Good.
Having drawn out the purpose of this battle, Paul's lips curled into a faint smirk.
A battle against an Elite Four-level was no longer enough to satisfy him. He wanted more!
For instance, he wanted to take down an Elite Four-level Raichu—using his fully powered-up Torterra.
But no matter how much of a type advantage Torterra had, would that alone be enough to bridge the gap?
"Torterra, Earthquake!"
Paul no longer held back and unleashing a powerful move right from the start.
"Raaaa…"
At his command, Torterra stomped down with immense force, sending a devastating tremor rippling across the battlefield.
"Focus Blast!"
As the ground quaked violently, Raichu's body crackled with electricity, allowing it to propel itself into the air completely avoiding Earthquake. At the same time, it gathered a sphere of concentrated energy in its paws and launched it toward Torterra.
"Razor Leaf! Sunny Day!"
Paul responded swiftly.
The leaves on Torterra's shell rustled as countless sharp green blades shot out, intercepting the incoming Focus Blast midair.
Meanwhile, a glowing orb of light rose from the tree on its back, soaring into the sky and transforming into a miniature sun, illuminating the battlefield.
"Double Team! Nasty Plot!"
"Solar Beam!"
In midair, Raichu's figure blurred and split into multiple afterimages, while its eyes gleamed with a sinister glint—powering itself up even further.
But in the very next instant, a blazing beam of solar energy erupted from Torterra's mouth, sweeping across the sky and wiping out every single Raichu clone in one fell swoop.
None of them were real!
"Quick Attack, Iron Tail!"
Suddenly, a streak of light appeared above Torterra's head. Like a bolt of lightning, Raichu plummeted downward, its tail glowing metallic silver as it aimed a crushing blow.
"Protect!"
Torterra lifted its gaze without a trace of fear. A green energy barrier materialized around it, perfectly blocking Raichu's attack.
"Charge Beam!"
Raichu immediately rebounded, its body sparking as it floated backward maintaining distance. Then, just as the Protect shield faded, it unleashed a jolt of electrified energy at Torterra—lowering its Special Attack in the process.
"Stone Edge!"
Ignoring the electrical hit, Torterra summoned jagged stones all around it and sent them hurtling toward Raichu.
Raichu attempted to evade, but the stones guided by Torterra's precise control followed closely behind. Realizing it couldn't dodge them all, Raichu unleashed a Thunderbolt, obliterating the incoming projectiles.
"Solar Beam!"
Even before the dust settled, another blinding beam fired from Torterra's mouth, relentlessly targeting the airborne Raichu.
With Quick Attack and Agility, Raichu swiftly maneuvered through the air, dodging the beams with ease.
"Magical Leaf!"
Paul's tone grew more intense.
Sensing his urgency, Torterra split its focus. While continuously firing Solar Beams, it also locked onto Raichu with its mental energy. The leaves on its shell rustled again, unleashing a flurry of enchanted leaves that homed in on their target.
Raichu could evade Solar Beam, but Magical Leaf was unavoidable. Its only options were to use Agility or clear the field with another Thunderbolt.
At this point, Torterra should have been the one burning through its stamina at a faster rate. However, thanks to Paul's Endless Flow Strategy, Torterra could continuously restore its energy and keep itself powered up.
Raichu, on the other hand, was constantly on the run. It wasn't just burning through stamina—it had no time to attack or use any moves to strengthen itself.
"Volkner… The pacing of this battle… it's slipping away…"
In the stands, Flint's initial excitement had faded into a look of deep concentration.
"This is bad… really bad…"
Even the usually composed Volkner scoured the battlefield with a sharp gaze, searching for a single opportunity—a window to turn the tide and defeat Torterra.
But there was none.
Torterra kept up a relentless offensive, even managing to attack in multiple ways simultaneously. Even if Sunny Day wore off, it would immediately shift tactics, adjusting its moves to regain control. Eventually, it would just summon another mini sun to continue its strategy.
"Frenzy Plant!"
Just as Sunny Day dimmed, the ground trembled. Massive thorny vines burst forth, towering into the sky before crashing down toward the now-fatigued Raichu.
"Swift!"
In response, Raichu flicked its tail, releasing a storm of glowing golden stars that blanketed the sky, blocking Torterra's vision.
The hardened vines crashed through the sea of stars, shattering countless golden shards—but they failed to reach Raichu. The vines receded, leaving Torterra briefly immobilized.
"Giga Impact!"
Seizing the moment, Raichu channeled all its remaining energy, gathering the scattered Swift stars around itself before diving toward Torterra like a blazing meteor.
Torterra's post-move recovery from Frenzy Plant was brief—less than two seconds. But those two seconds were enough.
Raichu's attack landed squarely on Torterra's head!
BOOM!
A deafening explosion erupted, enveloping both Pokémon in a powerful shockwave.
Torterra was strong—but Raichu wasn't backing down either.
As the smoke billowed, Raichu wasted no time. Ignoring the negligible cooldown of Giga Impact, it immediately followed up with another Iron Tail, smashing its glowing steel tail into Torterra's face. Using the recoil force, it flipped out of the smoke launching two Focus Blasts in rapid succession.
The entire sequence was executed in one fluid motion, dealing a massive blow to Torterra.
"Hyper Beam!"
Volkner wasn't about to let this chance slip away.
"Rai-chuu!"
Raichu opened its mouth, gathering a sphere of destructive energy before unleashing it straight into the fading smoke.
With Torterra's massive size, there was no need for precise aiming—it was a guaranteed hit!
BOOM!
A violent explosion tore through the battlefield, but amidst the fading smoke, a streak of green light emerged.
"Something's wrong! Raichu, get out of there!"
Realizing something was wrong, Volkner shouted.
But…
WHOOSH!
Before Raichu could react, a small unassuming Leech Seed shot out from the smoke, striking it dead center. In an instant, the seed burst apart wrapping Raichu in a web of constricting vines.
"Leaf Storm!"
A fierce storm of razor-sharp leaves swept through the battlefield, clearing away the remaining smoke and revealing a battered yet determined Torterra.
The swirling leaves engulfed Raichu, slamming it into the ground.
"Earthquake!"
Paul's cold voice rang out.
The ground trembled once more.
Pinned down by Leaf Storm and weakened by Leech Seed, Raichu had no way to escape the full force of Earthquake.
"Rai-chuuu!!"
The arena trembled as the devastating attack landed—
Moments later, as the tremors faded, Raichu struggled to stand.
"Rai… chu…"
Two seconds passed.
Then, with one final defiant cry, Raichu collapsed.
"Raichu is unable to battle! The victory goes to Paul's Torterra!"
The robotic referee announced the final verdict.
"We won..."
Paul exhaled slowly.
In the previous battle, he could have kept pressuring Raichu with Torterra until victory was secured. Others might not have noticed, but Paul knew—the sustained high-intensity output was an immense burden on Torterra as well.
Even if its stamina was at full capacity, it couldn't maintain that level of explosive power indefinitely.
Victory was never guaranteed, but sometimes you have to take risks.
But this time, the risk has paid off.
They had won.
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