"Golisopod, Poison Jab!"
Shing!
Purple energy materialized around Golisopod's left hand, covering its two black claws. It thrust them straight into Tauros's body.
"Moo~"
Due to the immense force of the strike, Tauros was sent flying through the air.
It crashed heavily into the mud pit. A second later, Tauros stood back up, its body completely drenched in muddy water.
Its face turned a shade of purple. It was not only injured but also poisoned.
Golisopod's striking speed was simply too fast for Tauros to react in time.
"Golisopod, Pin Missile!"
Shing!
Golisopod's antennae twitched slightly as it lowered its body. The third section of the shell on its back opened up, launching over a dozen glowing needles from within.
Looking like missiles, the needles left gray smoke trails in their wake, locking onto Tauros as they rained down.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!..."
"Moo~"
The sounds of explosions blended with Tauros's miserable cries. Enduring continuous attacks from Golisopod, Tauros was beginning to reach its absolute limit.
The smoke from the explosions quickly cleared, revealing Tauros's form.
However, its condition looked extremely poor, as it was covered in wounds from head to toe.
"So strong! How can this be?" Shida completely panicked upon seeing Golisopod's overwhelming power.
"Tauros, Thunderbolt!"
"Moo~"
Tauros acted like a mad bull. Countless currents of electricity erupted from its body and quickly converged, forming a massive bolt of lightning that crashed down toward Golisopod.
Crackle!
The massive lightning bolt illuminated the entire battlefield in bright yellow, distorting the energy in the air.
The power of this move was considerable. Despite this, Golisopod did not panic at all. It brought its shield-like arms together to block the attack in front of itself.
"Bang!"
The lightning struck its arms, unleashing the powerful energy hidden within. Regrettably for Shida, no matter how powerful the attack was, Golisopod firmly blocked it on the outside.
Golisopod's hands trembled continuously as it forcefully pried its arms open. After a brief moment, its arms spread wide.
Tauros's lightning was redirected straight up into the sky, dispersing into the air.
Conversely, Golisopod itself remained completely unharmed.
"What?!"
"It blocked the whole thing? How is this possible?"
"I don't believe it!!!"
"Tauros, Hyper Beam!" Shida shouted, sounding a bit frenzied.
Countless energy particles gathered toward Tauros's mouth, forming an orange-yellow energy ball.
A second later, a massive beam of energy erupted forward, causing the surrounding energy to turn turbulent.
"Golisopod, block it!"
Shing!
Golisopod's antennae twitched slightly, looking as though it disdained Tauros's Hyper Beam.
Its arms slammed together once more.
The Hyper Beam slammed violently into Golisopod's arms.
"Bang!"
Golisopod only felt a massive force pushing against it.
Its body slid backward along the ground for several meters. Golisopod used all its strength, its arms trembling continuously as it resisted the pressure.
"Bang!"
With a forceful swing, its arms threw the attack wide, redirecting the Hyper Beam into the sky to disperse.
"What?! Even that worked??"
"Golisopod, Pin Missile!"
Golisopod's Pin Missile was different from Beedrill's. Although it only launched over a dozen needles, each carried immense power.
Its back opened up, and over a dozen glowing needles shot toward Tauros like artillery shells.
Because Tauros had used Hyper Beam, its body was currently left unable to move.
The dozen glowing needles slammed cleanly into its body.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!..."
"Golisopod, finish it in one shot with Liquidation!"
Eichi did not intend to give Shida any more chances, deciding to end the battle right here.
Shing!
Golisopod's eyes flashed with light. Countless water-type energy particles gathered around its left hip, forming an aqua-blue blade.
Golisopod assumed a stance and charged toward Tauros.
Its speed was mind-boggling. One second it was still standing in place, and the next second it vanished entirely.
It materialized right in front of Tauros like a samurai, drawing its blade and slashing down heavily onto Tauros's body.
Crossing the remaining distance, Golisopod appeared behind Tauros in the next instant. The aqua-blue blade vanished. Golisopod stood with its back to Tauros, never turning around.
Tauros's body stiffened, and its eyes widened. It staggered unsteadily before collapsing to the ground, losing its ability to battle.
Only then did Golisopod turn its head to look at the defeated Tauros. It raised both hands high into the air, as if proclaiming its own absolute strength.
The battle had ended so quickly that Shida only snapped out of his shock after Tauros had already lost its ability to battle.
"Tauros is unable to battle. Golisopod wins!"
As Tauros's avatar darkened on the electronic display, the end of the match was officially declared.
"Dear viewers, did you see that? Contestant Eichi's Golisopod defeated contestant Shida's Tauros with absolute power to claim victory!"
"Let us congratulate contestant Eichi on advancing to the final four!!"
Thunderous applause erupted from the spectator stands instantly.
"Golisopod!!"
"Golisopod!!!"
"Yeah! Eichi won! Eichi won!" Mumu said gleefully.
"This Golisopod is way too cool," Ryuichi praised with emotion.
The audience, along with Ryuichi and the others, were completely captivated by Golisopod's performance. It was aloof, domineering, powerful, and handsome.
Anyone watching the match would surely become a fan of Golisopod.
In the central spectator seats, Lorelei pushed up her glasses and smiled softly upon seeing Golisopod win.
Beside her, a faint smile also seemed to appear on Bruno's face.
"This is truly shocking. This Golisopod gave us quite a big surprise!" the middle-aged man praised with emotion.
"I lost!!!"
Shida's face was filled with sheer disbelief as he recalled Tauros.
He had actually lost. He had lost to a mere kid, causing his journey to halt right here in the quarter-finals.
His previous vow to claim the championship now felt like a complete joke.
Eichi recalled Golisopod. Amidst the cheers of countless people, he left the field and walked into the backstage area.
"Whew."
Director Yanagi let out a long breath, calming his racing heart.
"He actually won. Eichi actually won."
"As a first-year freshman, he actually defeated a graduate who was at the same level as those from Silver Academy."
"Is this what a genius looks like?"
"Furthermore, that Golisopod should be a Water-type as well. So handsome! If I get the chance, I must catch one too," Director Yanagi muttered with emotion.
Naturally, his words were only meant for his own ears.
When Eichi reached the backstage area, Katsuyoshi actively walked over and left him with a single sentence.
"Eichi, you are very good."
After saying that, he picked up his bag and walked away. Eichi smiled faintly upon hearing those words.
To be praised by this powerhouse was quite an honor.
Eichi arrived at the Pokémon Center. The moment he stepped inside, everyone who saw him froze for a split second.
"Is he Eichi?"
"His Beedrill and Golisopod are simply too cool," someone said excitedly.
Eichi did not pay too much attention to it.
Even so, he still underestimated the impact his recent battle had made on everyone else.
Right after he handed his Poké Balls to Nurse Joy for healing, a few girls walked over.
They asked rather timidly, "Eichi, could you give us an autograph?"