This was definitely not good news for Keita; conversely, for Eichi, things were looking up. The difficulty of defeating Keita had just dropped several levels.
After the water and flames canceled each other out, Charizard moved to press its advantage, preparing to use a powerful Fire-type ultimate move. Charizard's wings vibrated against the air, creating a series of explosive sonic booms.
"Roar!"
Charizard roared at the sky, and the surrounding air began to take on a distorted, folding appearance. The ambient temperature spiked by several degrees; the spectators below didn't even realize that beads of sweat were beginning to form on their foreheads.
As Charizard opened its mouth and glared with wide eyes, countless flames converged. A sphere of fire formed in its maw, rapidly accumulating energy over several seconds. The energy fluctuations were so intense that even the spectators far below could feel the hidden, terrifying power within.
Below the arena, Sato and his friends frowned at the Charizard, their expressions bordering on disdain. Tetsu, standing beside him, said, "Sato, I feel like this Charizard isn't as strong as yours, but I can't quite put my finger on why."
To Sato's left, Konan spoke up. "Your feeling is correct. Whether you look at the power of its moves or the speed of its execution, this Charizard is completely inferior to Sato's."
"You feel that the Flamethrower is weaker because you've seen Sato's Charizard use it before. Comparing it to Keita's, the power clearly lacks punch. Furthermore, the speed at which it charges its moves is too slow. Take this Fire Blast for example—Sato's could release it in four seconds, but Keita's has already taken six."
"Most importantly, haven't you noticed? Keita only knows how to let his Pokémon charge blindly. He has no strategy at all."
Sato nodded silently; Konan's assessment was spot on.
"Heracross, charge in and use Hidden Power!"
Eichi wasn't about to wait around while Charizard prepared its Fire Blast. Heracross vibrated its wings and, with a determined gaze fixed on its opponent, charged forward, its body radiating an imposing aura.
The energy in Charizard's fire orb reached its peak and was unleashed toward Heracross. The force of the blast even knocked Charizard back a short distance. A massive ball of fire erupted from its mouth, rapidly expanding in the air into the shape of the character for "Great."
Fire Blast!
The scorching flames hissed through the air. As Heracross charged head-on, it could feel the blistering heat. Heracross puffed out its cheeks and unleashed a massive stream of water, which slammed into the flames directly in front of it.
Sizzle!
Contrary to expectations, the water was instantly vaporized upon contact. The stream only managed to slightly dampen the intensity of the Fire Blast. The flames continued their relentless push toward Heracross.
"Heracross, Double Team!"
When the Fire Blast was only about two meters away, Heracross vibrated its wings and instantly split into countless clones.
Buzz, buzz, buzz!
In a single rotation, at least forty or fifty clones of Heracross surrounded Charizard. The Fire Blast passed through one of the clones, incinerating it instantly, but the rest remained. Charizard was dazed—Double Team again? Could they not just have a straightforward fight?
"Heracross, Megahorn!"
Eichi felt there was no need to drag this out any longer; it was better to end the battle quickly. All the Heracross clones pointed their large horns at Charizard, the tips flickering like bolts of electricity.
Energy converged at the top of the horns, where a cyan light blossomed alongside a white aura. Eichi's entire being radiated a wild, violent pressure, and every Heracross clone mirrored his intensity. Charizard looked left and right, unable to distinguish the real one.
"Charizard, Fire Spin!"
Countless embers spat from Charizard's mouth, forming a massive vortex of fire around it that swept toward the surrounding clones.
"Heracross, use Double Team again!"
What!
Keita was completely stunned. How could Heracross use Double Team while simultaneously maintaining Megahorn? It wasn't just him; the crowd below was shocked. How was this possible?
Whether they believed it or not, Heracross performed the move. As clones were incinerated by the Fire Spin, more clones split off to take their place. This time, it was even more relentless. Originally, Charizard was only flanked on its sides, but now it was surrounded 360 degrees—above, below, left, and right. Every single one had fully charged its move.
The scene was magnificent, drawing the attention of people from the other combat arenas. All the Heracross clones surged forward, diving toward Charizard. Keita began to panic; there were simply too many clones.
"Charizard, don't stop the Fire Spin! Burn them all!"
"Roar!"
Charizard grew desperate, frantically unleashing the fiery vortex. However, it was futile. Heracross moved with extreme speed, a streak of sparks and lightning. Even though some clones were incinerated before getting close, the real Heracross was already right on top of it.
Watching the helpless Charizard, Keita suddenly regretted not teaching it the move Protect. Now, it could only wait to be hit. Over a dozen clones slammed into Charizard's body simultaneously. Charizard plummeted from the sky, smashing through a few remaining clones before continuing its fall.
At that moment, all the clones vanished. Only one Heracross remained in the air; it turned out the real one had been the one directly behind Charizard.
"Heracross, Hidden Power!"
A massive stream of water shot out, slamming hard into Charizard's body.
"Roar!!"
Charizard let out a heart-wrenching scream. It was already falling, but the impact accelerated its descent.
Bang! Crash!
Charizard smashed into the ground, creating a deep crater. Eichi, taking no chances, had Heracross continue the Hidden Power. Ten seconds later, Heracross finally ceased its attack. Charizard lay in the pit, motionless and covered in wounds.