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The battle situation reversed instantly.
Toxicroak, who had been invincible one second ago, lay motionless like a corpse the next moment.
Everything happened far too quickly.
Everyone's minds hadn't processed the change yet, requiring time to adapt.
The adaptation process was silent.
Roy had fulfilled his promise. At this moment, the massive stadium with 70,000 seated spectators truly resembled a Parisian library in its normal state of silence.
Then, sparse and hesitant voices emerged from every corner of the auditorium and from faces watching screens worldwide.
"Did... did he win?"
"Defeating two professional-level Pokemon consecutively? God, I must still be dreaming..."
"That's a new Z-Move. He mentioned in an interview a month ago that he would continue developing new Z-Moves. This time it's Ghost-type."
"In that interview, he claimed all eighteen types had Z-Moves. I thought he was bragging, but apparently it was true."
"Now that's a real genius. Zenia or whatever..."
"Ahem, abandoning your nationality already? I advise you to be cautious with your words."
On the battlefield, Takeshi Aihara observed the panting Mimikyu in extremely poor condition, his mind going numb.
He had been completely deceived.
Whether it was Mimikyu's clone Destiny Bond desperate fighting in the first round or struggling to withstand Toxicroak's offensive in the second round, he had never expected this Pokemon could actually use Z-Moves.
Judging from execution speed, it was even more proficient than that Ninetales had demonstrated.
It wasn't that he lacked contingency plans - this was purely a blind spot in his thinking.
During battle, Mimikyu had nearly been eliminated several times, and in his position he would have "played the trump card immediately."
Wasn't this person afraid of hiding hole cards to such extreme limits?
Concealing advantages during matches was extremely risky behavior.
Once the opportunity to play those cards was missed, what remained hidden weren't trump cards but tickets - plane tickets home after losing.
If Roy hadn't hidden his capabilities to such extremes, and if he had been prepared, at Toxicroak's speed, this Z-Move called "Never-Ending Nightmare" might not have connected.
Mimikyu absolutely couldn't have completed the record of "two consecutive professional defeats."
Damn it.
Losing so embarrassingly - after returning to Japan, his adoptive father would probably scold him to death.
Despite facing desperate circumstances, unlike Zenia whose mentality had collapsed, as an independent school trainer, Takeshi Aihara possessed strong mental adjustment abilities. He smiled bitterly and readjusted his mindset.
Never surrendering until the end - this was what qualified trainers did.
Takeshi Aihara picked up his final Poke Ball, containing his starter Pokemon and strongest team member.
"Emboar, please."
Light flashed brilliantly.
A Pokemon appeared before everyone's eyes. Its neck was surrounded by raging flames, its three-meter-tall robust body predominantly orange, and thick arms wrapped in black fur exuded mighty presence.
Emboar.
One of Unova Region's starter Pokemon.
Fire and Fighting dual-typing.
Roy recalled Mimikyu. As the previous round's victor, he held selection rights for this match.
This Emboar was undoubtedly the real threat.
Both Lucario and Ninetales mastered Z-Moves but shared a common weakness: vulnerability to Fire-type attacks.
Already facing a massive level gap against the opponent, type disadvantage widened that gap even further.
Electabuzz wasn't afraid of fire and actually grew stronger when exposed to flames, but it hadn't learned Z-Moves. Without Z-Moves or sage techniques, it was destined to struggle against professional Pokemon.
The same applied to Blastoise despite its type advantage.
In this match, only the disadvantaged Lucario and Ninetales could compete effectively. That's why Roy had pushed Mimikyu to challenge limits and defeat two professional competitors.
The purpose was increasing error tolerance.
Roy's first deployment was Ninetales.
The moment Ninetales, resembling pure white snow, appeared on stage, its holy beauty made everyone slightly mesmerized. Simultaneously, layers of snow began falling from the sky.
At match start, without Roy's instructions, Ninetales fixed its opponent with "Charm."
The enhanced Fairy-type energy of its natural charm penetrated Emboar's heart, shaking its resolve.
Unexpectedly, Emboar's mind was extremely firm, remaining unshaken by beauty.
Charm could only delay momentarily.
Simultaneously, Roy had activated his Z-Crystal from the opening moment. Channeling his strength and pulling massive natural power, energy torrents converged toward Ninetales.
However, for Ninetales who hadn't comprehended sage techniques, Z-Move execution required over three seconds.
That was too long.
Emboar broke free from Charm's mental control within seconds, and flames around its neck suddenly exploded, covering its entire body and transforming it into a fiery meteor.
Then it charged toward Ninetales.
Move: Heat Crash.
Higher weight meant greater power.
Emboar was undoubtedly heavyweight, but its collision speed was anything but slow. The fireball resembled a blazing meteor bombing toward Ninetales.
At the final moment before flames arrived, Ninetales desperately released its Z-Move.
Shattered Psyche.
Emboar's Heat Crash struck Ninetales head-on, blasting its fragile body away. Simultaneously, purple mirror space constructed by Psychic energy reappeared.
The mirror shattered, and energy torrents poured toward Emboar.
Extreme pain befell Emboar.
"AHHHHHHH!"
Emboar released pained roars.
The flame around its neck symbolized its spiritual power. As pain struck, the flame gradually weakened.
However, after several seconds, the pain ended, and Emboar's neck flame suddenly swelled, fully doubling its original intensity.
Blaze Ability activated.
Yes.
Emboar hadn't fallen after taking Shattered Psyche directly.
It was the first professional-level Pokemon to remain standing after receiving a head-on Z-Move.
Meanwhile, Ninetales had already lost fighting ability after being struck by a professional Pokemon specializing in power with the devastatingly destructive Heat Crash.
Its weakened unconscious form made many viewers feel sympathetic.
Roy was probably most distressed, but couldn't focus on that now.
"Hah..." Roy panted, shoulders heaving violently. Launching two consecutive Z-Moves had placed enormous strain on his body, as if his essence had been drained.
He recalled Ninetales with its Poke Ball but didn't immediately summon Lucario. Instead, maximizing rule allowances, he seized every minute of rest, breathing deeply on the spot.
Only after the referee's third warning did Roy throw his final Poke Ball.
"Roy, is your condition acceptable?" Lucario communicated telepathically.
Roy glanced at it, closed his eyes again, and began meditation.
Their mutual understanding required no words.
"I understand. I'll try my best to delay for time."
Or even... defeat it before you recover!
Lucario stared sharply at Emboar with crimson predator eyes, radiating fierce fighting spirit throughout its body.
The moment the fourth round began, Emboar opened wide and unleashed a ferocious fire pillar.
Flamethrower.
Lucario vanished instantly, appearing behind Emboar and hurling a blue-green Aura Sphere at the enemy.
However, flames erupted from Emboar's body, forming Fire Spin that knocked Lucario backward.
It used Heat Crash movement techniques to create defensive flame fields around itself.
Attacking Emboar required breaking through this flame barrier.
The rampaging fire energy made withdrawal tricky for Lucario.
In combat, Emboar instantly realized catching this extremely fast, reactive opponent who could also teleport would be extremely difficult.
"Sunny Day."
Takeshi Aihara's understanding with his starter Pokemon was profound, issuing correct commands.
Between trainer and starter Pokemon lay the deepest understanding forged from weakness to strength together.
Emboar affected flame power, making sunlight suddenly intense.
Blaze plus Sunny Day amplified its flame energy to extremely terrifying levels. Air throughout the venue became distorted, igniting solar flames.
Flamethrower.
A violent fire pillar the size of a tunnel erupted from Emboar's mouth, burning everything in its path completely.
Metal melted into molten iron.
Earth burned to scorched wasteland.
Emboar's flame-covered figure resembled legendary Japanese fire demons with its powerful, corpulent form.
Lucario demonstrated amazing agility, constantly flashing and maneuvering through flames while seizing opportunities to break through Emboar's flame field with Aura Sphere.
During this process, whenever Lucario's concentration dropped or reactions slowed slightly, flames would engulf it.
Even so, the terribly rising venue temperature had already made fire-vulnerable Lucario feel suffocating.
"WOOOOOOOO!"
Arena safety devices sounded alarms, detecting venue temperatures approaching two hundred degrees Celsius.
In other words, if humans were on this battlefield without heat-resistant clothing, they would already be melting like cake.
Safety maintenance technicians hastily raised energy thresholds.
Seeing the venue heated to his desired standard, Takeshi Aihara coldly commanded:
"Overheat."
Emboar paused momentarily, then squeezed out all its strength, detonating all flame energy in its body and throughout the field.
BOOM!
Every venue corner ignited with blazing flames.
Lucario had nowhere to hide, nowhere to escape, being swallowed by the inferno.
Covering the entire venue, a massive flame pillar shot skyward, breaking through clouds.
Witnessing the terrifying heat, everyone shared one thought:
Lucario, with double fire weakness, was finished.
Flames dissipated, air distorted by intense heat.
On this scorched earth, two figures confronted each other.
Emboar stood wearily, gazing at its opponent with admiration.
Lucario's body appeared like roasted steel, covered in crimson red with hot smoke rising from its form.
But it hadn't fallen, having used Endure to preserve its final thread of life.
Amazing willpower.
Regarding willpower and endurance, Lucario couldn't compare to Electabuzz, but it upheld absolute trust in its trainer - in Roy.
As long as I give everything, Roy will definitely catch up.
"Thank you for your hard work," Roy's aura echoed in Lucario's heart.
Previously unfocused pupils reconcentrated as Lucario felt massive energy pouring into its body.
Not a Z-Move, but Aura Fusion.
Lucario, bathed in explosive energy, soared into the air.
Emboar's flames were weak, but it still erupted with astonishing presence.
Two starter Pokemon faced off.
Simultaneously, both trainers commanded together:
"Aura Sphere!"
"Focus Blast!"
Lucario channeled all fused aura power into an enormous energy orb, flying upward and hurling it downward.
Simultaneously, Emboar released all its power, condensing it into a transparent energy orb and smashing upward.
No fancy techniques - pure head-on confrontation.
The two massive energies collided, creating energy bursts that made the already scorched competition field even more devastated.
After some time, the energy burst aftermath dissipated.
As if after apocalypse, on the unrecognizable field, Lucario and Emboar had both fallen simultaneously.
Mutual defeat.
"I lost," Takeshi Aihara murmured.
His three main Pokemon were completely eliminated, while Mimikyu was exhausted but retained fighting ability.
As if accepting defeat, Aihara Takeshi showed relief, but the next moment, he slammed his fist hard into his own face.
He showed no mercy - his face swelled instantly, blood flowed from his nose, his expression full of unwillingness.
On the opposite side, Roy took two steps backward and collapsed to the ground.
The difficulty of using Two consecutive Z-Moves exceeded Roy's imagination.
During normal training it was manageable - Roy had tested his limits and could use Two Z-Moves, otherwise he wouldn't have established such bold battle plans.
But in actual combat, this burden was greatly enhanced.
Originally, trainers concentrated on observing battle situations while constantly thinking and providing key tactical instructions - this was physically exhausting.
Don't underestimate mental exercise consumption. Professional players often had examples of fainting from exhaustion.
Lucario had dragged things to the end, only allowing him to recover enough for Aura Fusion usage.
It must be said that Roy's mistake was not considering battle consumption properly.
However, Lucario compensated for his errors with Endure, willpower and unwavering trust.
Trainer and Pokemon were truly one in heart and mind.