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Sebastian shook his head with an amused smile.
"This kid, his heart is really devious... I still preferred his performance in the last match."
Benjamin, known as the Ghost Elite, looked at Roy with admiration, yet said disdainfully: "Vulgar and reckless!"
Roy remained silent.
After the secret trick was revealed, the first level of misdirection—using 'aura' as a deception—became apparent to everyone present.
Soon, everyone would realize the second layer of deception.
The second misdirection was Mimikyu's Fairy-type moves!
Snorlax is highly resistant to energy damage; however, Mimikyu's 'Draining Kiss' had proven extremely painful. This powerful Fairy-type move was so effective that one could be certain this Pokémon possessed the Fairy typing.
Before now, there had never been a Pokémon with the combination of 'Fairy+Ghost' types, creating a blind spot in strategic thinking.
Charming Fairy and terrifying Ghost—no matter how you looked at it, they didn't seem compatible, right?
The third layer was Roy's performance in the previous round.
Obviously, in the last round he had been a reckless fighter, seemingly blessed by the gods to hit three victories. In this round, he suddenly played a magic trick and transformed into a cheerful performer. It was beyond everyone's expectations.
Mimikyu's resemblance to Pikachu made people instinctively associate it with Electric-type, providing the fourth layer of visual misdirection.
Role Play completed Mimikyu's performance as a magician, forming the fifth layer of deception.
Roy, who had written this script, undoubtedly stood at a master level.
Layers of misdirection, layers of fear.
A masterful strategy.
Ezra recalled his Snorlax in disgrace.
The reason he and Mateo were good friends was because their fighting styles aligned with the 'all-out' approach, preferring straightforward battles.
However, unlike Mateo who was convincingly defeated after being overwhelmed by recklessness, Ezra's current mood could be described in just one words.
— Frustrated!
Snorlax had struck at empty air.
If he had known the opponent's typing earlier, he would never have adopted that strategy, and Snorlax wouldn't have suffered such a miserable defeat.
Using information to control the battle—that guy didn't fight fair!!
Ghost plus Fairy, right... Ezra grabbed his second Poké Ball and flung it out.
What appeared before Roy's eyes was a Godzilla-like monster Pokémon, wrapped in steel armor with three long horns on its head.
— Aggron.
Seeing Ezra choose this Pokémon, Elon couldn't help frowning:
"So he's using his trump card?"
This Aggron had reached its race limit a year ago and was promoted to A+ level.
It was Ezra's strongest Pokémon.
Amazing strength and physical defense!
"Steel-type countering Fairy-type is indeed his best choice," Anya observed. "Little brother Roy's information advantage has been reduced by more than half. This will be a true test of strength."
In the previous round, Mimikyu had only showcased its impressive Fairy-type capabilities, revealing nothing about its other skills.
What was its true strength?
The referee signaled the start, and Ezra, who had been waiting impatiently, immediately commanded:
"Aggron, Heavy Slam!"
This was a move where the heavier the user, the more powerful the attack.
Aggron began charging forward, not quickly.
However, the massive shock waves generated by its mountain-like body completely expanded the attack area, making it nearly impossible to dodge.
Roy remained calm, his tone steady:
"Mimikyu, Shadow Claw!"
Dark purple energy erupted from Mimikyu's shadow, condensing into a ten-meter-long ferocious ghost claw.
The spectral appendage shot out with shocking speed, striking Aggron's body from the side.
Direct confrontation wasn't Mimikyu's strength, but its master-level proficiency with Shadow Claw allowed it to alter the direction of the mountain-like Pokémon.
With one strike, Heavy Slam abruptly turned thirty degrees and slammed into the wall, causing huge clouds of dust and shock waves.
Amateurs watch for entertainment, experts watch for technique... This momentary clash made Ezra recognize Mimikyu's true power.
Its strength and level were comparable to Aggron's.
—But it wasn't suited for direct confrontation!
"Iron Tail!"
The collision's impact didn't seem to affect Aggron at all. It rushed out from the rubble, approaching Mimikyu with its tail glowing with metallic light, sweeping toward its opponent.
Shadow Claw blocked Iron Tail, but after a brief struggle, began to falter. Iron Tail gradually overpowered Shadow Claw, pushing down bit by bit, drawing ever closer to Mimikyu beneath the ghostly claw.
In this dangerous situation, the corners of Roy's mouth curved slightly upward.
...it was time.
Suddenly, several ghost claws emerged from Aggron's massive shadow. Compared to the 'Shadow Claw' used by Mimikyu directly, these ghost claws were obviously weaker, clearly unable to break through Aggron's steel armor.
But the goal wasn't to attack—it was to control.
The ghost claws wrapped around every joint of Aggron's body like snakes. Two ghost claws even targeted its vulnerable eyes, mouth, and nose with vicious precision. Aggron hastily protected these vital areas with its hands, unable to concentrate its power on Iron Tail, and the power struggle gradually reached a stalemate.
'Amazing proficiency...'
Ezra secretly acknowledged, and immediately afterward, was shocked!
Wait, who was using Shadow Claw from the shadows?
At that moment, three Mimikyus appeared from the shadows and, together with the original, surrounded Aggron from four sides.
"Curse!" Roy said softly.
The three clones used the Curse move simultaneously.
Curse: the user enters the Cursed state at the cost of vitality.
Under this condition, the target's vitality would continuously drain away.
Normally, Aggron could tear these clones apart, preventing the opponent from using Curse effectively, but in its current situation, it was completely unable to dodge.
"ROAR!"
Aggron let out a ferocious cry, pain evident in its expression.
The audience erupted in surprise. No one had expected Mimikyu's Substitute technique to be so advanced.
Aggron was immobilized, its vitality draining rapidly. If this continued, defeat was inevitable.
Ezra's face darkened like stormy water as he issued a decisive command:
"Outrage!"
It was extremely difficult for a non-Dragon Pokémon to master Outrage, known as the "Dragon Pokémon's ultimate berserker state."
Not only were TMs rare and expensive, but the move required exceptional understanding from the Pokémon. It also caused confusion once the outburst ended.
Despite these drawbacks, countless trainers sought this move because... its explosive power was overwhelming!
Dragons possessed the highest destructive capability of all types.
Aggron's eyes suddenly turned crimson, and tremendous power surged through its body. Dragon energy enveloped and strengthened its entire form. With a violent shudder, it tore apart all the Shadow Claws instantly.
Outrage's dragon energy completely overpowered Mimikyu's Fairy typing. However, the enhanced power from Outrage wasn't wasted.
"Metal Claw!"
"Iron Tail!"
Under the Outrage condition, Aggron destroyed all three clones in an instant. Its rage intensified, slowly eroding its sanity as it turned red eyes toward the real Mimikyu.
Ezra ordered:
"Head Smash!"
This was one of the strongest physical Rock-type moves.
Using this attack would cause tremendous recoil damage.
Under normal circumstances, Aggron could rely on its "Rock Head" ability to negate this side effect.
But now, Aggron was in the 'Outrage' state with greatly enhanced strength. The power and recoil of Head Smash increased several times over, and the massive recoil was no longer completely negated by 'Rock Head'.
'—Going for a desperate victory?'
Roy's thoughts raced like lightning as he recognized Ezra's strategy.
After Outrage ended, Aggron would fall into confusion. Combined with Curse, defeat would be inevitable.
The only chance of winning was to forcefully defeat Mimikyu during the Outrage state!
Roy displayed a refreshingly confident smile.
The next moment, high-purity Rock-type energy concentrated at Aggron's crown as it charged toward Mimikyu with devastating momentum. Both its speed and strength had surpassed the A+ level limit.
BOOM!!
The deafening impact drowned out the sounds of tens of thousands of spectators throughout the venue, audible even a kilometer away.
The ground trembled and cracked.
Though it was a Head Smash attack, it carried the effects of an Earthquake.
Under this terrifying power, everyone believed Mimikyu had fallen.
After a moment, the dust cleared.
All eyes focused on the battlefield.
Aggron dropped to one knee, exhausted.
Mimikyu's body lay in tatters among the ruins.
When a breeze blew, Mimikyu's form lifted into mid-air like a rag, floating toward the audience...
The spectators, who reached out to grab what seemed like cloth, froze.
"...wait wait wait..."
"How is this just a rag?"
"???"
Simultaneously, a massive ghost claw suddenly emerged from the shadows, grabbing Aggron's entire head and lifting the monster forcefully.
"ARRRRGH!!"
With severe pain in its skull, Aggron let out an agonized cry.
From the shadow below, the intact Mimikyu appeared. The difference was that its Pikachu-like head hung limply, as if barely attached.
Only Roy understood what this meant.
The disguise had fallen away.
Yes.
It wasn't until this second round of consecutive battles that Mimikyu's Disguise ability was finally broken.
Snorlax had been completely outmaneuvered by Foul Play, never landing a single hit on Mimikyu from beginning to end.
Aggron had learned from that lesson and avoided Foul Play, but was still constantly controlled and cursed by Mimikyu.
A desperate attack in a desperate situation, the ultimate move intended to secure victory, had only hit Mimikyu's disguise...
Pretty frustrating, right?
That's how it goes.
Like selecting a tank character but facing a mage who knows how to kite attacks.
CRACK—
Shadow Claw twisted suddenly, shattering Aggron's skull. The Steel/Rock Pokémon crashed to the ground, falling into a fainted state.