"Weavile—Quick Attack! Close in and use Night Slash!"
"Poliwrath—Water Pulse!"
The instant the red flag dropped, both Trainers shouted their commands at the same time—one launching an attack, the other opting for defense.
Gentleman Ron was no novice. He had plenty of real combat experience. Poliwrath's Fighting-type naturally countered Weavile's Dark attribute, and in terms of raw muscle strength, it wouldn't lose out either—after all, Fighting-type Pokémon were born with powerful physiques.
The only thing he truly needed to guard against was Weavile's ghostlike, terrifying speed. Having heard about the previous matches—and even sneaking over to watch one himself—Ron knew exactly what was coming: a lightning-fast opening assault.
In terms of speed, Poliwrath could hold its own in water. The word "Swift" was right there in its name, proof of its excellent swimming ability. Unfortunately, on land, Poliwrath's pitiful running speed didn't even qualify to carry Weavile's shoes.
At Kael's command, Weavile's black silhouette vanished—then reappeared beside Poliwrath in the blink of an eye. Her right claw rose high, a crescent of black energy already forming at the tip, poised to tear through everything in front of her with a single downward slash.
Poliwrath neither dodged nor retreated. Instead, it activated Water Pulse on the spot.
Splash—!
The sound of rushing water burst forth. Just as Weavile's opening strike was about to cleave into Poliwrath's shoulder, a ring of violently vibrating water erupted outward from Poliwrath's body, expanding in a circular wave.
Weavile felt an intense repelling force slam into her arm. Her body suddenly grew heavy as the rapidly oscillating Water Pulse forcibly bounced her away.
"Wraaa—!"
Weavile landed in a half-kneel, shaking her head. Her vision swam slightly.
Water Pulse was more of a defensive move—its damage was low—but it used high-frequency vibrations in water to repel attacks, sometimes even inflicting a dizziness effect.
Seeing Weavile's unstable state, a flicker of excitement flashed through Ron's eyes. Perhaps… just perhaps… this match could still end in his favor.
His confidence surged. He slammed his cane hard against the floor and shouted:
"Poliwrath—Hydro Pump!"
"Poliiiwraaaa—!"
Poliwrath let out a deep cry. In the next second, from the center of the spiral marking on its belly, a thick water cannon more than ten centimeters wide erupted forward, roaring straight toward Weavile.
Weavile was unlucky—she'd clearly been hit by Water Pulse's disorientation effect. Still, her harsh daily training paid off, and she shook off the abnormal condition almost instantly.
"Double Team," Kael said calmly.
For speed-based Pokémon, Double Team was a near-perfect skill—ideal for evasion and confusing the enemy. Nearly every Trainer taught it to their agile Pokémon.
The move was cheap, too. A TM cost around ten thousand Pokédollars—affordable even for civilian Trainers. But how effective it became depended entirely on the Pokémon's talent and the Trainer's cultivation.
The Hydro Pump closed in.
Just as it was about to smash into Weavile's head, her body blurred for a fraction of a second—then returned to normal. The effect was eerily similar to the way Lulu looked when using Teleport.
The next moment, the water column pierced straight through her chest.
No scream.
Poliwrath's Hydro Pump passed through her body as if through air.
The image shattered.
What remained on the ground was nothing but scattered water splashes. By the time Poliwrath realized what had happened, it found itself completely surrounded—encircled by twelve identical Weavile.
The strength of Double Team depended on how many clones a Pokémon could create.
The weakest level produced only two, crude and easily exposed. More skilled users could generate five highly realistic copies, enough to fool most Trainers' naked eyes. At an even higher tier were nine clones—convincing enough to deceive Pokémon with exceptional dynamic vision.
Kael's Weavile produced twelve flawless doubles.
Not only that—her clones even carried her scent. Enough to fool Pokémon like Arcanine, whose sense of smell was razor-sharp.
The visual pressure was overwhelming.
Trapped in the center of twelve Weavile, Poliwrath panicked. It could no longer stay calm, its eyes darting frantically, trying to locate the real one.
Sensing Poliwrath's agitation, Ron shouted urgently:
"Poliwrath, calm down! Don't rely on your eyes! Use Hydro Pump—sweep in a full circle and force her out!"
This was the most common—and most helpless—response Trainers used against Double Team. It consumed enormous stamina, requiring Poliwrath to maintain Hydro Pump continuously.
A raging torrent erupted again.
Poliwrath spun in place, sweeping the water cannon in a full 360-degree arc.
The first Weavile shattered.
Then the second.
The third…
All the way to the twelfth.
Every clone was destroyed.
And yet—
The real Weavile was nowhere to be seen.
"How… how is this possible?" Ron muttered to himself, unable to stay composed any longer.
Twelve clones—and all of them were fakes?
Then where was the real one?
Desperate, he scanned the battlefield—until he noticed Kael smiling calmly across from him, index finger raised and pointing upward.
No—!
Ron's face turned deathly pale. His carefully maintained gentlemanly composure collapsed as he screamed:
"Poliwrath! Above you! Watch out—move, now—!"
"Poliiwraa—!"
Poliwrath had just begun to lift its head when darkness swallowed its vision.
A split second later—
Impact.
Weavile descended from above and drove a brutal kick straight into its forehead. The sheer force sent Poliwrath tumbling violently across the field.
Weavile gave her opponent no chance to recover—exactly as Kael had drilled into her.
In battle, even without orders, she was to press the advantage relentlessly.
She activated Quick Attack the instant she landed, exploding forward in a blur. In moments, she caught up to the still-rolling Poliwrath and drove a straight punch into its abdomen.
No techniques.
No flashy skills.
Just pure, brutal close-quarters strikes.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Her blows landed with dull, heavy thuds—like a boxer hammering a sandbag.
This was the close-quarters combat training Kael had taught her, a no-nonsense self-defense system from his past life. He'd taught it to improve her control and mobility during attacks. Pokémon relied on their moves to deal damage-technique mattered, but only when it made them faster and more effective.
He hadn't expected her to unleash the entire system today.
Side kicks.
Elbow strikes.
Finger thrusts.
Shoulder checks.
Each move was lethal, precise, and ruthless. Poliwrath screamed in agony as the techniques chained together mercilessly.
Finally, Weavile dropped into a low stance and drove a devastating uppercut straight into Poliwrath's body—launching the already battered Pokémon into the air.
"Poliiwraa—!"
Despite its formidable physique, Poliwrath didn't lose consciousness immediately. It struggled on the ground, trying to rise—but its many injuries betrayed it.
At last, with a despairing low cry, it collapsed motionless on the battlefield.
The match was over.
This time, Weavile hadn't finished her opponent in mere seconds as many spectators expected. Instead, she delivered a breathtaking close-combat combo that left the crowd exhilarated—and stunned by the realization that Pokémon battles could be fought like this.
Ron recalled his defeated Poliwrath and left the arena at once. Even as his female companion called out to him repeatedly from behind, he pretended not to hear.
After such a crushing defeat, he no longer had the face to stay.