With both Froslass and Machoke simultaneously losing their ability to fight, the match entered its final climax. At this moment, Rina still had two Pokémon left, while Rex had three.
Neither wanted to take advantage of the other, so they simultaneously threw their Poké Balls. Rina's fifth Pokémon was Cloyster, while Rex sent out his fourth, Politoed.
There was no obvious type advantage between the two, so the contest now depended on the Pokémon's raw strength and their trainers' command abilities.
Rina first instructed Cloyster to use Water Gun. However, when she saw that Politoed seemed to improve under the Water Gun attack, she realized that Politoed had the Water Absorb ability. This meant she had to avoid using Water-type moves for the rest of the battle.
Rex, seeing Rina's test, didn't make Politoed dodge intentionally. Instead, Politoed charged directly through the Water Gun attack, aiming to get close to Cloyster and use Brick Break.
"Icicle Spear!"
Just as Politoed's attack was about to hit Cloyster, Rina's command rang out.
Quickly, one icicle after another formed in front of Cloyster and shot toward Politoed. Politoed had no choice but to use Brick Break to block them.
From this scene, Rex deduced that Cloyster likely had the Skill Link ability.
Seizing the moment while Politoed was blocking the icicles, Rina ordered Cloyster to use Shell Smash, sacrificing some of its defense to greatly boost its attack power and speed.
In its Shell Smash state, Cloyster truly became a moving turret. Its speed now far surpassed Politoed's, allowing it to dodge Politoed's attempts to get close and counterattack with Rock Blast or Icicle Spear.
Cloyster executed guerrilla tactics brilliantly, while Politoed had a much harder time.
"Politoed, use Hyper Voice!"
Seeing that Politoed couldn't catch up to Cloyster, Rex changed tactics, opting for this risky move.
Indeed, this move was risky because it not only affected the opponent but also caused noise pollution for the trainer.
Ever since hearing Politoed's singing during a past performance, Rex had made an agreement with Politoed to avoid using Hyper Voice in battles unless absolutely necessary.
Given permission to sing, Politoed's mood lifted, and it began preparing to belt out its song. Rex, meanwhile, plugged his ears with his hands, hoping to reduce the noise.
Soon, a loud sound emanated from Politoed's mouth, mixed with what it thought was a beautiful song but was actually grating.
As Politoed's voice spread, Cloyster was the first to be affected. After just a few seconds, it painfully shut its shell tight, hoping to reduce the noise.
Rex knew this wouldn't help much since even with his ears plugged, the maddening sound still reverberated in his mind.
Rina, hearing Politoed's song for the first time, was even more affected. She not only plugged her ears like Rex but also briefly considered surrendering.
The audience outside the arena also suffered. Though farther away, the noise reached them clearly, causing discomfort.
"Alright, Politoed, use Bounce!"
Seeing that his goal was achieved, Rex quickly commanded Politoed to attack Cloyster. He also feared the audience might attack him if Politoed continued singing.
Upon hearing Rex's command, Politoed looked somewhat disappointed, enjoying the chance to sing on such a grand stage. However, as an obedient Pokémon, it followed Rex's instructions, leaping towards Cloyster with great force.
Seeing this, Rina quickly instructed Cloyster to dodge, but it was too late. Politoed kicked Cloyster over and followed with several Brick Break attacks, seemingly venting its earlier frustrations.
Cloyster, unable to withstand the continuous heavy hits, lost its ability to fight. Now, Rina had only one Pokémon left.
As expected, Rina's final Pokémon was her starter, Sceptile. Rex recalled Politoed and sent out Swellow, aiming for a perfect conclusion to this match.
Sceptile and Swellow were old acquaintances, having known each other since they were Treecko and Taillow.
Back then, Treecko often felt down after being defeated by Taillow, which became its motivation to train hard, hoping to one day defeat Swellow.
With this determination, Treecko evolved into Grovyle and then Sceptile, defeating countless strong foes along the way, all for this moment to challenge Swellow again.
True to its trainer's indomitable spirit, Sceptile inherited Rina's tenacity.
As the battle began, under Rina's command, Sceptile used Leaf Storm. Countless energy-formed leaves swept towards Swellow in the sky.
Swellow didn't attempt to dodge. It flapped its wings furiously, sending countless air blades to shatter the leaves and continuing towards Sceptile.
Sceptile nimbly dodged the air blades with agile movements, though the grass field was left in disarray.
This was just a probing attack, but it already thrilled the audience.
Seeing that Air Slash was ineffective, Swellow began gathering energy for a powerful Hyper Beam aimed at Sceptile.
Sceptile continued to dodge with its agility and seized an opening to hurl an Energy Ball at Swellow.
Swellow tilted its body at a 90-degree angle, dodging the Energy Ball and continuing to fire Hyper Beam at Sceptile.
Finally, amidst the continuous attacks, Sceptile made a slight mistake and was hit by a Hyper Beam, suffering some damage.
With Swellow alternating between Hyper Beam and Air Slash, the grass field became increasingly difficult for Sceptile to navigate. A minor misstep could result in a hit from Swellow.
Suddenly, Sceptile stumbled and fell. Swellow seized the opportunity, using Brave Bird to crash into Sceptile. If this hit landed, Sceptile would be severely injured.
Just as Swellow was about to hit Sceptile, Sceptile suddenly flipped over and used Leaf Blade to knock Swellow away, revealing it had set a trap to lure Swellow in.
Unfortunately, Swellow's physical toughness was formidable. After being knocked away, it shook its wings to regain balance and continued attacking Sceptile, clearly fed up with long-range attacks and eager for close combat.
(Chapter End)