"With that kind of damage output, thank goodness I sent Incineroar to fight her."
Li Xiang shielded his face from the oncoming spray of mist, clicking his tongue in admiration.
Just one Calm Mind had strengthened Gardevoir to this extent.
Su Qian's training ability was truly impressive. Fortunately, Li Xiang's side was even stronger, allowing Incineroar to leverage its type advantage, suppress Gardevoir, and seize both momentum and control of the match.
White mist billowed.
Not far away, a silver flash pierced through the fog—it was Excadrill! It was seizing this opportunity to take out Gardevoir with Iron Head. If it didn't act now, it might never get another chance!
But Rotom, which had been repositioned to the rear, executed its planned move again.
Ally Switch!
In the mist, Gardevoir's form suddenly twisted and transformed into a small orange washing machine.
And Excadrill's Iron Head slammed into Rotom instead!
Bang!
Smoke exploded from the impact!
But it barely fazed Rotom.
With a quadruple resistance to Steel, Excadrill's attack was practically useless, especially with Reflect still up—not to mention Swords Dance.
Still, even with Rotom swapped in, the fight continued.
"High Horsepower!"
The male team member's voice rang out clearly through the smoke!
Excadrill had been unable to land a hit on Rotom all match, rendering its Mold Breaker Ability useless.
Now it was finally in close range!
Under Mold Breaker, Levitate was nullified!
"Excadrill!"
With a look of determination, Excadrill lunged forward, its razor-sharp claws slashing viciously!
A green shield appeared—and was shattered just as easily.
Bang!
Rotom was sent flying by the savage blow!
Behind it, Gardevoir didn't rush to protect Rotom. Instead, it quietly used Wish, its face weary.
By now, the white mist was slowly dissipating, revealing a water-filled crater where Whimsicott lay unconscious.
Celestial Team's second Pokémon was down.
The male trainer glanced at it briefly, then turned his attention to Rotom, hoping Excadrill could finish it off.
But with Reflect still active, even a super-effective, shield-breaking High Horsepower was significantly weakened.
"Wooosh."
Rotom shook its head, seemingly unharmed—aside from a crack on the glass valve on its chest.
Sigh... it didn't go down.
The male trainer sighed in frustration.
Excadrill in front of him was panting heavily, exhaustion evident on its face. The intense activity had raised its body temperature so much that steam rose from its body.
Sure, it was a Steel-type, but it wasn't a perpetual motion machine. It had been on the field nonstop for so long—of course it was tired. It would love nothing more than to lie down in the snow and sleep, and it desperately wanted to be switched out.
But with Gardevoir still present, Mean Look's effect remained.
It couldn't retreat.
It could only grit its teeth and keep fighting.
The match was grueling, and it was easy to get impatient—especially when you wanted results but couldn't seem to get them, which only made things worse.
One moment of hesitation had cost them Whimsicott. One wrong step, and victory slipped away.
The opponents' execution was terrifying.
The female trainer knew she had made a rookie mistake—hesitating at a critical moment, fully aware of her opponents' ability to capitalize on mistakes.
How embarrassing.
But dwelling on it wouldn't help.
There was still a chance.
She took a deep breath, patted her partner's shoulder, recalled Whimsicott, and sent out Amoonguss again.
Regenerator restored some of Amoonguss's stamina, making the visibly worn-out Pokémon breathe a little more evenly.
But the burn effect was still eating away at its health.
They needed to hurry.
Just then, the wind died down on both sides. With Tailwind gone, both teams' Pokémon returned to their base speeds.
Reflect's duration was uncertain—but it was probably about to wear off.
"Spore!"
The female trainer shouted. With a puff, Amoonguss released clouds of cottony smoke in all directions!
Excadrill burrowed underground, heading straight for Gardevoir. It was confident that Gardevoir's stamina was low, and with the right move, taking it down was within reach!
Rotom was closest to the spores but paid them no mind, using Defog to dispel them as usual.
But after the spores were cleared, Amoonguss withdrew. It seemed like it had only come out to waste Rotom's and Gardevoir's energy.
Triggering Regenerator twice in a row?
Rotom understood the tactic. In such a difficult environment, using Synthesis would just make it a target. Better to force the opponents to use Defog and drain their energy in the process.
So the third opponent was finally coming.
Rotom twisted its body, swapping positions with Gardevoir once again!
Ally Switch!
Who knows how many times they'd used it today. Rotom looked at the changed scenery, then at Excadrill lunging out of the snow right in front of it.
There was no time to react.
And in Excadrill's claws gleamed a yellowish glow!
High Horsepower!
"Got it right!"
The male trainer shouted in excitement. He had bet that Gardevoir would use Ally Switch again rather than let Excadrill attack it head-on.
Psychic might have been able to control Gardevoir for a moment, but Rotom wasn't even trying to help—a brief lockdown wouldn't matter anyway.
Ally Switch was the best option!
Thud!
A sickeningly heavy impact rang out!
Excadrill's claws, like a spear, sent Rotom flying far away!
This hit had no Protect to mitigate it—the damage was massive!
Rotom was already in poor health, and being struck with such force left it on the verge of fainting!
Excadrill had put everything into that attack, hoping to take Rotom down for good. After landing the blow, it collapsed to one knee.
The result?
Under the male trainer's hopeful gaze, Rotom—sent flying and crashing into the snow—had indeed fainted.
Maybe it was bond-related? The extra damage was higher than Li Xiang had anticipated—a bit beyond the usual limits.
"Nice one!"
The male trainer shouted in exhilaration, feeling a weight lift from his chest.
It was a relief.
They finally took down one of the opponents' Pokémon—and because of a mistake on their part!
But was it really a mistake?
Li Xiang's eyes narrowed.
Just as the male trainer was celebrating, Excadrill—having just taken down Rotom—suddenly collapsed.
It lay on the ground, struggling to breathe.
Flames flared up instantly, spreading across its entire body!
The Burn status had activated!
Rotom had sacrificed itself to cripple the opponent's physical attacker!
At the same time, Gardevoir's position shifted. It faced the opponent's third Pokémon and launched an attack without hesitation!
Taunt!
Tsareena, crowned with a leafy headdress resembling green hair, landed on the field and was immediately met with a wave of dark energy and Gardevoir's piercing gaze!
Too late to react!
Gardevoir, restored by Wish, was in peak condition and attacked with lightning speed!
The range of the Taunt exceeded the opponents' expectations.
The result: the opponent's second Taunt user was locked down the moment it entered the field!
The brief relief on both their faces froze.
Had this all been calculated?
At the cost of Rotom?
Now what? Switch out again?
Excadrill had been burned, and Tsareena had Aromatherapy to heal it—but Taunt rendered it useless.
How did it come to this?
The two were lost in confusion, genuinely feeling how relentless Li Xiang and Su Qian were—nothing like a newly formed team.
On the opposite side, seeing the plan unfold smoothly, Li Xiang's mind grew clearer. He released the finisher he had saved for the end.
"ROOOAR—!!"
The roar came before the figure appeared!
A chilling beastly howl shook the arena, drawing the attention of every Pokémon and trainer on the field.
Then, blazing flames erupted!
Under the bright sunlight, a towering figure walked through fire. The ice and snow beneath its feet melted visibly, turning into white steam that shrouded its body.
At first glance, it looked like a fire god descending upon the earth.
An invisible pressure, like a ten-thousand-ton boulder, bore down on every Pokémon and trainer on the field.
Intimidate triggered!
Incineroar wore a savage grin as it raised its right hand and clenched it into a fist. Sparks burst from the motion with a sharp crack.
Its height swelled slightly, and thicker steam coiled around it.
"Roar."
Incineroar sized up its opponents, not even bothering with a parting shot. It went straight into Bulk Up.
It strode toward Excadrill confidently.
In the distance, Gardevoir swiftly retreated, leaving the Taunted Tsareena behind. It hadn't expected Incineroar to show up this soon.
Was the end near?
"Don't be scared! High Horsepower!"
The male trainer shouted, forcing down the unease in his heart.
For some reason, the moment Incineroar entered the field, he'd been covered in goosebumps—even though he had done anti-Intimidate training countless times.
"Excadrill!"
Excadrill answered with a fierce cry, enduring the agony of the flames as it turned into a yellowish meteor, rumbling forward!
The female trainer quickly recalled Tsareena and sent out Amoonguss.
"Rage Powder!"
Amoonguss squirmed its bulky body and released a cloud of red smoke toward itself, ensuring Incineroar would target it!
But Incineroar didn't care. It kept advancing, letting Excadrill crash right into its head!
Thud!
A heavy, muffled impact!
Yellowish energy exploded, covering Incineroar's upper body!
It hadn't dodged or blocked?
What was this?
The spectators were stunned. Burned and Intimidated or not, that was no excuse to just take a hit to the head!
Did they think Excadrill did no damage at all?
That was a direct hit on the head!
Just as confusion spread and Excadrill started to retreat—
a massive, crimson-furred hand shot out from the smoke and grabbed the spike on Excadrill's head!
What!?
Eyes went wide as the smoke cleared, revealing Incineroar—completely unscathed, wearing a ferocious grin!
Excadrill's High Horsepower had done nothing!
Before anyone could process it, flames ignited on Incineroar's right arm and spread to Excadrill, turning it into a blazing fireball!
"What is it trying to do? Is it—"
Before the commentator could finish, Incineroar hurled Excadrill straight at Amoonguss!
Like a flaming cannonball!
The air screamed!
Thud!
The snow erupted!
Excadrill and Amoonguss both went flying, their faces twisted in pain—then crashed to the ground!
One shot, two hits!
Incineroar stood with its arm still extended, white smoke curling from its palm. Its eyes gleamed with terrifying coldness, its towering form like a demon descending!
Harvest time—
Is now!