Chapter 461: The Highlight Reel
From that Cut onward, the tide of the battle had completely turned. The advantage Lucario had built in the early stages crumbled away. Greninja pressed forward with its twin blades, an unstoppable force, completely erasing its earlier struggles.
Lucario was beaten back again and again.
"Use Life Dew!"
Forrest was forced to use a healing move just to stay in the fight. Lucario took another slash, kicked Greninja away with all its might, and quickly channeled the healing water droplets, consuming them. But this was only a temporary fix. Both Pokémon were glass cannons—high attack, high speed, but low durability. With Greninja's current damage output, healing that little was just a matter of a few more slashes.
Forrest's expression grew heavier. Lucario, weakened by its accumulating injuries, began to pant uncontrollably.
"No way… is Arthur's Greninja actually going to win? This is Forrest's ace, Lucario!" A Blaze Team fan in the stands couldn't accept the reality unfolding before them, growing more distraught by the second.
The professional trainers watching the match were even more floored.
"Another captain-level Pokémon… Even Greninja has reached that level. Arthur… he's not a Champion's descendant, he's a Champion reincarnated, isn't he?"
The pros counted the Pokémon on Arthur's roster on their fingers, their shock growing with each one. Arthur still didn't have many Pokémon, not even enough to fill the twelve-slot registration for a Captain's Match. But the quality was terrifyingly high. With Greninja now joining the ranks of captain-level aces, the boy's legend grew even greater.
This wasn't some inherited Pokémon from a bygone era. This was a Pokémon that, according to verifiable records, he had captured just over two years ago. Even the most cynical critics had nothing to say this time, left with only one dry remark.
"This is just ridiculous!"
In the Blaze Team's lounge, a player gripped the hem of his shirt. "Is Forrest really going to lose?"
As the team captain, Grayson was much calmer. "Forrest still has one last chance."
His analysis was sharp, perfectly aligned with the two trainers on the field. One last chance.
That chance would come the moment Greninja expended another one of its water blades. Although the blades from the Bond Phenomenon were much sharper and more durable, they were not permanent. They still had a time limit. To maximize its damage, Greninja would surely choose to use the blade as ammunition for a Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist before its energy dissipated.
To maintain his cycle, Arthur would likely have Greninja punch early—use one, keep one—and then summon a new set. This would ensure it was never disarmed. Therefore, the brief window between Greninja's punch and its next use of Water Shuriken would be Forrest's final opportunity.
"Greninja, use Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist!"
It's here!
"Lucario, cross your arms and block it, then immediately use Close Combat!"
This time, Forrest was going all-in. He didn't even bother with Quick Guard. He would tank the hit and immediately unleash his ultimate move. In Lucario's current condition, this Close Combat was do-or-die. There was no retreat.
With only a single blade in hand, Greninja was at its most vulnerable. If Lucario couldn't win now, it was over. The entire match hinged on this one gamble.
However, Arthur, who had been aggressive the entire match, suddenly smiled.
"Retreat! Wait two seconds, then whip out your tongue and use Lick!"
The command was utterly deflating for his opponent. At the most critical moment, Arthur, who had been on the offensive all match, didn't lose his head. He played it safe, denying his opponent even a sliver of a chance.
The ultimate move, Close Combat, boosted a Pokémon's speed and strength, imbuing every subsequent strike with Fighting-type energy. But Lick was a Ghost-type move. Thanks to its Protean ability, Greninja's type changed to Ghost, making it almost completely immune to Fighting-type damage.
At the same time, its long tongue lashed out like a whip, slapping Lucario across the face. And with a stroke of incredible luck, the very first hit inflicted paralysis.
Now Lucario was truly stunned. Its ultimate move had been a complete dud.
In the Blaze Team's lounge, a player slammed his hand on the armrest of his chair. "Th—Damn it! Why didn't he use Water Shuriken?!"
Everyone had assumed that, following the established cycle, Greninja would replenish its weapon after the punch. Who could have predicted that Arthur wouldn't rush to continue the cycle, but would instead adapt with such calm composure? He still had move slots available. Forrest did not.
And with that, his last hope for a comeback was gone. A gamble, by its nature, is a one-way street. The moment Close Combat's effect ended, Arthur issued his command.
"Use Water Shuriken!"
There was no way Lucario could survive the ensuing cooldown period.
A short while later, the referee raised his flag. "Lucario is unable to battle!"
The moment the call was made, the Starlight and Frost lounge erupted.
"We won!"
"We really won!!"
"Solo-killed their ace! Greninja is a beast!"
"Arthur's a beast!"
Forrest sighed and recalled his ace. He hadn't expected that after losing the Champion-level clash, his own ace Pokémon would also fall in a standard stadium battle. And it had lost not to Arthur's ace Gengar, who also possessed Mega Evolution, but to Greninja. This was a result he had never anticipated.
After the battle, Greninja's Bond Phenomenon faded. The Super Saiyan-like aura of water around it finally dissipated. The remaining enhanced water shuriken in its hand dissolved back into water.
The airborne water droplets fell like a curtain of rain. Greninja stood in the middle of it, head tilted slightly upward, letting the drops run down its face. In that moment, it looked like a great general standing on a battlefield after a hundred victories, bathing in the glory and the rain.
The cheers from the crowd were deafening, but it stood silently in the center of the field, eyes closed, lost in thought. The scene was captured perfectly by the cameras, a breathtakingly cool shot.
In an instant, the official livestream chat exploded with a flood of messages.
"So cool!"
"Screenshot!"
"Oh no, I think I'm in love!"
Arthur deliberately waited a few seconds before smiling and recalling his Pokémon. This was Greninja's reward for its victory. After defeating the opponent's ace, a little showboating was perfectly acceptable.
This was Greninja's highlight reel moment, and it deserved this shot.
After a short break, the match continued. It was still Arthur's turn to send out a Pokémon. This time, he sent out Specter.
Forrest responded with his second ace: Absol. The Dark-type Pokémon known in folklore as the White Disaster.
This would be another clash between aces.
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