The referee raised his flags.
"Roserade is unable to battle!"
"Trainer Mira, please send out your next Pokémon!"
The crowd erupted into applause. The first point belonged to Elior. But everyone knew the battle had only just begun.
Skyrend remained on the battlefield. Its chest rose and fell rapidly. Its feathers were scratched and several were missing after the fierce exchange with Roserade. Elior could tell Skyrend had very little strength left.
However...Its eyes were still filled with the desire to battle.
Mira smiled confidently and then She held another Poké Ball in her hand.
"You did wonderfully, Roserade."
She clipped the Poké Ball back onto her belt. Then... She threw another.
"Your turn!"
A flash of light burst onto the battlefield.
Out stepped... Donphan.
The audience immediately began talking.
"A Ground-type?Against a Flying-type?"
The commentators nodded.
"Normally Skyrend would have the type advantage...But look at its condition. It has almost no stamina left."
Elior immediately understood Mira's thinking. She wasn't trying to counter Flying. She was sending out a Pokémon capable of surviving Skyrend's attacks and wearing it down. Mira pointed forward.
"Donphan! Rollout!"
Donphan curled into a ball. It began spinning faster...And faster...Until it became a massive rolling boulder charging across the battlefield.
"Skyrend!Fly!"
Skyrend took to the air just before Rollout smashed into the spot where it had been standing.
BOOOM!
The arena floor cracked. The crowd gasped. Donphan bounced off the wall...
Turned...And rolled back even faster.
"Air Slash!"
Skyrend fired several crescent-shaped blades of wind. They struck Donphan directly. But because of Rollout's momentum...Donphan barely slowed down. The commentator exclaimed,
"Rollout becomes stronger every consecutive hit!"
Rollout curved unexpectedly. Instead of passing underneath...It launched off a broken piece of the battlefield. The spinning Donphan leaped into the air.
CRASH!
It struck Skyrend directly. The Flying-type was knocked high into the sky before crashing back to the battlefield. The stadium fell silent.
Elior clenched his fists.
"Skyrend!"
Slowly...Skyrend struggled to its feet. The audience applauded loudly. Its determination was incredible. Mira smiled.
"Donphan Finish it with Stone Edge!"
Sharp pillars of rock burst upward across the battlefield. Skyrend tried to take flight. But its damaged wings could no longer respond quickly enough. One pillar struck. Then another. Finally...A third pillar launched Skyrend into the air.
It landed hard. The dust settled.
Skyrend tried to rise. Its wings trembled. Its claws dug into the ground. It managed to lift its head...Then gently closed its eyes.
The referee raised the red flag.
"Skyrend is unable to battle!"
The audience gave Skyrend a standing ovation. Despite being defeated... It had earned the first knockout and forced Mira to reveal one of her strongest physical attackers.
Elior smiled proudly as he recalled Skyrend.
"You did more than enough."
Score
Elior: 5 Pokémon remaining
Infernarx
Lucario
Mystveil
Thundrion
Eclipse Lunashade
Mira: 5 Pokémon remaining
Donphan (healthy)
Elior looked at the remaining Poké Balls on his belt. Donphan was powerful. It could endure physical attacks and punish careless opponents. He closed his eyes for a moment. Then smiled.
"Your turn..."
He threw a Poké Ball high into the air.
A brilliant flash of light illuminated the battlefield. The silhouette that emerged had a slender, elegant shape. The crowd couldn't yet identify it through the fading light.
The light slowly disappeared. A familiar psychic aura spread across the battlefield.
Mystveil floated calmly in front of Elior.
Its crimson eyes locked onto Donphan.
Mira smiled.
"A Psychic-type...Interesting choice."
Elior nodded confidently.
"Let's see how far we've both grown."
The second matchup of the Quarterfinals was about to begin.
TO BE CONTINUED...