"Rapidash, Flame Wheel!"
"Magcargo, boost it with Flamethrower!"
Rapidash charged at full speed, its body engulfed in flames, heading straight for Houndoom.
From behind, Magcargo's Flamethrower struck Rapidash's back, intensifying its flames into a roaring inferno.
"Houndoom, dodge quickly!"
"Gengar, Shadow Ball, interrupt Rapidash!"
Wester shouted in panic, while Sato played along.
A barrage of Shadow Balls struck Rapidash, weakening its assault, giving Houndoom the perfect opening to "escape."
"Magcargo, Rock Slide!"
"Rapidash, enhance it with Flamethrower!"
Massive boulders, coated in Rapidash's blazing flames, rained down like falling meteors, their sheer presence overwhelming.
Sato and Wester exchanged glances.
Anyone who made it to the knockout rounds was no weakling.Their opponents' teamwork was seamless, they even had combined attacks prepared.
It was time to get serious.
"Houndoom, charge in!"
Somehow, Gengar had already maneuvered in front of Magcargo, its crimson glow flashing in Magcargo's eyes: Instant sleep!
Ever since Gengar started meditating non-stop, it had become more like a Psychic-type Pokémon, its Hypnosis skill was now flawless!
The Rock Slide attack collapsed without direction, its flaming boulders crashing in a free fall.
Houndoom ignored the blazing debris, leaped past Rapidash, and closed in on Magcargo!
Gengar and Houndoom attacked simultaneously, Magcargo, still fast asleep, collapsed instantly!
The athletic girl froze, just moments ago, they had the upper hand. How had her Pokémon been knocked out in seconds?!
Sato shot Wester a glance.
He had assumed Houndoom would use a different move, he never expected it to also use Dream Eater.
Talk about having money to burn...
Unlike Gengar, which could naturally learn Dream Eater, Houndoom had to be taught via TM. And high-powered Psychic-type moves like Dream Eater weren't cheap!
"Rapidash, Bounce! Ayako, switch Pokémon!"
The glasses-wearing trainer directed Rapidash to push back Houndoom and Gengar, while also advising his teammate.
"Oh-uh, which one should I use?"
She stammered in panic.
They had made it this far by relying on her partner's information gathering, now that his data had failed, she didn't know what to do.
"Houndoom, Dark Pulse!"
As Gengar retreated, it left behind a terrifying ghostly face, looming over Rapidash with a predatory glare.
Rapidash instinctively recoiled, just as Dark Pulse struck it head-on!
"Noctowl, use Extrasensory on Gengar!"
"Rapidash, use Agility to evade!"
The athletic girl sent out a Noctowl, a Normal/Flying-type Pokémon, completely immune to Gengar's Ghost-type attacks.
Not only that, it could use Psychic-type moves, making it a major threat to Gengar!
"Gengar, use Psychic on Rapidash!"
"Houndoom, Thunder Fang, take Noctowl down!"
Noctowl was dangerous, but it wasn't alone in the battlefield.
With a powerful leap, Houndoom lunged at Noctowl, fangs crackling with electricity.
Noctowl was in the middle of charging Extrasensory, leaving it completely vulnerable. It had only one option to avoid the attack, It had to cancel its move.
The moment Extrasensory faded, Gengar countered, astronger Psychic attack barreled straight toward Rapidash!
Rapidash took another direct hit, collapsing to the ground, seemingly unable to stand back up. A beam of red light flashed as Rapidash was recalled.
"Feraligatr, Crunch!"
Sato's brows furrowed.
The battle display didn't indicate that Rapidash had lost consciousness, the glasses-wearing trainer had swapped Pokémon with incredible speed.
The Poké Ball landed right next to Gengar, and the instant Feraligatr emerged, it lunged at Gengar with its jaws wide open!
The Protect barrier barely held, but it managed to block the Crunch attack.
Sato focused on Feraligatr.
That terrifying attack power... There was only one possibility: Sheer Force!
A Pokémon with Sheer Force sacrificed secondary effects to boost its move's power by 30%!
A Crunch attack like that was absolutely devastating!
"Invisible. Thunderbolt on Noctowl!"
The moment Protect disappeared, so did Gengar.
Meanwhile, Noctowl could only watch helplessly as Rapidash was recalled, while it was still locked in a duel with Houndoom!
Wester's Houndoom wasn't particularly special in size, but it excelled at Special Attacks. It had even refined Thunder Fang to the point where it could release electricity at a distance, keeping Noctowl completely occupied!
Suddenly, Noctowl sensed immense danger approaching.
It instinctively flapped its wings, retreating slightly and in the next moment, a Thunderbolt streaked through the space where it had just been!
"Gengar, Thunderbolt again!"
"Feraligatr, Waterfall on Houndoom!"
Roar activated first, Noctowl froze in place, its body stiffening.
Before it could recover, Thunderbolt struck directly! The next moment, Feraligatr charged forward, slamming into Houndoom with Waterfall, and Houndoom was knocked out!
"Breloom, Seed Bomb!"
"Gengar, Thunderbolt!"
Wester recalled Houndoom with his left hand and immediately threw out Breloom with his right.
A well-aimed Seed Bomb, combined with Breloom's monstrous physical attack, heavily damaged Feraligatr!
At the same time, Thunderbolt struck again, landing squarely on Feraligatr, now half-kneeling on the ground.
When the electric light faded, Feraligatr remained motionless, Its charred skin emitting a faint burnt smell.
"It's still standing?"
Wester was momentarily stunned and was about to finish it off, but Sato raised a hand to stop him.
Feraligatr slowly collapsed, finally succumbing to its injuries.
Sato felt a wave of emotion.
There were always some Pokémon that, whether for their teammates, their trainers, or themselves, fought until the bitter end.
A flash of red light recalled Feraligatr.
Since Rapidash hadn't officially been ruled unconscious, the opponent surrendered after withdrawing Feraligatr.
The glasses-wearing trainer took a step back, glancing apologetically at his partner, Ayako.
Ayako recalled her exhausted Noctowl, her voice lighthearted.
"Sorry, it was my misjudgment..."
"Yeah! It's all your fault!"
Ayako turned away dramatically in mock annoyance.
The glasses-wearing trainer looked stunned and fell silent.
"You're the one who insisted on teaming up with me! If you hadn't, you'd still be winning!"
Ayako's voice suddenly softened, sounding genuinely guilty.
"You actually think I'm holding you back...?"
Sato and Wester blinked.
A public display of affection?!
Wait, who actually won this match?!