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"Rain Dance."
The call caught everyone off guard.
Both sides had been bracing for a full-on clash, so when Luther ordered Rain Dance instead, the Trainers in the stands let out a collective groan of disappointment.
Even Hakuya gave a bitter smile. He had already run through countless scenarios of how Ursaring would dismantle Marill in close combat, only to realize Luther's real plan was not to rush the fight, but to seize control of the weather advantage.
With Ursaring barely holding together on dwindling stamina, the chance of him breaking Marill's concentration was almost nonexistent. Knowing that, Hakuya closed his eyes and made no move to interrupt.
Dark clouds answered Marill's dance, swelling across the Gym's ceiling. Heavy sheets of rain poured down, drenching the ruined battlefield.
Bathed in the storm, Marill lit up with delight, hopping in place like it had returned to the comfort of its natural element.
Even Ursaring let out a low sigh of relief. His thick fur, suffocatingly hot after such a long battle, finally cooled under the falling rain.
But to Hakuya, that relief was dangerous. With Ursaring's stamina overdrawn, a cooled body meant stiffened movements, fatigue biting deeper with every second. If his core temperature dropped too much, Ursaring would collapse before the fight could even end.
For the first time, hesitation crossed his mind. Was it time to switch?
But Luther never let him decide.
"Go!"
Marill bolted forward, charging straight at Ursaring.
Caught unprepared, Ursaring slammed a massive fist into the earth in a hasty Mega Punch, but Marill zipped between his legs with playful agility. A sudden burst of Water Gun struck him across the back, stinging like a whip and dragging another growl from Ursaring's throat.
Blind fury welled up in Ursaring's eyes, he wanted nothing more than to whirl on his tiny opponent and crush it. But the measured tones of Hakuya's ocarina tethered him, reining that instinct into something more precise.
"Stomp!"
The ground shook as Ursaring brought his foot down, again and again, trying to crush the slippery Marill beneath a rain-slick battlefield. Stone shattered and dirt flew as the arena was reduced to nothing but jagged fragments and unstable terrain.
But in his ferocity, Ursaring misstepped. His foot drove too deep into a crack and became wedged.
"!" Hakuya's brow furrowed. He hadn't planned for that.
At least the broken terrain stalled Marill's rush, buying precious seconds. Ursaring braced both arms, straining to wrench himself free.
That's when Hakuya saw it, a line of white streaking across the uneven ground.
Marill had pressed itself low, belly to the dirt, ice flashing at its tail. A continuous Ice Beam carved a slick, glittering path, shoving aside rainfall as it slid with dazzling speed.
With one final arc, Marill launched from a protruding rock, its body soaring above the battlefield. Mid-air, it twisted, eyes locking on Ursaring. A mocking grin split its face.
The entire Gym erupted. Cheers thundered through the stands. Even Junna jumped up, pumping her fists and screaming for Marill, leaving Mai shaking her head, completely unsure whose side Junna was meant to be on anymore.
Ursaring stopped struggling. He knew it was useless to fight the trap. His instincts roared, telling him the strike above had to be intercepted.
"Brick Break!" Hakuya barked through his harmonica tune, ocarina pulsing sharp notes in time.
With an explosive motion, Ursaring swung upward.
Steel met steel, Marill's Brick Break crashed against Ursaring's, sparks scattering in the rain. Ursaring's leg twisted awkwardly under the pressure of his trapped footing, forcing his balance to buckle.
"Again!" Luther's response was merciless.
Marill struck once more.
This time Ursaring's entire balance collapsed. His leg finally tore free of the crack, just in time for his hulking form to crash hard into the soaked ground, rain scattering in sheets as the Gym shook with impact.
But Hakuya's ocarina never stopped. To its tune, Ursaring forced himself upright once more, eyes blazing blood-red as he swung both fists wildly at Marill.
The retaliatory power of Counter was terrifying, had Marill not darted back onto the icy path she had carved earlier, sliding out of range, those fists would have smashed directly into her.
Rain hammered down harder and harder. Gravel and sand seeped into the cracks of the ruined arena, turning the ground slick and heavy with mud. Ursaring staggered, his steps like lead, every movement weighed down by fatigue and waterlogged fur.
Still, he refused to fall. It was proof of Hakuya's training, proof that even after such relentless punishment, after Marill's blows had landed again and again on unguarded flesh, Ursaring's pride forced him to remain standing.
Yet Luther knew the truth too: Marill wasn't fresh either. She had expended herself summoning Rain Dance earlier, and if this dragged on, her stamina would bleed away piece by piece.
That was what Hakuya wanted.
Which was why Luther made his call now.
"Focus Punch."
The Gym seemed to thrum with anticipation at his words.
Luther remembered clearly the first time Marill had used this move, back then, she had felled a powerful Zangoose with a single strike. It had shocked him then. Now, Focus Punch would decide everything.
Marill's body tensed, bulking up, aura growing heavier with power.
Hakuya's eyes narrowed. His thoughts raced, analyzing the situation. Could Ursaring, exhausted, body trembling from stamina loss, heat bled away by the rain, still afford to charge in and interrupt? Or should he take the hit and gamble everything on Counter?
He chose.
"Counter!"
At once, Ursaring spread his arms wide, adopting the stance of one ready to embrace the attack head-on, muscles coiling with grim determination.
If he could endure Marill's Focus Punch, he would throw it back at double the might.
Luther's jaw clenched. He immediately understood Hakuya's plan. But he didn't waver. There was no backing down now.
"Full power, Marill."
For too long, he had restrained her, held back words of praise, fearing a bottleneck might dim her flame later. But now, now was her moment to break through.
Don't underestimate Marill.
The crowd, whispers fading into tense silence, leaned forward as one. All eyes locked to the battlefield.
Marill's round frame crackled, nearly swallowed by the searing energy gathered in her palms. Ursaring roared, trembling but resolute, struggling to fire himself up for that final stand.
The cry had barely echoed before Marill shot forward, bounding across shattered stone. One foot struck a protruding rock, then she sprang, soaring straight into Ursaring's chest, palm-first.
The Focus Punch landed.
The blow crashed into him like a hammer forged of pure determination. The energy didn't break on impact; it drilled in deeper, Marill pouring every ounce of her spirit into the strike.
Ursaring gasped raggedly, the scenery around him blurring, his body lurching backward under the crushing force.
And then Marill pushed off, twisting mid-air, flipping as the rain scattered around her, before landing lightly on her feet.
For a heartbeat, Ursaring still stood, arms wide as if to clutch her, as if to unleash the delayed response of Counter. Summoning one last shred of strength, he tried to hurl his fists down, but his body refused to follow.
Darkness swallowed his vision. The sound of the ocarina faded. Everything turned hazy.
With a thunderous crash, Ursaring collapsed to the sodden ground.
The Gym went silent for barely a second… before the eruption of cheers shook the ceiling.
Marill stood at the center, fists clenched, chest heaving, rain beating down over her defiant little figure.
Victory was hers.
(End of Chapter)