"Is that another self-created skill?"
Munemasa watched Shinmu's Scizor stumble repeatedly under Ralts' psychic techniques, and a faint smile formed on his lips.
From the start of the battle until now, Ralts had only suffered minor bruising—
but Scizor had taken repeated, amplified damage from its own falls.
"Bray, break free—quickly!"
Cold sweat ran down Shinmu's forehead as he watched his Scizor struggle.
Despite his confidence earlier, his voice now carried clear panic.
Because of its Bug-type advantage and much higher level, Scizor finally managed to tear apart the psychic bindings with brute force—
just as Shinmu expected from a near–Quasi-Champion Pokémon.
"Sand Shower."
Ash's voice cut in the instant Scizor broke free.
The blue psychic water across the ground surged together, condensing into countless high-speed bullets of mental force, which shot toward Scizor in a barrage.
"Another self-created move? Bray, use X-Scissor!"
Shinmu mistook the incoming attack for something similar to the earlier psychic rain. He shouted the command while continuing to type furiously on his laptop.
Scizor's claws glowed white as it slashed at the incoming barrage.
"Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!"
"Da-da-da!"
But the bullets suddenly curved—
bending mid-flight and bypassing Scizor's pincers entirely.
They struck the same knee Ralts' earlier Sand Shuriken had hit.
"Hassa—!"
Scizor let out a sharp cry, dropping to one knee.
Its right pincer immediately clamped over its injured leg.
"How is this possible? Ralts' Psychic-type moves shouldn't deal meaningful damage to Bray!"
Shinmu's voice trembled with disbelief.
Ash exhaled a thin trail of smoke before answering evenly:
"The skills my Ralts uses aren't pure psychic attacks. It manifests mental power physically—creating structures that strike like real objects."
He tapped ash off the cigarette.
"So while it is Psychic in nature, the attack also carries physical impact. That's why it can damage your Scizor—despite the type disadvantage."
Ash continued calmly:
"The first Sand Shuriken hit Bray's knee. Even though the base damage was small, you dismissed it and didn't treat it as a threat."
He pointed to the battlefield.
"Then your assumption that Rain Sand was the same type of move made you let your Scizor dodge it the wrong way. That misjudgment let the puddles form.
And now, the second Sand Shower focused every hit on the same injured joint."
He flicked his cigarette.
"You're dealing with stacking damage. Even if each hit is only 0.2× due to typing, a few hundred of them add up."
Shinmu's face stiffened, fingers frozen above his keyboard.
"D-damn it… This shouldn't be happening. On paper, Bray should overpower Ralts even if it loses half its HP. But it's been more than twenty minutes, and I still haven't gained any advantage…"
The numbers scrolling across his laptop screen were useless now.
Data couldn't predict Ash's self-created techniques.
Meanwhile, Ash's "data stream" intuition had guided every move with chilling precision.
"Bray—Swords Dance!"
Shinmu gritted his teeth, forcing down the panic in his throat.
"Hassa!"
Scizor rose, spinning rapidly as a red aura burst around its body.
Its attack power skyrocketed—but the strain on its already damaged knee was obvious.
"Bray—use Sunsteel Strike!"
Shinmu bellowed the command.
He had ordered Scizor to unleash its strongest move—
one powerful enough that, if it landed, Ash's Ralts would almost certainly be knocked out despite all defenses.
A full-force strike from a level-superior Scizor…
…was a threat even Ash couldn't ignore.
"The mental-power techniques Ralts used just now were all area-type attacks… that's too much strain."
Ash studied the small Pokémon floating unsteadily in the air. With its psychic reserves nearly drained and its entire body encased in manifested sand armor, Ralts couldn't even correct its flight direction—let alone dodge a finishing blow.
"Isn't he going to command a dodge? At this rate, if Ralts gets hit, it's over!"
Munemasa frowned deeply as he watched. Ash hadn't issued a single evasive order. To an outsider, it made no sense.
But the truth was simple:
Ralts could not dodge.
Its psychic power was fully committed to maintaining armor and staying airborne. There was nothing left to redirect its movement.
"BOOM!!!"
A thunderous impact shook the field.
"Excellent—direct hit!"
Shinmu finally exhaled in relief as Scizor's Sunsteel Strike slammed into Ralts' abdomen.
The sand armor prevented an instant knockout—but the continuous burning light of the steel-charged impact was rapidly overwhelming Ralts' endurance.
"At this rate… this match is mine."
Shinmu gave Ash a triumphant smile, feeling the weight lift from his shoulders for the first time in the battle.
Ash slowly released a smoke ring and muttered calmly:
"It should be about time."
Shinmu blinked.
"Time… for what?"
Before he could ask further, one of Munemasa's disciples suddenly shouted:
"Look! Look at Ash's Ralts!"
Everyone's gaze snapped instantly toward the battlefield.
And what they saw—made Shinmu's entire body break into a cold sweat.
Ralts' silhouette…was beginning to glow.