After returning Aggron's Poké Ball to his pocket, Paul pulled out another and threw it onto the field.
"Hisuian Samurott, get ready for battle!"
"Cha-ha~!"
The imposing and cold figure of Hisuian Samurott emerged onto the battlefield.
"That's… the recently popular Hisuian Samurott, right? Not bad at all."
As someone with an impressive span of knowledge, Noland had no trouble recognizing the unique form of Samurott. It was only natural, considering his scholarly expertise.
"Use Aura Sphere!"
Knowing that Hisuian Samurott carries the Dark type, Noland didn't hesitate to command his Golduck to strike with a Fighting-type move that would deal super-effective damage.
Golduck brought its hands together, instantly forming a glowing orb of focused aura—then hurled it straight toward Samurott.
The entire motion flowed like water—swift and seamless. From charge to release to impact, the Aura Sphere closed the distance in less than a second.
Samurott didn't seem to move at all. As if it hadn't reacted in time. Golduck fully expected the attack to land cleanly.
SWISH!
But suddenly, a streak of white light slashed through the center of the Aura Sphere, splitting it cleanly in two. The energy scattered and exploded on either side of Samurott.
Samurott stood firm, one hand resting lightly on the blade at its foot—as though it had just returned the weapon to its sheath.
"Hyper Beam!"
"Chaa-ah!!"
Samurott reared its head and let out a chilling cry. Powerful soundwaves rippled through the air, not only damaging Golduck but also lowering its Special Attack stat.
"Brick Break!"
Despite Samurott's intimidating display, Golduck didn't back down. Instead, it charged forward with determination, undeterred by fear.
From a theoretical standpoint, Golduck had already boosted its Defense by four stages and Speed by two stages. A direct clash engagement—even at the cost of taking a hit—should be enough to take Samurott down.
"Yah!"
That's exactly what Noland thought—and Golduck agreed. It launched forward with explosive speed, reaching Samurott's position in a flash. Then, at the last second, it twisted to attack from the side.
BANG!
The move connected. But Golduck's expression remained tense—there was no sense of victory. Because its Brick Break had landed not on Samurott's body, but on one of its leg blades.
And the other blade…
Golduck followed the line of Samurott's arm and froze. The second blade, now glowing with a sinister dark aura, had somehow already stabbed deep into its abdomen.
A critical hit—and it had landed first.
Sucker Punch!
The injury severely impacted Golduck's ability to move—especially since it had been struck in a vital spot.
Paul and Samurott seized that precise moment.
"Ceaseless Edge!"
Both leg blades began to slash in rapid succession, each strike targeting Golduck's weak points and critical areas with ruthless precision—dealing escalating damage with every blow.
At the same time, fragments of mysterious black shell-like shards scattered around the field, ready to harm any Pokémon that dared enter the battlefield later.
"Golduck, dodge with Cross Chop!"
Noland shouted urgently upon seeing Golduck under such intense assault.
But it was no use!
Under this kind of relentless offensive, every one of Golduck's movements had already been anticipated by Samurott. With a well-timed swing of its blade-like legs, it could cut off Golduck's actions before they even started.
This ability to interrupt an opponent's attack preemptively was the very reason Ninetales had once outmatched Heatran in the finals.
And when it came to that skill, Samurott surpassed even Ninetales by far.
Defense raised by four stages? Drastically reduced damage?
At most, that would let it withstand a few extra hits.
But if you can't break free from your opponent's offensive rhythm and can't deal damage in return, what's the point of surviving a few more blows?
Worse still, against Samurott, surviving longer wasn't necessarily a good thing. Its Ceaseless Edge could impose lingering consequences for the next Pokémon to come.
More importantly, if Samurott wanted to, it could land a critical hit with pinpoint accuracy every single time.
And critical hits ignore all defense boosts.
But this time, Samurott held back. With masterful precision, every strike of its Ceaseless Edge deliberately avoided Golduck's vital points.
In the end, Golduck endured three consecutive hits from Ceaseless Edge purely through its impressive defenses before collapsing to the ground—leaving a troubling risk for the Pokémon to follow.
"Golduck is unable to battle—Hisuian Samurott wins!" Sergio announced.
"Return, Golduck… You did great."
After recalling Golduck, Noland gazed toward the battlefield—Samurott stood tall, exuding a chilling majesty, and the field itself remained completely unscathed.
He tossed out his fifth Poké Ball.
"Flygon, Sandstorm!"
"Sha~!"
Flygon burst out once more, whipping up a sandstorm to engulf the battlefield, attempting to disrupt Samurott's precision and deal some residual damage.
But in the next instant, a whirl of water spun up around Samurott, shielding it from the sandstorm's reach.
"Flygon, Dragon Breath!"
"Sha~!"
Flygon understood immediately and let out a blast of draconic energy from a distance.
Samurott remained rooted in place, unmoving. But the swirling water around it suddenly surged, forming a barrier that completely blocked the Dragon Breath.
The moment the attack faded, Samurott stood unharmed, the water veil around it returning to its calm and swirling state.
"Dragon Dance!"
Noland knew he couldn't afford to engage Samurott in close combat recklessly. Yet long-range attacks were being nullified by this water barrier. His best bet was to boost stats first and look for an opening.
So Flygon began dancing midair, powering up with Dragon Dance.
But Paul wasn't about to give it that chance.
"Taunt, followed by Swords Dance!"
Samurott curled its lip into a smirk. Tilting its head back, it let out a fierce barrage of hiss and sneers aimed straight at Flygon, the ruthless provocation instantly sending a crimson flash across its eyes.
With Dragon Dance abruptly interrupted, Samurott was already surrounded by swirling blue blade-shaped auras—Swords Dance had begun, boosting its attack power.
"Boomburst!"
Paul's intentions were crystal clear, but Noland couldn't just sit by and let his opponent power up unchallenged. He had to fight back.
Flygon opened its jaws wide and unleashed a devastating soundwave. The sheer pressure warped the air around them, and the wave crashed head-on into the watery barrier that had formed around Samurott once more.
It was easy to see the impact caused the rotating water to tremble violently, but the flow soon absorbed and dispersed the shock. The barrier held firm—Boomburst had been completely neutralized.
Seeing this, Noland realized that the Aqua Ring's defense was too resilient. Flygon likely couldn't break through it. Gritting his teeth, he went all-in on his only remaining chance at victory.
"Charge in with Boomburst!"
Under his command, Flygon began advancing, continuously blasting Boomburst as it closed the distance with Samurott.
As expected, the soundwaves were fully blocked by the spinning veil of water.
Then—just as Flygon got close, Noland shouted:
"Earth Power!"
"Shaa!"
Flygon twisted midair despite the searing pain from the Spikes it had landed on, slamming its tail hard into the ground. A massive fissure exploded outward from the point of impact, racing toward Samurott.
In a flash, the ground beneath Samurott split wide open—a gaping hollow several meters across, black and bottomless.
If it fell in, it would be crushed instantly as the fissure snapped shut. A guaranteed knockout.
Except… what should have been inevitable, didn't happen.
"What!?"
The Earth Power had clearly gone off. The ground under Samurott had already crumbled. And yet—Samurott remained floating, exactly where it was suspended midair, without even a hint of falling.
Noland stared, dumbfounded.
"Razor Shell!" Paul commanded.
The swirling waters around Samurott shifted—now propelling it forward like a tidal current. It surged straight at Flygon, who was still reeling from the entry hazard damage.
Twin shell blades, jetting water as they swung lashed out in rapid succession—each strike slamming into vital points.
By the time the assault ceased and Samurott sheathed its blades, the ground had already sealed shut.
Flygon, having staked everything on that last attack, collapsed—motionless.
"Flygon is unable to battle. Victory goes to Hisuian Samurott!"
Sergio declared.
"Come back, Flygon. You did everything you could."
Noland retrieved his Pokémon into its Poké Ball, then reached for his final one.
"Pinsir, it's your turn!"
"Gaaah!"
A hulking brown body crashed onto the battlefield—fierce in appearance, its jagged pincers towering over its head screamed aggression and raw power.
But the moment Pinsir touched down, hidden Stealth Rock traps triggered instantly—exploding in a flash of light and dealing significant damage.
"Air Slash!"
Just as Pinsir began to recover, a flurry of razor-sharp wind blades descended from above.
"Use Superpower—now!"
Still dazed but rallying, Pinsir surged forward with brute force. It swung its massive arms and horned pincers wildly, striking against the slicing wind as best it could, desperately trying to block the assault.
"Aerial Ace!"
Whoosh!
The storm of wind blades vanished in an instant—but before Pinsir could even catch its breath, a black-and-blue blur streaked past its eyes.
Pain seared through its body. Everything went dark.
Somehow, without warning, Samurott—enhanced by Swords Dance and backed by its Sharpness Ability—had already appeared behind Pinsir. Calmly, it slid both of its arm-blades back into place.
Samurott's Aerial Ace, supercharged by its stat boost and innate slicing prowess, had landed a direct critical hit.
Could Pinsir possibly endure such a blow?
The answer was absolutely not!
BOOM!
Within ten seconds of entering the field, Pinsir collapsed—eyes swirling in defeat.
(End of Chapter)
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