On the battlefield...
Paul silently stared at the Poké Ball in his hand for a couple of seconds before returning his Samurott. He pulled out a new one and threw it forward.
"Froslass, get ready for battle!"
"Eeno~"
Froslass descended gracefully onto the battlefield, covering her mouth with a shy smile as she gazed at Shuckle.
"Shuckle, use Gyro Ball!"
The moment Froslass entered the field, Shuckle instantly spun into motion like a top, launching itself forward at high speed. If this hit landed, it would definitely break Froslass' momentum in one strike!
"Double Team!"
In a flash, Froslass' body split into dozens of identical clones, all giggling eerily from different angles—none of them were making any move.
Shuckle dashed through the field, smashing through dozens of Froslass clones, yet none were the real one.
Gyro Ball – Missed!
"Hail!"
As the first wave of attacks ended, the illusionary Froslass raised their hands in unison, summoning a swirling snowstorm. The sky darkened instantly as snowflakes drifted down—beautiful and serene.
Ability: Snow Cloak – Activated!
In the snowfall, Froslass' figure faded in and out of view, elusive and ethereal—an elegant yet haunting sight.
It was breathtaking, but Conway didn't have the luxury to admire the scene. His expression was grave.
"Shuckle, use Rock Tomb!"
"Shuuu~!"
Power surged from Shuckle as countless stones rained down from above, covering an enormous area of the field.
"Wooo…"
The boulders crashed down, shattering clone after clone of Froslass—but none of them were the real one. In fact, even more ghostly images began to emerge, their eerie wails echoing across the arena.
Move: Fake Tears
Shuckle's Special Defense harshly fell as it was enveloped in the mournful cries.
"Blizzard!"
Within the weeping snow, a powerful Blizzard surged forth, roaring toward Shuckle.
"Gyro Ball!"
Shuckle spun up again and launched itself headlong into the incoming storm, scattering the Blizzard with its forceful rotation.
Froslass' eyes narrowed—her attack had failed. She quickly halted the blizzard and tried to retreat.
But in the blink of an eye, the spinning Shuckle slammed right into Froslass—
"What?! A decoy?!"
Conway's eyes widened in disbelief.
As Shuckle slowed to a halt, the real Froslass suddenly appeared—right above it. Wisps of ghostly blue flame rained down on Shuckle, igniting it on contact.
Move: Will-O-Wisp – Burned!
Shuckle's Attack was halved!
But it didn't end there. Froslass floated above like a phantom, casting more mischievous spells. Hearts shimmered around her, drifting onto Shuckle, followed by a strange, and flashing beam that struck it directly.
Attract!
Confuse Ray!
In a matter of seconds, Shuckle was afflicted by three status conditions—burned, infatuated, and confused. The once-formidable Pokémon now floated helplessly in disarray.
"Damn it! Return!"
Conway frowned and quickly pulled out Shuckle's Poké Ball, recalling it with a beam of red light—
Or at least, he tried.
"What?!"
Froslass giggled softly, drifting between Shuckle and its Trainer, her body was blocking the recall beam.
Paul: "Misfortunes never come alone."
"Eeno!"
Froslass raised both arms. More ghostly flames appeared, raining down once more onto the love-struck Shuckle, each hit dealing massive damage.
Hex ×2 – Amplified by Burn and Status Conditions
The once-near-invincible Shuckle collapsed to the ground.
"Eeno…"
Froslass floated elegantly back to Paul's side, poised and graceful.
"Shuckle is unable to battle. Froslass wins!"
The referee raised a flag.
"Return…"
Conway looked like his blood pressure had spiked. He stood frozen for two seconds before finally recalling Shuckle, his expression conflicted as he stared at Paul.
Outside the Arena...
"Why? Even Rock Tomb had such a wide area of effect—why didn't he just switch out his Pokémon earlier?" Barry couldn't understand.
"Sigh… it was greed." Lucas let out a heavy sigh.
"Greed? What kind of greed?" Dawn blinked in confusion.
"Shuckle's Attack stat was nearly maxed out. If any of its attacks hit, it could have taken down any of Paul's Pokémon in just two moves. But if Conway switched out, all the boosts from Iron Defense and Power Trick would've been wasted. And Paul would never let Shuckle have the chance to set up again."
Lucas explained patiently.
Dawn: "So… he gambled on whether he could land a hit on Froslass?"
"Exactly. I think Paul planned it from the start—to trap Conway and Shuckle on a narrow bridge, with no way forward and no way back. Retreating meant losing everything."
"As expected of Paul! He's so smart!"
Barry nodded, even though he didn't fully get it.
Back on the Field...
"Let's go, Dusknoir."
Conway took a deep breath and released his third Pokémon.
The snow was still falling, but Conway didn't use Trick Room this time.
"Mean Look!"
Dusknoir's single eye flared open—locking onto one of the flickering ghostly figures on the field.
Froslass can no longer escape!
This time, it was clear—one way or another, this match was going to end here.
"Blizzard!"
Paul's command rang out.
Froslass melded into the snow, summoning one last massive Blizzard that covered the entire arena.
"Shadow Punch!"
Dusknoir stood firm, launching two huge, dark-purple fists into the storm, searching for Froslass' presence.
But after a flurry of strikes, the punches were swept away by the storm.
The Blizzard surged through and struck Dusknoir squarely, dealing heavy damage and pushing it to its limit.
"Ice Shard!"
"Een~o…"
As the snow ended, Froslass revealed herself and summoned a giant shard of ice, hurling it straight at Dusknoir.
Dusknoir didn't resist. Instead, it stood its ground glowing faintly with mysterious energy.
The Ice Shard struck true—knocking Dusknoir to the ground.
But in the next moment, a wisp of ghostly purple energy burst from Dusknoir's body, floating toward Froslass—who immediately collapsed.
Destiny Bond!
Clearly, Conway had planned this. Dusknoir had been commanded to use Destiny Bond—no matter what, Froslass would be going down with it.
"Both Dusknoir and Froslass are unable to battle. Trainers, please send out your next Pokémon."
The referee called out.
"You did great, Dusknoir. Return." Conway finally let out a sigh of relief.
His original plan was to use Destiny Bond to trade with Paul's second or third Pokémon. But the sudden appearance of Froslass threw off that strategy.
If Paul had recalled Froslass and sent out Samurott instead, and Dusknoir got knocked out—then his last Pokémon would be doomed. Either toyed with by Froslass or taken down by Destiny Bond.
So this was the only choice: mutual destruction. That was his only shot at winning!
"Well done. Take a rest." Paul gently recalled Froslass.
According to tournament rules, Destiny Bond could only take out one opponent per match. Whether it was Froslass or Samurott, Paul was fine with the trade.
In fact, this might've been part of Paul's plan all along.
Between Shuckle and Dusknoir, the latter posed a far greater threat to him.
As both Trainers contemplated their next moves, they simultaneously pulled out their final Poké Balls and threw them forward.
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