Veluza saw the hulking figure rushing in and felt fear on instinct. It flicked its tail-fins to dart backward—
Too late.
The instant it thought of retreat, Jason struck.
Dark-type priority move—Sucker Punch.
A shadow too quick to see flickered from the Brute Bonnet's bulk. Before Veluza could react, a root-thick fist had already crossed the gap and slammed into its teal body.
"Thump!"
Another dull boom—heavier than before.
Super effective!
One hit.
The lightning-fast Veluza didn't even have time to cry out. Its eyes rolled back and it lost the ability to battle on the spot, skimming across the water like a skipping stone before bobbing up belly-up.
Clean. Clinical.
A one-shot.
The arena fell dead silent. Only the ring of fountains kept up their tireless rush.
Kofu stared at the floating Veluza, then at the giant in the center drawing its fist back. For the first time, sweat beaded his brow. He recalled the fallen Veluza, face turning grave.
As expected: this Ditto was terrifying.
Jason didn't press him. Kofu drew a long breath and forced himself calm, then pulled his second Poké Ball.
"Go, Wugtrio!"
With a flash, a strange Pokémon appeared—three white eel-like heads poking from one shared burrow. The instant it landed, Wugtrio dove beneath the stone-tiled field as if it were soft sand, leaving only three drifting mounds to mark its paths.
Even on stone, the plan was obvious—paired with Gooey, to sap the opponent's Speed on contact. He'd use burrowing and guerrilla tactics.
Right on cue, three heads burst up from different points, jaws gaping—three muddy jets lanced at Jason from three angles at once.
Mud Shot!
Low power, but a high chance to drop Speed. Kofu's idea was simple: hobble the foe's movement, then grind them down.
Jason read it at a glance. He didn't chase the pop-up mounds. Instead he sank the Brute Bonnet's weight—and stomped.
Thoom!
The entire field shuddered. From the cracks in the stone beneath him, ink-green vines erupted, winding up his legs and driving deep into the ground.
Ingrain.
Roots locked him in place—immune now to forced movement. Want to slow me down? Then I'll stand right here and fight.
A soft green glow swept his body, slowly patching the negligible scuff he'd taken eating Water Pulse earlier.
Kofu's heart sank. The thing's battle IQ was frightening. A Pokémon with a Trainer's awareness—he'd instantly found the perfect counter to guerrilla play.
Mud Shots splattered harmlessly, unable to budge him.
"Hide—now!" Kofu barked.
Jason was faster. As the roots bit deep, he shook that massive cap. A haze of near-invisible spores billowed out, drifting like thick fog and blanketing the field.
Spore.
The Grass-type's dream—100% accurate sleep.
Wugtrio could hide underground, but it still had to breathe. In the inescapable cloud, it inevitably drew some in. The dirt mounds slowed… slowed… and then three once-alert heads drooped from three different holes, spiral eyes rolling shut.
"Damn!"
Kofu's shout couldn't wake them.
Jason strolled to one of the sleeping heads and raised a trunky arm, palm aimed. A dense green light gathered in his hand.
Giga Drain.
The glow swallowed the dozing Wugtrio. Grass vs. Water—super effective. It never woke; its energy was wrung out in an instant. The siphoned life streamed back into Jason, refilling the trivial cost of Ingrain.
From start to finish, he looked utterly at ease—a veteran hunter dismantling two traps with the simplest, surest tools.
On the dais, sweat now ran down Kofu's cheek. The creature in the center wasn't just tricky—he felt powerless. His proud tactics looked like child's play against this opponent.
Jason straightened, gave the vast cap a shake to dust off grit and spores, then peered through the fog to lock eyes with Kofu again. No roar, no threat—just a wordless challenge.
Kofu's breath caught. He inhaled, exhaled, and took up his strongest partner's ball. Wiping his brow, he let a chef's focus and fire kindle again.
"Magnificent," he said, honestly impressed. "You're the real deal—I underestimated you."
"But my signature course is only now being served!"
His voice boomed with renewed passion. "Ready to taste a true raging tide?"
He hurled the ball. It arced perfectly; red light burst—and a massive crab slammed onto the field. Orange-red shell, thick and hard. Enormous claws flashing with a cold metallic edge. Eight legs planted, eyes upturned and locked on the Brute Bonnet—its aura every bit as savage.
Kofu's last Pokémon had arrived: Crabominable.
It stood nearly waist-high to a man, armor gleaming icily in the sun, and those colossal pincers—almost as big as its body—looked sharp enough to snip steel.
The instant it appeared, a brutal, violent pressure flooded the arena; even the fountain mist felt frozen into glimmering crystals midair. Born with a tyrant's presence.
Kofu's trust was absolute. The helplessness from earlier was gone. He raised his right hand; the Tera Orb on his wrist shone gentle and clear.
No hesitation, no probing. With his ace out, he went straight to his strongest line.
"Let the sea's fury surge through you!"
His will poured into the Tera Orb; it blazed brighter than ever. Crabominable threw back its head and roared, resonating with its Trainer.
A prismatic pillar crashed down, enveloping the crab. Countless crystal shards whirled within, then raced to its crown, coalescing into a great headpiece of pure energy—like a fountain's crest flash-frozen into a regal diadem, water-pure blue with flowing light within.
When the crown sealed, brilliance exploded across the field.
Terastallized.
Crabominable's typing changed at its root. Fighting/Ice was washed away—replaced by pure, pristine Water.
With the shift, its aura spiked madly. A visible skin of flowing water wrapped its body; the fountain's water seemed summoned, streaming toward it until a ringlet waterspout formed around it. Each swing of those vast claws dragged torrents in its wake. Crabhammer's already fearsome bite, now supercharged by Water power, would be even deadlier.
This was Kofu's confidence. Type disadvantage? A true powerhouse doesn't flinch at it. With overwhelming Water, he'd wash away anything before him.
"Come!" Kofu's eyes burned. "This is my true hospitality!"
Sensing its Trainer's battle-fire, the terastallized Crabominable clacked its claws together with a ringing crash—and moved. Power surged through its legs; the seemingly bulky body lunged with shocking speed. Mid-charge, it opened its jaws. Tera energy raged—Water power condensed in its mouth.
Liquidation!
A high-pressure water cannon, compressed and amplified by Tera, blasted out like an artillery shell, roaring straight for Jason.
On the sidelines, Gast and Miraidon sprang to their feet. In the center, Brute Bonnet still didn't dodge. He crossed his root-thick arms before him; the massive cap tilted forward like a vast, sturdy shield, covering his vitals.
A heartbeat later, the water cannon smashed into the "mushroom shield."
BOOM!
The detonation thundered across the gym. The impact made the entire platform quake, spray bursting outward in a dense fog that swallowed the center.
The giant was driven back several meters, gouging twin trenches in the stone with his heels—but he held. As the deluge fell away, he still stood there—soaked, the cap scuffed—but essentially unharmed.
Grass's resistance to Water was on full display.
Kofu's pupils tightened—but he wasn't surprised. If the foe couldn't even take that, he wasn't worthy of the ace or the Tera in the first place.
~~~
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