The effect of Encore finally ended.
At the very first moment, both Red and Dylan gave their orders.
"Pikachu, Encore!"
"Pain Split!"
Oh no!
Hearing Dylan's command, Red's pupils shrank.
Dylan's timing on Encore was terrifyingly precise.
Pikachu began clapping again, letting out its cute, astonished cries.
But Pain Split was faster!
Two balls of white light floated out from Toxapex and Pikachu, merging together in midair.
Encore took effect once more—but this time, it wasn't locking Light Screen.
It locked Pain Split!
The merged light ball split evenly in two and returned to Toxapex and Pikachu.
It was obvious—Pikachu's condition dropped again.
That also proved something else:
Toxapex's condition just now had actually been very poor. Red's offense had worked.
But with Pain Split activated, the two Pokémon's HP was once again equalized.
Red pressed his lips tightly together.
As expected—Dylan was never easy to deal with.
"So all that effort went to waste," Hop clicked his tongue.
"Toxapex still has Light Screen up, and Encore is locking Pain Split now."
"Not exactly," someone countered.
"Pikachu hasn't been directly hit by Toxapex at all, but Toxic Spikes have triggered many times."
"Pikachu's HP pool isn't high to begin with. After Pain Split, Toxapex's HP won't be that great either."
"The real problem," Leon shook his head,
"is that Toxapex is locked into Pain Split. No matter how Pikachu attacks, it can keep siphoning HP back."
"That's the worst-case scenario," Gloria said quietly.
"If this drags on, Pikachu might fall first."
Her eyes sparkled with disbelief.
Toxapex was truly something else.
It was clearly countered by Pikachu, slow, and terribly unsuited for facing a fast, high-damage Pokémon like Pikachu—
Yet somehow, the situation had flipped, and Pikachu was at a disadvantage.
What was even more absurd was that from start to finish, Toxapex hadn't landed a single offensive move on Pikachu.
It had relied purely on Toxic Spikes and Pain Split to drag Pikachu down.
On the field.
Red knew the situation was bad—but at this point, there was no turning back.
Switching Pikachu out now would be meaningless.
If another Pokémon came in and got hit by Pain Split, Toxapex would recover again, and everything done so far would be wasted.
"Pikachu! Brick Break!"
Red gave the order without hesitation.
Pikachu dashed forward.
Dark-purple poison flared over its body once more—Toxic Spikes triggered!
Pikachu cried out in pain. Its condition was already poor, and the poison hurt badly.
But it gritted its teeth and swung its glowing paw at the retreating Toxapex.
Toxapex tried its best to pull back, but its speed was nothing compared to Pikachu's.
It raised a tentacle to block—
Crackle!
Electric arcs flashed again.
Paralysis.
Bang!
Brick Break landed, shattering the Light Screen.
"Thunder!"
"Pain Split!"
The moment the screen broke, lightning erupted from Pikachu.
Thunder slammed into Toxapex.
Toxapex cried out as white light surged again.
The two light orbs merged—then split evenly once more.
Pikachu's aura weakened yet again.
In other words, the damage from Brick Break and Thunder had once again been shared.
"Thunder!!" Red shouted without hesitation.
He refused to believe Toxapex could withstand Thunder forever.
Pain Split equalized HP—but once Pikachu had nothing left to give, Toxapex would still go down.
"Pain Split!"
Toxapex slowly moved closer.
The two Pokémon were now extremely close—so close that Pikachu could clearly see Toxapex's true body inside its "tent."
Lightning exploded again.
The white light split once more—but this time, the orbs were tiny.
Both Pokémon were now in terrible condition, panting heavily.
"Thunder!"
Red's voice was heavy with resolve.
If this hit, Toxapex would definitely fall!
"Toxapex! Smack it away!"
Pikachu prepared to unleash Thunder again.
It didn't dare move—one step, and Toxic Spikes would trigger.
But at point-blank range, Toxapex suddenly swung its tentacle hard.
No move.
No technique.
Just a raw, forceful swing.
Pikachu instinctively stepped back—
And instantly regretted it.
Dark-purple poison surged up from the ground, engulfing Pikachu.
Toxic Spikes!
The entire stadium gasped.
"Pikachu!"
Red's pupils shrank.
Smack!
The tentacle struck Pikachu squarely, sending it flying.
Toxapex wasn't strong—but Pikachu was small, light, and completely unable to resist.
That was more than enough.
"Pika—pi—"
Pikachu tumbled across the ground before finally stopping, struggling to push itself up with its tiny paws.
But its body had reached its limit.
Slowly, it slumped back down.
Pikachu could not stand again.
Red stared silently at Pikachu's unconscious form.
"Pikachu is unable to battle. Toxapex wins."
Leaf announced the result.
The stadium exploded.
"That was way too close!!"
"Holy crap—I really thought Toxapex was done! It won with a basic attack?!"
"That was insane! So that's why he didn't use Recover—he was waiting for this!"
"Pikachu… it tried so hard. I'm heartbroken."
"Toxic Spikes MVP!! TOXIC SPIKES!!!"
The crowd was in an uproar.
No one had expected the outcome to turn out like this.
Encore had only a sliver of duration left.
Toxapex should have been helpless—
Yet it won with a supreme basic attack.
"Amazing… Dylan stayed unbelievably calm," Wallace marveled.
"In that situation, there was basically no way out—yet he still beat Pikachu," Steven said with genuine admiration.
"Champion Dylan is seriously terrifying!" May clicked her tongue.
Using a simple attack to force Pikachu to reposition, triggering Toxic Spikes and draining its last bit of stamina—
How could someone be this good?!
"And Toxapex didn't even faint," Steven added gravely.
"It can still use Recover."
On the field.
"Looks like we barely edged it out, Red. Just a little short."
Dylan smiled as Red recalled Pikachu.
"When the opponent is you, Dylan, I can't say I'm surprised."
Red's crimson eyes still burned brightly as he lowered his cap slightly.
"You're just that strong."
"Thank you. You're very strong too."
Dylan returned the praise sincerely.
Red had been incredibly smart.
By using Encore to seal Toxapex's options, he had nearly taken down one of the most troublesome Pokémon imaginable.
For a Pokémon like Toxapex—one with weak offense but heavy reliance on utility moves—locking its moves was practically lethal.
Red's lips curved upward almost imperceptibly.
This was Dylan's recognition.
"But now," Dylan continued with a smile,
"you still need to deal with Toxapex. You know it can Recover."
As long as Red sent out a Pokémon, Dylan could immediately order Recover.
Even in this poor state, one successful Recover would "revive" Toxapex—
Turning it back into that infuriating nightmare.
Red fell silent, staring at the weakened Toxapex.
Then—
"Roaring Moon!"
Red decisively threw his third Poké Ball.
A ferocious ancient Pokémon roared as magnificent wings spread wide.
"Roaring Moon! Scale Shot!"
"Recover!"
Roaring Moon beat its wings violently, teal phosphorescent scales firing downward in rapid succession.
White light rose from Toxapex—Recover activating.
Everyone stared.
Would it make it in time?
Dylan chuckled softly.
Scale Shot was Roaring Moon's fastest option.
Moves like Dragon Rush would be far too slow—Recover would finish long before impact.
But even Scale Shot wouldn't be enough.
It was a multi-hit move, and Toxapex's physical defense was absurd—boosted by two stages of Iron Defense.
One round wouldn't take it down.
Recover would succeed.
"Looks like, Red, you still can't take down my Toxa—"
Before Dylan could finish—
Golden electric arcs suddenly crackled across Toxapex's body.
The white healing light vanished.
Dylan froze.
Paralysis.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!
Scale Shot rained down relentlessly, battering Toxapex again and again.
Shockwaves roared outward, dust and smoke engulfing half the battlefield.
When the dust settled—
Toxapex lay motionless in the shattered ground.
"…?"
Dylan slowly raised a hand—
And pulled out a question mark.