"Aim for the weak point—use Blaze Kick at full power!"
Grey gave the order.
A dense blue light surged in; the solid wall of psychic force hung in midair, far too tough for ordinary moves to scrape through.
Blaziken's face tinged purple as the bad poison flared again, but it tightened its thigh and sheathed its leg in brewing fire.
This wasn't the familiar flurry of flying kicks.
It was going for the one-hit kill!
That psychic barrier in its way?
Just something to shatter with a single kick!
BOOM!!!
Almost on contact, flames exploded from Blaziken's sole, and the Psychic-forged wall burst to pieces under the kick!
"A critical? Wait—Focus Energy! When?!"
Karen had wondered why Blaziken got so "lucky," then she saw the gold current flowing around it and understood at a glance.
Focus Energy plus Blaze Kick—on paper that's a guaranteed crit.
But the question was—
When had Blaziken used Focus Energy?!
"Tss!"
The instant the question formed, the answer followed.
Bounce!
As Bounce reached its apex, Blaziken's speed dipped.
And at that moment Umbreon used Moonlight—the glow washed out the telltale shimmer of Focus Energy!
"Grey… was that in your prediction too…?"
Karen murmured, glancing upward.
Umbreon panted; countless energy stars flashed before it, howling at the Blaziken kicking down from above.
They did nothing—the kick smashed them to glittering dust.
Golden motes rained down. Unwillingness flickered in Umbreon's eyes, but it no longer had the power to counter.
Blaziken was simply too fast.
With speed stacked to the brink, shattering Psychic and Swift had taken only seconds.
The flaming kick struck Umbreon square in the chest; the blast dragged it down in a crushing fall, even heaving the floor for meters around!
Webbed cracks spread visibly; Umbreon lay at the center, its body twitching faintly…
"Umb…"
Umbreon's strength was spent. It tried to force itself up, but will alone wasn't enough.
It could only lift its head and let out a low moan.
"Umbreon is unable to battle. Examiner, please send your final Pokémon."
Will declared the result of the second bout.
"Th-this… Grey's that strong…?"
Green's voice snagged as she stared at the Umbreon lying there like a rag doll, unable to believe her eyes.
That was Karen's Umbreon…
Sure, it wasn't from her main squad, but when has any of Karen's Pokémon been a pushover?
And yet after using Moonlight, it got kicked into the floor like a kid!
"Makes sense."
Sabrina didn't see an issue.
"How so?"
Green, not quite following, asked.
"It's daytime. Moonlight doesn't heal much now. That's all."
Sabrina answered mildly.
Green blinked. "Eh? That's it?"
Sabrina combed her hair telekinetically and nodded. "Mm… and it crit."
There was plenty more in the details, but Sabrina's explanation was about right—and succinct.
[Why does that Umbreon feel… different?]
[Yeah, not like the Umbreon I know.]
[So aggressive—and it even roared when it fell.]
[But real talk: when it jammed its claws into the floor to brake, I was sold. What kind of Pokémon does that?!]
[Right? It looked painful.]
The chat still fretted over Umbreon.
The way its sharp claws sank into the floor and it exploded up again left too deep an impression.
Any other Pokémon would've just taken the hit and gone back in its ball.
Karen's Umbreon was different—it stepped up whenever it mattered.
Stubborn to the point of baffling.
"This child was once shunned for its poison."
Karen stepped into the dent, knelt, and gently stroked the fallen Umbreon.
"Unlike Eevee's other evolutions, Umbreon is seen as inauspicious. One reason is that when it's excited, venomous sweat seeps from its pores."
The viewers listened quietly, eyes on Karen as she told the story.
"We first met on an open plain. No one near it. Wherever it walked, the grass withered. That's why it was ostracized."
Karen pinched Umbreon's cheeks, vividly recounting their little history.
She talked at length—enough to draw a few tears.
Too rough…
Just hearing it had been shunned was enough to feel the loneliness.
Good thing Umbreon met Karen.
For once in its life, it was seen.
That's why it fought so hard just now.
To repay Karen—and it overdid it.
"Umbreon, you did wonderfully. Now, please rest well."
Karen raised the ball to Umbreon's brow, recalled it gently, and returned to her spot.
One battle remained.
Karen had only one Pokémon left.
Grey still had one at full strength.
"Dojo Master Grey, aren't you recalling Blaziken?"
Noticing Blaziken still on the field, Karen prompted him.
From Grey's look, it seemed Blaziken still had a role to play.
"Mm. Let it stand there a while longer."
A faint smile tugged at Grey's mouth, leaving Karen momentarily at a loss.
It was badly poisoned—the damage would ramp each turn. Keep it out, and the injury would worsen!
Was he really letting it sit there and suffer?
Karen wanted to object, but seeing how close Grey and his Pokémon were, she held back.
"Dojo Master Grey, my last one is very strong. Be ready."
She palmed her last ball, waiting on Grey's call. "Or we can stop here."
"Since we're here, we see it through."
Grey nodded, looking forward to the finale.
"Houndoom—please."
Karen sent out the Houndoom from before; its murderous aura alone made viewers flinch.
[Pokémon: Houndoom]
[Type: Dark/Fire]
[Level: 63]
[Ability: Early Bird]
[Moves: … ]
This Houndoom's strength was truly Elite-tier!
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