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On the battlefield, Ash slowly raised his head. The confident smile on his face made Pete feel increasingly uneasy. What Ash said next surprised him even more.
"The moment your Arcanine appeared was the moment you dug your own grave!"
As he finished speaking, Ash's eyes shone with determination.
"Pikachu, jump up and dodge it!" Ash commanded. Just as Fire Blast was about to strike Pikachu, the Mouse Pokémon suddenly leaped into the air.
Bang! Boom!
Pikachu soared upward, and the massive explosion struck the ice floe where Pikachu had been standing moments before. The attack also hit the water below, triggering a violent explosion instantly.
Water splashed everywhere, completely shattering Pikachu's final foothold. Watching Pikachu evade the attack, Pete looked up into the air, tracking his opponent's movements.
"Pikachu, use Splishy Splash!"
"Pika~~Pika~~Chu!"
Pikachu's eyes flashed with intensity upon hearing the command. Its entire body became enveloped in crackling electricity. At the same time, the water below seemed to be pulled by an unseen force, instantly forming a massive wave.
"What?!" Pete exclaimed, his expression showing complete surprise at the scene unfolding before him.
"What?! Pikachu is actually using Surf!" the commentator shouted in amazement.
Both the commentator and the audience wore expressions of shock. Only a select few who had witnessed this move before remained unsurprised.
Whoosh!
The enormous wave rose up, and the moment Pikachu descended from the sky, the electricity surrounding its body instantly spread throughout the entire massive wave. Electric arcs danced through the water, spreading across the entire battlefield.
Crack! Boom!
As the lightning spread, the platform beneath Arcanine's feet gradually shattered under the impact of the electrified water. Arcanine let out a panicked howl and finally tumbled into the water.
At the same moment, the massive wave from Splishy Splash came crashing down. A tremendous roar echoed across the arena as Arcanine was engulfed by the enormous surge.
Not only was movement difficult in the water, but the electricity released by Pikachu made Arcanine's body feel as though it had been struck by a powerful bolt of lightning.
Pete couldn't help but clench his fists as he watched the scene unfold. Now he finally understood what Ash had meant.
Ash's Pikachu could use moves like Surf and could even combine them with Electric-type attacks. With such excellent compatibility with Water-type moves, there was no reason to fear this field becoming a water battlefield.
However, his Arcanine was completely unable to function effectively on such terrain. The power of its Fire-type moves was greatly reduced, and its natural speed couldn't be utilized at all.
This truly was, just as Ash had said, digging his own grave.
"But! My Arcanine doesn't only know Fire-type moves! Arcanine, use Dragon Rage!" Pete shouted.
Even facing such dire circumstances, he refused to give up. He clenched his fists and called out to the battlefield with determination.
At that moment, Arcanine was being tossed beneath the water's surface. Although its entire body was assaulted by lightning and paralysis gripped its muscles, it still seemed to hear Pete's voice. Gritting its teeth, Arcanine forced its eyes open.
"Woof!"
A sound somewhere between a dog's bark and a wolf's howl emerged from beneath the water. Then a swirling wave of energy began gathering around Arcanine's body.
Boom!
A massive twister suddenly erupted, carrying tremendous energy within the tornado. It pulled the water upward, spiraling high into the sky.
"Arcanine can actually use Dragon Rage?!" Misty exclaimed from the audience, staring at the scene in amazement.
"I suspect Pete anticipated that after melting the ice field, Fire-type moves would be greatly weakened. He must have prepared for this situation!" Brock observed thoughtfully.
Precisely because this terrain was also unfavorable to Arcanine, Pete had prepared a move like Dragon Rage as a contingency.
"Dragon Rage is extremely powerful when used in water. If Pikachu gets caught in it, everything will be over!" Yellow said worriedly.
The power of the tornado-shaped Dragon Rage that erupted underwater was doubled in effectiveness. After Pikachu's Surf ended, it fell back into the water, and its body was pulled helplessly toward the vortex.
"This victory is mine!" Pete declared coldly, watching Pikachu being drawn into the whirlpool.
"It's still too early to say that! Pikachu, use Pika Papow!"
Even though his opponent could still execute Dragon Rage underwater—in water filled with electricity, no less—Ash firmly believed that he and Pikachu would not lose to their opponent's willpower. They could triumph even in adversity.
Following the command, thunderclouds gathered in the sky instantly. Pikachu controlled its unbalanced body, and powerful electrical current burst from its cheeks.
Boom! Crack!
Tremendous energy exploded outward. Countless bolts of lightning struck down from the heavens, falling upon the battlefield in an instant. They all converged in Pikachu's direction, merging into a thick pillar of lightning that shot upward into the sky.
The sky above seemed to become extraordinarily dark at that moment. Many spectators throughout the venue witnessed the amazing spectacle of lightning illuminating the entire arena.
After what seemed like an eternity, the lightning gradually dissipated. The entire venue fell silent, with only the sound of flowing water breaking the stillness.
Then, a figure emerged from the water first—it was Ash's Pikachu.
"Pikapi!"
Pikachu surfaced and shook its head vigorously, flinging water from its face. At the same time, it panted heavily. After three consecutive battles, its energy reserves had been substantially depleted.
A moment later, another figure slowly emerged on the opposite side. It was Arcanine, but the Legendary Pokémon now lay motionless on the water's surface, its tongue hanging out.
Ding!
The instant it was confirmed that Arcanine had lost its ability to battle, Pete's portrait dimmed on the large screen and then vanished. Meanwhile, Ash's portrait moved to the center of the display.
The three red indicators were extremely prominent, signifying that all three of his Pokémon retained their fighting ability.
The crowd erupted!
In an instant, the entire audience reacted, and thunderous applause suddenly broke out across the venue. After completing a one-versus-three victory in the first match, Ash had once again achieved this incredible feat in the second match.
If the first match could have been dismissed as luck, this performance proved it was genuine skill and strength.
Throughout history, many Trainers had completed a one-versus-three sweep in a single match. However, very few had managed to accomplish this consecutively in back-to-back battles. Even among the most elite competitors, such achievements were exceptionally rare.
"This is truly remarkable! After the first match, player Ash has once again won the second qualifier match using only a single Pokémon!"