The host and guests expressed no hope for Baimu's victory.
The audience was filled with regret.
After all, one has both Ground Attribute and Flying Ability, while the other is not only restrained by the ground but also limited to it, making the outcome apparent to anyone.
Even Baimu himself knew the disparity in strength was vast.
But he was not planning to give up.
The proud Mawile would rather endure the intense pain in its chest and numbness in its feet, than break through the ground at the last moment, despite the suffering accumulated from clashing with Slowbro. Why?
The timid Chansey allowed itself to be thrown around in the air, narrowly dodging the rocks, even while being heavily hit in the back, yet it struggled to unleash one last move. Why?
—Victory.
As long as it wasn't the final moment, as long as any companion hasn't completely fallen, as long as there was even the slightest chance of continuing to fight.
Victory was still right in front of them, waiting anytime to be grasped!
"Dodge!"
At the moment Baimu released Lairon, he immediately shouted.
Lairon landed and dashed forward without hesitation, as a terrifying rumble sounded from where it had just been.
Without looking back, just by seeing Claydol's glowing arms, it was clear that this guy had just used a [Power of the Earth] at its original position.
Given its Special Defense, taking a hit would practically mean kissing victory goodbye.
Lairon panted heavily, fully aware that its current situation was like walking on a tightrope, with the possibility of falling into a deep abyss at any moment.
But for the Paradise called victory ahead, even with storms and thunder as companions, it had to keep going!
"It's coming head-on! Run and use Rock Lock!"
"Gudo!"
Lairon ran and manipulated rocks to rise from the ground and smash forward. They collided with the hot sand spewing from Claydol's arms, failing to disperse them and instead being repelled back.
Luckily, it dodged quickly enough, avoiding being hit by the scorching hot sand and rocks.
[Hot Sand Land].
A Ground-type Special Attack move that could cause the target to burn, using Claydol's powerful strength to forcibly suppress Rock Lock.
Of course, being in a running state also slightly weakened the momentum of Rock Lock.
The release of moves while moving, much like casting while moving, increases flexibility but greatly affects power and accuracy.
However.
Lairon was not planning to confront Claydol with moves, instead opting to buy time through mobility.
Although not fast, it could delay the opponent's attack with moves.
To attain victory, it had to keep delaying, until Claydol was worn out from attacking, until the Attribute energy was exhausted. Then, the opportunity would come.
"Strong Mental Will!"
Shanren seemed to realize Baimu's plan, directly opting not to play tricks, preferring to abandon the quadruple-advantage Ground moves in favor of simply using psychic power to lock down strongly.
No matter how tough your Lairon is, wouldn't it succumb after a few hits?
—There's a way!
"Digging!"
Baimu adhered to his delay tactic to the fullest, having played numerous teams in his previous life hinged on such procrastination strategies; he felt no conflict at heart.
There was never a rule stating Pokémon battles must be face-to-face confrontations.
Lairon quickly dug into the ground, avoiding the invisible mental waves released by Claydol.
Shanren's expression turned grim.
"Trick—Earthquake!"
"Run towards me! Use Iron Wall!"
Claydol's body glowed with a bright blue light, its defense and attack swapping at this moment.
Then, it crashed into the ground like a falling star, with the hard earth crumbling like brittle biscuits, sending countless sands and stones into the air, and a soil-colored light turned into shockwaves spreading around like a missile explosion, terrifying.
Thud—!!
The deafening boom assaulted everyone's eardrums.
Luckily, at the critical moment, Lairon drilled out from underground, enveloped in a silver halo, tightened its body into an Iron Wall, yet was still blown away by the shockwave, rolling messily in the dirt several times.
Even fortunate to have avoided the high-damage area of the Earthquake, and having Iron Wall for defense, Lairon still sustained some harm.
"Gu...do!"
It supported itself shakily, standing up from its crouched position, just like Baimu did not far away.
Both were affected by the Earthquake, Claydol's sheer strength having been exaggerated by turning its exceptional defense into attack power.
Most crucially, Claydol possessing too many powerful and effective moves was frantically pressing Baimu and Lairon's nerves.
"Can you hold on?"
"Gudo."
The Trainer and Pokémon exchanged briefly, then laughed simultaneously.
Pushing through was indeed tough, but compared to what they had faced, it was nothing. Even worse situations had been endured, so what was this?
On the opposing side.
Shanren saw the smile on Baimu's face, his brow furrowing even more, "Again! Strong Mental Will!"
He wanted to see how long Lairon could hold on!
In the studio.
The host's voice lost its enthusiasm, as he turned to discussing with the guests Baimu's purpose and plan going forward.
"What do you think contestant Baimu's goal is by continuing to delay like this?"
"It's simple; he's waiting for the right moment," the guest replied calmly. "He's waiting for Claydol to tire out because even for Claydol, continuously using moves will be tiring."
"What counterattack will he likely use?"
"Probably Brute Force, but given that Brute Force is a contact move, it's normally quite difficult for Lairon to reach the airborne Claydol, so I'm really curious about what tactic he'll use."
The guest smiled, "But beyond that, whether Lairon can hold up is also a question. Contestant Shanren smartly kept his distance from Lairon, giving it no chance."
"You're right... so what's the likelihood that contestant Baimu has no tactic, and is just purely stalling for time?"
"Impossible, based on contestant Baimu's prior performances, he doesn't seem like someone who would do pointless things," the guest chuckled.
While the guests were having lofty discussions, the audience was clamoring.
Mainly those gamblers who bet on Shanren to win, cursing Baimu in the arena for not giving up and wasting everyone's time.
Why drag out an unwinnable match?
Those who bet on Baimu retaliated loudly against those betting on Shanren, still dreaming of striking it rich overnight and naturally not wanting Baimu to give up.
The argument grew louder and eventually sparked intense conflicts until security personnel escorted them away.