Facing Weepinbell's counterattack, Rhyhorn only managed to block part of the Bullet Seed barrage with rocks before being struck repeatedly.
The main reason was that the previous combination move, Rock Rain, had consumed too much energy.
"Hoo-ha~ pat pat pat hoo (??_??)??"
After being scorched multiple times in the previous match and then battered nonstop by Bullet Seed and Vine Whip, Rhyhorn finally couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed to the ground.
"How is that Weepinbell still standing?!"
Seeing Weepinbell still energetic enough to keep attacking, Keli gritted his teeth and muttered angrily.
"This round goes to contestant Icarus! Contestant Keli, please send out your third Pokémon immediately!"
The referee didn't bother with anything else. The moment Rhyhorn collapsed, he immediately urged the losing side to continue.
"Go, Scyther!"
Recalling Rhyhorn, Keli immediately sent out his final Pokémon.
"Cha~"
The instant it entered the field, Scyther swung its twin scythes toward Weepinbell.
"Scyther again, huh? Weepinbell, use Growth! "
Seeing the green warrior overflowing with fighting spirit, Icarus calmly chose the same opening strategy as before.
"Moo moo~ (????_????)??"
A green glow flashed around Weepinbell as its stats rose.
"Scyther, enter high-speed mode! Charge in and slash!"
The moment Weepinbell completed its buff, Keli immediately ordered a full assault.
"Shasha~ swish swish~ swish~"
Scyther accelerated explosively. In the blink of an eye, it seemed almost like teleportation, crossing a huge distance in a single flash.
"As expected of a direct descendant from a major family. Even the techniques that Bug Catcher knew have already been copied by them…"
Watching the flashing green figure, Icarus rubbed his nose helplessly.
For wealthy families overflowing with resources, acquiring battle experience and training methods from commoners was incredibly easy.
To ordinary Trainers, those insights were simply resources that could be traded for money. Naturally, whoever paid more got the information.
Very quickly, Scyther's glowing scythes closed in on Weepinbell, their white light radiating terrifying sharpness.
"Weepinbell, use Sweet Scent! "
Only at the very last second did Icarus issue the command.
That's right. During this period, although Weepinbell still hadn't reached the Superior rank, its strength had improved tremendously, and it had learned a new move.
"Rustle rustle rustle~"
A rich, sweet fragrance drifted from Weepinbell's leaves.
The scent carried a fatal attraction to most Pokémon.
And Scyther was no exception.
"Shate~"
The twin scythes froze in midair.
Instead of attacking, Scyther revealed an intoxicated expression.
"Now! Acid Machine Gun! "
The moment Scyther fell for the trap, Icarus immediately ordered the counterattack.
"Moo~ whoosh whoosh whoosh~"
Weepinbell rapidly spat pale purple poison bullets from its mouth.
These projectiles weren't just Acid—they were mixed with traces of Sleep Powder, Stun Spore, and Poison Powder, which gave them their strange pale-purple color.
"Bang bang bang~ hiss hiss~"
The poison bullets exploded across Scyther's body one after another.
White smoke rose instantly as the corrosive toxins burned into its body.
"Sha~ lai! Shate!"
Scyther screamed in agony.
A numbing sensation spread rapidly from the wounds across its entire body.
It had been poisoned!
"That's dirty fighting! If you've got guts, fight fairly!"
"Scyther, get up!"
"I bet 200,000 on you!"
"So this is the level of the Asada Family genius?!"
"Trash! Absolute trash!"
Scyther's miserable state was projected onto the giant screen overhead.
Even the ordinary spectators who knew little about Pokémon battles could tell that things looked bad.
The crowd that had been cheering for Keli moments ago immediately began cursing loudly.
Even if they didn't fully understand battling, they still knew Scyther was famous for its overwhelming speed and attack power—an assassin-type Pokémon through and through.
Now that it was poisoned, its greatest weapon—speed—was crippled.
It was basically finished.
"Hahaha! I told you those noble families are overrated!"
"Go, Weepinbell! Finish it!"
"Icarus! Icarus!"
"Destroy him!"
Compared to the start of the battle, the number of spectators cheering for Icarus had increased dramatically.
The entire stadium echoed with his name.
"Damn it! Scyther, get up and use Agility again!"
Keli knew the momentum had already shifted against him, but he still clung desperately to a final shred of hope.
"Cha~"
Scyther struggled upright and began gathering energy.
"Swish Shate"
But after moving only a short distance, its body stiffened.
The poison immediately interrupted the Agility state.
"Weepinbell, continue using Acid Machine Gun! "
Seeing Scyther unable to accelerate anymore, Icarus immediately ordered a merciless follow-up attack.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh~"
Weepinbell's eyes lit up brightly as it continued firing streams of purple poison bullets.
Even it hadn't expected its luck to be this good—the poison effect had actually triggered successfully.
"Bang bang bang~"
The weakened Scyther couldn't even defend itself anymore and could only endure the barrage helplessly.
"Shate! Cha~"
Knocked to the ground again, Scyther let out another agonized cry.
The corrosive poison was excruciating.
"…Referee, I forfeit!"
Watching this hopeless scene, Keli clenched his fists tightly before finally raising his right hand unwillingly.
"The match is over! Both Pokémon, cease fighting!"
The referee quickly stepped in to stop the battle.
"Moo moo~"
Weepinbell obediently dispersed the poison energy gathering in its mouth.
After spending so much time around humans with Icarus, it already understood basic commands.
"I hereby announce that the winner is contestant Icarus! Congratulations to Icarus for advancing into the Top Four!"
The referee's voice boomed through the loudspeakers.
"Brother Icarus! Brother Icarus! "
"Dark horse! Dark horse!"
"Icarus! I love you!"
"Go, Icarus! "
Cheers erupted throughout the stands.
"Come back, Weepinbell."
After briefly enjoying the glory of victory, Icarus recalled his Pokémon and walked out of the arena.
"Brother Icarus, here's your bank card! There's already 3.2 million in it now! Thanks to you, I earned a lot too, hahaha~"
The moment he exited, Airi and Stone rushed over to greet him.
Airi smiled brightly as she handed him the card.
"Mhm mhm! I also made a huge profit! Thanks, Brother Icarus! "
Stone grinned foolishly as well.
He had invested nearly all his savings this time and earned quite a bit back.
"Alright, don't blindly trust me next time. I'll tell you who to bet on. Once we reach this level, I honestly don't have much confidence anymore. If I run into one of those Superior Trainers, I'll probably lose badly."
Taking the card, Icarus smiled while giving them a warning.
In this world, nothing was more important than money—especially to him right now.
"Mhm mhm, understood!"
Both Airi and Stone nodded obediently.
"Let's go. I'll heal the Pokémon first. The next round starts in an hour, and we can eat after that."
After restoring his Pokémon at the medical center, the three of them returned to the waiting area.
An hour passed quickly.
Soon, the semifinal matchups were announced.
Besides him, the remaining contestants included two Superior Trainers and one other intermediate-level Trainer.
Without surprise, Icarus was matched against one of the Superior Trainers.
The other intermediate-level Trainer also drew a Superior opponent, making him suspect the bracket had been manipulated.
He had originally hoped the two Superior Trainers would eliminate each other early, giving him a shot at second place.
Now, that possibility was completely gone.
The official betting odds reflected the overwhelming gap.
The odds for the family faction's Superior Trainer were absurdly low—1 to 1.005.
Betting 3 million would only return a pathetic profit of 15,000.
Still, even mosquito meat was meat.
With the mindset of experiencing the power of a true Superior Trainer, Icarus entered the match.
The result was a crushing defeat.
According to the tournament information, the opponent was around twenty-four years old, and his ace Pokémon was a fully evolved Starter Pokémon—Blastoise.
Icarus lost the psychological battle immediately.
Houndoom was knocked out by Blastoise within only a few exchanges.
Later, Weepinbell managed to severely injure Blastoise, but was ultimately defeated as well.
Only Pidgeotto succeeded in taking down the opponent's first Pokémon before being effortlessly crushed by Electabuzz.
That 15,000 profit had truly been earned with tears.
At lunch afterward, Airi and Stone comforted him repeatedly, telling him not to dwell on the loss.
The first battle of the afternoon was the third-place match.
Although fourth place received the same cash reward as third place, third place also earned a second-generation Pokédex.
A used second-generation Pokédex was worth around 500,000 on the market.
In other words:
Fourth place = 500,000
Third place = 1 million value
Naturally, Icarus had to fight for it.
Fortunately, he won the psychological battle in the first round.
His opponent sent out Graveler.
He sent out Weepinbell.
If he had stubbornly chosen Pidgeotto or Houndoom, he probably would have lost the match entirely.
Using the overwhelming type advantage, Weepinbell defeated Graveler almost unharmed.
Then, relying on the advantage of three Pokémon against two, Icarus successfully secured third place.
500,000 in cash.
A second-generation Pokédex.
Plus another million earned from betting on himself.
After receiving the rewards, he sold his old first-generation Pokédex to Stone for 200,000.
Stone had originally planned to buy one at tonight's auction anyway.
After all, the three of them didn't always travel together, and having a Pokédex made evaluating captured Pokémon much more convenient during solo missions.
By now, Icarus's total assets were astonishing:
4.71 million in cash
One second-generation Pokédex
1,807 Alliance Merit Points
600 Team Rocket Contribution Points
Oh—and one busty maid.
Shortly after securing third place, the Kouya Family contacted him.
After some polite business talk, they formally informed him that Luna now fully belonged to him.
In return, Icarus promised that when he was "capable," he would assist the Kouya Family in the future.
Naturally, they would compensate him every time.
In simple terms, through Luna, the Kouya Family had successfully established a loose connection with Icarus.
Most importantly, the initiative remained entirely in Icarus's hands.
Whether he helped or not—and how much compensation he demanded—would depend completely on his own decisions.
"Let's go. Time to watch the finals between the commoner genius and the family genius. Let's see who's really stronger!"
After settling everything, Icarus brought Airi and Stone toward Arena No.1.
Even before the match began, the entire stadium was already packed.
After all…
This was the championship match.