It turned out that Karen's Houndoom narrowly defeated Volkner's Luxray. After losing two matches in a row, the Johto delegation finally welcomed a victory. No wonder the Johto spectators were shouting excitedly.
Ryosuke finally let out a sigh of relief. Now when facing the council, he could still make some excuses. After all, it was not a complete defeat, which was already a blessing in this situation.
However, Tōkichi and Maiko would have to think carefully. After all, it was their students who had lost, and they were already thinking about what excuses to use to shift the responsibility.
The Elite Four of Sinnoh were naturally somewhat dejected. Their original plan had already fallen through. It was not easy for this girl named Karen to endure this battle. Toward the end, Volkner had clearly become somewhat impatient, which caused him to lose his composure.
Among the four battles, only the one between Caitlin and Tetsuya remained. All the noises were now focused here.
Both sides were now very tired, and the power of the moves they used was naturally greatly reduced.
"K-Kirlia, Future Sight…"
Caitlin poured all of her remaining psychic power into Kirlia and finally spoke, issuing a command to Kirlia verbally for the first time in the entire battle.
Cynthia, who had been watching the battle, could not help but glance at Tetsuya again. 'He's not simple at all… to actually force Caitlin to speak…'
Caitlin's father was already sweating profusely with anxiety.
"The battle is not over yet, we must believe in Caitlin," The other three Elite Four comforted.
Caitlin's father wiped his sweat and said, "…You may not know, Caitlin has been exceptionally gifted since childhood. After my training, her psychic force has already become very strong… enough to communicate with Pokémon through telepathy, moreover, her psychic power can provide a boost to Pokémon.
But now that she has started to give commands verbally, it means her psychic energy has been exhausted, and her body has certainly reached its limit!"
However, for the honor of Sinnoh, even Caitlin's father did not dare to give up this match easily. It was better to be defeated than to forfeit, and Caitlin's personality was also very competitive. Otherwise, she would not have traveled far from home in order to defeat Cynthia.
Future Sight had a certain delay in its attack, but its power was formidable and difficult to resist. Tetsuya also felt the greatest crisis since the start of the battle. Caitlin chose to act now because she had seen Piloswine's condition clearly. After such a long battle, the Hail had completely dissipated and could no longer provide cover for Piloswine.
"Icicle Crash!"
Tetsuya gritted his teeth. If he did not end it before Future Sight took effect, Piloswine would undoubtedly lose.
Icicles fell from the sky, but their power was already far weaker than at the beginning.
"Double Team…"
Caitlin's voice had already grown weaker. Kirlia, which had long been in sync with her thoughts, had already sensed it. Now only by ending the battle quickly could Caitlin be relieved.
Seeing that Caitlin could barely stand, Tetsuya could not help but feel a trace of respect for this girl. Her body was already on the verge of collapse, yet she could still make such precise judgments for her age.
When the Hail had just been maintained, Double Team had been completely ineffective. When the Hail fell, the illusions would be directly pierced by the Hail, making it obvious at a glance which one was the real body.
Kirlia suddenly split into more than ten copies, making it difficult to distinguish them for a moment. Caitlin's intention was also very clear, which was to wait for Future Sight to take effect.
"Powder Snow, Icy Wind!"
There was no time to determine Kirlia's real body. The only option was to use long-range damage moves to break through by force.
Although the power had already been greatly reduced, Kirlia was not in a better state either. The copies were blown away by Icy Wind, and Kirlia stumbled and fell to the ground, half of its body buried in the snow.
"Body Slam."
This move was simple and direct, considered one of the most commonly used moves for physical-based Pokémon. Although Piloswine could use such a move, it usually relied on Snow Cloak under Hail to strike unexpectedly, and close-range or contact moves were rarely used. Tetsuya's style was also to prefer ambush over direct confrontation.
However, Piloswine's stamina had already reached its limit, and it was difficult to use Ice-type energy anymore. Body Slam could still deal damage based on its weight, making it the most suitable move to use now.
Piloswine began to run, making a "crunch crunch" sound as the ice and snow were compressed.
As it approached Kirlia, Piloswine raised its forelegs and slammed down toward Kirlia. Kirlia tried to use Teleport, but due to exhaustion, it only moved slightly and failed.
Piloswine pressed tightly on Kirlia!
Kirlia continuously let out soft gasps, while Piloswine kept shaking its forelegs, jostling Kirlia's body to inflict maximum damage!
Kirlia's screams pierced the space, making many people feel a sense of pity.
Suddenly, a thick white beam of light struck down from the air. In just a few seconds, it completely engulfed Piloswine.
Tetsuya swallowed…
It was over!
The white light gradually dissipated. Piloswine was lying on top of Kirlia, and both Pokémon had fainted.
"Piloswine and Kirlia have both lost ability to battle. This match… is a draw!"
The referee announced the result. Caitlin collapsed before she could even recall Kirlia.
Tetsuya recalled Piloswine. The damage this time would take at least three to five days to recover from. This result was also enough to report back to Pryce.
'…'
---◓---
As Tetsuya walked off the battlefield, Pryce nodded and said, "This battle was very… exciting."
Ryosuke and the other two were now in an extremely awkward state. Their plan to scheme against Pryce had been ruined because of Tetsuya, but it was also precisely because of Tetsuya that the situation today had not become too passive.
The plan of the Sinnoh side had also been disrupted by Karen and Tetsuya. The Johto side was still like a Venipede that refuses to die even when injured.
However, this move by Sinnoh had completely exposed their intentions. After this, the Johto Region would naturally be on full guard against them, and instead might give Kanto or other regions an opportunity.
Although the Elite Four of Sinnoh achieved a record of [two wins, one draw, and one loss], this result was clearly not what they had wanted.
Ryosuke brought Tōkichi and Maiko over and said coldly, "The four of you truly have impressive… tactics!"
The Sinnoh Elite Four felt extremely uncomfortable under Ryosuke's sarcasm. They could hardly remain in Johto any longer. Although Caitlin was still unconscious, the Sinnoh delegation returned to Sinnoh immediately.