"Great! Abra's reaction time and mental control are getting slower and slower."
"In a battle of attrition, it's likely to hit its limit before Eevee does!"
"So, Eevee and I just need to maintain this rhythm."
Owen analyzed the situation while keeping a laser focus on the match. The reason he had tested Eevee's limits twice before the fight was precisely to handle a situation like this. If you plan for a war of attrition, you must know your own breaking point.
If the opponent collapsed first, that was ideal. But if his side neared its limit, knowing exactly how much Eevee had left allowed him to take calculated risks and high-stakes gambles to snatch a victory before the clock ran out.
Right now, Owen's judgment was clear: the war of attrition favored them. Eevee's breathing was more stable than Abra's, and she clearly had reserves of strength left.
Although Abra seemed to hold the initiative, it had failed to land any substantial damage on Eevee. As long as Eevee continued to disrupt Abra's Calm Mind attempts, Aria had no way to turn the tide.
"Is this really a rookie battle?!"
Watching the standoff from the guest platform, Lu Hai couldn't help but feel anxious. Even the Calm Mind bait hadn't worked?
In such close quarters, Eevee had repeatedly used Double Team and Sand Attack to mitigate the force of the Psychic blasts.
It was far beyond what he and Aria had expected. It was clear that Owen and Eevee had prepared meticulously; this was the payoff for doing thorough pre-battle research.
Despite his outer calm, Owen's palms were slick with sweat. The back-and-forth was nerve-wracking. He worried that Eevee might make a single mistake due to fatigue—one slip-up would shatter their rhythm and give Abra the opening it needed.
Fortunately, even as her stamina drained, a singular conviction kept Eevee's focus razor-sharp.
"The situation is clear now. Aria and Abra are being led by the nose. The stamina advantage will eventually become the deciding factor for Eevee's victory," the representative from the Metropolis Trainer Association remarked.
"Unless a change is made now," Lu Hai added, frowning.
Abra's strength lay in the "bug-like" combination of Teleport and Psychic. If it could just find the perfect moment to teleport right next to Eevee and land a point-blank blast, it would win. That was Aria's usual "simple and crude" style.
However, against Owen, Aria had hesitated. She hadn't dared to commit to that direct approach, choosing instead to bait Eevee with meditation.
Lu Hai understood her hesitation. She was terrified of Eevee's rotating Sand Attack—the Counter Shield. If Abra teleported in for a surprise attack, Aria couldn't be sure if Abra's Psychic would fire faster than Eevee's Counter Shield could deploy.
It was a massive gamble. If Eevee reacted even a fraction of a second faster than Abra, Abra's low physical defense meant it would be knocked out instantly.
Until she was truly cornered, Aria had preferred to play the long game, hoping Eevee would make a mistake. But now, it was Abra who was running out of time.
Aria bit her lip. She wasn't willing to let things continue this way; she refused to lose. She knew her Pokémon perfectly—much longer, and Abra would exhaust its mental energy and fall into a deep, forced slumber.
Even though Eevee was covered in scratches and Abra hadn't been touched once, the energy cost of Teleport and Psychic far outweighed that of Quick Attack and Sand Attack. Abra would definitely fall first.
"Eevee's condition is declining, too. Maybe it's time to risk it all," Aria thought, tightening her fist. She was done with the attrition. She would decide the match with the simplest method possible.
Abra, Teleport close to Eevee! Then, use Psychic!
Aria had pre-arranged these commands as a secret signal to prevent Owen and Eevee from reacting in time. Direct verbal commands would give Eevee too much of a window.
Teleport. Psychic.
At the most critical moment of the match, Abra didn't teleport away to create distance; it vanished and reappeared directly above the moving Eevee.
Owen's heart skipped a beat. This was it. The final exchange.
Directly below the reappearing Abra, Eevee shifted her weight. A rotating vortex of sand, powered by a rising air current, erupted into the Counter Shield.
Eevee had been waiting for this moment, too.
In terms of raw speed, Eevee was a fraction faster. The rope-like strands of sand lashed out, disrupting Abra's mental concentration and causing it a flash of intense pain. But Sand Attack alone, despite Abra's low defense, wasn't enough for a one-hit KO.
Capitalizing on that split-second opening, Eevee deactivated the Counter Shield, leaped into the air, and lunged forward with Bite.
However, the gamble went both ways. Abra recovered with terrifying speed. It didn't abandon the Psychic energy it had been gathering; even as Eevee's teeth clamped down on its shoulder, the powerful mental blast exploded directly into Eevee.
BOOM!
A cloud of dust erupted as both Pokémon were sent hurtling toward the ground from mid-air. The collision happened so fast that the audience barely had time to blink before both Pokémon hit the dirt.
The Winner Is...
Double Knockout? The question echoed through the stadium. A draw had never happened in the history of the Young Ho-Oh Cup.
"Wait! The countdown hasn't finished!" the commentator shouted. All eyes turned to the referee.
Owen and Aria both rushed to the edge of the field, calling out to their respective partners. Whoever could stand up and remain standing for the referee's count would be the champion.
But both Pokémon looked utterly spent. They lay motionless on the ground. The audience let out a sigh of disappointment. It looked like a rematch would be necessary... and even Owen and Aria were beginning to resign themselves to it.
Then, Owen had a sudden realization.
He stopped shouting "Get up!" and instead yelled at the top of his lungs:
"Two! Two smartphones!"
The effect was instantaneous. Eevee's blurred consciousness was jolted by a powerful stimulus. First, her ears twitched. Then, a leg jerked. Finally, Eevee forced her eyes open and let out a weak, shaky cry.
"Vee..."
In the final seconds of the referee's count, Eevee slowly, painfully pushed herself up. Though her body was battered and her legs were trembling, her gaze was fixed and unwavering.
The crowd was stunned.
"Unbelievable!! What incredible willpower! Under the 'caring' encouragement of Trainer Owen, Eevee—despite her heavy injuries—has actually stood back up! Is this the true power of friendship?!"
"The final winner... has been decided!!" the commentator roared.
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