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Marill's second 'Brick Break' came crashing down hard on Spheal, but because of the angle, the blow actually knocked Spheal out of the pit instead of finishing him off.
Spheal tumbled across the ice, shaking himself off, looking distinctly annoyed.
"Since you like 'Brick Break' so much, then have your fill! 'Encore'!" Candice shouted loudly.
Spheal clapped his fins, sending out a pulse of energy that locked Marill's moves. A sudden, binding force wrapped around her, now she could only use 'Brick Break'.
With Marill's moves sealed, Spheal smacked his belly proudly and began rolling again in his usual unpredictable, zigzagging pattern.
If Marill failed to match his pace, Spheal would stop on a dime and unleash a Blizzard, catching her off guard.
With 'Encore' active, Marill's only move was 'Brick Break', and there was no way that could land on the fleet-footed Spheal. Under Luther's direction, she moved cautiously around the arena, waiting for 'Encore's effect to fade while also trying to burn through Spheal's stamina.
Still, Spheal's stamina was incredible. Even after rolling all over the place, firing off multiple Blizzards, and using that draining 'Sheer Cold', the little blue puffball was still brimming with energy. If it weren't for the Everstone holding him back, he'd probably have evolved into a Walrein by now.
The Blizzard damage was piling up. Marill tried her best to dodge Spheal's attacks, but Spheal's speed advantage was overwhelming, every time Candice read Marill's movement, Spheal would immediately roll into the perfect position.
Then Marill's tail twitched, twice. Luther instantly understood: 'Encore' had worn off.
Spheal was now rolling toward her, stopping just a short distance away before firing another roaring Blizzard straight at Marill.
"We'll use Blizzard too, head-on!"
No matter how durable Spheal was, constant rolling and move-spamming had to be taking its toll. Once both of them were caught in each other's Blizzards, it would be hard for either side to escape unscathed.
The twin Blizzards collided violently, sending a freezing gale sweeping through the entire gym.
Luther, Candice, and even the referee were all shivering.
Candice couldn't take it anymore, she grabbed the jacket she'd tied around her waist and hurriedly put it on, then let Ninetales wrap its tails around her for warmth.
Luther yanked the coat that had been resting on Chansey's head and threw it on himself, then scooped up Espurr to warm his hands. Only then did he feel a little better.
The referee sniffled, teeth chattering. For the sake of professionalism, he said nothing, just silently prayed that Spheal and Marill would hurry up and decide a winner.
That was easier said than done. Both Pokémon were going all out now. Spheal's constant rolling and dodging infuriated Marill, to her, that looked like cowardice.
Still using Blizzard, Marill muttered angrily under her breath, firing back all the taunts Spheal had thrown at her earlier.
Spheal stopped drumming on his belly and focused everything he had into powering up his Blizzard.
Then Marill realized something was terribly wrong, she couldn't move. Her body felt stiff. Looking down, she saw that half of her body, including her tail, had frozen solid to the ice.
Spheal wasn't much better off; his belly was half-stuck to the icy surface, but after a bit of wriggling, he managed to free himself.
Luther immediately spotted the danger and ordered:
"Break yourself free with brute force!"
Marill gave him a helpless look and waved her tiny arms, short and stubby, as if to say, "How am I supposed to reach?!"
Candice noticed the situation too and smirked.
"Sorry about this, but I'll be taking the win now. Sheer Cold!"
Spheal started to move closer, wanting to ensure Sheer Cold's accuracy, but then he noticed that Marill's hands and mouth were still free to move.
"Use the fallen ice pillars as cover! Fire Sheer Cold from there, if it hits Marill, great!"
Spheal crouched low behind the ice pillars, absorbing the frigid air of the arena, building up power for one final, devastating blast.
Marill kept struggling, but it was useless.
Then Luther's eyes lit up.
"Use brute force, on the ground! Slam down!"
Marill blinked, then understood. She heaved forward, throwing all her weight down, smashing the ice beneath her with a Mighty Blow, creating a crater right where she stood.
The unleashed Sheer Cold tore across the entire battlefield. Even the referee couldn't stand it, he jumped off the platform, diving for cover.
From above, the arena looked as if a gigantic frozen flower had bloomed, layers upon layers of jagged "petals" radiating outward from Spheal at the center.
Spheal was trembling. That Sheer Cold had drained him completely; his stamina was gone, and he was gasping for breath.
Candice watched carefully. When the icy storm subsided, there was still no sign of Marill. The referee, peeking from the stands, looked just as unsure of what had happened.
Espurr felt something damp on his fur and glanced up at Luther. Even in this freezing cold, there was sweat running down Luther's face, and his palms were slick too.
At the very edge of the frozen "flower," an ice pillar suddenly toppled.
Covered in frost and shards of ice, Marill crawled out from beneath it.
At the last moment, she had used 'Brick Break' repeatedly to carve out a pit beneath her, a makeshift shelter against the Sheer Cold. Even so, the attack had battered her terribly.
The ice had sealed over her completely, and it took every ounce of her strength to punch through the surface and knock aside the ice pillar trapping her.
She was at her absolute limit now. The accumulated damage, the constant Blizzard assaults, and the Sheer Cold had pushed her body temperature dangerously low, her movements were sluggish, her breath shallow.
Her legs and tail were still frozen fast, and the icy ground between her and Spheal was uneven, bristling with jagged pillars.
Spheal stood on a raised platform, surrounded by shimmering frost crystals.
"Spheal, Rest."
The two Pokémon, utterly exhausted, stared at each other for a moment. Then Spheal smiled faintly, closed his eyes, and drifted into sleep.
That was the final move Candice had saved, a contingency plan to restore Spheal's strength when the battle reached an unavoidable deadlock.
Marill turned to look at Luther.
From the day she was an Azurill at the Pokémon Center, through her evolution into Marill in Verdant Forest, she had always trusted Luther's judgment completely.
Even though she was often left a little hungry, Luther had always done his best to give her everything he could within his means. She truly wanted to win this battle for him.
Because this wasn't just another Gym Battle, this was Luther's proof that he had reached a new stage in his journey.
Now, she was the only Pokémon Luther had left on the field. This was something only she could do.
But she didn't know what to do anymore. Her thoughts felt frozen, as if the Sheer Cold had seeped into her mind. Surrounded by the endless white of the arena, her senses began to drift.
Then Luther, whose mind had been just as clouded, suddenly regained his clarity. It was as if he remembered that very first day, the day he came into this world and chose Azurill as his partner.
Aside from Shiran, that day had been one of the most beautiful memories of his life.
That was when his new life truly began.
And the ones who truly accepted him into this world weren't the people, It was the Pokémon he had met and raised along the way.
"Marill, start rolling."
Marill's eyes widened, then she broke into a mischievous grin.
She didn't need any further explanation. She threw herself onto the icy ground and began rolling forward, bouncing and tumbling across the uneven surface.
Whenever her speed dropped, she would smash the ground with a 'Brick Break', using the recoil to keep rolling forward, inching closer and closer toward the center of the icy "flower," where Spheal lay sleeping.
At first, Candice didn't pay much attention. The distance was full of obstacles, and Marill's stamina was clearly spent, she looked ready to collapse at any moment.
But as Marill drew nearer, Candice's expression changed. Her instincts screamed that something was wrong. By all logic, Marill should have no energy left at all, yet somehow, she was still pushing forward at that speed, refusing to stop.
Spheal, still sleeping peacefully, was slowly recovering from his injuries. Marill didn't even need to look to know that this was now a furious race against time.
Bruised, battered, and frozen, Marill finally reached the platform where Spheal slept. She stumbled against a jagged chunk of ice and tumbled into a hollow beneath the platform.
But that fall freed her, the ice around her legs and tail cracked apart, restoring her movement. She lifted her head weakly, looking up at the raised platform, despair momentarily filling her tired eyes.
Her vision swayed. Everything was blurry. There was no path upward.
Candice exhaled slowly, relief flooding through her. The battle was over. Marill couldn't go on any longer.
"If you can't climb up…" "Then tear the platform down! Lift it up, and throw it away!"
Luther's voice struck Marill like a bolt of lightning.
A dull boom echoed through the arena. The sound of ice cracking followed, sharp enough to make teeth ache. That half-meter-wide platform, the one Spheal had created with Sheer Cold, shattered from below as Marill slammed it with pure brute strength.
The thick layer of ice couldn't withstand her power.
Candice's eyes widened in disbelief as she saw it, Marill, the small round blue body, lifting the entire platform from underneath. Her tail braced beneath her like a coiled spring, perfectly stabilizing her balance.
Spheal, still asleep, had no idea what fate awaited him.
Like an ant lifting a mountain, Marill carried out Luther's command to the letter.
The platform, and Spheal with it, was hurled into the air.
A thunderous crash! The entire Snowpoint Gym shook as if an earthquake had struck.
The referee gaped in shock as the platform shattered into glittering ice shards. Spheal landed belly-up on the battlefield, completely unmoving.
He rushed from the spectator's stand, crouched down, and poked Spheal's belly. No response. Not asleep, completely unconscious.
The referee swallowed hard, staring at Marill, still wobbling unsteadily, refusing to fall.
"Spheal versus Marill… Marill wins!"
"Gym Leader Candice has lost all six of her Pokémon. Therefore, the winner is, Luther!"
The image of Marill lifting that massive ice platform burned itself into everyone's eyes. The entire gym was silent for several seconds, too stunned to react.
Candice stared blankly at her fainted Spheal for a long while before finally closing her mouth, realizing it had been hanging open.
Then, thud, Marill collapsed face-first onto the ground.
Every one of Luther's Pokémon rushed forward alongside him, flooding onto the frozen battlefield.
Crunching over shattered ice, Luther stumbled to Marill's side.
Espurr floated from his arms, nestling against Marill's body to warm her. Jumpluff hovered close, releasing a soft cloud of soothing pollen. Kirlia darted into Luther's backpack, grabbed some biscuits, and hurried back. Houndoom gently breathed fire onto Marill's tail, melting the lingering frost. And Chansey, without hesitation, pulled out her egg, nudged the others aside, and pressed it against Marill.
Luther had wanted to pick Marill up, to stroke her head and thank her, but seeing how his Pokémon had already gathered around her, he simply smiled and sat down beside them.
The applause came late, hesitant at first, then growing louder and louder until it filled the entire gym.
Luther lay back, exhausted, whispering softly to himself:
"I won."
He smiled faintly. His cold hadn't gone away, and his head still hurt, but right now, none of that mattered.
(End of Chapter)