"I wish you both the best of luck!"
The referee gave his final blessing and slowly walked off the field.
"Mr. King, take it easy on me, alright?"
Ethan Chen grinned as he pulled out a Poké Ball and smiled at Mr. King.
"Ha! Don't joke with me, kid."
Mr. King chuckled, shaking his head.
"We both need to win — and trust me, if I lose, my wife will make sure I pay for it."
Mr. King laughed, but there was a hint of seriousness in his voice.
"Well, I want to win too... so I guess I'll have to give it my all."
Ethan chuckled and tossed his Poké Ball forward.
"Steelix! Ready for battle!"
A low roar echoed as the massive Steelix crashed onto the field, its metallic body gleaming menacingly under the stadium lights.
"Oh~ Now that's intimidating!"
Mr. King's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Heracross! Let's do this!"
He threw his own Poké Ball, and with a flutter of wings, a large, blue Heracross landed before him.
"Knew it…" Ethan muttered, his expression growing serious.
Of all Pokémon, Heracross was the last thing he wanted to see. Its Bug/Fighting typing was a complete counter to his team.
And judging by Heracross's previous battles, this one was especially brutal.
How did Mr. King even manage to capture something this aggressive?
But now wasn't the time to hesitate. Bella Quinn had already made it to the finals — and Ethan wasn't about to back down now.
Even if the odds were stacked against him.
"Steelix! Use Harden!"
Without delay, Ethan called out his move.
Steelix roared, its metallic body glowing faintly as its defenses strengthened.
"Heracross! Pin Missile!"
Mr. King countered instantly.
"Cross~!"
Heracross bent slightly, its sharp horn glowing white before unleashing a barrage of glowing Pin Missiles that rained down toward Steelix.
"Here it comes!"
Logan and Edward, watching from the audience, immediately tensed up.
They knew this move all too well — they'd both lost badly to this devastating Pin Missile.
"Steelix, keep using Harden!"
Ethan's voice was firm.
Steelix stood its ground, its hardened body barely flinching as the Pin Missiles struck like a downpour.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
The sound of missiles clinking harmlessly off Steelix's armor filled the air.
"This defense…"
Mr. King's eyes widened in surprise.
Heracross's Pin Missile had taken down multiple opponents before — but Steelix barely seemed scratched!
And what was with that metallic ding sound?!
"I knew Bug-type moves weren't super effective against Steelix, but I wasn't expecting it to be this bad…"
Even Mr. King seemed impressed.
"Heracross! Brick Break!"
Switching tactics, Mr. King gave a new command.
Heracross flapped its wings and shot toward Steelix at high speed, its claw glowing bright white.
"Steelix! Rock Slide!"
Ethan's response came quickly.
Steelix roared as massive boulders materialized and crashed toward the incoming Heracross.
Heracross dodged nimbly, weaving through the falling rocks before smashing the final boulder with its glowing claw and diving toward Steelix.
"Brick Break!"
"Screech!"
Just before Heracross's attack landed, Steelix unleashed a piercing sound that rang painfully across the arena.
Heracross faltered, its body glowing faintly white as its defenses weakened from Screech.
But Heracross recovered fast — and with a powerful swing of its claw, it struck Steelix's head directly.
BOOM!
The impact cracked the ground beneath Steelix and sent a wave of dust outward.
Steelix roared in pain, its massive body tilting dangerously.
"Steelix!"
Ethan gritted his teeth. Even after Harden, Steelix had taken serious damage.
"Don't let up! Heracross, use Brick Break again!"
Mr. King seized the opportunity to press the attack.
"Steelix, hold on! Endure it!"
Ethan's eyes were locked on Heracross as it charged in for another powerful strike.
Heracross's glowing claw swung down —
"Steelix! Fire Fang!"
Steelix roared, its massive jaws erupting with flames as it lunged at Heracross.
"Heracross, dodge it!"
Mr. King's voice was sharp and urgent.
Heracross barely managed to twist aside, narrowly escaping the fiery bite.
But Steelix wasn't finished.
Despite the pain from Brick Break, Steelix twisted its body and lashed out again — this time biting down hard on Heracross with its flaming jaws.
"Cross!!!"
Heracross let out a painful roar as the fire seared its exoskeleton.
"Yes!!"
Logan's fist shot into the air from the stands.
"Steelix's determination is incredible," Edward muttered in awe.
"That willpower… that endurance… it's insane!"
"Crunch!"
Seizing the moment, Ethan ordered another attack.
"Heracross! Counter!"
Despite its injuries, Heracross's body suddenly glowed brightly.
Counter — a move that returns double the damage received.
Heracross's claw struck Steelix with incredible force.
BOOM!
Steelix's massive body crashed to the ground, the impact shaking the entire field.
"Steelix is unable to battle! Heracross wins!"
The referee declared the result.
"Damn it! I thought Heracross was done for!"
"That Counter was brutal!"
"Steelix put up an amazing fight… what a match!"
The crowd buzzed with excitement as Ethan recalled Steelix to its Poké Ball.
His eyes flicked to Heracross — its breathing was heavy, and burn marks covered its body. It was clearly on the brink of collapse.
"Steelix… your effort won't be in vain."
Ethan clenched his next Poké Ball tightly.
"Damn! That was so close!"
In the audience, Logan and Edward were still shouting their frustration.
"Heracross is barely holding on... if Ethan can take it down, he's still got a shot!"
Lily's voice was tense with hope.
"Yeah," Rachel agreed. "I don't believe that guy has another Pokémon as powerful as Heracross."
"Cousin! Finish him off!!! Let's go!"
"Oh, Ethan! You're my favorite hero! May the gods bless you and curse that bug!"
Logan and Edward's voices boomed from the stands as they cheered Ethan on.
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