"Gardevoir, use Teleport!"
Seeing Machamp leap across the field to close the gap, Morane quickly issued her command.
In an instant, Gardevoir reappeared midair on the opposite side of the battlefield, held aloft by its own psychic power.
Machamp didn't stop after missing; he turned immediately and gave chase once again.
This was the plan Rex and Machamp had devised beforehand: keep the pressure on Gardevoir so it would be forced to use Teleport defensively, leaving no time to use Calm Mind or launch any meaningful attacks.
If Gardevoir ever decided to stop running and attack, Machamp would take the hit—relying on its resilience to survive, and then close in for a devastating counterattack.
Morane didn't dare to gamble on a single strike taking down Machamp.
And so, the battle turned into a high-stakes game of tag. Machamp used its incredible endurance to chase Gardevoir around the field relentlessly.
Each time, Gardevoir would vanish right before Machamp could reach it, reappearing elsewhere just in time.
"Haha, this is surprisingly fun to watch!"
Diantha chuckled, amused by the unusual spectacle.
"Rex's strategy is solid—now it's just a matter of who runs out of steam first."
Cynthia nodded in agreement, her fingers idly tracing the edge of her chin.
Rex had already informed her during lunch: if he won the tournament, he hoped to challenge her Garchomp.
Cynthia was more than willing. She'd seen the fire in his eyes—he was ready for this fight.
"Machamp, now! Use Seismic Toss, then follow up with Dynamic Punch!"
After repeated chases, Gardevoir finally showed a moment's hesitation—just enough for Machamp to catch its wrist.
An instant later, Gardevoir tried to Teleport.
But because Machamp was gripping its wrist, the move brought both of them to a new spot on the battlefield.
Machamp didn't miss a beat. As soon as they reappeared, it flipped Gardevoir over its shoulder and slammed it into the ground with brutal force.
Then, before Gardevoir could react, one of Machamp's fists came crashing down into its midsection, creating a crater beneath them from the sheer impact.
Gardevoir's eyes rolled back as it lost consciousness.
"Gardevoir! Are you okay?!"
Morane knew she had lost, but her concern was more for her partner's condition than the outcome.
As the dust settled, Machamp calmly returned to Rex's side. Rex let it remain outside its Poké Ball, giving it time to cool down after the fierce clash.
With victories over both Marlin and Morane, Rex now stood as the undisputed first-place winner. All that remained was for the third-place match between Marlin and Morane to finish—then Rex could finally challenge Cynthia.
Along with that, he'd also receive the official championship prize, provided by Caitlin herself: a reward of 500,000 Pokédollars and, more importantly, a Ralts Egg.
The money was a nice bonus, but to Rex, the real treasure was the egg. It was rumored that the parents of this Ralts had both reached at least Elite Four-level strength.
With such prestigious lineage, the newborn Ralts was bound to have incredible potential—easily suitable for Champions or top-tier trainers.
It also made Rex realize something: he didn't have a Psychic-type on his team yet.
Celebi, though a Psychic-type, wasn't truly one of his Pokémon—it existed more as a companion, a friend.
Rex was determined to raise this Ralts himself. He even wondered if it could assist him in training his Aura Body Technique.
That's right—he'd already asked Korrina about it and learned that Lucario wasn't the only Pokémon capable of assisting in Aura training. Any Pokémon with powerful psychic energy could help.
Lucario just happened to be the most compatible partner for that method.
While Rex was already imagining how Ralts might one day assist him in his Aura training, the final match between Marlin and Morane began.
This would determine second and third place. Marlin sent out his Charizard—his Dragonite was still too exhausted to battle again.
Morane, predicting this, had chosen Slowbro—a Water/Psychic-type and an ideal counter.
Marlin's face turned grim. Not only did Slowbro's typing counter Charizard, but its natural bulk made it extremely hard to damage effectively.
"Charizard, use Air Slash!"
"Slowbro, use Amnesia!"
Charizard launched its attack, but Morane didn't bother dodging. Instead, she focused on boosting Slowbro's Special Defense.
After one Amnesia, Slowbro's resistance was formidable. Charizard's Air Slash barely scratched it.
"Use Iron Defense!"
As a metallic gleam flashed across Slowbro's body, its physical defense climbed as well.
Marlin grew frustrated. If he let Morane keep buffing like this, his chances of winning would vanish.
"Will-O-Wisp!"
If nothing else, he could at least get Slowbro burning—deal steady chip damage over time.
Ghostly blue flames formed around Charizard and drifted toward Slowbro.
"Calm Mind!"
To his dismay, Morane ignored the threat again—using the opportunity to further boost both Special Attack and Special Defense.
Once Calm Mind finished, the Will-O-Wisp struck. Slowbro was now burning, but Morane didn't seem concerned.
"Trick Room, then Fire a Hydro Pump!"
The moment Trick Room activated, the battlefield distorted. Charizard suddenly felt sluggish, its movements unnaturally slow.
Meanwhile, Slowbro calmly gathered water energy in its mouth. A faint pink glow flickered in its eyes—it had locked on.
"I forfeit."
Grimacing, Marlin made the smart call.
Letting Charizard eat that Hydro Pump would've ended in a critical injury. He cut the battle off before it got ugly.
(End of Chapter)