An hour later, John emerged from the tunnel wearing fresh clothes and carrying six Pokeballs that had been tested and approved by the World Pokemon Championship organizing committee.
This was no longer the open-air battlefield where John and Hank had once battled. John had commissioned the construction of a proper indoor battle arena, a massive stadium capable of seating 2,000 spectators, equipped with elite-level defensive energy shields to ensure audience safety. The facility had cost him 100 million to build.
Now, every one of those 2,000 seats was filled.
When John walked out of the athlete's tunnel, a wave of sound crashed against his eardrums from all directions, momentarily overwhelming his senses. The cacophony was so intense and chaotic that for an instant, he felt as though he'd gone deaf.
But that sensation quickly passed. Beyond the distant roar, he could make out what spectators along the aisle were shouting to him.
"John! Come on! Destroy Him!"
"John, you've got this!"
"John! I love you! I want to have your babies!"
John glanced at the person who made that last declaration.
It was a man.
John's walking pace suddenly accelerated.
Stepping onto the battlefield platform, John quickly sized up his rival, a young man with neatly parted hair wearing a crisp suit. In that moment, John understood the answer to his earlier question.
How dare this man challenge him? Because ignorance had given him boundless courage!
Koizumi Erlang's eyes gleamed with envy and excitement envy for the cheers John was receiving, and excitement at the prospect of winning those cheers for himself by defeating the opponent before him.
He looked at John as though eyeing prey, with an almost taunting expression.
For someone like this, John's strategy was simple: no need for words, just deliver a crushing defeat.
John looked toward the referee, who wasn't from the gym but rather a member of the World Pokemon Organizing Committee.
After confirming both trainers were in position, the referee immediately began announcing the rules.
"The match about to begin is part of the Ultra Ball division of the World Pokemon Championship. Trainer John will face Trainer Koizumi Erlang. The rules are as follows: each trainer will use four out of their six Pokemon. When all four of a trainer's Pokemon lose their ability to battle, the match is over!"
"Now, please send out your Pokemon simultaneously!" The referee raised a green flag as the signal.
John and Koizumi each removed a Pokeball from their belts, nodded to each other, and threw them skyward in unison.
Silver light flashed as two Pokemon materialized on the field.
Koizumi's first Pokemon was Emboar.
Its massive, bulky body was surrounded by raging flames, with black smoke and sparks billowing from its enormous pig-like nostrils. It was clearly a well-bred Emboar!
The Pokemon John sent out was Steelix!
But not just any Steelix, an Obsidian Steelix!
Red flame patterns adorned its black body, making its already fierce appearance even more intimidating.
The appearance of the Obsidian Steelix drew gasps from the audience.
"Another shiny Pokemon?"
"Wow! Shiny Gardevoir, shiny Hariyama, shiny Gyarados, he got a shiny Growlithe not long ago, and now a shiny Steelix too? Is John building an entire team of shiny Pokemon for the World Pokemon Championship?"
"John isn't just a trainer, he's the God of Shinies!"
"Someone hold me back! I need to take a photo of the Shiny God to hang above my bed!"
Koizumi looked at the obsidian Steelix with a hint of envy, but his expression remained disdainful. "So what if it's shiny? What trainers should pursue is strength. No matter how good a Pokemon looks, it's meaningless if it's weak!"
John's face remained expressionless. He had anticipated this reaction. As more of his shiny Pokemon appeared in future battles, people would be increasingly surprised... until eventually they became numb to it.
The referee extended his hand to signal that both Pokemon and trainers were ready, then announced: "Let the battle begin!"
"Emboar, use Fire Pledge!" Koizumi was eager to strike first.
Emboar versus Steelix, he had the type advantage from the start. Not only did Fighting-type moves work well against Steelix, but Fire-type moves were super effective too. This would be over quickly!
"Dragon Tail," John commanded calmly.
The two orders were issued simultaneously.
Emboar leaned forward and punched the ground, causing a pillar of fire to burst from the impact point. This was just the beginning, from the first fire pillar, additional columns of flame erupted from the ground every ten centimeters, rapidly advancing toward Steelix.
But before the Fire Pledge could reach Steelix, the steel serpent had already twisted its body and swung its massive tail.
The Obsidian Steelix's tail resembled a gigantic sword, one that only a titan could wield! It reminded John of descriptions common in fantasy novels: a blade without equal, a skill without parallel!
The black tail-sword, embellished with red flame patterns, appeared to cut through the air with a stream of fire as it swung. But this was more than just flame, the sword-like tail was wrapped in dark green Dragon-type energy as it slashed toward Emboar.
"Close Combat!" Koizumi commanded without a trace of fear.
Emboar puffed black smoke from its nostrils, raised its fist, and punched directly at the approaching massive tail!
A loud "CLANG" echoed throughout the arena.
Violent black smoke rose like a volcanic eruption. The ground shook beneath them as haze, smoke, and dust filled the air.
Simultaneously, the pillars of fire from Fire Pledge were abruptly cut off, advancing no further.
Everyone watched in anticipation, eager to see the outcome of this powerful collision.
Steelix retracted its tail as the smoke began to disperse.
When the air finally cleared, Emboar was revealed lying on the scorched ground. A huge impact crater visible to the naked eye surrounded the Fire Pokemon, with spider web-like cracks extending a full three meters in all directions!
There was no doubt, Emboar had lost its ability to battle.
"Emboar is unable to battle! Steelix wins!" the referee announced.
John looked at Koizumi expressionlessly and called out, "Next!"