Satoshi and Frogadier stood utterly dumbfounded, staring blankly at the scene before them.
Wait…wasn't Sylveon's stamina perfectly fine? Did it somehow sustain internal injuries today?!
We have a traitor here, huh?! Sylveon, did you throw the match on purpose?!
[Satobaby, it's all your fault, you know~]
Whatever. If it's gotta be a 1 vs. 2, then fine.
Satoshi felt a slight headache coming on, but there was nothing else to do but press forward like this. From his quick estimate, Frogadier clearly had more stamina left than the opposing Pokémon anyway.
Besides, wasn't pulling off a one-versus-two super cool?
The corner of Satoshi's mouth rose into a confident grin. Subconsciously, he held Anon even closer, feeling his blood start to boil with excitement.
"I'll show you our full strength! Let's go, Frogadier, full throttle!"
"Koga——!"
Responding to his trainer's blazing confidence, Frogadier roared fiercely, its whole aura instantly shifting.
But standing across from them, Yukinoshita Yukino and Hachiman Umi remained perfectly calm. Even with low stamina, the odds of losing two-on-one were still incredibly slim.
"You think you can win in a two-on-one? Don't underestimate us. Ninetales, [Ice Beam]."
"Kon~~!"
"Frogadier, [Protect]!"
Without hesitation, Ninetales released an icy beam aimed directly at Frogadier. Frogadier's body immediately became encased in a shimmering green barrier, completely blocking the [Ice Beam] attack.
"Dewott, close the distance. [Razor Shell]."
"Futa!"
But the moment [Protect] ended, Dewott seized the opportunity, swiftly charging forward with two razor-sharp shells ready to strike.
"Use [Cut]!"
"Koga!"
Frogadier reacted instantly, condensing a white glow into a blade that slashed toward Dewott's shells. The two attacks collided violently, sending sprays of water in every direction.
An intense shockwave spread, seemingly vibrating through the air itself.
Its power…seems stronger than even my Dewott…
Hachiman Umi felt a cold bead of sweat run down her forehead, while Satoshi's expression remained calmly confident.
"Koga~!"
In the clash of pure power, Frogadier's [Cut] clearly held the advantage. Its glowing blade sliced through Dewott's [Razor Shell], dealing heavy damage.
"Futa——!" Dewott cried out, forced backward several steps.
"That's incredible. That Frogadier actually has enough strength to beat a same-type [Razor Shell] with a non-STAB move like Cut? Is it specialized in physical attacks?"
"Probably because Frogadier's stamina is still higher."
"Isn't the real reason the Red-Hat Demon King's instant judgment? And that confident expression just now—he never doubted Frogadier would win. Makes me jealous of their bond."
The surrounding trainers couldn't help but murmur among themselves after witnessing this impressive exchange.
"Ninetales, [Ice Shard]."
"Frogadier, dodge with [Quick Attack]!"
Ninetales quickly conjured over a dozen silvery-white ice shards, shooting toward Frogadier like arrows. Frogadier dodged each shard with blinding speed.
"Dewott, don't let Frogadier get close—[Water Pulse]!"
At the same time, Dewott swiftly followed up, forming a swirling blue sphere of energy in its hands, unleashing a turbulent [Water Pulse] that surged fiercely toward Frogadier.
Fast and precise, this attack left no room for Frogadier to dodge.
"[Water Pulse]!"
"Koga——!"
But Frogadier also released its own [Water Pulse].
Unlike Dewott's spherical version, Frogadier's [Water Pulse] took the shape of a shuriken.
Sharp and accurate like an actual throwing star, it sliced through Dewott's [Water Pulse] with ease, continuing onward to fiercely strike Ninetales.
The shuriken-shaped [Water Pulse] directly struck Ninetales.
"Kon~~!"
Ninetales was thrown back by the force, its eyes swirling as it collapsed and fainted on the spot.
A same-type bonus multiplied by Ninetales' already low stamina meant it simply couldn't withstand the blow.
"Dewott, [Aqua Jet]—charge forward!"
Without even a moment spent mourning Ninetales, Dewott immediately wrapped itself in swirling currents, launching itself into the air, surging toward Frogadier.
"Futa~!"
Enveloped entirely in rushing water, Dewott crashed into Frogadier like a waterfall, leaving no room to evade.
"Brace yourself!"
Frogadier courageously endured the direct impact, forced down onto one knee.
"Again, [Razor Shell]!"
"Counter with [Cut]!"
"Futa——!"
With a fierce cry, Dewott swung its shells, slashing out two bright streaks of energy. Facing this powerful assault, Frogadier responded with incredible speed, swiftly bringing out another [Cut].
"Koga——!"
The two Pokémon exchanged blow after blow, each clash sending sprays of water scattering across the battlefield, displaying their fierce struggle and skillful technique.
"KogaKogaKoga!" "Futa——!"
This time, Dewott's power seemed to surge even further—its body glowed blue, signifying its [Torrent] ability had activated.
Dewott's [Razor Shell] shimmered fiercely, water scattering intensely under Frogadier's constant pressure.
"Keep your distance—[Water Pulse]!"
"Cut through it!"
Frogadier decisively leaped back, narrowly avoiding another [Razor Shell], and quickly formed another [Water Pulse] into the shape of a shuriken.
Water exploded outward, condensed again into the shuriken form. Seeing this, Dewott swiftly swung its shells to slice apart Frogadier's [Water Pulse].
[Water Pulse] clashed violently against [Razor Shell], sending sparkling droplets everywhere, soaking the battlefield.
"Now, [Cut]!"
However, Frogadier's reaction speed was astonishingly quick. The instant Dewott sliced through the [Water Pulse], Frogadier closed the distance again, unleashing a lightning-fast [Cut] whose shadow barely flickered beneath the lights.
"So fast…" Even the normally calm Hachiman Umi couldn't help but widen her eyes in surprise.
"Futa~~"
Before Dewott could even fully finish slicing the [Water Pulse], Frogadier's [Cut] had already landed squarely on its body. Dewott was flung back, instantly fainting upon impact.
"Ninetales and Dewott are unable to battle! Frogadier wins! The winner is Satoshi!"
After the battle ended, Satoshi decided not to continue in the following rounds. Frogadier's stamina was already nearing its limit—continuing further would be too much of a strain.
Not to mention, the remaining three pairs were outright monsters, including multiple elite-level trainers.
Their victory just now was largely due to their stamina advantage and fully leveraging the deep bond he shared with Frogadier.
If they kept going under the current circumstances, defeat was almost certain.
"Anon-chan, you're too unreliable. Looks like I'll have to partner with Satoshi myself next time."
"Uuu...in that situation, there was really nothing I could do!"
Back at their seats, Anon and Soyo resumed their usual bickering.
To be fair, Anon hadn't expected Sylveon to deliberately throw the match—she just happened to get caught up enjoying a bit of affection with her boyfriend and totally forgot Sylveon was still getting hit~
Couldn't Sylveon just go along and say "No objections!" for once?
"Satoshi~ You were so cool!"
"Karen, why did you go to Satoshi's table earlier?"
"Hmm? Hikari-chan, you could've joined me too, couldn't you? So, why didn't you~?"
"That's…"
At another table, the energetic Aijo Karen was gradually prying open Kagura Hikari's guarded heart.
Sadly, Satoshi had no interest in such things. Instead, he casually packed up his belongings. After returning, he'd have to undergo some intense special training—after all, even the school's Elite Four couldn't be underestimated. Such thoughts naturally entered his mind.
After tidying up, Satoshi's gaze fell curiously on Takamatsu Tomori. Her cheeks were flushed bright red, eyelashes gently trembling as she occasionally glanced at him shyly, emitting a faint, delicate fragrance.
"What's wrong?"
Satoshi tilted his head, intrigued.
Hearing his question, Tomori suddenly stood up and walked over, leaning in closely to whisper softly into his ear.
"Tomorrow…will you spend some time with me? There's something I'd like to show you."
---
T/N:
Hey everyone, thanks for reading. If you're enjoying the translation, dropping some Powerstones would really help out your hardworking translator (100 stones = 1 bonus chapter, 200 = 2 chapters, and so on—easy math, right?).
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Anyway, see you in the next chapter~
say thank you to hayasaka guyss