"Centiskorch is down for the second time to the same move! This time, he doesn't get back up—the match is decided! Snorlax is the winner!"
Leo Sterling, shoulders drooping, recalled his fallen Centiskorch, forcing a thin, polite smile as he nodded at Auron Vale before hurrying away. He was anxious to get Centiskorch treated, so he never even noticed Auron's quiet gesture in return.
Auron didn't recall Snorlax right away. Snorlax, grinning broadly, strutted over to his Trainer with exaggerated pride. Auron crouched down and patted Snorlax on the head, still smiling. The two of them walked off the field together, victorious.
After tending to Snorlax, Auron returned to the waiting area, where he was immediately greeted by Jace Rowan's exaggerated look of envy.
"Ugh, why didn't I make the quarterfinals?" Jace groaned.
"Because you're just not good enough," Auron shot back with a smirk, brushing Jace's face aside so he could focus on the commentator's next announcement.
"The quarterfinals will use the same format as the last round—eight trainers, random match-ups. Let's see who faces off first!"
On the arena's big screen, the competitors' faces spun in a digital lottery, finally settling on two names.
"The first match-up is set! Serena Elm, who got a bye last round, will be the first to compete! Her opponent is… Max Zhang! Let's look forward to an exciting battle between these two!"
"Go for it! You got this!" Lena Greaves cheered, giving Serena an encouraging smile.
No one could quite figure out how Serena and Lena had become such good friends after knowing each other for just a day (confused.gif).
"Trainers, release your Pokémon!"
"Go—Shellder!"
"Go—Mr. Mime!"
Snap!
The judge's flag fell, and the battle began.
"Shellder—Withdraw!"
"Mr. Mime—Fake Out!"
Mr. Mime dashed toward Shellder, but no matter how quick the move, it couldn't outpace Shellder's natural defense. Mr. Mime landed a slap against Shellder's shell, barely making a dent but causing Shellder to flinch momentarily.
"Mr. Mime—Psywave!"
Max called for Mr. Mime to attack Shellder's weaker special defense with Psywave.
Shellder didn't bother dodging—the Psywave struck, but the little shell Pokémon stayed tucked inside its armor.
"Shellder—Rock Blast!"
Timing her attack perfectly as Mr. Mime's move finished, Serena gave her command. Shellder burst from its shell, eyes locking on the close-range Mr. Mime. Five sharp rocks launched in rapid succession, battering Mr. Mime and forcing him to retreat a step before Shellder quickly pulled back into its shell, awaiting the next command.
"Yikes," Max muttered under his breath, feeling a little uneasy. Was Shellder using the Withdraw move, or just relying on instinct?
If it was Withdraw, he could call for Encore and lock Shellder into defensive moves. Three rounds of Withdraw would max out Shellder's defense, but Mr. Mime's Psywave was special, and a couple solid hits could still wear it down.
(Psywave: Damage varies each use, between ten and one hundred points.)
But if Shellder was just acting on instinct, then three rounds of Rock Blast—especially if every rock landed—could cost Mr. Mime half its health bar.
"Screw it, just go for it. Mr. Mime—Psywave!"
Mr. Mime unleashed another Psywave, and this time, the attack seemed stronger, rattling Shellder's shell so hard it cracked open slightly.
"Shellder—Rock Blast!"
Again, Serena timed her order perfectly. All five rocks hit, and Max now realized what was happening—Serena's Shellder clearly had the Skill Link ability, not Shell Armor or Overcoat.
If it was just one lucky five-hit, it could be a fluke, but two in a row? That had to be Skill Link.
Unfortunately, he figured it out too late—Mr. Mime was clearly exhausted now, breathing hard from the barrage.
Max considered using Hypnosis to put Shellder to sleep, but since it was still hiding in its shell, he wondered if he should use Protect instead to block Shellder's next attack. If he guessed wrong and Serena used an offensive move, he could be in big trouble.
The truth was, the match came down to move selection and timing. The first turn, Mr. Mime's Fake Out was obvious, while Shellder went for Withdraw. Max could have gone for Hypnosis, but he knew Shellder might have priority with Aqua Jet, interrupting his own strategy.
So he probed with Psywave, planning to follow up with Hypnosis. But then Serena caught him off guard with Rock Blast—five consecutive hits each time. If he tried Hypnosis, Shellder would likely break the move with Aqua Jet. Encore was no good, and Protect wasn't a long-term solution.
Max bit his lip. "Not much time left—let's gamble. Mr. Mime—Psywave!"
He hoped for a max-power Psywave, enough to KO Shellder before it could attack. Maybe Serena would go for something other than Aqua Jet?
But Serena wasn't naïve—she could see Mr. Mime was barely hanging on after two full-power Rock Blasts.
Without hesitation, she called, "Shellder—Aqua Jet!"
Shellder shot forward in a blur of water, crashing into Mr. Mime. The psychic Pokémon collapsed with swirls in its eyes.
All this took less time than it sounds—the battle was a slugfest, both sides taking hit after hit. In the end, Shellder's type advantage was decisive.
"Mr. Mime is unable to battle! Shellder wins!"
The judge announced the result as Serena grinned, returning Shellder to its Poké Ball. The camera caught her smile, projecting it in full close-up on the giant screen.
The commentator's voice cracked, his eyes turning into cartoon hearts. "Wow, Serena's smile just shot straight into my heart. Mom, I think I'm in love!"
The audience erupted in laughter.
In the stands, Grandpa Flint Jonas tugged excitedly at Ashen Vale's sleeve. "Look, Ashen! That girl with Auron that day—she's the one! I'm telling you, if you got her for your daughter-in-law, you'd never regret it. She's a real beauty."
"If only Dax could land a girl like that, I'd die happy, I really would!"
Ashen smiled helplessly, trying to calm the old man down. "Easy, Flint, easy. Let the kids figure it out themselves. We shouldn't get involved."
Flint shook his head furiously. "You have to get involved! Dax is living proof—if I'd just stepped in back then…"
Meanwhile, Serena high-fived Lena as she walked off the field. Auron, hand raised for a high-five, ended up awkwardly slinging an arm around Jace's shoulders instead.
Auron grumbled, "What gives? Didn't she usually high-five me? What's going on today?"
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