"Sacred Sword!"
Li Xiang gripped his shield, initially planning to switch out Aegislash. Without its shield, Aegislash was as fragile as a glass cannon; even moves that weren't super effective could likely take it down. But upon seeing Alolan Sandslash, he abandoned that thought.
He absolutely couldn't let that move land, even if it meant sacrificing Aegislash!
Inspired by his tone, Aegislash, which had been retreating, stopped in its tracks.
It raised its blade upward. As the sword burst into golden flames, it swung down in one decisive strike!
Bang!
A sound unlike what they expected rang out!
Aegislash stared in shock at the shattered green shield before it and the fierce face behind it.
The blade had struck Krookodile. The intense pain made it grit its teeth, but its legs were planted firm, unyielding!
At the critical moment, Krookodile had rushed back in time to block the fatal blow for Alolan Sandslash!
Bang!
The flames turned into thick smoke!
Aegislash had been ready to lay down its life, but it refused to fall without meaning. It used the recoil from the explosion to retreat.
Through the smoke, the two Pokémon clawed through the soft ground and swiftly burrowed underground.
"Yes!"
"Nice one!"
The opponents were almost moved to tears. Throughout this match, where they had been chased around the entire time, their Pokémon finally had a chance to pull off their strategy.
It was truly heartwarming.
After all, no matter how powerful the trump card or how clever the tactic, it was meaningless without the opportunity to use it.
Finally, the counterattack was about to begin!
The two were ecstatic!
Not far away, Clefable's expression was somewhat awkward.
It could attract attacking moves, but it couldn't stop Krookodile from using Protect. Imprison wasn't fast enough either.
Besides, it might have gone overboard—the intense shame had triggered a surge in Krookodile's power. Its movement speed was a little faster now.
You'd almost think it had Sand Rush or Steadfast as its ability.
"Tch, a bit too slow."
Li Xiang watched Aegislash retreat and abandoned any idea of keeping it on the field. In truth, after that initial outburst, its condition had already deteriorated significantly. Otherwise, even with Krookodile's speed boost, that sword strike couldn't have been blocked.
The opponents had clearly chosen Alolan Sandslash for its Frost Breath.
Frost Breath guaranteed a critical hit.
And Krookodile's Ability, Anger Point, maximized its Attack when hit by a critical hit.
Combined, they created a Krookodile that could tear through anything.
13,000 Attack points!
In the games, this was a common gimmick.
The opponents were really going all out. A Krookodile weak to Ice taking a Frost Breath, after already being hit by a Sacred Sword that broke its Protect...
Even though Alolan Sandslash's Special Attack wasn't high, this was risky.
One wrong move and it could backfire.
But it also showed the opponents were fighting with everything on the line.
A Krookodile with maxed-out Attack—though not fully healthy and with no way to recover—would likely tire itself out before it could even take down the opponent.
After all, every stage of stat increase drained more of a Pokémon's stamina.
However, the opponents had clearly considered this in their strategy.
Li Xiang and Su Qian exchanged a glance, looked at the retreating pair, and nodded simultaneously.
Switch!
Aegislash and Clefable were recalled to their balls.
Though one was a voluntary switch, the other was via Baton Pass.
Su Qian's team had a lot of Baton Pass users.
At this stage, it was a race to see who could hit first. Unless one side instantly stacked three Iron Defenses or used three Charms in a row, both sides would crumble on contact.
That's why more opportunities to attack were crucial.
In a flash of white light, Togekiss appeared in midair. Li Xiang and Su Qian grabbed onto its legs one on each side, lifting off the ground.
Not far away, a dark blue humanoid figure landed.
The moment it touched the ground, a blue glow lit up. Lucario's form blurred as if teleporting, reappearing a short distance away. Its heavy fist slammed into the ground!
Thud!
With Lucario at its center, the earth rippled like water in a yellowish glow, then settled back down.
Such a dramatic scene made many spectators' eyes go wide.
Earthquake!
A non-destructive use of the move!
The Yuzhou duo hurriedly retreated. In a major tournament like this, even getting caught in the crossfire was on them, unless Li Xiang's team deliberately targeted them.
Fortunately, Lucario's Earthquake had a limited effective range, and the two were quick-witted enough. A few steps back and they were safe.
But underground, Krookodile and Alolan Sandslash weren't so lucky.
They had just completed their setup and were rising to within three meters of the surface.
Then they got hit point-blank by Earthquake.
Taking an Earthquake while underground significantly amplifies the damage!
Puff! Puff!
The soil burst open.
Krookodile and Alolan Sandslash emerged with pained expressions, marked by scratches from the yellowish shockwave.
Once above ground, both looked worse for wear.
Krookodile, already battered, was now panting heavily, looking like it could drop at any moment.
Alolan Sandslash was in slightly better shape. Though it had a double weakness to Ground, its physical defense was decent. Plus, it had been farther from the epicenter than Krookodile, and it had taken some of the brunt.
Honestly, it should have been the one taking the hits.
But the opponent's attacks were too fast and too precise—underground, it couldn't react in time.
And Krookodile was just too big.
But thankfully, Anger Point had triggered successfully. Now all they needed was to provide cover—
Swish.
A faint sound.
In Alolan Sandslash's vision, Lucario suddenly vanished.
Not like stealth or teleportation—it simply disappeared, without a trace, completely into thin air.
Its eyes widened.
Where had the opponent gone?
As if answering its confusion, the sound of wind arose.
A thin stream of air brushed past Alolan Sandslash's cheek.
So fast, so sudden.
It stood frozen, not daring to move.
Because as the air passed, it felt something glancing down at it with cold indifference, as if a god from above had cast a fleeting glance at the mortal world.
Though it was an Ice-type, Alolan Sandslash felt a chill run down its spine, an indescribable suffocation washing over it.
Then, a series of heavy thuds came from behind!
Like hammers on a drum!
"Brick Break! Brick Break!"
"Drill Run! Behind you! Hurry!"
The panicked shouts of its trainer reached Alolan Sandslash's ears.
It instinctively turned around, curling into a spiked ball of ice, and peered through the gaps at its opponent.
—Lucario, viciously beating the Krookodile everyone had placed their hopes on!
Its punches were so fast that each one sent ripples through the air, creating rings of white shockwaves!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Ora ora ora ora—!"
With a strange battle cry, Lucario was giving it everything it had, pounding away at its opponent!
Under its relentless assault, Krookodile—its arms crackling with Fighting-type energy—couldn't even muster a counterattack.
All it could do was try to minimize the damage.
But it was no match for Lucario.
When the final punch landed, Krookodile's body shot off like a rocket, as if all the kinetic energy had finally been unleashed!
A series of crackling sounds like firecrackers echoed through the air!
Alolan Sandslash watched in terror, but still steeled itself to attack, transforming into a yellowish drill aimed at Lucario's back.
But the moment it struck, it hit a white figure that had suddenly appeared in front of it!
Bang!
Whirrr—
The drill kept spinning, yellowish energy spilling out, leaving only its torque.
"Togekiss!"
Togekiss smiled amiably at Alolan Sandslash, then suddenly spat out a reddish-brown orb!
Focus Blast!
At such close range, there was no room to dodge—so it stopped trying.
Bang!
The reddish-brown energy exploded!
The blast was bright!
Alolan Sandslash was sent flying far away, but before that, it had left a little something for Togekiss.
In the half of the field where the rain was falling, the white mist above Togekiss's head was impossible to miss.
And as it retreated, sharp ice shards rained down on it!
Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!
Countless icy spikes hammered into Togekiss, sending it crashing from low altitude to the ground!
"Ow!"
Togekiss grunted in pain, suffering a crippling blow!
If Krookodile could rush in for the finish, or if Alolan Sandslash could land another Frost Breath, it would be done for!
But—
"BEEEEP—!"
The long, solemn whistle rang out. The signal that the match was over.
It echoed in the ears of the four competitors, lingering.
Some looked calm and composed; others were dazed.
Lucario stood in place, panting heavily, its fists steaming in the rain with a soft hiss.
Suddenly, it dropped to one knee, clutching its shoulder.
About thirty meters away, a long, gouged trail marked the ground. At its end, Krookodile lay slumped in the dirt, head lowered, its beady eyes rolled back.
Its chest, claws, and face were covered in rough, sunken fist marks.
On the other side, near the gash carved by Aegislash, Alolan Sandslash lay on its back, its soft white belly as prominent as its swirling eyes.
One each. The battle was over!
Li Xiang and Su Qian exchanged a fist bump, weariness on their faces, but wearing delighted, satisfied smiles.
Not far from them, the Yuzhou duo slumped to the ground, defeated.
This match had exhausted them—mentally and physically.
But at least it was over.
Done.
The audience rose to their feet, applauding and cheering for the brilliant match.