"Weavile, close in with Quick Attack and use Night Slash!"
"Poliwrath, Water Pulse!"
The moment the red flag dropped, both trainers shouted their commands simultaneouslyone for offense, the other for defense.
Gentleman Ron was no rookie; he was a veteran with ample combat experience. He knew that Poliwrath's Fighting-type gave it a natural advantage over Weavile's Dark-type. In terms of raw physical power, Poliwrath wouldn't lose to a Weavile either; as a Fighting-type Pokémon, its muscular strength was inherently formidable.
The only thing he needed to guard against was Weavile's unpredictable and staggering speed. Having observed Hisoka's previous matches, Ron knew his opponent would go for a blitz right from the start.
In terms of speed, Poliwrath could only compete if they were in the water. Having "Swift Swim" in its nature meant its swimming speed was exceptional, but on land, its pathetic running speed wasn't even fit to carry Weavile's shoes.
At Hisoka's command, Weavile's black silhouette vanished, reappearing beside Poliwrath in the blink of an eye. Her right claw swung high, a crescent moon of dark energy forming at the tips of her talons, ready to rend through anything in its path.
Poliwrath didn't dodge. It stood its ground and unleashed Water Pulse. Whoosh... The sound of rushing water surged. Just as the Night Slash was about to bite into its shoulder, a ring of water erupted from Poliwrath's body, expanding outward with high-frequency vibrations.
Weavile felt a powerful force of rejection against her striking arm. Her body grew heavy as the vibrating pulses of water forcibly knocked her back.
"Weav...!"
Weavile dropped to one knee, shaking her head. She felt a bit dizzy. Water Pulse was a semi-defensive move; its direct damage was low, but it used high-speed vibrations to deflect attacks and occasionally inflicted the confusion status effect.
Seeing Weavile's momentary instability, a flash of joy crossed Gentleman Ron's eyes. Perhaps he truly could win this.
His confidence surged. He tapped his cane heavily against the floor and barked, "Poliwrath, Hydro Pump!"
"Muuu!"
Poliwrath let out a low rumble. A second later, a massive pillar of water, over ten centimeters in diameter, erupted from the center of its abdominal spiral, surging toward Weavile's position.
Weavile was unlucky; she had indeed been afflicted by the confusion effect of the Water Pulse. However, her grueling daily training allowed her to snap out of it quickly.
"Double Team!" Hisoka commanded calmly.
For speed-oriented Pokémon, Double Team was the ultimate skill for evading attacks and confusing the opponent's vision. Almost every trainer would teach this move to their agile Pokémon.
TMs for Double Team were relatively cheaparound ten thousand Poké Dollarsmaking them accessible even for common trainers. How effective the move was, however, depended entirely on the Pokémon's talent and the trainer's cultivation.
The Hydro Pump surged through the air. Just as it was about to strike Weavile's head, her body blurred for a fraction of a second before returning to normal. It looked remarkably similar to the way Lulu looked when using Teleport.
The water pressure tore through her chest, but there was no scream of pain. The Hydro Pump passed through her body as if it were passing through thin air.
The image shattered, leaving nothing behind but a few splashes of water on the floor. When Poliwrath regained its bearings, it found itself surrounded by twelve identical Weaviles.
The mastery of Double Team was measured by how many clones a Pokémon could produce. The lowest level produced two fakes that were easily spotted by a keen eye. A skilled Pokémon could produce five realistic clones that were nearly indistinguishable to the human eye. Above that was nine clonesso lifelike they could even fool Pokémon with excellent dynamic vision.
Hisoka's Weavile could produce twelve perfectly realistic clones, and she could even imbue them with her own scent, making it impossible for scent-reliant Pokémon like Arcanine to tell them apart.
The visual pressure was immense. Surrounded by twelve Weaviles, Poliwrath panicked. It lost its composure, its eyes darting frantically from one figure to the next, trying to find the real one.
Ron noticed Poliwrath's agitation and immediately shouted, "Poliwrath, stay calm! Don't look for her with your eyes! Use Hydro Pump in a 360-degree sweep! Force her out!"
This was a desperate measure most trainers used when faced with Double Team, but it was incredibly draining on the Pokémon's stamina to maintain such a high-output move.
A violent torrent of water erupted again. Poliwrath spun, sweeping the Hydro Pump in a full circle. The first Weavile shattered, followed by the second, the third... until all twelve had been destroyed. Yet, the real Weavile was nowhere to be seen.
"How is this possible!" Ron muttered. Even he was losing his cool. He couldn't accept it. If all twelve were clones, where was the real Weavile?
He searched the field frantically until he saw Hisoka. His opponent was smiling, his index finger pointing directly upward.
Not good. Ron's face turned pale. He abandoned his gentlemanly poise, his voice cracking as he shrieked, "Poliwrath! Above you! Get out of there!"
"Muuu?"
Poliwrath looked up just as the world went dark. A sharp pain exploded in its head. Weavile had dropped from the sky, her foot slamming directly into its forehead. The sheer force sent Poliwrath tumbling across the floor.
Weavile gave her opponent no room to breathe. This was a core tenet Hisoka had drilled into her: once you have the advantage, pursue the enemy until the end, even without a specific command.
The moment she touched the ground, she used Quick Attack to bridge the gap. Her explosive speed allowed her to catch up to the rolling Poliwrath instantly. She slammed a straight punch into its gut. She didn't use a move; it was a simple physical strike, but the sound of the impact was like a boxer hitting a heavy sandbag.
This was the "Military Fighting Arts" Hisoka had taught hera set of self-defense and combat techniques from his previous life. He had taught them to Weavile to make her physical movements more fluid during combat. While Pokémon moves were powerful, the precision of martial arts was often overlooked.
He hadn't expected Weavile to unleash the entire repertoire on Poliwrath. Side kicks, elbow strikes, Finger Pistols, shoulder leans... she used every lethal technique in succession, leaving Poliwrath screaming in pain. Finally, she dropped into a low crouch and launched a devastating Uppercut, sending the battered Poliwrath flying.
"Muuu..."
The Fighting-type Pokémon's rugged constitution prevented it from losing consciousness immediately. It tried to push itself up from the ground, but its numerous injuries rendered it powerless. With a final, desperate moan, it collapsed onto the field.
The match was over. Weavile hadn't ended it in seconds as the audience expected, but she had delivered a breathtaking display of martial prowess. It left the crowd exhilarated, realizing for the first time that Pokémon battles could be fought with such technical finesse.
Gentleman Ron recalled his defeated Poliwrath and left the arena immediately. He ignored his female companion's calls, too ashamed to stay a moment longer after such a crushing defeat.
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