Because of the unfavorable type matchup, Harrison decisively recalled his Mega Blaziken.
"Go, Sceptile!"Harrison sent out his fourth Pokémon—Sceptile.
Sceptile was the final evolution of the Hoenn Grass-type starter Treecko. Standing tall on two legs with a powerful build, it exuded overwhelming strength.
Like Treecko, its body was entirely green, and a long leafy tail extended from its back. Yet compared to its tail, Sceptile's true weapons were the sharp blades on its wrists, far more suited for combat.
"Oh-ho, Contestant Harrison has sent out the Grass-type Pokémon Sceptile! Against Marill's evolution, Azumarill, this type matchup is definitely in his favor. Clearly, Harrison has done his homework for this match!" the announcer praised.
But just then, Yozora suddenly recalled Azumarill and sent out Eevee instead.
"Oh? What's this? Contestant Yozora is changing strategies again?" The announcer looked puzzled.
Harrison froze for a moment, then after some thought, recalled Sceptile and switched back to Mega Blaziken.
Immediately after, Yozora swapped back in Azumarill.
The stadium erupted into boos…
Harrison's expression turned sour. Once more, he withdrew Mega Blaziken and sent Sceptile back out.
By then, he had already used up his three allowed switches and could no longer change.
On Yozora's side, he had only switched twice. He quickly used his third—recalling Azumarill and sending Eevee back in.
The booing grew even louder. No one in the crowd expected semifinalists at this level to pull such "cheap tricks."
"Ahem…"
The announcer coughed awkwardly. "In any case, both trainers have now exhausted all their switches! From here on, it all comes down to their team order and strategy!"
"Eevee versus Sceptile, battle begin!" the referee declared.
"Go, Sceptile, use Bullet Seed!" Harrison barked.
He had wanted Sceptile to take down Azumarill, so his frustration burned. He couldn't afford to waste Sceptile's strength. The plan now was simple—end this quickly by crushing Eevee, then force Azumarill back onto the field.
But the more anxious he became, the less things went his way…
Yozora's Eevee, with its many evolution forms, was not one to fall so easily.
"Eevee, counter with Flamethrower!" Yozora commanded.
"Shhhhhh!"
White light flashed—Eevee instantly transformed into Flareon, spewing flames to meet Bullet Seed head-on.
"Boom!" The two forces clashed violently, a dark cloud of smoke erupting between them.
As the smoke cleared, Harrison shouted urgently: "Sceptile, finish it with Leaf Blade!"
A surge of Grass-type energy gathered—Sceptile's wrist-blade gleamed bright green, suddenly extending several times its normal length, radiating lethal power.
White light flashed beneath its feet, and in an instant it dashed forward like lightning.
This wasn't just Leaf Blade—it was a combo move: Quick Attack + Leaf Blade.
Using Quick Attack to accelerate, then striking with Leaf Blade for the kill.
"Whoa, Sceptile's speed is incredible, like a thunderbolt!" the announcer exclaimed.
"Yes, fast indeed. But still… not enough."
Yozora smiled calmly as Sceptile's figure closed in. "Dodge it, then use Electroweb!"
Flareon couldn't possibly evade Sceptile's lightning dash. But Jolteon could.
"Flash!" In an instant, Flareon transformed into Jolteon. Its speed skyrocketed, and with a blur of motion, it narrowly slipped past the lethal slash.
At the same time, Jolteon sparked with electricity, casting an Electroweb to ensnare Sceptile.
"Bzzzzt!" Arcs of lightning surged through the web, shocking Sceptile until cold sweat ran down its body.
But worse than the pain—Sceptile was trapped.
"Not good!" Harrison's face darkened. "Sceptile, cut through with Leaf Blade!"
"Too late…"
Yozora's grin was almost sinister. "Flareon, Flamethrower!"
Jolteon transformed back into Flareon, unleashing a torrent of fire toward the ensnared Sceptile.
The Grass-type's eyes went wide—it had no time to break free!
"BOOM!" Flames engulfed it completely.
When the firestorm faded, Sceptile lay collapsed, knocked out.
Fire against Grass—super effective!
"Sceptile is unable to battle! Eevee wins!" the referee announced calmly.
"Unbelievable! Contestant Yozora's Eevee is simply too strong—so many forms, so many moves, all seamlessly executed!" the announcer marveled.
"Awesome!"
"Go, Eevee!"
"Flareon's Flamethrower was insane—one-hit KO!"
"No way, Jolteon's speed was the real star! Did you see that dodge?"
The audience erupted, even sparking heated debate among Eevee fans over which form was truly stronger.
—
"Ding!" On the scoreboard, Sceptile's icon went dark. Harrison now had three Pokémon left, including Mega Blaziken.
Yozora, with Eevee and Azumarill still standing, also had three left.
The match seemed even.
But Harrison's expression was grim.
In his original plan, Sceptile and two other secret weapons were prepared specifically to counter Azumarill. Yet Eevee had blocked them.
He longed to send Mega Blaziken to crush Eevee immediately.
But doing so would mean inevitably facing Azumarill afterward…
That was the last thing he wanted.
At this moment, Harrison had to admit—tactically, he had already lost. Yozora had read his entire strategy from the start…
And with those shameless "switching tricks," Eevee had completely ruined his plan.
"I must admit… this Yozora is truly a worthy opponent, even if he's just a boy," Harrison thought bitterly as he sent out his fifth Pokémon.
"Wooo~"
A mighty dragonfly-like creature soared onto the field.
Flygon.
This was Harrison's second secret weapon against Azumarill. Although Flygon's typing was weak to Water, it had natural advantages.
First, as a Flying-type battler, it dominated grounded opponents.
Second, its wide movepool allowed it to use Grass- and Electric-type techniques—both dangerous for Azumarill.
But once again, the plan had collapsed. Flygon now faced Eevee instead.
"No matter. Against Eevee, Flygon still has its aerial advantage. If I defeat Eevee here, Azumarill will have to come out!" Harrison resolved.
"Flygon! Another Hoenn native Pokémon from Harrison—let's see how it performs!" the announcer said excitedly.
"Battle begin!" the referee declared.
"Flygon, use Dragon Claw!" Harrison shouted.
With a whoosh, Flygon swooped down from above, dragon claws slashing fiercely toward Flareon.
Fast as it was, Eevee calmly flashed white—shifting into Jolteon, darting aside to avoid the strike.
A Thunderbolt counterattack followed, but Flygon spun away and dodged.
The first exchange ended in a stalemate.
Harrison's face darkened—against an airborne Pokémon like Flygon, a stalemate was as good as being behind.
"Dragon Pulse!" he ordered.
Flygon abruptly halted midair, charging violent Dragon-type energy into a purple beam and blasting downward.
"Flareon, Flamethrower, meet it head-on!" Yozora countered without fear.
White light flashed—Jolteon shifted back into Flareon, spitting fire to collide with the Dragon Pulse. Another massive explosion shook the stadium.
"Their power is evenly matched! This is turning into a battle of endurance!" the announcer exclaimed.
"Rock Tomb!" Harrison commanded.
Indeed, Flygon's coverage was wide: Dragon, Ground, Rock, Fire, Grass, Electric, Flying, Bug—it could do almost anything.
"Boom, boom, boom!" Boulders rained down from above.
"Flash!" Without needing Yozora's call, Flareon became Jolteon once more, sprinting at lightning speed to evade.
But in the chaos, Jolteon's movements left an opening.
Flygon closed in, cutting off its escape.
"Now! Flygon, Dragon Rush!" Harrison's eyes gleamed.
High above, Flygon's body flared with golden light as it dove like a meteor, overwhelming dragon aura radiating.
Caught by the oppressive dragon presence—or perhaps startled by Flygon's perfect prediction—Jolteon froze for a split second.
But Yozora remained calm.
"Jolteon, Double Team!"
"Zzt!" In an instant, Jolteon split into dozens of copies.
"!!" Harrison's face sank. Even he couldn't tell which was real.
Flygon, equally lost, aborted the Dragon Rush, twisting upward to regain altitude.
"This is intense! How will Harrison and Flygon deal with so many Jolteons?" the announcer cried.
"What else? Flygon, burn them down with Flamethrower!" Harrison roared.
Flygon unleashed a torrent of fire, blasting away clone after clone.
But in its barrage, it exposed a fatal gap.
Yozora's eyes flashed. "Now, Vaporeon! Ice Beam!"
"Shhh!" Jolteon morphed into Vaporeon.
The Water-type opened its jaws, channeling icy energy into a devastating beam that struck Flygon square in the belly.
"GUAAHH!"
Ice against Dragon, and doubly against Ground—a quadruple weakness.
Flygon shrieked in agony before plummeting helplessly to the ground, fainted.
"Flygon!" Harrison gasped, disbelief in his eyes.
Unthinkable.
Of the three secret weapons he had prepared to counter Azumarill, two were already gone—without even touching it!
"Incredible! Ice Beam was devastating! Flygon is down!"
The announcer declared, "Contestant Harrison is now down to his final two Pokémon, including Mega Blaziken!"
The stadium roared.
The crowd was ecstatic—this battle was a masterpiece.
But Harrison's face was heavy.
"Only two left… of the three anti-Azumarill trump cards, only one remains. And that cursed Eevee…" His heart sank as he released his final Pokémon.
A flash of light revealed a massive, muscular figure, towering over the battlefield.
Electivire.
The evolved form of Electabuzz, an Electric-type Pokémon.
Its body crackled with energy, muscular arms brimming with raw power. Behind it, two thick tails resembling electric cables writhed menacingly.
"Harrison's final Pokémon is Electivire! Another clear counter for Yozora's Azumarill! But sadly, all his strategy, all his careful planning—completely unraveled by Yozora!"
The announcer's voice rang out, "And the proof… is Eevee standing right there!"
"Whew…" The entire audience drew in a sharp breath. Only now did they fully understand Yozora's earlier "cheap tricks."
"So that's what it was for! Damn, is Yozora really only seventeen? Only two years since his debut? With tactical foresight like this, you'd think he was an old, seasoned Champion already!"
"Brilliant!"
"Poor Harrison… If his strategy hadn't been exposed, Sceptile, Flygon, and Electivire together could've crushed Azumarill!"
The stadium buzzed with heated debate. Yozora's fans were ecstatic, while Harrison's supporters could only sigh in sympathy.
"Eevee versus Electivire—battle begin!" the referee declared.
Instantly, the arena fell silent.
Tens of thousands of eyes focused, not daring to blink, afraid to miss even the smallest detail.
…
…
(End of Chapter)