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"It's here! Trainer Fang's mysterious second Water-type Pokémon has appeared—and it's a Crawdaunt! A species native to the Hoenn region, rarely seen here in Johto!"
The tournament announcer shouted excitedly the moment Crawdaunt appeared, immediately explaining it to the roaring crowd.
Up in the spectator stands, Yasha leaned forward, eyes fixed on the Crawdaunt standing atop a stone pillar. Stroking his smooth chin, he muttered thoughtfully,
"Tch… Crawdaunt, huh? Water and Dark type, if I remember correctly. Not bad at all. I should try to catch one sometime."
As a Dark-type Elite Four member, Yasha naturally had a soft spot for Pokémon sharing his specialty.
"Crawdaunt! It's all up to you now!"
The moment Crawdaunt entered the field, Fang's usual grin faded. His expression turned serious for the first time.
"Craw-daaa!"
Crawdaunt raised its enormous claws, snapping them powerfully while letting out an excited cry.
"Alright! The next round begins—Fang's Crawdaunt versus Delia's Wartortle! The battle continues!"
The announcer wasted no time and declared the start of the second match.
"Let's go, Crawdaunt! Dive into the water and use Bubble Beam!"
"Craw-daaa!!"
At Fang's command, Crawdaunt leapt into the water with a splash. Its red body darted swiftly through the pool as one of its claws began to glow, firing out streams of shimmering, multicolored bubbles.
Seeing that, Delia immediately called out to her partner atop a nearby stone pillar.
"Wartortle! Jump into the water too and dodge! Then counterattack from below with Aqua Jet!"
"War-tor!"
At her order, Wartortle spun gracefully and dove into the water. Its long tail whirled rapidly like a propeller, wrapping its body in a swirling current as it transformed into a living torpedo—launching straight upward from below!
Bam!!
The collision was instantaneous. Wartortle slammed directly into Crawdaunt's underbelly with tremendous force. A crisp impact rang out, and Crawdaunt was sent hurtling out of the water, flipping midair before crashing onto a nearby stone pillar.
Wartortle followed through the splash, leaping onto another pillar. But as soon as it landed, it began to sway unsteadily—its eyes spinning, its steps clumsy and uneven.
"Huh? What's going on? Wartortle, are you okay!?"
Delia's worried shout echoed across the arena.
But Wartortle didn't answer—just continued to wobble dizzily, mumbling incoherently.
Meanwhile, Crawdaunt, who had just been knocked flying, stood right back up as if nothing had happened. It brushed its claw across the point of impact and gave a contemptuous roar.
"Heh. My Crawdaunt's greatest pride is its armor. With a shell that hard, attacks like that only end up hurting the attacker. I'm guessing your Wartortle just knocked itself silly."
Fang's confident smile widened as he explained casually, as if this were nothing new. Then—
"Still, I'm not letting this chance slip by! Crawdaunt, move in and use Crabhammer!"
"Craw-daaa!!"
Taking the command, Crawdaunt plunged back into the water, rapidly closing the distance to Wartortle's pillar. One claw gleamed with a dazzling white light as it swung down in a crushing arc—
Boom!!
"War-tor!!"
The blow connected cleanly. Wartortle had no time to dodge. It was struck squarely, sent flying like a rubber ball into the stone wall at the edge of the arena, leaving behind a shallow crater.
"Battle over! Wartortle is unable to continue! Crawdaunt wins!"
With just one clean hit, Wartortle was knocked out. Though it had already spent much of its energy earlier, the result still made it clear—Fang's Crawdaunt possessed terrifying offensive power.
"Good work, Wartortle. You did great. Come back and rest."
Delia smiled softly as she recalled her fainted partner, then reached for another PokeBall.
"Your turn now! Go, Lapras!"
"Wuuu~~"
Delia's second Pokémon appeared—a small Lapras. It had grown significantly since its debut, its body taller, its shell thicker, and its blue color a bit deeper.
"Oh? Delia's second Pokémon is Lapras! Another rare one! This final battle promises to be spectacular! Let's see how it unfolds—Crawdaunt versus Lapras! Battle, begin!"
"Let's start strong, Lapras! Use Confuse Ray!"
Before the announcer even finished, Delia was already giving her first order.
"Wuuu!!"
Lapras opened its mouth and fired a beam of eerie blackish-purple light toward Crawdaunt.
"Crawdaunt, dive underwater to evade!"
"Craw-daa!"
At Fang's command, Crawdaunt leapt backward and splashed into the water, completely avoiding the attack.
"Now get close and use Crabhammer again!"
"Craw-daa!!"
As soon as it submerged, Crawdaunt surged forward with powerful strokes, both claws glowing white as it rushed toward Lapras.
"It's coming, Lapras! Slam the water and jump—then use Ice Beam!"
The light from Crawdaunt's claws made its position obvious beneath the surface. Delia gauged the distance carefully, and just as Crawdaunt was about to strike—
"Wuuu!!"
Lapras slapped the water with all its strength and leapt high into the air. Crawdaunt's claws sliced through empty space, missing completely. The crimson Pokémon followed through, bursting from the water's surface—but still couldn't reach its opponent.
And then—
"Now, Lapras! Fire Ice Beam!"
"Wuuu!!"
Still in midair, Lapras lowered its head and unleashed the freezing beam it had been charging. The icy ray struck the churning water below, instantly freezing it solid.
"Craw! Craw!!"
"What!? Crawdaunt! Snap out of it! Break free!"
But it was too late. The splash from its earlier surge had left Crawdaunt exposed just above the surface. Before it could fully dive back in, the Ice Beam froze the entire section of water solid, trapping Crawdaunt within the glittering ice.
The sunlight reflected off the frozen surface, making the immobilized Crawdaunt glimmer like a sculpture.
"Now's our chance, Lapras! Finish it with Sheer Cold!"
"Wuuu!!"
Landing gracefully on the ice, Lapras tilted its head upward, gathering an overwhelming chill in its mouth. Its eyes gleamed mischievously as it looked down at the helpless Crawdaunt—then unleashed the freezing blast!