The Free Battle was still ongoing. Aside from the relaxed Sharpedo and Lapras, the other competing Pokémon had begun clashing more frequently.
Before long, only six Pokémon remained, with Blastoise still among them, surviving this long through sheer perseverance was no small feat.
Besides Lapras, Sharpedo, and Blastoise, the remaining three were Gorebyss, Tentacruel, and Vaporeon.
Gorebyss had high Special Attack but average Speed. After it used Rain Dance, its Swift Swim Ability doubled its Speed, allowing it to narrowly defeat a Quagsire and hang on until now.
Tentacruel was also incredibly strong underwater. With moves like Constrict, Acid, and Supersonic, it caused immense trouble for any opponent it encountered.
As for Vaporeon, after suddenly appearing once again and stealing a KO from Tentacruel, it had melted back into the water; no one could see it.
The outer section of the fountain pool had been fully drained. Now, with six Pokémon hidden within a central pool of less than sixty square meters, it was reaching capacity.
Even so, none of the Pokémon made the first move. Not even Gorebyss, who had used Rain Dance, did anything as the raindrops began to fade away.
Would the organizers really test the contestants' patience? Would they let the audience miss out on an exciting battle?
Of course not!
Just as the six Pokémon held their breath and waited, the central fountain system suddenly activated; three massive jets of water shot into the sky.
Unfortunately, Tentacruel and Lapras happened to be directly above the fountain spouts.
The powerful jets instantly launched both Lapras and Tentacruel out of the water and continued to propel them upward.
The sudden development startled many onlookers, though some wore expressions that said, "Just as expected."
Sato was also caught off guard, but once he recovered, he realized it was another trick from the organizers.
Seeing Lapras and Tentacruel launched into the air, Gorebyss's Trainer immediately commanded it to attack Lapras.
Shadow Ball!
Because of Lapras's Water Absorb Ability, Gorebyss deliberately used a non-Water-type move.
At that moment, Mark shouted for Lapras to be careful, but Lapras was too flustered to respond and took the Shadow Ball squarely.
"Sharpedo, Dark Pulse on Gorebyss!"
"Blastoise, Hydro Pump on Sharpedo!"
Sharpedo tried to stop Gorebyss from attacking again, but Blastoise's Hydro Pump intercepted it immediately.
Sato glared coldly at Blastoise. That blue turtle was constantly interfering… and annoyingly slippery, it always escaped at the last second.
If it weren't for the need to stay alert for Vaporeon lurking nearby or other opportunistic Pokémon, Sato would've already gone all-out to take Blastoise down.
But this time, aside from Vaporeon, all the other Pokémon were preoccupied.
So Sato waved his hand, and Sharpedo charged forward. That blue turtle had to go.
After all this time, Sharpedo's speed had reached the point where only its afterimage could be seen. Seeing this, Blastoise's Trainer could only feel completely helpless.
This is bad!
As Sharpedo prepared to take down Blastoise as quickly as possible and then return to support Lapras…
Mark began to work his magic. Other than the first Shadow Ball that had hit Lapras directly, every Shadow Ball afterward missed completely.
After holding for two seconds, the water jets suddenly weakened and rapidly subsided.
Because of the heavy shell on its back, Lapras struggled wildly as it fell, causing its whole body to flip mid-air.
The Shadow Balls came flying.
Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang
…But all of them hit Lapras's shell, leaving Gorebyss doubting its very existence.
Splash!
Two enormous splashes rose as Lapras and Tentacruel reentered the water. Fortunately, Lapras had regained most of its stamina earlier and wasn't knocked out by the Shadow Ball.
And just as it hit the water, Lapras heard Mark's loud shout: "Lapras, use Thunderbolt!"
Lapras hadn't even flipped itself upright yet, but upon hearing Mark's command, it didn't hesitate and unleashed Thunderbolt all around itself.
Electric light burst forth, Lapras was enveloped in powerful electricity, and right then, Vaporeon suddenly appeared at its side, also flickering with electricity.
Clearly, after everything Vaporeon had done, every contestant on the field was highly wary of it.
Although Mark was usually carefree and didn't pay attention to details, his talent as a Trainer wasn't bad (?) Of course he'd be on guard against a sneak attacker like Vaporeon.
Thunderbolt came fast and fierce. Vaporeon, being so close, took the full brunt of the move; it was nearly knocked out on the spot.
"Gorebyss, Shadow Ball on Vaporeon!"
"Tentacruel, Poison Jab on Vaporeon!"
Karma always comes around.
Lapras's sudden outburst had made Vaporeon take its place as the most vulnerable target in the field.
Faced with a pincer attack from Gorebyss and Tentacruel, Vaporeon instinctively tried to meld back into the water.
Crackle… snap…
Sparks suddenly arced across Vaporeon's body. Its Melting was forcibly interrupted.
It had terribly bad luck, getting paralyzed by Thunderbolt's additional effect.
In the next instant, Shadow Ball and Poison Jab landed one after another.
Vaporeon was cleanly knocked out.
Meanwhile, the battle between Sharpedo and Blastoise was also coming to an end. Calling it a battle wasn't quite right… it was a one-sided beatdown.
Sharpedo ruthlessly used Poison Fang, badly poisoning Blastoise. Considering the injuries it had already sustained, its Trainer decisively chose to forfeit and withdrew from the match.
Many in the audience disapproved of Blastoise's Trainer's decision, feeling that he and Blastoise were truly partners… both were quick to flee when things looked grim.
But Sato actually thought it was just fine. Knowing when to cut your losses and not struggle meaninglessly was smart.
Besides, the one hit with Poison Fang was Blastoise, not their own partners. How many of the bystanders really felt sorry for it?
The camera cut to Lapras.
Taking advantage of Vaporeon being targeted, it quickly swam to the side and took a couple of deep breaths.
Now, only four Pokémon remained in the arena: Sharpedo, Lapras, Gorebyss, and Tentacruel.
But their positions were quite delicate. Gorebyss and Tentacruel were close together in the center of the pool.
Meanwhile, Lapras and Sharpedo were split across the pool, almost unable to support one another.
In this situation, the Trainers of Gorebyss and Tentacruel exchanged a knowing glance… they were forming an alliance once again!
Truly, nothing proves the saying better: in war, there are no permanent enemies.
And their target was clear: Mark's Lapras.
Seeing Gorebyss and Tentacruel once again heading toward it, Lapras felt its frustration and grievance reach an all-time high.
'How many times is this now… just because I'm pretty, you all keep ganging up on me?'
And then… Lapras ascended once again.