There were a large number of people participating in the preliminaries, and it was in full swing as soon as it started.
As the fireworks took off, the battles in all of the 16 venues began at the same time.
"Stand by for battle, Lapras. This is your first battle, so do your best!" Ash sent out the young Lapras. After this period of journey, it can finally battle with other Pokémon.
He has been anticipating for this for so long and now he can finally battle like the rest of his friends, so he is very excited.
"Come on, Seel!"
Lapras' opponent in this round is a Seel with a low level.
Seel is a mono Water-type Pokémon. After their evolution, they became a Dewgong and they then have the dual type of Water and Ice just like Lapras.
But it is normal for them to learn some Ice-type moves, "Use Ice Beam!"
"Dodge and then use Sing!"
Lapras dived into the water to avoid the Ice Beam, then popped his head out of the water and sang a sleepy lullaby!
Seel quickly fell asleep after hearing it.
"Now, use the Water Gun!"
The Water Gun was successful and was hit by multiple times again after that. Seel soon lost his combat ability in his sleep, and Lapras won the first battle he ever participated in!
Misty's battle also went smoothly. The opponent she faced for the first time turned out to be Magikarp, and Corsola defeated them with just one single Tackle attack!
In the second battle, Ash still sent out his Lapras to deal with a Shellder on the opposite side.
It is true that there are too many Trainers coming to participate in the preliminaries, and the possibility of facing a strong opponent was not high but still possible to get them. Ash is also willing to take the opportunity to let Lapras slowly adapt to the atmosphere of the battle if he knows that his opponents are not strong.
"Come on, Lapras, Sparkling Aria!"
The Whirl Cup competition officially begins the real thing, and the ancient water battle ground that appears from the sea makes people marvel at the wisdom of ancient people and how they built them!
When the sea water slowly receded, the battle site of the Whirl Cup tournament finally appeared in front of everyone!
"Starting now, the opening ceremony of the Whirl Cup tournament will be held!"
With cheers and applause, this ancient battlefield was filled with spectators who came to watch the battle from many places.
Ash and Misty stood on the boat with all the other 62 people who passed the preliminaries, accepting everyone's applause and cheers!
Everyone's that made it here is bound to be stronger than the opponents they faced earlier in the plenaries!
This will definitely be a good tournament! Ash is already on fire!
"Viewers, take a look at these contestants, these are the people who have passed the preliminaries and aim to become the Brave Hero of the Sea!"
"Teh Whirl Islands has had its own civilization and culture since ancient times, worshiping Water-type Pokémon and coexisting with them until now!"
"This culture has not yet disappeared, but is continued by Miss Maya, the Priestess of the Sea who abides by the ancient traditions created by our ancestors!"
This Miss Maya has long purple hair, wears a gauze skirt, and holds a blue staff. That is the legendary Great Sea Spirit Sapphire!
She wants to make a introduction declaration for this competition!
She opened her arms, looked at Ash and others below her in the water, and shouted loudly, "Everyone, welcome to the triennial water Pokémon celebration, the Whirl Cup Tournament!" She introduced in a loud voice.
"The people that were here once were the ones who were connected to the Water-type Pokémon. They lived together on the Whirl Islands have been praised as the 'Brave Hero of the Sea' since ancient times!"
"It is said that the Brave Men and Women of the Sea will be blessed by the Great Sea Spirit Sapphire here and be granted the ability to communicate with all the Water-type Pokémon in the world!"
The Trainers here all looked at the staff she held with admiration in their eyes!
Ash just felt a little connection with that orb the priestess held at her hand.
Many Trainers come here for the title of Brave Hero of the Sea. And in addition to that, the Trainer who wins this competition, in addition to this title, will also receive the Mystic Water!
This is a carrying item that enhances the power of Water-type Pokémon's moves!
"Then everyone, please accept the blessing of Great Sea Spirit!"
In the blue light released by the Sea Orb, the Whirl Cup competition officially began!
"The fifth battle in Area A is over. Next is the sixth game. Trainer Ash will face off against Trainer Christopher!"
Finally it was Ash's turn to battle. Pikachu and Molly were sitting in the stands with Brock watching over them, both wearing red clothes, they made themselves very eye-catching and cheered for Ash!
In the first round of the competition, both sides will have only one Pokémon to use!
"It's up to you, Croconaw! Drown them all!" Ash didn't let Lapras battle this time. After all, it was an official competition, and he didn't know how strong the opponents Pokémon would be.
How can Ash of all people rely on luck to pass through such a thing? (Right guys?)
Sure enough, Ash's caution was correct. The opposition Trainer actually took out a rare Lure Ball, and what jumped out of it was a Kingdra, a dual type Pokémon belong to the Watee-type and Dragon-type!
The Pokédex introduces this Pokémon that can create a whirlpool by when moving or waking up!
Moreover, this type combination has very few weaknesses, except for the Dragon-type itself, the other one is the Dragon-type's arch nemesis, the magical Fairy-type.
Water-based skills have very little effect on Kingdras species.
It can be said that in this Water-type competition, Kingdra has a very obvious advantage over many other Water-type Pokémon's!
But is this all Ash worries about?
"Kingdra, use Twister!"
Under the command of his Trainer, Kingdra began to spin in place. This Twister is a Dragon-type move, and above the water, this move turned into an amazingly powerful circular whirlpool!
Not only that, it also forms a large vortex at the bottom of the water. If his opponent is in the water, there will be no place to hide from it!
This Kingdra seems to be still in absolute control of the battlefield. Under this condition, there is nothing he can do about it at the moment!
"Croconaw, stay out of the way!"
Ash knows very well that on his side, compared to Kingdra, Croconaw has the advantage of moving under the water and even more above the water, so he must not fall into the water easily let the battle take place above the water!
Croconaw's movements are still very agile after evolving, and he avoided the Twister's attack range in one go.
Can this Kingdra still maintain this Twister of his?
Of course no.
The moment it stopped its skills, Ash gave the order, "Now, Ice Fang!"
Croconaw's jaw force is very terrifying, and Ash's Croconaw has perfected Ice Fang, Crunch and the other biting moves to perfection under Ash and Slowking!
Before Kingdra and Christopher could react, Croconaw rushed over and bit Kingdra hard!
The Ice-type energy swept through Kingdra's body instantly, and it was quickly frozen completely!
"Ash's Croconaw moved too fast. This Ice Fang showed no mercy. Kingdra is frozen! Can he escape from this and continue this battle?"
The explanations at the commentator table were very impressive.
"Kingdra, no!" Kingdras Trainer was obviously very panicked about his Pokémon being frozen in battle!
Seeing this, Ash smiled a little, "How about I help you?"
Christopher was stunned for a moment, then heard Ash order again, "Croconaw, use Crunch!"
This time, the fangs were entangled with evil Dark-type energy, greatly strengthening the power of the bite. Croconaw bit Kingdra hard agin, the ice was shattered, and Kingdra had lost his ability to fight anymore!
"Kingdra loses the ability to fight, Croconaw wins!"
Ash successfully advanced to the second round of the real thing!
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Power Stones please.