"Begin!"
The referee's voice had barely faded when both Conway and Paul gave their commands together.
"Trick Room!"
"Sucker Punch!"
Dusknoir had already begun gathering its energy in secret. At the moment the command was issued, it raised one massive hand, channeling a strange energy that began to swirl through the air.
But Hisuian Samurott, who had been stand by with heightened focus, burst forward with Aqua Jet, cutting across the distance between them before Trick Room could fully activate.
Both of Samurott's shell-blades gleamed with killing intent as it unleashed a flurry of vicious slashes.
In an instant, multiple Sucker Punch strikes landed cleanly on Dusknoir—every blow hitting a weak point, dealing super effective damage and leaving Dusknoir severely battered.
"Duuuus~!"
Just before the relentless combo could knock it out, Dusknoir finally completed Trick Room. A mysterious spatial distortion enveloped the entire battlefield.
Instantly, Samurott felt a heavy force pressing down on its body—its movement sluggish and slow. Dusknoir, now unnaturally fast in this reversed space, easily dodged the follow-up strikes.
The chance to finish Dusknoir then and there was gone.
"Thunder Punch!"
Having slipped past the earlier barrage, Dusknoir suddenly phased above Samurott's head, its massive fist crackling with electricity. With a thunderous crash, it slammed down on Samurott, sending it crashing into the ground.
BOOM!
As Samurott hit the ground, a shockwave rippled across the field. Before it could recover, Dusknoir reappeared overhead, its single eye glowing ominously.
Confuse Ray!
The eerie light washed over Samurott, and its expression distorted in pain—confusion taking hold.
But thanks to its training with Ninetales, Samurott managed to suppress the confusion with sheer willpower and its sharpened warrior's instinct. It responded with a barrage of air slashes, slicing the wind toward Dusknoir.
Yet, Dusknoir, now at a sliver of health, didn't even attempt to dodge.
"Dusknoir, return."
Conway calmly recalled it with a beam of red light and seamlessly sent out a new Pokémon.
"Shuckle, you're up!"
"Shuuuuckle~"
Out came a tiny turtle-like Pokémon with a red, hollow shell. It looked utterly harmless—if anything, weirdly cute in its awkwardness.
Its appearance now could only mean one thing—Conway had something special up his sleeve.
"Samurott, Hydro Cannon!"
Still trapped in Trick Room, Samurott struggled to move fluently. It managed to charge and fire a massive stream of water toward Shuckle.
But in this twisted space, even Shuckle—slower than Dusknoir—moved like a fish in water, easily sidestepping the blast and widening the gap between them.
Adjusting his glasses with a calm smile, Conway gave the next command:
"Shuckle, Power Split!"
"Shuuu~"
In a flash, Shuckle radiated a strange glow that filled the arena. A spectral link formed between it and Samurott.
Their offensive stats were combined… and then evenly split.
As the move ended, Samurott suddenly felt drained—his strength was instantly reduced by more than half, and he felt extremely uncomfortable.
Meanwhile, Shuckle appeared oddly energized, as though its entire body was humming with power.
"Swords Dance!"
Paul frowned, giving the command.
In Trick Room, trying to force an attack without guaranteed accuracy was risky. Better to power up for a decisive strike.
Samurott understood and began to dance in place. Blue sword-shaped auras floated around it as its attack rose sharply.
Conway chuckled.
"Shuckle, Iron Defense!"
"Shuuu~"
A metallic glow spread across Shuckle's red shell, dramatically boosting its defense.
And once wasn't enough.
As soon as the first Iron Defense ended, Shuckle used it again—layering its defense to maximum.
"He's... stacking boosts."
Paul narrowed his eyes, something clicking in his mind as he watched both Pokémon power up without clashing.
Just then, both Shuckle and Samurott completed three full rounds of stat boosts. The air trembled, and Trick Room began to distort violently.
"Perfect timing."
Conway smiled and commanded:
"Shuckle, Power Trick!"
"Shuuu~!"
Bathed in white light, Shuckle used its mysterious power to swap its Defense and Attack stats.
And suddenly, Shuckle's attack stat increased to a terrifying level.
"Chaaaah~!"
Samurott's instincts burst—it could feel the danger. It then gripped its shell-blades tighter.
Crack!
Right at that moment, Trick Room shattered like a broken glass.
"Shuckle, Gyro Ball!"
A devastatingly boosted attack—how would Paul respond?
"Shuuu~!"
Shuckle launched itself skyward, spinning wildly, and transforming into a high-speed, metallic blur—like a missile locked onto Samurott.
"Samurott, Sucker Punch!"
Samurott focused every ounce of its concentration, its twin blades glowing darkly. Just as Gyro Ball closed in, it lashed out.
The blades struck Shuckle's soft underbelly—its weakest point.
BOOM!
A shockwave erupted. Shuckle was knocked upward, spinning uncontrollably toward Samurott's head.
"Again!"
Shuckle didn't stop—using the momentum and gravity, it tumbled down with even greater force.
This strike would be near impossible to block!
"Chaaaah~!!"
Samurott prepared to counter again, but just as it moved—
A beam of red light enveloped it.
Paul had recalled it.
BOOM!!
With Samurott gone, Shuckle's attack smashed into the ground, creating a crater with an explosive impact.
As the dust cleared, Shuckle rolled back to Conway's side—still wearing its adorably goofy expression.
"Why'd he recall it?!"
From the sidelines, a fired-up Barry shouted in disbelief.
"Samurott powered up with Swords Dance! He should've just gone for the win!"
"That was kinda dumb…"
But Lucas calmly explained:
"Because of Power Split, Samurott lost too much power. Even with triple Swords Dance, it was still weaker than before. Shuckle's Power Trick made its attack absurdly high. Samurott barely stopped one Gyro Ball—no way it could take a second."
"You seriously didn't see that coming, Barry?"
Dawn smirked, teasing him.
"Of course, I did! I just didn't say it out loud! I knew Paul wouldn't make a careless move."
Barry crossed his arms and looked away with a pout.
(To be continued...)
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