At last, the battle came to an end.
Mudsdale's body was covered in wounds, the marks left behind by Scyther's blades. Scyther wasn't in much better condition either.
The two Pokémon had fought using nothing but pure perseverance.
Suddenly, Scyther used Double Team.
A duplicate instantly appeared beside it, putting Mudsdale at an obvious disadvantage.
However, Mudsdale had its own plan.
The ground suddenly shook violently, causing Scyther to lose its balance.
Mudsdale had activated Earthquake.
Its intention was clear—to create distance and resume the battle after catching its breath.
At this point, Scyther had already reached its limit. If Mudsdale managed to widen the gap and recover even slightly, Scyther would inevitably collapse from exhaustion.
Taking advantage of the violent tremors caused by Earthquake, Mudsdale immediately retreated.
But Sam had no intention of giving it that opportunity.
Scyther suddenly vanished from sight.
This time, it wasn't Agility.
It was Quick Attack.
The burst of speed was even faster than Agility. In the blink of an eye, Scyther appeared directly in front of Mudsdale.
Sam shouted,
"Alright! This attack will decide the winner!"
X-Scissor activated.
This would be Scyther's final attack.
Hapu immediately realized what Sam was planning.
Mudsdale suddenly turned around and activated Counter.
In other words, Scyther would suffer double the damage dealt to Mudsdale.
But Scyther didn't retreat.
X-Scissor continued without hesitation.
The crossed blades slashed directly across Mudsdale's body.
At the same time, Mudsdale's Counter landed on Scyther.
The two attacks collided violently.
When the dust settled, Mudsdale collapsed to the ground.
Scyther remained standing, exhausted but victorious.
"Yeah! We won!"
Misty cheered excitedly.
Ash, Brock, and Misty were all thrilled, and even Sabrina revealed a faint smile.
Sam walked over to the panting Scyther.
"Thank you."
Scyther turned and looked at him.
Sam carefully lifted Scyther's exhausted body and returned it to its Poké Ball.
Sometimes, the relationship between a Pokémon and its Trainer was far more than that of a pet and its owner.
Sometimes, they were friends.
By then, Hapu had already recalled Mudsdale.
Despite losing, he didn't appear depressed at all.
Instead, he walked forward and said to Sam,
"Congratulations."
He placed a Badge into Sam's hand.
This was the final Badge.
The Endurance Badge.
Sam smiled and thanked him.
"You're welcome. You earned it. Do your best in the Masters Tournament."
Sam nodded.
As he walked back toward the audience, he noticed Karen silently watching the battle from a corner.
Karen smiled at him and mouthed a few words.
"I'll be waiting for you at the Masters."
Sam smiled in return.
It seemed Karen had obtained all of the Badges as expected.
She would undoubtedly be a powerful Rival in the Masters Tournament.
After obtaining the Endurance Badge, Sam took Misty, Ash, Brock, and Sabrina around the island to have fun.
There were still three weeks before the Masters Tournament began, so there was no need to rush.
More importantly, Sam enjoyed having Sabrina by his side and spending time together.
That evening, after taking a shower, Sam lay on his hotel bed absentmindedly.
Suddenly, the door opened.
A graceful figure walked in.
It was Sabrina.
Seeing Sam in his pajamas, Sabrina blushed slightly.
However, she remained calm as she asked,
"I'm going out to buy something for Alakazam. Do you want to come with me?"
Seeing Sabrina's serious expression, Sam immediately agreed.
"Wait for me. I'll change clothes and come with you."
Sabrina nodded and left the room.
Meanwhile, Sam felt overjoyed.
It seemed Sabrina still cared about him.
Tonight felt like the perfect opportunity to make a good impression.
Sam began rummaging through his luggage, searching for something suitable to wear.
After looking for a while, he decided that casual clothes were the best choice.
After all, they were only going out for a walk.
Casual clothing felt much more appropriate.
Besides, a good impression came from actions, not appearance.
Although he had to admit he was pretty handsome.
When Sam stepped outside, Sabrina was already waiting.
The dim lights of the hotel made her graceful figure seem even more beautiful.
Sam walked over and took Sabrina's hand.
"Let's go."
Almost instinctively, Sabrina allowed herself to be led outside by Sam.
Sam's hand was large.
Sabrina's hand was small.
Holding her hand, Sam couldn't help feeling pleased with himself.
Sabrina allowed herself to be led along, but her heart was beating rapidly.