Phantom Force or Ally Switch. This strategy made it impossible for Crawdaunt to launch an effective offensive, nor could Akatsuka easily find a window to recall it to its Poké Ball.
Most critically, the combination of the burn and Ceruledge's special blades rapidly drained Crawdaunt's stamina. It was now teetering on the edge of collapse.
"Ceruledge, Flamethrower!"
Sensing Crawdaunt's dire situation, Gu Yuan had Ceruledge take the initiative. A surge of water appeared, barely blocking the strike, but Crawdaunt finally ran out of strength and collapsed helplessly.
"It's all up to you, Blastoise! Rapid Spin!"
Recalling Crawdaunt, Akatsuka deployed his final Pokémon, Blastoise. Thanks to the effect of Rapid Spin, the Spikes failed to deal any damage to it.
"Phantom Force, Shadow Sneak, Will-O-Wisp strike!"
Seizing the moment Blastoise used Rapid Spin, Ceruledge successfully landed a Will-O-Wisp strike. The burn damage began to take effect alongside the bleeding.
Akatsuka reacted swiftly, ordering Blastoise to counter with Water Pulse. Under the impact of two consecutive Water Pulse blasts, Ceruledge was sent flying. Its previously depleted stamina combined with this heavy blow caused it to faint immediately, though it had already fulfilled its mission.
"Blastoise, Aqua Ring."
While Gu Yuan was releasing his fifth Pokémon, Akatsuka had Blastoise use one of its egg moves, Aqua Ring, to negate the weakening effects of the burn.
"Go, Charizard! Fire Blast!"
After using the System to discover that Blastoise's other egg move was Haze, Gu Yuan abandoned the idea of having Charizard buff itself and went straight on the attack. Flames erupted, forming a burning character for "great" as they charged forward.
"Blastoise, dual Hydro Pump!"
At Akatsuka's command, both cannons on Blastoise's back fired simultaneously, completely crushing the Fire Blast. Massive clouds of steam rose, yet they couldn't stop the remaining force of the water from rushing toward Charizard. However, Charizard fanned its wings and blocked the blast with Air Slash.
"Charizard, go all out! Continuous Fire Blast!"
Gu Yuan's command was exactly what Charizard wanted. Flapping its wings to lower its altitude, it began firing off Fire Blast as if cost were no object.
Watching the frenzied assault, Akatsuka assumed Gu Yuan intended to exhaust Blastoise's stamina to pave the way for his final Pokémon, which at best should only be quasi-Ace Rank. Akatsuka's counter-strategy was simple: match Charizard blow for blow.
No matter how much stamina Charizard drained from Blastoise, a mere quasi-Ace Rank Pokémon wouldn't be able to defeat his Blastoise quickly. This would allow Aqua Ring to take effect again and let him turn the tide!
With this thought, Akatsuka ordered Blastoise to counter-attack.
"Blastoise, let's go! Hydro Pump barrage!"
Scorching flames and surging torrents collided, creating thick steam that rapidly blanketed the entire battlefield. As the clash continued, the temperature in the arena rose steadily. Even Gu Yuan and Akatsuka, standing at the edges, felt the change as sweat beaded on their foreheads.
Despite this, neither man moved to wipe it away. Instead, they stared intently at the battle, barking out orders. This kind of high-speed exchange was a severe test of a trainer's judgment. One slip-up could lead to being overwhelmed by the opponent's momentum.
Unfortunately, the heavy steam obstructed their vision, making commanding much more difficult. In this regard, Gu Yuan, as a Psychic, held a slight advantage, allowing him to barely overcome the disadvantage Charizard faced against a Water-type.
In truth, if Gu Yuan had changed his tactics to use probing attacks and look for openings, Charizard might have had a chance to win despite the type disadvantage. After all, Gu Yuan had guided Charizard to many such victories before.
But there was no need for that. Since he could let Charizard fight to its heart's content while still winning easily later, why refuse? Gu Yuan's lips curled into a smile, a sight that puzzled Akatsuka, who felt victory was within his grasp.
Suddenly, flames enveloped Charizard as its Blaze ability triggered. The power of Fire Blast surged instantly.
Whoosh!
Under the fiery impact, Blastoise's momentum was halted, triggering its Torrent ability in response. After such a grueling battle, the duration of Aqua Ring had ended, but the burn remained. Now was the ultimate test for Blastoise: could it defeat Charizard before its own stamina ran out?
The collision of fire and water resumed. As if sensing the dawn of victory, Charizard lowered its altitude even further.
"Go, Charizard! Blast Burn!"
"Blastoise, Water Spout!"
Like Blast Burn, Water Spout has a base power of 150, but its power scales with the user's remaining stamina. In its current state, Blastoise could only muster a portion of its potential, yet the massive volume of water still swallowed and extinguished the flames.
"Come back, Charizard! The final blow is yours, Sylveon! Hyper Voice, Hyper Beam!"
Before the water could strike Charizard, Gu Yuan recalled it and released Sylveon.
"Blastoise, Hydro Pump, then use Aqua Ring!"
Akatsuka's orders followed immediately, and Blastoise scrambled to act. At that moment, Akatsuka thought he saw the light of victory.
Sound waves rippled out. Given Blastoise's current condition, the Hydro Pump it fired was crushed the instant it touched the Hyper Voice. Shattered along with it was Akatsuka's hope of winning.
No one expected that Gu Yuan's Sylveon would also possess Ace Rank strength.
An orange-yellow energy beam erupted. Blastoise's Aqua Ring was destroyed by the Hyper Beam before it could even form, and the beam slammed directly into its body. Boosted by the Pixilate ability, the Hyper Beam was even more terrifying, completely swallowing Blastoise.
As the steam gradually dissipated, Blastoise stood stunned for a moment, its eyes filled with unwilling frustration, before finally collapsing.
"It's over! Gu Yuan is the winner!"
"No one could have predicted that contestant Gu Yuan had an Ace Rank Sylveon hidden away to secure the final victory!"
The announcer's voice rang out, bringing this final showdown to a perfect conclusion.