A knife mark appeared across Charizard's chest, running from his left shoulder to his right waist, leaving behind a faint blush of red.
Frogadier, perched behind Charizard, held a Kunai in one hand, looking as confident as ever.
With a glance back, Frogadier unleashed Water Pulse, sending a burst of water toward Charizard.
Charizard, unfazed, chose to strike back with another devastating blow.
Charizard was blasted out of the water and crumpled to the ground, never to rise again.
"Charizard is incapacitated! Frogadier wins! Trainer Zane has lost two Pokemon in this match, making Trainer John the final winner!" The referee announced the outcome.
The audience fell silent.
They were still caught in the moment when Charizard had knocked out one of Frogadier's clones with a single swipe.
But then... Why had the Frogadier that had used Fling been a fake?
Could it be that Frogadier had developed Double Team to such an extent that the copies seemed almost real?
That was impossible! The very essence of Double Team was to create illusory copies, and no Pokemon in the world, even under the most skilled trainers, had been able to pull off such an effect. If that had changed, it would've been another move altogether, definitely not Double Team.
So if Double Team couldn't achieve this effect, then what was really going on?
The crowd exchanged puzzled glances, muttering among themselves.
"Do you know what just happened? Charizard was on track, but how did he get fooled by Double Team?"
"I don't know, do you?"
"Maybe it was Substitute?" someone ventured.
That word hit like a lightning bolt.
Substitute was different from Double Team. Unlike mere illusions, Substitute created an actual body made from the Pokemon's energy, which could even launch attacks! But it consumed the Pokemon's stamina.
Had Charizard just destroyed a Substitute with his Dragon Claw?
But earlier, the move Frogadier had used appeared to be Double Team. Charizard had shattered five clones, and only one remained—the real Frogadier. The others were illusions.
If that was the case, when had Frogadier used Substitute?
The smoke. It could only have been during the smoke screen!
Quickly, the battle department students pieced together the tactical sequence.
John's Frogadier had used Substitute and Thief in the smoke, throwing off Charizard's attacks and breaking the clones.
When the smoke had cleared, two Frogadiers remained on the battlefield. By then, it was only natural for the spectators, including Zane, to assume that one of the remaining Frogadiers was simply a Double Team illusion.
John had then used Fling, luring Zane into a trap while also dealing damage to Charizard.
Zane had taken the bait, attacking the Frogadier he thought was the real one.
It was only then that everyone saw it clearly.
Charizard's Dragon Claw had struck the Substitute, and while Charizard was vulnerable, the real Frogadier had seized the moment to attack, landing a swift Water Pulse for the finishing blow.
If this sequence of moves truly happened as the trainers had speculated, it became clear: Zane had lost the match.
The senior students, now understanding John's strategy, stared at him in awe.
His tactical brilliance was beyond impressive.
Yet he was a member of the Breeding Department, and still just a freshman!
Was this guy a natural-born tactician?
"What a pity," the tactics instructor muttered, watching John. "If only he had studied in the battle department."
John simply shrugged. This was just a basic strategy involving Substitute and Double Team—nothing out of the ordinary. It was almost too simple.
Who could have known that his talent would shine so brightly?
"Thanks, Senior," John said with a smile as he recalled his Frogadier into its Pokeball. The Pokemon had taken no damage but was slightly fatigued. John turned and walked off, leaving Zane standing there alone.
Zane watched John leave, a soft sigh escaping his lips. As the one who had been in the thick of it, he was the first to realize what had just happened—and even figured out how he could have countered it.
"If only Charizard had mastered a move like Heat Wave that could cover the whole field..." Zane muttered to himself.
"Aftermath would've been meaningless." He shook his head slightly, recalling his Pokemon. "Excuse me, buddy. Rest up. We'll fight together next time."
With that, Zane withdrew Charizard into its Pokeball and walked offstage.
The beautiful host took the stage, bringing the event to a close.
"Let's give a round of applause for both John and Zane for their wonderful performances. Now, our welcome party begins. Please exit in an orderly fashion!"
The crowd began to stir, slowly processing what had just occurred.
"Wait, Zane lost? The strongest battler lost?!"
"Don't tell me—Zane is a joke now?"
"A joke? You think you could've beaten John? You didn't even catch on to his tactics."
"Oh, I saw it. How could I not?"
The seniors and juniors gathered in small groups, discussing every move John had made to outsmart Zane. More than Zane's loss, they were fascinated by the clever tactics John had used.
After all, if they had been in Zane's shoes, they realized they would have been just as vulnerable to John's strategy.
Meanwhile, in the center of the battlefield, a different group remained.
The Battle Club members, especially Lucas, the club president, were staring in stunned silence.
The low, tense air seemed to press down on everyone, even as some students began to make their way out.
Lucas narrowed his eyes.
Zane's loss, though surprising, was understandable. But the real issue was how this loss would affect the Battle Club's reputation.
The Breeding Department would have a field day with this, and the Battle Club would be the laughing stock of the entire school.
Lucas could already imagine the mocking posts flooding the campus internet within the next half hour.