That's right.
The battle at hand is nothing more than an ordinary match, completely incomparable to the life-and-death crises of the past.
Standing in a sufficiently safe place, the half-buried Mamoswine seemed in danger, but once the match ended, he could use the Pokeball to save it.
There was no point in persisting.
The outcome wouldn't change; he was far inferior to Baimu...
Inferior in what way?
Kendall suddenly realized this, even though Baimu had far more battle experience and broader vision, how much of these advantages could be utilized with a Pokémon familiarized for just fifteen minutes?
Was Garchomp's technique truly incredible?
Was it completely beyond his imagination?
No.
Ultimately, it was because he had considered himself inferior to Baimu from the beginning. The utter defeat in the first two matches shattered his confidence, so when he saw Garchomp gradually overpowering Mamoswine, all he could think was:
"Ah! So it is! There's no chance of winning at all!"
It turned out he had lost so early.
It turned out he had been holding Mamoswine back all along.
Kendall's expression was bitter as he watched the vibrant Garchomp in the sandstorm and the exceptionally angry but powerless Mamoswine in the sandpits, feeling deeply ashamed.
Yet, at the same moment, a crazy idea suddenly surfaced in his mind.
Since he was going to lose anyway, why not go all out?
After all, he wasn't going to die, so why not give it a shot?
Yes.
Losing wouldn't cause any loss, but if he won, he could rightfully accuse Baimu of being overconfident; he could show Ying Yuan that not just anyone could take over the arena, and perhaps...
Perhaps he could avoid disappointing Mamoswine, who hadn't given up till now.
The first two thoughts vanished, while the last one gradually took root. In the past, Kendall never cared about winning or losing an ordinary battle.
But today, Kendall felt he shouldn't hold Mamoswine back any further.
Just like Mamoswine had never held him back!
With a determined expression and a resolved heart, he charged into the field against the raging sandstorm under the astonished gazes of many, approaching the sandpit.
He wasn't seeking death.
He was worried that the Mamoswine gradually being buried in sand couldn't hear his voice.
"Brother Kendall! What's wrong with you?"
"Stop it, Brother Kendall!"
The arena trainers were in an uproar, unsure what Kendall intended to do, but everyone knew how dangerous battling Pokémon could be.
Some wanted to stop him, and others shouted to Baimu not to give any more orders, saying the match was over.
But in the next moment.
A sudden roar drowned out all other noises.
"Mamoswine! Can you hear me? Charge forward! Use a Charge to smash everything in front of you, just like before!!"
The arena trainers widened their eyes at the sight of Kendall, who disregarded his appearance, crouching beside the enormous sandpit and screaming hysterically downward.
Unlike his earlier resentment and bitterness, Kendall's voice now was full of hope and urgency.
Otsuka and others were confused, Ying Ma and Ying Yuan were astonished, and Ayana stood dazed.
The foreign trainers revealed expressions of surprise and excitement, looking down at the sandpit where Mamoswine, with only half its head visible, suddenly began to tremble violently.
Baimu burst into hearty laughter.
"That's right! That's right! Just like that! Kendall! Show me your potential as a trainer! Shout it out! Roar it out! Let the Pokémon hear your voice!"
BOOM!
An enormous explosion sent countless sand grains soaring into the sky, revealing the silhouette of a towering, enormous rocky peak emerging abruptly from the sandpit. Watching closely, everyone realized it was a vast rocky mountain.
"Moo!!"
Mamoswine roared as it charged upward from the mountain's base all the way to the summit before stopping, its eyes blazing red as it stared at Garchomp, exuding an awe-inspiring momentum!
Then the mountain crumbled into sand.
But Mamoswine used this to escape from the massive sandpit, standing beside Kendall and scraping the ground with its sturdy foreleg.
"Moo—"
"Is that Rock Climbing?"
Baimu immediately identified the technique, for it had never failed against Ash Ketchum's Torterra.
Just learned it? Or already knew it?
It didn't matter.
Although unclear about the internal struggle Kendall went through, his purpose had been achieved; a competent trainer was about to be born!
He also stepped into the field, closing the distance between himself and Garchomp, and raised his head to speak to it: "Sorry for keeping you waiting. Not enjoying the guerilla tactics, are you? Now let's decide the victor! Use your best technique—"
His smile suddenly vanished, and he swung his right hand down sharply: "Dragon Dive!"
"Ka-pow!"
A thrilled Garchomp let out a roar, blue flames igniting all over its body and releasing a terrifying aura toward Mamoswine and Kendall!
A shivering Kendall gritted his teeth but didn't retreat a single step, as if he had gone back to the point of no return from his past, pointing at Garchomp, pointing at their only "way out":
"Sacrifice—Charge!!"
"Moo—!!"
Mamoswine raised its forehooves high, its eyes filled with excitement and determination.
It could finally hear its trainer's command from such a close distance again.
Once more, fighting side by side!
Its trainer was behind it, guiding the direction of its charge, so even if there were a hard glacier in front.
It would smash through it to show its trainer!
An unprecedented dazzling white light suddenly flashed, and all who spotted it instinctively turned away or shielded their eyes. By the time they had adapted to the intense light, Mamoswine had already changed from brown to a platinum-like color.
Tremendous energy waves radiated continuously behind it as it ran, forming a comet-like tail!