Lana Shaw's victory over Hugo was practically decided the moment the match began. Hugo's Beedrill had its wings partially frozen by a stray Icy Wind, stripping away its only advantage: speed.
"An Icy Wind that can curve, huh..."
Owen rubbed his chin thoughtfully. It was within the realm of what he could handle. Eevee's rotating Sand Attack was ready for a challenge!
However, after watching the third match where Aria and her Abra won effortlessly using a combination of Teleport and Confusion, Owen felt a wave of anxiety.
Dealing with a psychic-type that could blink across the field was going to be a nightmare. Honestly, he'd rather face Wenyu and his Torkoal than that Abra.
Owen, Lana Shaw, Aria, and Wenyu—these four became the Semi-finalists of the Young Ho-Oh Cup.
That fact alone was a comfort to Owen. Regardless of whether he won the whole thing, he was now guaranteed a minimum prize of 30,000 yuan and a Pokémon held item.
Though he was a bit disappointed to learn the item was a small portion of Silver Powder. Since he didn't have a Bug-type, it was useless to him outside of selling it for cash.
Pre-Match Nerves
That night, Owen shut himself away. He didn't contact anyone except his parents, spending his time quietly studying his opponents.
Eevee, meanwhile, continued her training. Since they were in a hotel and couldn't risk destroying the room, she focused on fine-tuning her Double Team and Sand Attack. After a while, she turned to look at Owen, who was glued to his phone, and let out a soft cry.
"Vee..."
She tossed aside an empty bottle filled with sand, signaling that she wanted to watch whatever he was watching.
"Finished with Sand Attack? Then go practice your clones," Owen said without looking up. "Tomorrow is the most important day. After that, we're free."
"Vee!" Eevee huffed, turning back to manifest her afterimages.
Looking at the clones that looked exactly like her, Eevee sighed. It was a shame they were just illusions.
Ever since she learned this move, she had been dreaming of the day she could make a real clone—one that could do her training and battling for her while she caught up on her favorite dramas.
She shook her head vigorously; that lazy thought was becoming an obsession.
The Semi-Final: Owen vs. Lana Shaw
The next day, the atmosphere at the arena was electric. Hannah, Wesley, Miles—the trainers Owen had eliminated—all remained in the stands. They wanted to see just how far the person who beat them could go.
"I remember this Owen guy wasn't even a seed player. Now he's in the Semi-finals. What a dark horse!"
"No kidding. It'll be hilarious if he keeps winning."
The guests were equally curious. A Winter Dojo apprentice versus an unknown rookie; who was stronger?
"Student Lu, care to share your thoughts?" a professional trainer asked with a smile.
Lu Hai looked pained. "I've been slapped in the face by reality too many times this tournament. I'm keeping my mouth shut. These rookies today are too sneaky; let's just watch."
On the field, Owen looked at the girl opposite him. So this is the legendary 'Ice Beauty,' he thought. Despite her young age, Lana Shaw had a cold, piercing aura that was hard to fake.
"Student Lana, you saw my match yesterday, right?" Owen chirped. "Eevee is a master of dodging. If your Snorunt tries to hit her the way it hit Beedrill, it won't work. Have you thought of a strategy?"
"I have," Lana said bluntly. "Your luck ends here."
Owen's heart sank slightly. Great, she actually has a plan.
The referee gave the signal, and both Pokémon burst into action. Snorunt, a small, black Pokémon covered in a yellow, cone-shaped cloak, instantly bared its teeth. Its blue eyes locked onto Eevee as it began conjuring and hurling shards of ice.
"Vee!" Eevee smirked. The shards weren't particularly dense. She intended to close the distance immediately.
Thud! Thud! Thud! The Ice Shards slammed into the ground, missing Eevee entirely as she blurred toward her opponent.
"Icy Wind!" Lana commanded.
"Shaved Ice!" Owen countered.
"Shaved ice?" A vendor in the stands selling cold drinks froze in his tracks. What?
Everyone watched as Eevee kicked up a massive cloud of sand to block the wind. The freezing air hit the sand, instantly coating the grains in frost and sending them tumbling to the ground.
"No matter how many times I see it, that freezing speed is insane," Owen muttered.
Eevee exploited the opening, using Quick Attack to lunge at Snorunt. Snorunt wasn't nearly as fast as Miles's Scyther, so Eevee held the initiative. One clean hit could end this.
But the Semi-finals weren't that easy.
Swish! Eevee's tackle hit nothing but air. Snorunt had used Double Team—a move it hadn't shown in previous rounds. Before Owen could react, Snorunt unleashed a massive sphere of vibrating water: Water Pulse.
"Dodge it!" Owen yelled. Eevee managed to leap clear just in time.
To pull away, Snorunt began a tactical retreat, firing off moves like money was no object. The audience was baffled—at this rate, Snorunt would run out of energy before Eevee even touched it. Snorunt backed all the way to the edge of the arena until it had nowhere left to run. Eevee prepared to pounce.
Gotcha.
But as Eevee lunged, her feet slipped. She nearly face-planted as she lost her balance. Owen and Eevee looked down. At some point, the ground had been coated in a thin, glass-like layer of ice.
"I see! Using Water Pulse and Icy Wind to reshape the battlefield into an ice rink to limit Eevee's mobility," Lu Hai's eyes lit up. "The Winter Dojo apprentices really know how to use the terrain. Eevee is stuck!"
Owen frowned. He was about to tell Eevee to use Sand Attack to cover the ice for friction when something unexpected happened.
After a brief second of wobbling, Eevee found her center. She shifted her weight, coated her paws in a thin layer of Normal-type energy, and began to glide across the ice with effortless grace. She looked even more mobile than she did on solid ground!
"Wait... isn't that a Pokémon Figure Skating technique?" a spectator gasped.
"Eevee?" Owen blinked. Eevee turned back and gave him a confident nod.
In that moment, Owen realized: his Eevee was a genius of imitation! She could build perfect sandcastles based on movies, and now she was mimicking professional skating techniques she'd seen on TV.
Eevee, why are you so extra?
Eevee accelerated, using the ice to boost her Quick Attack speed. Lana was stunned. Snorunt was stunned. The guests were stunned.
Are you surprised? An Eevee that can figure skate!
Dodging a few panicked ice blocks, Eevee slid right into Snorunt's guard, sent it flying with a powerful tackle, and immediately followed up with a finishing blow.
The referee hesitated, looking at the fainted Snorunt and the smug Eevee, before announcing the result.
"Snorunt is unable to battle! The winner is Owen!"
Watching his Pokémon celebrate, Owen felt a strange sense of deja vu. He felt less like the legendary, serious Red and more like Ash Ketchum...
Ash has his Pikachu, and I have my Vee-God!
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