It was the move Surf!
But that wasn't all. At the moment the wave took shape, Fighting-type energy gathered in Poliwrath's hands. It directly grabbed the wave behind it and, as if performing an over-the-shoulder throw, pulled it forcefully!
The wave was hurled violently toward the demonic fire shadow, submerging it almost instantly!
"It did it, the demonic fire shadow was swallowed by the wave!"
Seeing this, the students from Harvard Pokémon University jumped in excitement.
The previous defeats of Emboar and Gallade had been too frustrating. Now, seeing Poliwrath's powerful attack, how could they not be excited?
"Calm down, senpai James still has Poliwrath and Heracross, two Quasi-Elite level Pokémon. There's still hope to win this match."
The students clenched their fists tightly.
If even James lost, then the last hope of their university would also vanish.
This battle was not only part of the world championship; it was also a confrontation between the new generations of the universities, which would determine who was the strongest student of the new generation.
"You all... seem to be celebrating too early."
Looking at the spectators celebrating around him, the corner of Ethan's lips slowly curved into a smile.
The moment his words fell, a flame suddenly appeared behind Poliwrath. A demonic hand emerged and grabbed it directly!
"What is that?"
"It's the demonic fire shadow!"
"Why did the demonic fire shadow appear there?!"
The spectators who had already been celebrating were stunned. Their throats moved as if someone had grabbed them by the neck; for a moment no one could say a single word.
Right after that, the fire shadow wrapped around Poliwrath, trapping it completely.
"Poliwrath, break free quickly and use Waterfall!"
James shouted hurriedly.
Then streams of water were seen condensing around Poliwrath's body, and its figure shot rapidly out of the flames.
Fuuu... fuuu...
Although it managed to escape from the demonic fire shadow, Poliwrath's condition did not look good at all.
It knelt on the ground on one knee. Its right leg was completely red, clearly having already entered a burn state.
"The victory has already been decided."
Seeing this scene, the guests sighed.
Then they looked again at the demonic fire shadow.
At that moment, the fire shadow had originally been formed from the Night Shade move, so it naturally possessed some characteristics of Ghost-type moves.
When the Surf move had arrived earlier, the demonic fire shadow had hidden underground to completely avoid the attack, silently appearing behind Poliwrath.
Taking into account the characteristics of the Ghost type, Litwick's fire shadow was undoubtedly much more difficult to deal with.
In that state, the Night Shade move could practically be considered a Fire/Ghost-type Pokémon at the Quasi-Elite level, and moreover one that could not be damaged. Even more terrifying than the Pokémon itself!
"Vital energy really is powerful. Litwick absorbs vital energy to awaken even greater strength. In fact, this is somewhat similar to Mega Evolution."
"Litwick is only a professional-level Pokémon, but after absorbing vital energy it can become this strong. If Charizard and the others could fully master the power of Mega Evolution, then they could probably reach the Elite or Champion level."
Ethan reflected to himself while looking at Litwick with a faint smile.
He called this ability of Litwick "Demonic Fire Shadow Mode," and for his future research on vital energy, this would undoubtedly be an excellent breakthrough point.
"Poliwrath loses the ability to battle. Litwick is the winner."
At that moment, the referee's voice suddenly echoed, and the entire stadium fell silent.
"Litwick wins!"
"Litwick wins!"
"Litwick wins!"
They had heard that sentence three times.
And at the same time, this was the first time in the history of the world championship that the name Litwick had appeared on the stage.
One could imagine that after this battle, the name Litwick would be engraved in the history of the World Championship.
The strongest Litwick in the world—this Litwick completely deserved that title!
"Why did this happen?"
At that moment, the ones who felt the worst were naturally those from Harvard Pokémon University.
After Poliwrath had also fallen, James only had one Quasi-Elite level Pokémon left: Heracross.
But according to what they knew, that Heracross also specialized in close combat, which was precisely what Litwick countered the most.
From combat style to attributes, Heracross was completely restricted, with no hope of victory.
On the field, the demonic fire shadow could be seen raising both hands. Fire-type and Ghost-type energy continuously poured into a dark sphere growing between its hands.
The sphere transformed into an energy cannon one meter in diameter, which was fired directly toward Heracross, giving it no chance to resist.
And the final result was exactly that.
Under the terrifying demonic fire shadow, Heracross barely managed to resist before all its energy was completely devoured.
"Hey, hey! Why did it end like this?!"
With the fall of James's last Pokémon, it meant that Ethan had swept all his Pokémon using only a single Litwick.
At that instant, the entire stadium exploded.
The students from Harvard Pokémon University had faces as pale as ashes.
The last time Ethan had already swept Harvard Pokémon University, and this time, in the world championship, they had also failed to recover their honor.
And now, with Ethan defeating six Pokémon all by himself, they once again felt the same taste of being completely crushed.
That feeling stuck in their chests, so uncomfortable that they almost felt like they were going to suffocate!
"He was really completely countered. It seems this Ethan knew very well that James only specializes in Fighting-type Pokémon."
The guests at the commentator's table also shook their heads and sighed.
James's defeat this time was not unfair.
Finally, today's quarterfinals ended in this way, completely surpassing everyone's expectations.
At the same time, the development of the battle was broadcast on television throughout the entire league.
This made everyone deeply remember the name Ethan Black, and also that of his two Pokémon: Shuckle and Litwick.
(End of chapter)