Iron Head combined with X-Scissor allowed Scizor to act like a sharp spear, piercing directly through the Leaf Storm.
"Scizor, finish it with Fury Cutter!"
With the speed boost from Agility, Scizor reached Ditto in the blink of an eye. Having transformed into a Cacturne, which is quadruple-weak to Bug-type moves, Ditto had no hope of blocking this strike, even if it reverted to its original form.
"It's over. Destiny Bond!"
The moment the Fury Cutter struck Ditto, Gu Yuan had it launch its final move. Scizor's swift movements had now become its death warrant. Under the effect of Destiny Bond, both Ditto and Scizor fainted simultaneously.
While Destiny Bond is incredibly effective, its power drops significantly if the opponent's rank is higher than your own. Furthermore, the activation conditions are strict: it only works if the user is about to enter a near-death state. These limitations prevent it from being a truly "broken" move.
"I really didn't expect a Grass-type Pokémon to know a move like Destiny Bond."
Although Akatsuka owned many Pokémon from other regions, his focus was primarily on Water-types, leaving him with gaps in his knowledge of other attributes. He wasn't frustrated by the loss; instead, he found the battle interesting and silently reminded himself to study other types more seriously once he returned.
The Poké Ball opened again, and Akatsuka sent out his third Pokémon, Ursaring. Gu Yuan countered with Annihilape!
The moment it appeared, Ursaring was affected by Spikes, handing the initiative to Gu Yuan. Annihilape vanished as it used Phantom Force. By the time Ursaring could react, Annihilape was already standing right in front of it.
"Ursaring, Fire Punch!"
Flames enveloped Ursaring's fist, but Annihilape didn't use Rage Fist immediately. It tossed an Shadow Ball, and the resulting explosion forced Ursaring back. Annihilape then lunged forward, delivering a Cross Chop directly to Ursaring's chest.
Because Rage Fist was so dazzling, many people overlooked the fact that Annihilape possessed immense strength even without it. Sharp pain radiated from its chest, and Ursaring stumbled backward under the impact.
"Annihilape, Low Kick!"
Against a Normal-type like Ursaring, Annihilape maintained a massive advantage even without its signature move. In terms of raw power, Ursaring was stronger than Annihilape, but only slightly. However, with its Ghost-typing, Annihilape rendered Ursaring's most powerful moves useless, preventing it from utilizing its strength advantage.
"Roar!"
Given Ursaring's heavy weight, the power of Low Kick was boosted to 100. Combined with the super-effective fighting-type damage, it dealt significant injury to the bear.
"Hang in there, Ursaring! Fury Swipes!"
Upon hearing Akatsuka's voice, Ursaring retaliated with a surprising choice. Annihilape didn't resist, allowing the Fury Swipes to land. Five consecutive hits boosted the power of Rage Fist to 300, showcasing Ursaring's high mastery of the move.
The moment the attack ended, Akatsuka recalled Ursaring into its Poké Ball, giving Annihilape no chance to stop him.
"Go, Houndoom! Inferno!"
"Annihilape, retreat with Shadow Ball!"
Akatsuka quickly released his fourth Pokémon. Even though Houndoom took damage from Spikes upon entry, it immediately unleashed Inferno, spreading scorching flames everywhere. The effect of Inferno causes a guaranteed burn if it hits, which is fatal for physical attackers. Gu Yuan would not let Annihilape take that hit.
"Houndoom, Nasty Plot."
Seeing Annihilape back off, Akatsuka had Houndoom buff its stats. Now, the choice was Gu Yuan's. If he had Annihilape use Rage Fist to crush Houndoom, it would be taken down by Destiny Bond. If he let Houndoom continue to buff itself, even his quasi-Ace Rank Alakazam would be at a disadvantage.
Furthermore, with the Flash Fire ability, even Charizard would have its stamina drained by Houndoom. Akatsuka was confident in maintaining his lead even if Gu Yuan sent out his hidden Pokémon.
"Go, Annihilape! Phantom Force!"
Without hesitating for long, Gu Yuan gave his answer: he would trade Annihilape for Houndoom. Emerging from the pocket dimension, Annihilape's Rage Fist slammed directly into Houndoom's head. Simultaneously, Houndoom activated Destiny Bond, and both Pokémon fainted together.
Two red beams of light flashed as both were recalled. From the current situation, Gu Yuan—who had four Pokémon remaining—held the lead, but Akatsuka remained unfazed.
In a flash of white light, Ursaring reappeared, taking damage from Spikes as usual. Its opponent, however, was Alakazam, which also possessed quasi-Ace Rank strength. This caught Akatsuka by surprise; he had assumed Gu Yuan would save Alakazam to wear down Blastoise.
Despite his surprise, Akatsuka didn't hesitate. Ursaring had already adapted to the damage from the spikes and charged toward Alakazam with High Horsepower. Alakazam used Teleport to appear in mid-air, its eyes glinting with a cunning light.
"Ursaring, Mega Punch!"
Ursaring slammed its fist into the ground, creating massive fissures. Using its incredible strength, it dug out large boulders and hurled them at Alakazam. The sound of the wind whistling past the rocks made it clear how much damage they would deal. Alakazam used Teleport again to vacate the area.
"Ursaring, Rock Tomb, then use the falling debris for a second follow-up attack!"
Rocks tumbled down, attempting to knock Alakazam out of the sky. Even when they missed, Ursaring used the grounded boulders as weapons once again.
"Future Sight! Counter with Psyshock!"
Invisible psychic waves spread out, followed by several Psyshock bursts that manifested as purple pythons. They easily shattered the rocks and lunged toward Ursaring with open jaws.
"Ursaring, continuous Brick Break, then use Stone Edge!"
Swinging its claws with speed that defied its bulky frame, Ursaring shattered the psychic snakes one by one. It then launched a barrage of sharp stones, giving Alakazam no window to use Nasty Plot.
After having Alakazam use Psychic, Gu Yuan waited silently for the Future Sight to manifest.