"Electivire, Thunder Punch!" Harrison commanded.
With a roar, the towering Electivire charged forward. Despite its massive frame, its agility was shockingly high, and in the blink of an eye it had closed the distance to Eevee.
"Eevee, Double Team!"
As Electivire lunged, Eevee suddenly split into dozens of shimmering afterimages, encircling Electivire from every side.
Electivire didn't panic. Both of its fists sparked with crackling electricity as it swung wildly, smashing apart the clones one after another. Yet, even after obliterating the illusions, it still failed to land a hit on the real Eevee.
…
Neither Harrison nor Electivire could discern which was the real Eevee. But Yozora, with his Mind's Eye, saw through it instantly.
A faint smile crossed his face as he shouted: "Now, Flareon! Flamethrower!"
"Whoosh!"
In that instant, Eevee's true form shimmered and transformed into Flareon. The blazing flames around its body contrasted starkly with the vanishing shadows as the illusions dispersed into nothingness.
Harrison's eyes widened. He had locked onto the real Eevee at last, but it was far too late.
Flareon's mouth flared open, fire swirling at its core, before a torrent of searing flames roared outward, blasting Electivire from behind and sending the giant tumbling.
"Whoa! A direct hit with Flamethrower at point-blank range! What destructive power!" the announcer exclaimed.
Indeed, Flareon's offensive might was extraordinary—far surpassing that of Jolteon, Vaporeon, Espeon, or Umbreon.
Though only at Elite Level, its attacks could rival the force of an Elite Four-tier Pokémon.
That one strike left Electivire badly injured.
"Don't lose! Electivire, Thunder!" Harrison barked.
Electivire planted its feet, gouging deep furrows in the ground. Golden lightning surged over its body before erupting into a colossal thunderbolt that carved across the battlefield like a raging plow, tearing everything in its path as it rushed toward Flareon.
"Jolteon, dodge it—then Thunderbolt!" Yozora shouted.
Flareon shimmered again, instantly morphing into Jolteon. Lightning-fast, it darted across the field, slipping past the golden thunder strikes with elegant sidesteps. In between dodges, it counterattacked with sharp bursts of Thunderbolt, hammering away at Electivire's stamina.
Electivire's natural resistance to Electric attacks kept it standing at first, but after repeated blows its left leg buckled, paralyzed. It collapsed to one knee, its face twisted with pain.
"Electivire!" Harrison called out in alarm.
The moment Electivire's strength failed, its Thunder ceased. The roaring golden lightning vanished, leaving the Pokémon weakened, immobile—a sitting target.
"Flareon, finish this with Flamethrower!" Yozora commanded.
Once more, Eevee assumed its fiercest form.
"Fwoooosh!"
The blazing inferno engulfed Electivire, and when the flames cleared, the thunder beast lay unconscious.
"Electivire is unable to battle. Eevee wins!" The referee waved a red flag toward Yozora.
"Yeeeeah!" The crowd erupted, their cheers shaking the stadium.
The announcer shouted in excitement: "Magnificent! Eevee just took down three opponents in a row, giving Yozora an overwhelming advantage!"
Now, Yozora still had three Pokémon remaining, while Harrison was down to his final one.
Harrison recalled Electivire grimly. His three carefully prepared "secret weapons" meant to counter Azumarill—Sceptile, Flygon, and Electivire—were all gone without even touching it.
Regret gnawed at him as he sent his last Pokémon back out: Blaziken.
If only he'd led with it instead…
"Yozora's already won!"
"Hah? You think he can ignore my Mega Blaziken?"
"What Mega Blaziken? Do you think his Shiny Totem Azumarill fears that? And don't forget—he still has Eevee!"
"Eevee? Please. Against Mega Blaziken, Eevee's nothing but a snack! Harrison's only mistake was sending it out so late!"
The audience roared in debate, each side fiercely defending their favorite trainer. But overall, Yozora's fans drowned out the rest.
After all, he still had a commanding numbers advantage.
The referee's whistle pierced the air, silencing the crowd.
The final battle began: Eevee vs. Mega Blaziken.
Yozora knew the truth—Eevee stood no chance. Mega Blaziken was faster than Jolteon and stronger than Flareon combined. There was no winning here.
But retreat was not an option.
"Jolteon, Thunderbolt!" Yozora opened aggressively.
"Blaziken, dodge and use Blaze Kick!" Harrison countered.
Lightning crackled like a serpent across the arena, but Blaziken's speed—boosted even further by its Speed Boost Ability—was overwhelming. In a flash, it sidestepped and appeared before Jolteon.
"So fast! That's Champion-tier speed!" Yozora thought grimly.
The flaming kick swept in like a blade. Jolteon split into countless afterimages with Double Team, but Blaziken's legs were like spinning engines, smashing apart clone after clone until only the trembling true body remained.
"Vaporeon, Hydro Pump!" Yozora cried.
Jolteon shifted forms instantly, becoming Vaporeon, unleashing a roaring torrent of water.
But Blaziken weaved through the spray with fiery ribbons trailing in the air, then struck with a devastating Blaze Kick.
"Boom!"
The explosion of fire knocked Vaporeon skyward, slamming it into the ground where it reverted to Eevee—its eyes spinning in defeat.
"One-hit KO… against a Water-type," the announcer gasped.
"Eevee is unable to battle. Blaziken wins!"
The arena shook with cheers as Harrison's fans roared with renewed hope.
Now, it was 2 vs 1. Yozora still had Azumarill and Suicune, but Harrison had Mega Blaziken—more than enough to turn the tide.
Yozora recalled Eevee and sent out Azumarill. His expression was calm. Suicune still waited as his trump card, but if Azumarill could win here, all the better.
The two Trainers' contrasting expressions told the story: Harrison's stern determination against Yozora's steady composure.
"Charge in, Azumarill!"
"Mega Blaziken, crush it!"
The crowd roared like a storm. To them, this was the true final clash—Azumarill versus Mega Blaziken.
Even Ash, Brock, and Misty in the stands leaned forward anxiously.
"Yozora finally met a real challenge…" Ash muttered.
"Mega Blaziken's terrifying, but Azumarill's no pushover. Especially a Shiny Totem Azumarill," Brock said grimly.
"Yeah… but if Azumarill falls, things could get messy for Yozora," Misty added.
The referee's whistle shrilled again.
The last great battle began.
"Blaziken, Blaze Kick!" Harrison shouted.
Blaziken streaked across the arena like lightning, fiery ribbons dancing around it. In a heartbeat it was before Azumarill, leg wreathed in raging flames.
"Baaaari!"
The impact thundered, fire exploding across Azumarill's body as it was blasted backward. Dust flew, the crowd gasped—
—but then Azumarill stood up.
Unharmed.
"What?! That didn't even scratch it!"
The arena shook with disbelief.
The power of a Shiny Totem Pokémon—the monstrous durability that defied reason—stood revealed.
Harrison's face darkened. He had underestimated Azumarill's defense.
"In that case—Blaziken, Thunder Punch!"
Electricity crackled across Blaziken's fists. With blinding speed it hammered Azumarill again and again, sparks exploding on impact.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The blows staggered Azumarill, driving it backward, arcs of electricity crawling over its body. This time, Azumarill winced in pain—its Water typing made Electric attacks brutally effective.
But before Blaziken could press further, Azumarill retaliated—its round body swelled with pressure, and it unleashed a devastating Hydro Pump that blasted Blaziken straight across the arena!
The clash of titans had only just begun.
(End of Chapter)