap compared to its base physical defense.
"Grrroar!!"
In the arena, the Aggron hit by Aura Sphere let out a furious roar, but that hit also helped it successfully locate its opponent's position. Since the Trainer hadn't issued a new command, Aggron continued carrying out the instructions it had received earlier.
As Aggron stomped forward, several massive boulders fell from the sky, landing around Nekomi and restricting her movement area.
Boom!
Once the boulders surrounded her in every direction, they began to close in toward the center. At the same time, flames ignited on Aggron's fist, and its bulky frame charged forward.
There was nothing wrong with the strategy. Aggron is more of a heavy tank; strong in offense and durability, but lacking in agility.
When facing a nimble opponent, it's difficult to land follow-up attacks without first using moves that restrict movement.
"There it is! That's the signature move of this contestant's Aggron. Last year, he used this exact move to trap his opponent's Scizor and secure the championship!
Now facing Aggron's consecutive Fire Punch, can Meowscarada... No hit! Rock Tomb didn't hit! What was just trapped was only a Double Team illusion!!
At some point, Contestant Rowan had already issued new orders to Meowscarada!!"
Seeing Meowscarada turn into mist after being hit by Fire Punch, the commentator immediately realized what had happened.
Because of the distance, he assumed Rowan had used some kind of prearranged command to direct Meowscarada. He hadn't expected at all that it was entirely Meowscarada's own conscious decision.
"Don't panic! Use Protect, Meowscarada is behind you!"
In the arena, Ding Wanning understood better than the commentator what had truly occurred. It seemed the opponent had used the smoke from Aura Sphere's impact as cover to execute a tactical evasion, leaving Aggron wide open once again.
Looking at Nekomi, standing atop a nearby stone pillar with an Aura Sphere in each hand, Ding Wanning knew clearly that Aggron couldn't dodge that kind of homing attack. He immediately ordered it to put up a transparent barrier.
"Meow... (Can't attack the Trainer, how annoying...)"
Atop the stone pillar, Nekomi glanced at the opposing Trainer, who was still giving out commands. Based on her previous combat style, she would've silenced the enemy Trainer the moment she used Double Team to change her location.
"Suppress it with Aura Sphere, then use Low Kick to finish it quickly! Don't give them a chance to Mega Evolve!"
"Meow~ Meow (We're perfectly in sync, I was thinking the same thing)"
Swish, swish!
Several Aura Spheres were thrown from Nekomi's hands. While they flew through the air, she also leapt from the pillar and dashed toward Aggron's position.
"Damn... Hold out for now, then get ready for Mega Evolution!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Aura Spheres pounded Aggron one after another. Though it managed to withstand the first wave thanks to the barrier, its movement was restricted as a result.
The moment the barrier dissipated, a serious look came over Aggron's eyes.
Aggron was preparing to endure the opponent's attack head-on, but faced with an overwhelming force from below, its body was sent flying uncontrollably, smashing through several stone pillars before finally being buried under a pile of rubble.
"This is bad! If I'm not mistaken, this contestant's Aggron has the rare 'Heavy Metal' Ability..."
"That's right, the metal armor of Contestant Ding Wanning's Aggron is even denser than that of an ordinary Aggron. But with Low Kick, the heavier the target, the more damage it takes!"
"I wonder if Aggron can withstand that hit…"
"The match is over! The winner is Meowscarada! The biggest dark horse of this year's Academy Cup has emerged!!"
"The defending champion of the past two singles battles didn't even get a chance to use his trump card, Mega Evolution! It's absolutely unbelievable!!"
On the battle screen, Aggron's icon had already turned black and white; what that meant was self-evident.
The failed use of Endure, the consistent Same Type Attack Bonus (STAB) from Protean, and the negative effects of Heavy Metal all made Aggron, who was already worn down by Aura Sphere, to simply not be able to withstand the attack.
As for the university Ding Wanning represented, they were left utterly confused. Their "five-protect-one" strategy fell apart the moment their core was taken out, leaving them with the pressing question: What now?
"Meow~ (Praise me)"
1v1 isn't a king-of-the-hill format. After a battle ends, while Pokémon aren't sent to the Pokémon Center for recovery, the next group of fighters still takes their turn.
Now back down the stage, Nekomi had her hands behind her back as she leaned in beside Rowan and made her request.
"This is only the first round. Let's get through today's 1v1s, and then I'll give you a massage."
"Meow~ (Trust me, I've got this)"
With her eyes closed, enjoying the head rub, Nekomi paid no attention to who the next opponent was. Rowan was the same; he didn't even know who had advanced to face them next.
On the other side, Ding Wanning looked a little dazed. As the defending champion, he never imagined he'd be the first one eliminated in the 1v1 format.
Delaying the graduation and now losing in the competition, his mind seemed to have taken a hit.
Meanwhile, outside the arena, aside from Rowan being up first, the others' battles were scheduled much later.
Upon seeing Rowan win his first match, they sat down in a row, relaxed.
"The strongest opponent got knocked out in the first round. In five years of coaching, I've never seen such a wonderful start."
"Same here. But now the other universities must be having a headache. Their analysts are probably staring at Rowan's blank match record in confusion ~"
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