In the blink of an eye, at the end of a scorched battlefield, Rhyperior charged headfirst toward Torterra.
At this critical moment, Torterra activated its ability, generating a green protective barrier that swiftly formed between the two Pokémon.
"Break through it!" Palmer commanded in a loud voice.
"Rhyarrgh!"
Upon hearing the order, Rhyperior unleashed another surge of power, its massive horn spinning at high speed as it began to drill through the shield.
In mere moments, the protective barrier started to falter under the immense force.
Paul had no intention of witnessing the shield shatter. Without hesitation, he ordered, "Frenzy Plant!"
As soon as his command was given, Torterra immediately dispelled its Protect, channeling all its power into the ground. In an instant, several thick reinforced vines shot out from below, slamming into Rhyperior's massive body and forcefully halting its assault.
Rhyperior's spinning Drill Run stopped just three centimeters away from Torterra's face.
Realizing that its strongest attack had been blocked by Protect, Rhyperior showed signs of slowing down. Seizing the moment, Palmer decisively gave his next order.
"Blast Burn!"
Rhyperior abruptly stopped its Drill Run, inhaled deeply and unleashed a terrifying torrent of flames from its mouth. The massive fiery explosion detonated between the two Pokémon at nearly point-blank range.
BOOM!
The explosion's impact sent Rhyperior skidding backward. Its face was slightly charred from the backlash of its own attack, but overall the damage was not severe.
Torterra, on the other hand, had not moved a single step due to its Rooted stance. However, the damage it had taken was far greater than what Rhyperior had endured.
Yet for Torterra, this was of little concern. As long as it wasn't instantly knocked out, its wounds rapidly healed before their eyes, and its stamina replenished at an astonishing speed.
Moreover, with each passing moment, Torterra's power and defense continued to grow at an exponential rate.
This was the Infinite Growth Strategy in action!
Palmer frowned, this Torterra was beyond troublesome—dragging out the battle any longer would be a mistake.
At first, he had assumed this would be either a teaching match or an overwhelming victory, but Paul and his Torterra had surprised him far more than he had anticipated.
A bad feeling crept into his heart—if this fight continued much longer, he and Rhyperior might actually lose!
Losing a casual match was one thing, but losing in a battle witnessed by so many people? As the head of the Battle Tower—Tower Tycoon, Palmer could not allow that to happen.
Resolving himself, Palmer made his decision.
"Rhyperior, Swords Dance!"
"Rhyarrgh!"
Rhyperior stood its ground and began the move, summoning several blue spectral swords that circled around it, dramatically increasing its attack power.
Throughout the process, it ignored the barrage of Energy Whips and Magical Leaves that Torterra continuously hurled at it.
Paul narrowed his eyes realizing Palmer's intent, his voice was cold and firm.
"Torterra, Frenzy Plant!"
"Raaaa!"
With unwavering determination in its eyes, Torterra unleashed an even greater surge of energy. Dozens of reinforced vines, thicker and more powerful than before, erupted from the ground like divine spears, striking toward Rhyperior.
"Rhyperior, Giga Drill Run!"
The moment Swords Dance was complete, Rhyperior gathered all its strength and unleashed a devastating charge. Its massive drill horn glowed brilliantly as it spun at blinding speed. With overwhelming force, the Pokémon launched itself into the air, aiming straight for Torterra.
Every single Frenzy Plant vine in Rhyperior's path was mercilessly shredded into fragments, dissolving into glowing particles as they fell.
Once again, Torterra activated Protect, erecting a green barrier in front of it.
BOOM!
CRACK—
This time, however, the barrier was utterly shattered in front of Rhyperior's might. It shattered like glass upon impact.
BAM!
The devastating attack landed directly on Torterra. The roots anchoring it to the ground were torn apart, and its massive body was sent flying backward. After rolling several times across the battlefield, it finally collapsed onto its side, coming to a stop right in front of Paul.
"Raaa...raa..."
Torterra struggled to keep its eyes open attempting to push itself back up, but before it could fully rise, its strength gave out. Its eyes shut, and it fell into unconsciousness.
"Torterra is unable to battle! Rhyperior wins!"
"The victory goes to Palmer! Challenger Paul has been defeated!"
The referee, Johanna, declared the official results.
Palmer simply raised his hand and gave a confident smile.
"As expected, my father is way too strong. It is impossible for Paul to defeat him in a short time." Barry remarked casually, crossing his arms behind his head.
However, despite saying that, he was almost certain of one thing—Paul would absolutely defeat Palmer in the future.
"Ah~ I really thought Torterra could win." Dawn sighed with slight disappointment.
It wasn't that she particularly liked Paul; but she thought this Torterra who looked so strong and reliable, could win.
"Well, we can't help it. Paul is still a trainer from around our generation—he still needs time to grow."
Lucas, watching the battle, also spoke with a sigh of emotion.
The strength that Torterra displayed was somewhat "beyond standard." If he were to face it himself, only his Infernape and Magmortar might stand a decent chance. The rest of his Pokémon would likely struggle.
"Hah…"
Paul exhaled slowly, stepping forward and crouching down beside Torterra. Gently, he placed his hand on its head.
"You did well. That was a great battle. You worked hard."
Unfortunately, the damage from that last attack was too severe—Torterra remained unconscious and unable to respond.
"Rest up for now."
Silently, Paul opened his backpack, took out a few Miracle Seeds and Berries, broke them into smaller pieces and placed them in Torterra's mouth. After administering some Hyper Potion for basic treatment, he retrieved Torterra's Poké Ball and recalled it.
"You should return too."
"Eeno~"
Noticing his Froslass still floating beside him, Paul took out its Poké Ball and recalled it as well.
"Kid, you did well. You even forced me to bring out that move. Truly impressive."
"Congratulations on winning the Twinleaf Festival Tournament. Here—take your trophy."
Palmer picked up the Champion's Gold Trophy and handed it to Paul, offering him genuine praise without hesitation.
The move he had used—Giga Drill Run—was a devastating combination of Giga Impact and Horn Drill. The sheer power it unleashed was terrifying.
Palmer was confident that if the attack has fully landed, even Cynthia's Garchomp wouldn't be able to endure it!
Of course, Cynthia and her Garchomp weren't the type to take an attack head-on without some form of defense or countermeasure.
Even so, the fact that a Torterra—one that hadn't even reached Elite Four-level—had forced his Rhyperior into using such a move was already an incredible feat.
"There's still a lot of room for improvement." Accepting the trophy, Paul replied humbly.
"You're already doing great. If Barry had your level of skill, I'd be grinning in my sleep!"
"Dad! What are you saying?! That's not fair! I'm not weak, okay?!"
Before Palmer could finish, Barry overheard and immediately jumped up in protest.
"Alright, let's send Torterra to the Pokémon Center first. That last attack was really heavy—it should rest for a couple of days."
"Yeah, I'll do that."
Of course, Palmer and the surrounding people completely ignored Barry's outburst.
"Now then, ladies and gentlemen, on this final night of the Twinleaf Festival, let's all sing and dance to our hearts' content!"
The festival host, Johanna, made the final announcement.
With that, the crowd began to disperse.
Paul secured his trophy, nodded briefly to Lucas and the others, and then walked off alone toward the Pokémon Center.
Looking back at the battle just now, it was clear that Palmer had been forced to take him seriously. Otherwise, he wouldn't have resorted to using such a devastating move on an immobilized Torterra.
Some people might wonder—if Rhyperior was already using such a powerful attack, why did Palmer also use Swords Dance?
The answer was simple.
After undergoing the enhanced version of Growth for an extended period, Torterra's other stats might still be inferior to Rhyperior or Cynthia's Garchomp, but in terms of defense, it had likely already surpassed them.
Palmer simply couldn't take any chances—which was why he boosted his attack even further with Swords Dance.
His move may have been heavy-handed, but it also showed just how seriously he regarded Torterra as an opponent.
If he didn't respect its strength, he would have just dragged out the battle, exchanging blows back and forth, without feeling the need to rush the fight.
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