"Blas~!"
A muffled voice echoed from inside the spinning shell that had just been sent flying by Gyarados's latest strike.
The previous reverse Water Tail had left Blastoise spinning counterclockwise.
Now, after receiving its trainer's command, Blastoise immediately capitalized on that momentum and launched directly into a counterclockwise Rapid Spin.
The rotation speed instantly increased.
Its retreat accelerated dramatically.
The shell shot backward across the battlefield like a spinning cannonball.
Even Gyarados, which had been relentlessly pursuing it, hadn't anticipated the sudden burst of speed.
For the first time in a while, Blastoise successfully escaped.
And with that escape came more than just freedom from Gyarados's relentless assault.
It also meant escaping Ash's rhythm.
Escaping the tempo that had controlled the entire battle.
At long last, Blastoise finally had a chance to breathe.
It had endured the punishment.
It had bought enough time.
And now it had finally found an opportunity to break free.
Of course—
This only meant it had temporarily escaped Ash's control.
Whether it could turn that opening into an actual counterattack was another matter entirely.
If it failed to capitalize on this chance, it would only be dragged back into Ash's rhythm all over again.
Still, Daizumi looked remarkably confident.
"Blastoise, keep using Rapid Spin and gain altitude!"
"Then charge down from directly overhead!"
"Finish with Ice Punch!"
Daizumi's command rang across the battlefield.
"Blas~!"
Blastoise answered immediately.
Its deep voice echoed as its head and limbs withdrew fully into its shell.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The massive shell spun faster and faster.
Like a giant millstone hurled skyward, it rapidly ascended into the air.
Neither Gyarados nor Chansey possessed true flight capabilities.
Compared to Machamp's earlier frontal charge across the battlefield, Blastoise's aerial approach was significantly harder to intercept.
Using the properties of Rapid Spin, it had chosen an angle that neither of Ash's Pokémon could easily block.
Of course—
"Difficult" didn't mean impossible.
Whoooooosh—
Ash watched the spinning shell soar high above the battlefield before beginning its descent.
Like a meteor falling from the heavens.
At the same time, he noticed the confident smile on Daizumi's face.
A smile appeared on Ash's own face as well.
"So that's your plan."
"An Ice Punch."
"An Ice-type move that's super effective against Flying-types."
"You're counting on Gyarados's Flying typing, aren't you?"
"Compared to Water-type attacks that can't deal much damage, Ice Punch can certainly hit a lot harder."
Ash nodded thoughtfully.
"It's not a bad idea."
Then his smile widened.
"But I'm still willing to bet your gun doesn't actually have any bullets in it."
The words left Daizumi momentarily stunned.
"What?"
As Blastoise reached its apex and began plunging toward the battlefield like a falling meteor, Ash remained completely calm.
Daizumi couldn't help narrowing his eyes.
"Why?"
Why was Ash still so confident?
Why wasn't he worried at all?
Ash didn't answer.
Instead—
Someone else answered for him.
"Because you forgot about me."
A sweet voice sounded from beside Ash.
Clarissa smiled brightly.
"You seem to have forgotten that this is still a two-on-one battle."
The moment those words left her mouth, she immediately issued her command.
"Chansey, stop Blastoise!"
"Use Disarming Voice!"
"Lucky~!"
The Chansey that had quietly remained behind Gyarados throughout the battle finally stepped forward.
Its round body swayed gently.
Like a professional singer stepping onto center stage.
Placing its tiny paws against its chest, Chansey opened its mouth.
A beautiful and enchanting melody filled the battlefield.
The song transformed into rings of pink sound waves that shot skyward toward the descending Blastoise.
Daizumi's expression changed instantly.
"Not good!"
Only now did he realize the problem.
Throughout the battle, his attention had been focused almost entirely on Ash and Gyarados.
He had unconsciously ignored Clarissa and Chansey.
Earlier, Clarissa's Chansey had successfully occupied him long enough for Ash to defeat Hideo and Machamp.
Now that he was facing both trainers at once—
He finally understood the pressure of a true two-versus-one battle.
Meanwhile, Chansey's attack had already reached Blastoise.
BOOM! BOOM!
BOOM! BOOM!
The pink musical notes exploded against Blastoise's spinning shell one after another.
Each impact produced a sharp sonic blast.
The repeated detonations caused Daizumi's heart to tighten.
Fortunately—
Blastoise's impressive Special Defense stat wasn't just for show.
Nor was the six-level advantage it held over Gyarados.
Furthermore, the high-speed rotation generated a natural sound barrier around its body.
After all those defensive layers reduced the attack's power, Disarming Voice alone wasn't enough to stop Blastoise's charge.
Of course—
That was also because Chansey's offensive capabilities were naturally limited.
"Chansey!"
"Maintain Disarming Voice!"
"Then stack Echoed Voice on top of it!"
Clarissa's next command followed immediately.
"Lucky~!"
Chansey responded without hesitation.
Disarming Voice was a sound-based move.
And Echoed Voice not only possessed its own offensive power, but also amplified subsequent sound attacks dramatically.
The combination was simple.
But devastating.
Disarming Voice plus Echoed Voice.
The resulting increase in power was immediate.
"Sing—!"
"Sing—!"
The melody transformed.
The sound waves became noticeably stronger.
The moment Echoed Voice layered over Disarming Voice, the attack's power surged several times over.
BOOM!
BOOM!
The pink musical notes smashed into Blastoise once more.
This time—
The sound barrier surrounding the spinning shell shattered instantly.
The enchanting melody transformed into a devastating sonic assault.
The sound flooded directly into the shell.
And thanks to the shell's enclosed structure, the echoes bounced around inside repeatedly.
Blastoise immediately suffered tremendous damage.
After all, its incredible defenses were concentrated in its shell.
The body hidden inside wasn't nearly as durable.
The difference was like comparing an armored vehicle to the driver sitting inside it.
A moment ago, Blastoise had looked like a meteor falling from the heavens.
Now—
It looked more like a skydiver who had forgotten their parachute and fainted from panic halfway down.
Its speed hadn't slowed.
Its descent continued.
But everyone watching could tell something had changed.
Something was very wrong.
Blastoise was no longer in the same condition as before.
Its trajectory remained unchanged.
Its consciousness clearly did not.
Daizumi saw it.
The audience saw it.
Even the commentators saw it.
And Ash saw it most clearly of all.
A brilliant smile spread across his face.
"How about that?"
"I told you your gun didn't have any bullets."
With Blastoise successfully controlled by Chansey's combination attack, the confidence in Ash's voice became even more pronounced.
Then he raised his arm and delivered the final verdict.
"Gyarados."
"Finish it."
"Use continuous Water Tail!"
"ROOOOOAR!!!"
Gyarados unleashed a deafening roar.
Its massive body shifted aside, perfectly avoiding Blastoise's falling trajectory.
Then—
It raised its tail high into the air.
A gigantic water vortex wrapped around it.
Like an executioner's blade preparing to deliver judgment.
The final strike was coming.