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Kai's third battle was scheduled as Match 10 in Group A, set for around 2 p.m. With some time to spare, he, Erika, and Misty decided to leave the Group A arena and check in on Ash's progress in Group C.
As luck would have it, when they arrived, Ash was in the middle of his second match his Phanpy was facing off against a woman's Machoke.
The three didn't call out to him, choosing instead to quietly join Brock, who was already watching from the sidelines.
"You guys made it?" Brock asked, glancing over. "How'd your matches go?"
"That's obvious!" Misty cut in with a grin before Kai could answer. "Kai barely broke a sweat two wins straight! What about Ash? Don't tell me he already got unlucky and lost?"
Brock shook his head. "Not exactly. But…"
From him, they learned that Ash's first match had been a close call. His opponent's Furret had used a clever Dig strategy, striking from underground again and again.
Pikachu had been pushed to the brink, nearly defeated.
At the last moment, though, Ash came up with a wild idea: having Pikachu grab hold of Furret and dive underground with it, then unleash Thunderbolt beneath the surface. The electricity paralyzed Furret, turning the tide and securing victory.
The tactic was reckless and dangerous, but it worked classic Ash.
Kai shook his head as he listened, a small smile tugging at his lips. Only Ash would think of something that crazy.
Back on the field, Ash seemed sharper this time, taking no chances. With Phanpy giving it everything, it managed to land a decisive Tackle straight to Machoke's head, knocking it out cold.
"I won!!" Ash shouted, pumping his fists in the air before his opponent had even recalled Machoke. His relief was obvious the scare in his first match had rattled him, but now he was back on track. Two wins meant he was one step away from advancing.
When Ash spotted Kai and the others waiting, he ran over, beaming.
"Congrats," Kai said, clapping for him. "You did well."
"Heh, way better than the first match!" Ash laughed, his grin stretching wider. "What about you, Kai? You must've won too, right?"
"Yeah. Nothing too tough so far. Now, let's grab lunch."
They found a nearby restaurant, where Kai ordered while Misty filled Ash in on the earlier encounter with Travis.
Plates of food arrived, and the group ate heartily, trading notes about their battles though really, it was more about encouraging each other than offering strategy.
But rest was short. Barely an hour later, Ash was called again by the loudspeakers for his third match.
He hurried off, while Kai, Erika, and Misty returned to Group A's arena.
After sitting through one more battle, it was Kai's turn again.
This time, his opponent was a recent graduate from a Pokémon school. Rather than earning badges, the boy had qualified for the League through academic exams another common entry path.
Textbooks gave him knowledge, but not experience. And experience was what counted in battle.
Kai sent out his Scizor, deliberately choosing a disadvantage against the boy's Cyndaquil.
Even facing a four-times Fire weakness, Scizor's overwhelming speed and discipline crushed the match. The boy watched, stunned, as his Cyndaquil collapsed despite the supposed advantage.
It was a harsh but important lesson: theory and type charts weren't everything. A strong-enough Pokémon, well-trained, could power through.
The student recalled Cyndaquil with a heavy sigh and walked off in defeat. With a record of one win and two losses, his tournament run was likely over.
For Kai, though, the win was a relief. He stepped off the field, high-fived Misty, and then headed toward the League's main hall.
He and Ash had already agreed: once their matches ended, they'd meet there rather than regrouping elsewhere.
By the time Kai arrived, Ash was already waiting, having secured his third win. Their eyes met, and no words were needed both knew the other had advanced.
Around them, the hall filled as the preliminary matches wrapped up. Out of the more than two hundred who had registered, only a fraction remained.
On the giant display board, photos of the advancing trainers appeared one by one. Kai and Ash quickly spotted their own.
Kai also found Travis's photo among them. Despite losing to Kai in the opening round, Travis had fought back through his remaining matches and scraped into the preliminaries. His strength was real.
As the crowd thinned, the remaining trainers began sizing each other up.
Gary was the first to spot Kai and Ash, but true to form, he didn't walk over. Instead, he leaned against a pillar with his arms crossed, eyes closed, radiating that trademark "cool rival" attitude.
Before Kai could look away, footsteps approached.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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