The commentary still existed, but it lacked presence.
Then, the tournament camera focused on Natsuhiko and gave him a close-up.
It perfectly captured the twitch at the corner of his eye.
"I bet Natsuhiko is really worried about his Pokémon right now. Its condition wasn't good to begin with, and now it's just getting worse."
Good.
The "acting" by Togekiss and Natsuhiko had some effect.
This was the meaning behind Natsuhiko's earlier glance at Togekiss.
Immune to Dragon-type techniques?
Just act like it!
Did anyone actually sense some sort of immunity from Togekiss?
Let others guess on their own then.
Anyway, as long as he doesn't make it too obvious, no amount of video study afterwards would uncover it.
Even if someone did sense something odd, they wouldn't think in terms of immunity to Dragon-type techniques.
More likely, they'd think Natsuhiko performed some special training with Togekiss, making it highly resistant to Dragon-type techniques.
Fortunately, Togekiss has been with Natsuhiko for so long, being influenced by him, it learned a few things itself.
It acted pretty convincingly.
Life is just like a play.
Indeed, some noticed that Togekiss wasn't as "helpless" as it seemed.
But those people didn't think much of it.
After all.
If someone were to claim now that some Pokémon could be immune to Dragon-type techniques, they'd likely be drowned in a sea of skepticism.
The subconscious judgments from subjective perception provided the best cover for Natsuhiko and Togekiss's "performance."
"Air Slash!"
Right after "Dragon's Fluctuation" ended, Natsuhiko immediately commanded Togekiss to attack again.
And seeing that "Dragon's Fluctuation" caused significant "damage" to Togekiss, Karin didn't hesitate, continuing to command Goodra to attack.
"Goodra, try Dragon's Fluctuation again!"
This time.
Togekiss dodged.
It better showcased its "fear" of such an attack.
This action and instinctive behavior completely quelled any remaining doubts, making everyone focus solely on this battle process.
Then.
Natsuhiko, who always mocked others' Pokémon using "Blood Lock Hang," had Togekiss show what true "Blood Lock Hang" meant.
"Natsuhiko's Pokémon has such strong willpower." Someone admired Togekiss's heavy breathing appearance.
"What a cute and resilient Pokémon."
"It's done enough, a remarkable job."
"Incredible!"
"..."
The "Blood Lock Hang" thing, the audience had long been used to it.
To them, "Blood Lock Hang" is equivalent to "strong will."
After all, this isn't a game, there are no health bars, Pokémon can persist solely through their strong will.
The battle quickly reached its end.
Karin's Goodra used a "Substitute," and after taking a few hits, its condition was indeed not good either.
Though Togekiss was immune to Dragon-type techniques, Karin's Goodra not only knew Dragon-type moves, but Karin seemed to have specially trained and nurtured its Electric-type techniques too.
So, Togekiss's poor condition wasn't entirely an act, it truly didn't want to experience "100,000 Volts" again, the white fur on its body was quite charred.
Natsuhiko and Karin exchanged a glance, reading each other's determination.
This was the final move!
"Goodra, Meteor Shower!"
"Togekiss, Divine Bird Frenzy!"
"Goodra!"
Goodra mustered the last of its strength, unleashing a hot fiery breath skyward.
Togekiss bit down, pouring all its strength into the "Divine Bird Frenzy" move.
Charging up!
Rumble——
Like fireballs, meteoric stones rained down from above. Meanwhile, Togekiss completed its charge for "Divine Bird Frenzy," charging toward Goodra without care for the falling meteors.
Boom!!!
As "Divine Bird Frenzy" struck Goodra, the dense Meteor Shower smashed into Togekiss.
Though the Dragon energy didn't harm it, the pain from the meteors hitting its body was very real.
When the smoke dissipated.
All spectators saw Goodra and Togekiss lying on the ground, both unmoving.
Wow——
A chorus of cheers erupted throughout the venue.
Some were for Karin finally taking down one of Natsuhiko's Pokémon.
Some were congratulating Natsuhiko on advancing into the semifinals.
Most were amazed by Togekiss's "resilience," that it actually took down Karin's Goodra.
Natsuhiko and Karin ran to the battlefield simultaneously, each picking up their own Pokémon.
"Chaa...kaa...eeee..."
Togekiss weakly opened its eyes, winking playfully at Natsuhiko.
Natsuhiko gently patted its back.
"(Great acting.)"
Though, it wasn't entirely acting, Togekiss really couldn't do much more now.
Yet being able to take down Karin's Goodra did owe much to the Fairy-type advantage.
Both Pokémon taking each other out was the best result.
Karin wasn't entirely defeated; using the limited information available, she crafted a strategy to take down Natsuhiko's seemingly "invincible" Pokémon, turning the impossible into possible, earning more recognition from many.
Also making many recognize that the "plane" wasn't as invincible as they thought.
Dispelling some people's "crazy" ideas.
Natsuhiko also successfully advanced to the semifinals, giving Togekiss a grand showcase.
A happy ending for all!
From this battle, Natsuhiko confirmed one thing.
Sometimes, informational advantage can indeed translate into actual advantage.
Whether it's the "plane's" characteristics or the traits of "Fairy-type" Pokémon, these are informational advantages.
His advantages!
Of course, he could leverage his informational advantages to maximize his interests in the future.
Be it Fairy-types or Mega Evolution.
With these Super Evolution Stones, he finally had the capability to start collecting them...
————
A 5000 word epic~~