"Crack! Crack! Crack!"
Having been struck at point-blank range by Icy Wind, a thick layer of solid ice rapidly spread across Blastoise's body. In the blink of an eye, it had been completely frozen into a massive ice sculpture.
Outside the Haze, Mr. Morkel had no idea what was happening within the battlefield shrouded in darkness.
However, Ash, who possessed Aura abilities, could perceive everything with absolute clarity.
The moment he saw Blastoise completely immobilized by Greninja's Icy Wind, he immediately issued another command.
Although Ash had firmly controlled the battle's tempo from the very beginning and had steadily accumulated an overwhelming advantage through wave after wave of attacks, Blastoise's HP remained surprisingly healthy.
After all, both Pokémon were Water-types.
Whether using Water-type or Ice-type moves, neither side could deal particularly explosive damage to the other. Grass- and Electric-type moves were what truly countered Water-types.
Although Greninja possessed Protean, and Ash had taught it an enormous variety of off-type moves to maximize the Ability's potential, Greninja was incapable of learning Electric-type attacks. As for Grass-type moves, the only one it had mastered was Grass Knot.
While Grass Knot was exceptionally effective against massive and heavy Pokémon like Blastoise, it required the opponent to be moving in order to trip them and activate its full effect.
Blastoise had launched several attacks earlier in the battle, but every time it had withdrawn its limbs into its shell and used Rapid Spin to charge through the battlefield. Since it was no longer properly grounded during those attacks, Grass Knot found little opportunity to display its usefulness.
Now, Blastoise had been inflicted with Paralysis and frozen solid, seemingly losing all ability to resist.
However, actually defeating such a defensive powerhouse would require considerably more effort.
If they simply relied on ordinary attacks to slowly chip away at its HP, who knew how long the battle would drag on?
Fortunately, besides utilizing attribute advantages through Grass- and Electric-type attacks, Ash had prepared another method specifically designed to deal with massive, heavily defensive Pokémon like Blastoise.
After all, the title of "Standing Independently" wasn't merely for show!
Without the slightest hesitation, Ash immediately issued his next command.
"Greninja, use Toxic!"
The moment Ash's command echoed across the battlefield, Mr. Morkel's expression changed dramatically.
There were two reasons for his reaction.
First, although he couldn't see what was happening inside the Haze, Ash's confidence in issuing another attack command meant there were only two possibilities.
Either both sides' Icy Wind attacks had perfectly canceled one another out...
Or Blastoise had been completely controlled by Greninja's Icy Wind.
Second—and more importantly—although Blastoise possessed outstanding defenses and tremendous vitality, once it fell into either Poison or Badly Poisoned status, none of that mattered anymore.
Toxic dealt true damage that completely ignored defensive capabilities while steadily draining HP based on percentages over time.
At that point, having sky-high defenses and enormous HP pools became completely meaningless.
Realizing this, Mr. Morkel immediately understood what had likely happened.
Blastoise had most probably been frozen solid by Greninja's Icy Wind.
Without another moment's hesitation, he urgently issued his counter-command.
"Blastoise, use Shell Smash, then charge out with Skull Bash!"
Mr. Morkel shouted anxiously.
After suffering through two consecutive battles against Ash, he had finally come to understand why so many Trainers eagerly anticipated battling him...
Yet after actually experiencing it once, many of them never wanted to fight him again—some didn't even want to return to the City Arena for an entire week.
Ash was simply too troublesome to face.
The pressure and oppressive sense of control he exerted throughout a battle left one feeling suffocated. Even long after the battle ended, it was difficult to recover from that feeling.
Nevertheless, the match was not over.
As a professional Trainer, Mr. Morkel's fighting spirit was not so easily extinguished.
And Blastoise was no different.
BOOM!
Although its body remained frozen solid, Blastoise's consciousness was perfectly clear.
The moment it received its Trainer's command, it immediately responded.
The activation of Shell Smash was reminiscent of detonating a shield. The thick layer of ice encasing Blastoise instantly exploded apart, allowing it to regain its freedom.
However, neither Ash nor Greninja found this development surprising in the slightest.
Moreover, at the precise moment Blastoise shattered its icy prison, Greninja had already closed the distance.
Forming its webbed hand into a blade-like shape, it resembled a venom-coated dagger as it viciously stabbed toward Blastoise's neck.
Although the strike failed to pierce the protective scales covering Blastoise's body, the concentrated poison effortlessly seeped through the gaps between its scales as they expanded from the force of the impact.
In an instant, dark-purple poisonous markings spread rapidly from its neck throughout its entire body.
"Haa... Haa..."
At the very moment Blastoise fell victim to Toxic, the Haze covering most of the battlefield rapidly began dissipating.
The truth hidden within the darkness was finally revealed before everyone's eyes.
The ground around Blastoise was covered in frost and shattered fragments of ice.
Greninja had already nimbly leapt backward, maintaining a safe distance with its usual graceful agility.
Meanwhile, Blastoise remained standing painfully in place, its body covered in ominous dark-purple markings.
"Blastoise...!!"
The moment he saw Blastoise had been poisoned, Mr. Morkel's complexion immediately became unsightly.
Official tournament battles prohibited Pokémon from carrying held items such as Pecha Berries or antidotes. Furthermore, Blastoise hadn't learned moves capable of curing status conditions such as Refresh or Rest.
Its Poké Ball wasn't a Heal Ball either, and this was a Singles battle—meaning there were no teammates capable of providing support through Heal Bell or Aromatherapy.
Blastoise had been inflicted with Toxic—the far more troublesome variant of ordinary Poison.
Facing percentage-based HP loss and true damage that ignored its defenses entirely, Mr. Morkel felt both anxious and powerless.
"The only option left is to attack with everything we've got and defeat Greninja before our HP is completely drained... but is that even possible?"
Although he knew the odds were incredibly slim, he also understood that he had no choice but to try.
The longer this battle dragged on, the more disadvantageous the situation would become for his side.
"Blastoise, use Flash Cannon!"
Mr. Morkel's voice remained loud and commanding, though upon closer inspection, it lacked much of the confidence it possessed at the beginning of the battle.
Ash showed not the slightest fear.
The moment Blastoise entered the Toxic condition and Mr. Morkel failed to immediately take measures to cure it, Ash had already known that victory was his.
All that remained was to delay the battle slightly longer.
Having already determined his strategy, Ash remained perfectly calm as he watched Blastoise's attack approaching.
"Greninja, use Substitute to evade it, then counter with Blizzard!"
Ash swiftly issued his next command.
"Greninja!"
BOOM!!
Flash Cannon, as a powerful Steel-type move, possessed tremendous destructive force.
However, Greninja successfully utilized Substitute. The clone left behind was instantly struck by Flash Cannon before exploding into white smoke, while Greninja's true body had already vanished from its original position.
Like a phantom lurking within the battlefield's shadows, it had silently flashed behind Blastoise, preparing yet another devastating attack.
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