"Golduck, are you alright?" Blue asked with concern.
Golduck wiped the blood from its nose with its arm. Summoning every ounce of its remaining psychic power, it condensed the energy into a massive, shimmering hammer—Zen Headbutt—and lunged toward Flygon.
"Flygon, use Dragon Pulse!"
Feng Che knew this was Golduck's final stand. If Dragon Pulse could shatter that psychic hammer, Golduck would have nothing left. The purple dragon-shaped energy erupted from Flygon's mouth.
The collision of Dragon Pulse and Zen Headbutt sent a violent shockwave through the arena. However, the psychic hammer held its shape, continuing its relentless charge. Feng Che realized that if Flygon took the hit directly, it would be severely injured—which would be a disaster for his upcoming match against Red.
"Flygon, use Dragon Rush!"
Golden draconic energy enveloped Flygon. Ever cautious, Flygon summoned a wall of sand in front of itself before accelerating into a head-on collision. A sonic boom echoed through the stadium as the desert dragon clashed with the psychic hammer.
Sand sprayed everywhere like shrapnel. As the Zen Headbutt shattered, Golduck collapsed instantly. Flygon, too, dropped from the sky, exhausted. Feng Che quickly recalled it.
Good job, Flygon. Just energy depletion, he confirmed via a quick psychic scan.
Now, Blue only has Machamp and Charizard left. Those are his heavy hitters. Ditto's Arbok form should handle Machamp, and I'll leave Charizard to Niales. Even if Charizard wins, it won't change the outcome, Feng Che calculated.
Kanto League Headquarters
Agatha was reviewing Feng Che's files. So, it's that kid from the Pharmacist Guild. His alchemy was impressive, but I didn't expect his Pokémon training to be this advanced.
Forget the final selection. I'll arrange an Elite Four vote and appoint him Viridian Gym Leader directly. I need to get the papers out before Goodshow realizes what's happening and causes trouble, Agatha thought.
She had a high opinion of Feng Che since he had exposed corruption in the Guild. The League is hollowed out by debt. I'm glad Lance warned me not to take over this mess completely. Goodshow wants a scapegoat? Dream on.
On the Field
"Return, Golduck! Next, go, Machamp!"
Blue sent out his strongest fighter. Feng Che noticed something immediately: Machamp's power-limit belt was gone.
"Perceptive as always, Feng Che," Blue grinned. "My Machamp has perfected its control. It no longer needs the belt to restrain its explosive power."
"Go, Arbok!" Feng Che released Ditto.
For this round, Feng Che planned to use Arbok's signature technique: Deadly Cosmetics (Death Makeup). He pulled an old tobacco pipe from his wristband and subtly used psychic power to ignite the contents. A thin trail of minty, medicinal smoke began to drift across the field.
"Don't worry, Blue. The smoke is harmless. It's a catalyst for my unique 'Deadly Cosmetics' style," Feng Che said.
"Player Blue, do you object to the use of the pipe?" the referee asked. "If it interferes, I will restrict it."
"No objection," Blue replied. "I've heard this was Elite Four Agatha's signature style. I've always wanted to see it."
Agatha's Office
"Deadly Cosmetics? Did he learn it from me?" Blaze wondered aloud.
Agatha laughed while watching the screen. Interesting. He learned it on his own. In my case, the smoke is a distraction to hide Arbok's changing scale patterns. It seems he's using the same ruse to hide his Arbok's unique talent.
The Battle
"Arbok, Haste Pattern!"
Feng Che blew a puff of smoke toward Ditto. Instantly, the patterns on Arbok's hood shifted. Arbok's speed reached a point where the human eye couldn't track it.
"Machamp, use Mind's Eye! Close your eyes and feel its presence!" Blue shouted.
Machamp closed its eyes, sensing a massive entity circling it at high speed. Suddenly, Machamp lunged forward with a punch. It connected, slamming into Arbok's head.
A strike based on pure intuition. Impressive, Feng Che thought. But one punch won't do it.
Arbok retaliated by spitting a spray of purple Poison Stings.
"Machamp, Bullet Punch!"
Machamp's four arms moved so fast they became a blur of a thousand hands. Every single poison needle was caught mid-air by Machamp's incredible dexterity.
"Ditto, Power Pattern!" Feng Che commanded through telepathy, blowing more smoke.
Arbok slowed down significantly, but to the audience, it still looked fast. Blue breathed a sigh of relief, worried about Machamp's muscles cramping from the high-speed defense.
"Arbok, Iron Tail!"
The snake's tail turned silver and slammed down with the weight of ten tons. Machamp caught the tail with all four arms—Detect. Its muscles bulged as it held the Power-boosted tail in place.
"Now, Fire Fang!"
Arbok lunged, sinking flaming fangs into Machamp's shoulder. Machamp roared in pain but refused to let go. Gritting its teeth, Machamp spun Arbok around and hurled it across the arena into the wall of Feng Che's platform.
"Arbok, Dig!"
As Arbok scrambled up and dove underground, Blue sneered. "Arbok is a Poison-type. It's weak to Ground moves, and you let it hide in the earth? Machamp, Earthquake!"
Machamp leaped into the air and slammed all four fists into the ground with the force of a meteor. The earth shattered into a web of cracks.
Blue thinks he's won because of type advantage, Feng Che thought with a hidden smile. He has no idea what's coming.
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