"A-Ah… maybe Barry has a secret weapon? Some kind of special strategy?"
"Let's hope so…"
Just as Lucas finished speaking, Barry shouted loudly:
"Empoleon, hit that Froslass with everything you've got! Use Flash Cannon!"
"Empol!"
A powerful glow gathered in Empoleon's beak before it fired a shining beam straight at Froslass.
"Snow Veil!"
Froslass smiled slightly, spreading her arms as she summoned a hailstorm.
Whoosh!
The next moment, the Flash Cannon shot straight through Froslass, dispersing her into mist before crashing into the ground behind, blasting a crater into the battlefield.
Another Froslass materialized in the air, slowly floating upward before vanishing into the falling snow.
Hailstorm activated. Snow Cloak activated!
"What?!"
Barry, unaware of Froslass' illusionary abilities, was baffled. His opponent hadn't even used a move—so why was the first Froslass just a fake?
"Forget it! Empoleon, use Blizzard!"
With no way to pinpoint Froslass' real location, Empoleon swung its flippers, unleashing a devastating Blizzard. The raging storm combined with the natural hail, covering the entire battlefield in an icy maelstrom.
"Aurora Veil! Will-O-Wisp Barrier!"
Froslass, who initially intended to play around a little longer, swiftly conjured an Aurora Veil, reducing Blizzard's damage.
At the same time, ghostly blue flames flickered into existence around her. Using Psychic, she forcibly fused the Will-O-Wisps into a spinning Will-O-Wisp Barrier around her body, blocking out the incoming attack.
"Flash Cannon again!"
At Barry's command, Empoleon fired another beam of light.
But to his shock, Froslass didn't evade or retreat—she charged straight at the attack!
The dazzling beam crashed directly into the glowing blue ring surrounding Froslass, but instead of knocking her back, the ghostly flames absorbed the force, allowing her to close the distance even more.
"Will-O-Wisp!"
Now in close range, Froslass conjured several flames and sent them flying toward Empoleon from all directions.
"Drill Peck!"
Although Barry didn't fully understand the strange ring surrounding Froslass, he wasn't about to let the Will-O-Wisp hit Empoleon without a fight.
"Empol!"
Empoleon leaped into the air, its body spinning like a drill as it tore through the ghostly flames. Without stopping, it shot toward Froslass at full speed.
"Dodge!"
Using her Snow Cloak ability, Froslass drifted to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack as Empoleon rushed past.
"Now, Steel Wing!"
"Grab it!"
Their voices rang out at the same time.
Midair, Empoleon immediately halted its Drill Peck, using Aqua Jet to stay afloat. Its wings shimmered into metallic blades as it swung directly at Froslass.
But Froslass remained unfazed. As she floated backward, she controlled the Will-O-Wisp Barrier with Psychic, sending several of the burning rings flying toward Empoleon.
CLANG! CLANG!
The ghostly flames and steel wings clashed. Empoleon's overwhelming power managed to knock the burning rings away, but under Froslass' precise control, they twisted in midair and came flying back toward Empoleon.
Growing irritated, Empoleon put its full strength into its Steel Wing, striking one of the rings with a heavy blow.
CRACK!
To Barry's surprise, one of the rings shattered into pieces.
Yet instead of dispersing, the remnants of the ring transformed into scattered Will-O-Wisps, one of which shot straight toward Empoleon's face.
"Empol?!"
Caught off guard, Empoleon instinctively flinched.
Luckily, its Aqua Jet reacted just in time. The ghostly fire fizzled out upon contact with the rushing water, preventing the burn.
But in that brief moment of hesitation, the other Will-O-Wisp rings seized their chance—latching onto Empoleon's flippers, completely binding them!
"Psychic!"
With Empoleon restrained, Froslass showed no mercy. Using Psychic, she forcefully slammed Empoleon into the icy battlefield before sending a barrage of Will-O-Wisps down as a follow-up.
"Empoleon, dodge quickly!"
After crashing to the ground, Empoleon endured the pain and immediately rolled to the side, attempting to evade the incoming attack.
However, under Froslass' Psychic control, could Will-O-Wisp really be so easy to avoid?
With a sharp turn, the ghostly blue flames homed in on Empoleon, successfully inflicting a burn status.
"Misfortunes never come alone!"
In the blink of an eye, Froslass appeared in the sky directly above Empoleon. Shadow Ball after Shadow Ball formed in her hands and rained down on her opponent, dealing consecutive heavy blows.
"Empoleon, break free! Use any move—anything!"
In his panic, Barry couldn't think of a way to help Empoleon escape, so he could only shout those words.
"Empol!"
However, under Froslass' relentless assault and the lingering effects of Will-O-Wisp, Empoleon had no way to put up any meaningful resistance.
Eventually, the burning aura dissipated—not because Empoleon had shaken it off, but because Froslass had inadvertently struck it from the outside while attacking.
At that very moment, the storm clouds cleared, the snowfall ceased, and light returned to the sky.
But Froslass had already unleashed Hex, and the attack was descending fast.
"Empoleon, dodge it!"
Barry's voice rang out desperately. At the last second, Empoleon rolled to its feet activated Agility, and barely managed to evade the attack, widening the gap between itself and Froslass.
Suddenly, a surge of blue energy erupted from Empoleon's body, enveloping it in a dense aura of Water-type power.
Torrent—Activated!
The power of Water-type moves increased significantly!
"Good! Empoleon, give it everything you've got—Hydro Cannon!"
Barry shouted.
"Empol!!"
Empoleon immediately gathered all its strength, compressing a powerful water sphere in front of its beak before launching the devastating attack at Froslass.
In Barry's eyes, with the snowstorm over, Froslass was no longer able to fade in and out of visibility. There was no way she could withstand this attack!
However—
"Double Team!"
Froslass' form instantly split into more than ten copies. Hydro Cannon tore through the air, obliterating only one of them.
The attack missed.
And now, Empoleon, already at its limit, suffered the recoil from the move. It froze in place, and unable to move.
Seeing the helpless penguin before them, all of the Froslass clones in the sky raised their hands, summoning Shadow Ball in unison before launching them toward their target.
"Boom!!"
A thunderous explosion rang out, and when the dust settled, Empoleon lay motionless on the battlefield.
"Eeno~"
Froslass let out a soft, satisfied laugh as she gracefully floated back to Paul's side.
Paul glanced at Froslass but did not return her to her Poké Ball. Instead, he let her stay by his side as he observed the next battle.
"Empoleon is unable to battle! Froslass is the winner! The victory goes to Trainer Paul!"
The referee announced.
After a short intermission, the host Johanna, once again took the center stage and declared:
"The winner of the Pokémon Battle Tournament is Paul from Veilstone City, who is currently collecting badges for the Lily of the Valley Conference!"
"Let's give him a round of applause!"
Clap, clap, clap…
The crowd erupted into applause, yet Paul remained unusually calm. He fixed his eyes on the opposite side of him, deep in thought, strategizing his next move.
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