"Azumarill, use Ice Punch!"
"Chinchou, use Discharge!" Eve and Max shouted in unison.
Azumarill and Chinchou charged from the rear, attacking while strategically blocking Frogadier's escape routes.
"Two against one, trying to pin me down..." John muttered with a smirk. "Alright, guess we'll go head-on," he said, raising his hand. "Frogadier, use Cut!"
Frogadier's expression hardened, its body tense and ready as it faced the incoming attacks from both Chinchou and Azumarill.
In a flash, Frogadier blurred forward, racing across the battlefield with stunning speed.
Within seconds, it skated onto the icy surface, closing in on Azumarill. With a sharp sidestep, Frogadier barely dodged Azumarill's icy fist and struck with a diagonal slash across its shoulder. The precision of the attack left a clean, deep cut.
As Frogadier landed the blow, Chinchou launched used Spark, aiming straight for its head.
Though most Pokemon would've had to take the hit in that position, this was no ordinary Frogadier.
"Quick Attack!" John called out.
Just as Chinchou's Spark was about to connect, Frogadier seemed to vanish, moving too fast for Chinchou to track.
A slicing sound echoed across Ember Lake, like a blade cutting through fabric.
Frogadier reappeared behind Chinchou, striking it with a swift, clean slice that nearly cleaved its lantern-like body in half.
From the audience's perspective, Frogadier, Azumarill, and Chinchou seemed to weave together in one fluid, breathtaking motion.
Now Frogadier stood calmly behind its two fallen foes, kunai in hand, like a master swordsman sheathing his weapon after a duel.
Chinchou and Azumarill collapsed to the ground, defeated.
Frogadier was practically vibrating with energy.
The crowd exploded with excitement.
"What just happened? How did Chinchou and Azumarill go down so fast?"
"That was an instant knockout! I saw everything, but how is Frogadier that fast?"
"Two-on-one, and it won in seconds! This Frogadier is on a whole other level. Is that guy really just a high school graduate?"
Eve and Max stood there, stunned, their jaws dropped as they processed what had happened. They rubbed their eyes, but the sight didn't change—their Pokemon still lay defeated.
Could it really be...?
Their well-trained Pokemon had just been taken down in the blink of an eye. One second they were sure of victory, and the next, they were utterly defeated.
The referee raised a slightly shaky hand. "The match is over! Chinchou and Azumarill are unable to continue, the final winners are Trainers John and Grace!"
"We won? We won!" Grace exclaimed, eyes wide as she looked at Frogadier, then back to John in disbelief.
John shrugged with a grin. "Guess they just couldn't keep up with us."
Grace turned to him, giving him an admiring smack on the back. "You were amazing!"
"Whoa, easy! You're stronger than you look!" John laughed, rubbing his shoulder. If Grace kept that up, he'd have to start wearing armor.
"Seriously, how is your Frogadier so powerful?" Grace asked, clearly impressed.
"It's talented, and I've trained it well," John replied, honestly but modestly.
Frogadier was indeed something special—not just with strong base stats, but with sharp instincts that couldn't be measured on any screen. After endless battles, its experience had been honed to a razor's edge.
Against Pokemon of the same level, few could match Frogadier's strength and skill.
Grace looked at John with newfound curiosity, ready to ask more questions, but he subtly gestured toward the shore. He wasn't keen on becoming the center of a scene.
"Come on," he said with a nod. "Let's go claim our prize."
Off the battlefield, they headed to the scenic office, where they were presented with their rewards: a Pokemon egg labeled "Vaporeon" and an item called "Mystic Water" that would boost Water-type moves by 20%.
In the Draconia, Vaporeon was a rare Pokemon, though its market price was moderate. Pokemon eggs usually went for around 100,000 Pokédollars, and Mystic Water was equally valuable. They could split the prize however they wanted.
Grace looked at John with a smile. "You choose first."
Without hesitation, John picked up the Mystic Water and handed it to Frogadier. For him, the item was more valuable than the Vaporeon egg; he could always catch a Vaporeon later.
"Then I'll take the Vaporeon egg!" Grace declared happily, cradling the egg in a hatching device with satisfaction.
Back by the lakeside, their friends Rose and Ethan were looking at John like they'd just met him for the first time.
"Dude, didn't you say you were focusing on Pokemon breeding? How are you so good at battles?" Ethan asked, genuinely baffled.
John just grinned. "Who says a breeder can't be a strong battler too?"
Ethan paused, realizing that maybe he'd been thinking too narrowly. Trainers and breeders might specialize, but that didn't mean one couldn't excel at both.
And, watching Frogadier's calm, powerful presence, he had to admit: John was something of a rare breed himself.