If You Hit Me, I Will Hit You

Trevenant responded to Hana's command, and eerie blue flames suddenly appeared around it. Controlled by Trevenant, the ghostly Will-O-Wisps floated toward Sceptile and its clones.

The moment the fake Sceptiles came into contact with the flames, they vanished into nothingness, leaving only the real Sceptile, which let out a cry of pain and collapsed to its knees.

"Sceptile, Energy Ball!"

In its burned state, Sceptile's physical attack power was halved, so Bill had no choice but to rely on special attack moves.

Sceptile pulled itself together and used Agility to dash around, firing Energy Balls to harass Trevenant.

Trevenant, with its massive and cumbersome body, was no match for Sceptile in terms of agility and ended up getting hit by several Energy Balls. Its injuries gradually accumulated, and it began to look battered.

But Hana wasn't worried. She commanded Trevenant to use Ingrain to restore its health. Trevenant's speed was already low, so the speed penalty from Ingrain barely mattered to it.

As Trevenant fought, it kept recovering energy, prolonging the battle without realizing it.

Sceptile, on the other hand, was in a tough spot. Burned, it had to endure constant pain while its stamina steadily drained away.

In other words, Sceptile needed to end the battle quickly, or it would be whittled down by Trevenant.

Realizing this, Bill shouted to Sceptile, "Sceptile, Frenzy Plant!"

If they didn't take a gamble, Sceptile was doomed to lose.

Sceptile dropped to one knee and slammed its hands onto the ground. The earth began to quake, and soon thick brown roots burst out from the soil, twisting and lashing toward Trevenant.

"Trevenant, Wood Hammer!" Hana shouted back.

If Sceptile had a finishing move, so did Trevenant!

Trevenant extended its arms, summoning two massive green wooden hammers, and began swinging them furiously. Any roots that approached were smashed to pieces by the hammers.

But as the saying goes, "two fists cannot block four hands." No matter how powerful the Wood Hammers were, Trevenant only had two of them, and they couldn't fend off the roots attacking from all directions. What's more, using Wood Hammer inflicted recoil damage on Trevenant, so it quickly became entangled as the roots coiled around its waist, abdomen, and arms.

As the roots tightened, the spectators seemed to hear the sound of wood cracking.

"Sceptile, finish it with Leaf Storm!"

Since Trevenant was bound, Sceptile was able to endure the post-Frenzy Plant immobility.

Leaf Storm came with a downside: a severe drop in special attack power. Bill had saved this move for last because Sceptile's physical attacks were already hindered by the burn. If its special attack also became ineffective, it wouldn't stand a chance.

At Bill's command, a swirling tornado of leaves instantly engulfed Trevenant.

But just as the storm subsided, Hana shouted, "Trevenant, Destiny Bond!"

When the Leaf Storm dissipated, Trevenant collapsed, but so did Sceptile, letting out a pained cry before falling.

Bill was dumbfounded.

This was the frustrating thing about Ghost-type Pokémon—if they couldn't win outright, they would drag you down with them.

At Rotom's reminder, the two trainers sent out their second Pokémon. Bill chose Chesnaught, while Hana sent out a previously unseen Pokémon, a Gogoat.

"Gogoat, Aerial Ace!" Hana was the first to act.

"Gogoat~!"

Gogoat let out a bleating cry as a pair of green wings formed over its horns. It kicked off the ground and charged headfirst toward Chesnaught.

"Chesnaught, Bulk Up, then catch it!" Bill shouted.

"Chesnaught~!"

Chesnaught struck a bodybuilding pose, its muscles visibly bulging as its attack and defense stats sharply increased.

"Chesnaught~!"

Chesnaught crouched slightly, grabbing Gogoat's horns with both hands. Despite successfully stopping the charge, the impact pushed Chesnaught back a considerable distance.

"Chesnaught!"

"Gogoat~!"

The two Pokémon began a fierce test of strength, neither willing to give an inch, their struggle evenly matched for a time.

Suddenly, Bill shouted, "Chesnaught, Low Kick!"

"Chesnaught!"

Chesnaught quickly extended one leg, sweeping at Gogoat's legs. Caught off guard, Gogoat toppled over with a heavy thud and then was promptly lifted by Chesnaught and thrown across the battlefield.

Boom!

Gogoat landed hard, clearly taking substantial damage.

The audience was stunned. What happened to the fair power struggle? Using a sneaky move like that seemed underhanded and dishonorable!

Even Hana was momentarily startled by Bill's tactics. However, she quickly reminded herself this was a battle, and any legitimate strategy that led to victory was fair game.

"Gogoat, Milk Drink!"

Suddenly, a bottle of milk appeared at Gogoat's mouth. It gulped down a few mouthfuls, regaining strength almost immediately.

"Gogoat, Zen Headbutt!"

Revitalized, Gogoat charged at Chesnaught again, this time opting for the psychic-powered Zen Headbutt instead of Aerial Ace.

"Chesnaught, catch it!" Bill commanded once more.

Bang!

The two Pokémon collided fiercely again, but this time, luck was not on Chesnaught's side. Zen Headbutt's secondary effect activated, leaving Chesnaught flinching and unable to act.

It couldn't even counter with another Low Kick, let alone withstand the attack, and was sent sprawling to the ground.

"Gogoat, Stomp!"

"Gogoat~!"

Gogoat reared back, lifting both front hooves high before slamming them down forcefully onto Chesnaught.

A pained cry echoed as Chesnaught fainted.

Seeing Chesnaught collapse, Hana wiped the sweat from her brow. She had taken a gamble—if Zen Headbutt's secondary effect hadn't triggered, she would've surely lost.

Though she understood Bill's earlier sneaky tactics, a part of her still felt indignant about that "Low Kick." Her move had been a calculated risk, partly to settle the score.

The audience was surprised to see Bill losing consecutive matches. As the dark horse of the tournament, he had been dominating earlier rounds with overwhelming strength.

However, the referees, including Yuga, weren't surprised. Bill was still young, just a boy. His losses were a natural result of inexperience.

In a few more years, perhaps the outcome would be different.

In previous matches, Bill had breezed through weaker opponents. But in the finals, every Trainer was elite. Losing here was only to be expected.

After all, Scott hadn't brought Bill to the competition to win a prize but to give him valuable experience and a glimpse of what top-tier Trainers were like.

For his last Pokémon, Bill sent out his Amoonguss, a Pokémon he hadn't used in any prior battles.

As soon as Amoonguss entered the field, it employed a combination of Ingrain and Growth. In just a short while, its size became colossal.

Amoonguss's strengths were its low speed and high durability. Knowing this, Bill abandoned speed altogether, focusing instead on maximizing its attack power with Growth.

The enlarged Amoonguss's body became incredibly bouncy and elastic, indirectly boosting its defense. When Gogoat rammed into it, the force was entirely deflected, sending Gogoat flying instead.

This comical scene left the audience and referees both amused and exasperated, but Hana frowned deeply.

"Amoonguss, Feint Attack!"

When Gogoat charged again, Amoonguss swung its enormous fist and sent Gogoat hurtling through the air.

Before Gogoat could even hit the ground, Amoonguss, under Bill's command, launched a Sludge Bomb.

A massive glob of poisonous sludge enveloped Gogoat entirely.

With Poison being strong against Grass, Gogoat collapsed after hitting the ground and couldn't rise again.

What no one expected, however, was Hana's final Pokémon—Shiinotic, another Pokémon she hadn't used in the competition until now.

To everyone's surprise, she mimicked Bill's strategy, having Shiinotic use Ingrain and Growth. The battlefield now featured two massive mushrooms, leaving the audience and referees utterly bewildered.

Shiinotic shared some similarities with Amoonguss—both were slow. However, Shiinotic wasn't as durable in terms of HP; instead, it had high defenses.

In terms of offense, Shiinotic wasn't proficient in physical attacks. Every time Amoonguss tried to close the distance, Shiinotic repelled it with Dazzling Gleam.

Although Amoonguss's Poison type resisted Fairy moves, Shiinotic was clearly at a higher level, and Amoonguss didn't dare to take its attacks head-on.

Amoonguss's bouncy body could absorb physical attacks, which made it a challenge for Gogoat earlier. However, that cushioning was less effective against Shiinotic's energy-based moves.

Unable to gain the upper hand after prolonged attacks, Amoonguss, following Bill's orders, used Toxic to poison Shiinotic.

Being Grass- and Fairy-type, Shiinotic suffered a quadruple weakness to Poison. The pain caused by the Toxic was far greater than for other Pokémon, putting Shiinotic at a significant disadvantage.

At this point, Hana commanded, "Shiinotic, use Confuse Ray!"

A strange beam struck Amoonguss, causing it to become confused.

Disoriented, the enormous Amoonguss began rampaging across the field, its massive body crashing into everything and leaving itself battered and bruised.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Shiinotic hurled several Sludge Bombs at it, each one landing successfully. Finally, Amoonguss fainted.

With Amoonguss defeated, Hana naturally advanced to the final match.

The audience was stunned by the upset in the day's first match.

Regardless of the spectators' reactions, the competition continued. After the field was reset, Erika and Anya entered the arena.

Under Rotom's signal, both Trainers released their Pokémon simultaneously. Erika sent out Victreebel, a Pokémon at the pseudo-Elite level, while Anya's choice was Roserade, also a pseudo-Elite-level Pokémon.

Erika's Victreebel moved first, using Aromatherapy. Instantly, a beguiling fragrance filled the battlefield.

Victreebel, like Meganium, was a master of Aromatherapy. However, while Meganium's aroma was fresh and natural, Victreebel's fragrance was intoxicating and entrancing.

In the wild, Victreebel often used Aromatherapy to lure prey closer before swallowing them whole, making it a fierce predator.

Under the influence of the alluring aroma, Roserade's gaze turned dazed and unfocused. Seeing this, Anya shouted loudly, "Roserade!!!"

Roserade snapped out of its daze, its gaze instantly sharpening with clarity. It now looked at Victreebel with heightened caution.

Seeing that Aromatherapy had failed to work, Erika was unfazed. She smiled slightly and commanded, "Victreebel, Power Whip!"

Two thick, long vines suddenly lashed out from Victreebel's body, striking the ground with sharp, cracking sounds. Seeing this, Roserade quickly dodged, but the vines followed relentlessly, landing several hits on it. The pain from the lashes...

Anya, seeing Roserade falling into a disadvantage, grew anxious and called out, "Roserade, Magical Leaf!"

Roserade obeyed, dodging as it unleashed a flurry of sharp, glowing leaves. Thanks to the nature of the Magical Leaf move, every single one hit Victreebel with precision.

Having taken too many Magical Leaf attacks, Victreebel was forced to abandon its Power Whip offensive to defend itself. Only then did Roserade get a brief respite.

At this moment, Erika issued another command: "Victreebel, use Sunny Day!"

Victreebel endured another Magical Leaf strike but managed to activate Sunny Day.

Most Grass-type Pokémon thrive in sunny weather, and Roserade was no exception. However, in a battle, weather changes are not for comfort but rather for tactical advantages.

Victreebel's ability, Chlorophyll, instantly boosted its speed under the sunlight. But this was only part of the reason why Erika initiated Sunny Day. She followed up with, "Victreebel, Weather Ball!"

Oh, so it was for Weather Ball!

Under Sunny Day, Weather Ball not only receives a significant power boost but also changes its type from Normal to Fire. Anya's Cherrim had previously used this strategy, but now, it was being turned against her.

With the Chlorophyll speed boost, Victreebel easily outpaced Roserade. The fiery energy ball struck Roserade directly, and with a cry of pain, Roserade collapsed to the ground, unable to continue.

Anya's face darkened as she recalled Roserade. It took multiple reminders from the Rotom camera before she sent out her second Pokémon: Abomasnow, a Pokémon she had not previously used in the competition.

It seemed that as the matches reached their final stages, the contestants were revealing their trump cards one by one.

This Abomasnow was also a pseudo-Elie level Pokémon. The first thing it did upon entering the battlefield was activate its ability, causing the once sunny sky to be overtaken by swirling snow. Victreebel shrank its body, shivering from the sudden cold.

Clearly, in the battle for weather control, Abomasnow had the upper hand over Victreebel.

With its innate mastery over snowstorms, Abomasnow easily wrested control of the weather. Erika wasn't surprised by this outcome.

Victreebel, enduring the cold, lashed out with its vines at Abomasnow. However, Abomasnow extended its hands and caught the vines. Frost spread rapidly along the vines under Abomasnow's control, freezing them solid. Seeing this, Victreebel quickly severed its own vines.

Though the process was painful, it was preferable to being frozen into an ice sculpture.

"Abomasnow, Blizzard!" Anya commanded.

Abomasnow threw aside the two frozen vines, inhaled deeply, and then exhaled forcefully. A powerful Blizzard erupted forth.

In snowy weather, the Blizzard move becomes unavoidable. On top of that, Victreebel had the misfortune of triggering the move's secondary effect—it was frozen solid.

It couldn't escape its fate after all, ending up as an ice sculpture.