Losing the Game

Ash was the third participant to take the stage, facing off against a boy roughly his age and equally skilled.

Ash's chosen Pokémon for this battle were Torterra and Sceptile, while his opponent fielded a Shiinotic and a Tsareena.

It was clear that this competitor hailed from the distant Alola region.

As the match began, Ash's Torterra immediately used Rock Tomb to create a cage of rocks, trapping Tsareena inside.

Since Tsareena was the main attacker of the opposing team, immobilizing it left Shiinotic to face both of Ash's Pokémon simultaneously, making the situation much tougher for his opponent.

However, Tsareena was no pushover. Trapped within the stone cage, it began relentlessly attacking the rocky walls, using Trop Kick to smash them one by one. Before long, one of the walls was completely destroyed, allowing it to break free.

By the time Tsareena emerged, Shiinotic had already taken a considerable beating from the combined assaults of Sceptile and Torterra. Seeing this, Tsareena wasted no time rushing to its teammate's aid.

But just as it stepped out of the rock cage, Torterra launched a distant Earthquake attack.

The ground trembled violently, almost causing Tsareena to lose its footing. As it regained balance, the large rocks from the dismantled cage collapsed behind it, sending debris crashing straight toward it.

In an instant, Tsareena was buried under the rubble.

Shiinotic, meanwhile, was slow-moving but highly adept at defense. Its soft, flexible body allowed it to absorb and deflect the impacts of attacks that landed on it. Otherwise, it would have succumbed long ago under the relentless strikes from Sceptile and Torterra.

Furthermore, its ability, Effect Spore, activated during one of Sceptile's close-range attacks, putting Sceptile to sleep.

Seeing this, Torterra stepped in to shield its slumbering ally.

At that moment, Tsareena emerged from the pile of rocks once again, looking battered and bruised from the heavy damage caused by the falling boulders.

Wasting no time, it charged straight at Torterra and Sceptile, seizing the opportunity to attack while Sceptile was still asleep.

However, just as it approached, it let out a sudden, pained cry. Torterra, determined to protect Sceptile, had laid a perimeter of Stealth Rock around itself and its ally. The invisible rocks activated as Tsareena came close, striking it directly.

Though wracked with pain, Tsareena swiftly leapt out of the Stealth Rock's range. Its furious gaze locked onto Torterra, now filled with rage and frustration.

From the beginning of the battle until now, Tsareena had been repeatedly outmaneuvered by Torterra. It hadn't achieved a single noteworthy feat, despite being the primary attacker of its team.

Little did Tsareena know, its trainer was even more exasperated than it was.

Unable to engage in close combat, Tsareena and Shiinotic resorted to long-range attacks.

Tsareena launched Seed Bomb, while Shiinotic used Moonblast.

In response, Torterra retracted its head and limbs into its shell, using Withdraw to bolster its defense.

Boom! Boom!

The two attacks struck Torterra's sturdy shell, but it seemed completely unbothered. As for Sceptile, it was shielded behind Torterra's massive body, leaving Tsareena and Shiinotic unable to do anything to it.

Although Torterra was known for its defensive prowess, it wasn't one to passively endure attacks. After being hit, it began to counterattack. Under its control, massive rocks suddenly appeared in the sky and rained down on Tsareena and Shiinotic.

Seeing this, Tsareena instinctively leapt far away. Oh no, isn't this Rock Tomb again?

Thanks to its agility, Tsareena managed to evade the attack, but Shiinotic, with its sluggish movements, couldn't escape in time. It was promptly trapped inside a cage formed by the massive rocks.

Tsareena had previously escaped from such a cage due to its strong offensive abilities, but Shiinotic was different. Without Tsareena's help, it wasn't going to break free anytime soon.

At this moment, Sceptile awoke from its slumber. It leapt onto the large tree growing on Torterra's back, perching atop the treetop, and launched a Dragon Pulse from afar at Tsareena.

Ash's Sceptile had learned Dragon Pulse from Yuga. Despite Sceptile's decent potential, it had barely any Dragon-type lineage, making it a real challenge to master this move at the time.

The dragon-shaped energy surged skyward and engulfed Tsareena in the distance. Already injured, Tsareena collapsed on the spot.

With Tsareena out of the picture, the opposing team was left with only Shiinotic, still trapped in the rock cage and unable to escape. Ash quickly secured the victory.

The final match of the second round was Ryo's, but as soon as Yuga saw his opponent, he realized that Ryo was unlikely to advance this time.

Ryo's opponent was a tall and slender young man named Nobu, with delicate, almost feminine features. He stood around 1.9 meters tall but was extremely thin, like a bamboo pole.

Yuga had taken note of him earlier in the competition, not just because of his impressive strength but also because all his Pokémon were Gourgeist.

Gourgeist and its pre-evolution, Pumpkaboo, were unique species. Depending on their growth environment, their body size could vary greatly, typically categorized into four sizes: Small, Average, Large, and Super Size.

Despite the name, Small Gourgeist were actually larger than the Average size ones. The Average size Gourgeist were, in fact, the smallest of them all.

It was clear that this young man, Nobu, had a penchant for collecting Gourgeist.

This kind of collecting obsession is actually quite common among Trainers, such as those who collect Shiny Pokémon, Vivillon with all its patterns, or pink-colored Pokémon. Compared to those examples, Nobu's collection didn't seem particularly extreme.

For this battle, Nobu sent out two Gourgeist: one of Average Size and one of Super Size. Meanwhile, Ryo sent out a Leafeon and a Maractus.

Ryo had heard of Nobu's reputation before, so he took this battle seriously, even sending out his starter Pokémon, Leafeon.

The two Gourgeist immediately used their signature move, Trick-or-Treat.

"Ehehehe~ hee~"

After an eerie laughter, two pumpkin-shaped ghostly heads floated out of the jack-o'-lanterns on the Gourgeist's lower bodies. These ghost heads accurately landed on Leafeon and Maractus, altering their typings.

Leafeon changed from a pure Grass-type to a dual Grass/Ghost-type, while Maractus changed from a dual Grass/Dark-type to a triple Grass/Dark/Ghost-type.

Ghost-types are weak to other Ghost-types.

Maractus waved its arms, launching two Dark Pulses at the Gourgeist pair.

However, the two Gourgeist, standing side by side, moved in perfect sync. Using their vines, they blocked the attacks with a slight tug, avoiding the Dark Pulses with ease.

Meanwhile, Leafeon silently crept behind the Super Size Gourgeist, attempting a sneak attack with Shadow Ball. However, the Average Size Gourgeist spotted Leafeon's movements clearly.

Boom!

Before Leafeon could fire its Shadow Ball, the Average Size Gourgeist launched one of its own. However, the Shadow Ball was intercepted mid-flight by Maractus's Dark Pulse, resulting in an explosion in the air.

The Super Size Gourgeist was alarmed, thwarting Leafeon's sneak attack. Still, the explosion shockwave affected the Super Size Gourgeist, sending it flying far away.

The Super Size Gourgeist, while being blown away, suddenly vanished from the battlefield—it had used Phantom Force to slip into another dimension. When it reappeared, it was right behind Maractus.

After using Phantom Force, Gourgeist hides in a different dimension, making it impossible for Leafeon or Maractus to locate it.

Maractus, wary of a possible attack, tried to evade. However, the other Gourgeist used Scary Face, releasing a giant ghostly face from the jack-o'-lantern on its lower body. The sight momentarily startled Maractus, causing its movements to slow down.

The Average Size Gourgeist's Scary Face came so suddenly that Leafeon, far away, didn't react in time. By the time it realized what had happened and prepared to counterattack, the two Gourgeist had already retreated to a safe distance.

Leafeon excelled at physical attacks, but asking it to perform ranged special attacks was a tall order.

Maractus, hurt from the attack, knelt down and used Ingrain to heal itself. However, the drawback of Ingrain is that the user becomes temporarily immobile.

Seeing this, the two Gourgeist sensed another opportunity. They once again used Phantom Force, reappearing beside Maractus.

This time, however, Maractus was much smarter. Before the Gourgeist could attack, it used Spiky Shield, covering itself with sharp spikes. The sneaky Gourgeist yelped in pain as they were pricked by the spikes. Seizing the opportunity, Maractus countered with Payback, punching the Super Size Gourgeist and sending it flying.

Dark-type moves are super effective against Gourgeist, and Payback doubles in power when the user attacks after the opponent. The powerful move knocked out the Super Size Gourgeist.

But Maractus didn't know that Gourgeist can inherit a move called Destiny Bond. As the Super Size Gourgeist fell, it dragged Maractus down with it.

The battlefield was now down to a one-on-one between Leafeon and the average-sized Gourgeist.

The two Pokémon stared each other down for a few seconds before Leafeon took the initiative. It pushed off with its powerful hind legs, leaping to the same level as Gourgeist, and swung its Iron Tail in a fierce arc.

Gourgeist took the hit but managed to counter with Will-O-Wisp at the same time. At such close range, Leafeon had no chance to dodge.

Crying out in pain, Leafeon crashed to the ground, its body engulfed in the ghostly flames.

Boom!

The impact from Gourgeist hitting the ground left a large crater, showing the sheer force behind Leafeon's attack. However, Leafeon now found itself in a dire situation. It was suffering from a burn, which not only caused continuous damage but also halved its physical attack power—a devastating handicap.

Gourgeist slowly floated back into the air, its eyes glowing eerily as it stared at the struggling Leafeon. Seizing the opportunity, it used Pain Split to siphon a portion of Leafeon's remaining vitality to itself.

With its attack power reduced and its health drained, Leafeon was unable to mount a meaningful offense and was soon defeated, securing the victory for Nobu.

After losing the match, Ryo instinctively glanced at the referee's booth where Yuga was seated. He felt disheartened, assuming the Gym Leader must be disappointed in him. Quietly, he recalled his Pokémon and left the arena in low spirits.

With the morning matches wrapped up, it was time for a midday break. Yuga found Ash and his friends in the audience seating area.

"Where's Ryo? Didn't he come to you guys?" Yuga asked.

Ash shook his head. "Nope, maybe he went back already?"

Yuga nodded thoughtfully. Ryo had lost his match—he was likely feeling upset.

"Let's head back for lunch first," Yuga suggested, and the group left the stadium together.

When they returned, Yuga went to Ryo's room in the Gym and knocked on the door.

"Ryo, are you in there?"

The door creaked open moments later, and Ryo appeared.

"Gym Leader, you're back," Ryo said, his expression a bit uneasy.

"What are you up to? It's lunchtime—why didn't you come out to eat?" Yuga asked.

Ryo scratched the back of his head. "I've been reflecting on the match."

"Can I take a look?" Yuga asked.

Ryo hurriedly invited Yuga into his room and handed over the notes he had been working on.

Yuga flipped through the pages carefully. Ryo's analysis was meticulous. He had listed out his weaknesses, proposed ways to address them, and even planned his upcoming training sessions in detail.

After reading it, Yuga sincerely praised him, "This is excellent work. Keep it up, and you'll become much stronger in the future."

Ryo wasn't a particularly gifted Trainer, but he was incredibly hardworking. This dedication could compensate for much of his lack of natural talent.

"Gym Leader, I lost today's match…" After a long silence, Ryo finally spoke, his voice filled with regret.

Looking him straight in the eye, Yuga asked, "Ryo, have you truly decided to pursue a career as a Trainer?"

Ryo nodded firmly. Before setting off on his journey, he had been unsure about his future. But now, he had found his path. He was determined to become an outstanding Trainer and carry on the legacy of Verdanturf Gym.

Seeing Ryo's determination, Yuga continued, "If that's the case, don't worry about a single loss. You're still young—what's one loss in the grand scheme of things?

"In the world of Trainers, there are so many geniuses and countless people stronger than us. Yes, we should learn from them and strive to compete with them, but remember, our greatest rival will always be ourselves.

"We may never surpass everyone else, but if we can become better today than we were yesterday, that's what truly matters."

Ryolooked at Yuga, not fully understanding but nodding nonetheless.

Yuga smiled. "It's fine if you don't completely get it now. Just remember my words—one day, they'll make sense."

Ryo obediently nodded.

"All right then, let's go grab some lunch. This afternoon, we'll watch more matches. Observing others is also a form of training," Yuga said, patting Ryo on the shoulder.

As Yuga and Ryo were leaving the Gym, they ran into May on her way over.

"May, what brings you here? Looking for Ryo?" Yuga asked.

"Yes," May nodded before turning to Ryo. "Ryo, are you okay?"

Having traveled together for so long, May had always looked out for Ryo. She was worried after seeing him lose earlier, so she came to check on him.

"I'm fine, May," Ryo replied. "Thank you."

Seeing both Yuga and May concerned for him, Ryo felt a little embarrassed. He realized he might have been overthinking things and resolved to work harder.