"It's unlikely. Compared to the one I fought before, this Greninja is much weaker," Hagen said in a low voice. "The one back then could stand toe-to-toe with my ace Aggron."
Though Hagen wanted nothing more than to find the person who snatched the Heart of Steel right from under his nose, he had to admit that the evidence before him kept debunking his suspicions.
"Poliwrath, be careful! Use Rain Dance—see if we can wash away this black mist," Red commanded.
A faint blue light pulsed from Poliwrath, and dark clouds gathered instantly.
Strange. Poliwrath's Rain Dance usually takes longer to set up. Why was it so fast this time? Red wondered, watching the drizzle quickly turn into a torrential downpour.
But the black mist didn't dissipate. Instead, the heavy rain made the darkness look as thick and oily as ink.
"Greninja, Throat Chop!"
Utilizing the rain and the Haze for cover, Greninja vanished. It reappeared at Poliwrath's side, its blade forged of Dark energy thrusting forward with lethal precision.
Poliwrath let out a scream of agony as the blade struck its back. It swung a frantic fist to counter, but the Greninja it hit vanished into smoke—another Double Team clone.
Stab. Stab.
Poliwrath was hit again and again. Throat Chop causes intense, lingering pain that disrupts the target's ability to use sound-based moves or focus. After several consecutive hits, Poliwrath literally fainted from the sheer intensity of the pain.
The mist cleared. Greninja emerged, dragging the unconscious Poliwrath behind it like a dead weight.
"Poliwrath is unable to battle! The winner is Greninja!" the referee announced.
"Alright, you're up next!" Red shouted.
Both trainers recalled their Pokémon and threw their next balls simultaneously. Red sent out his massive Snorlax, while Feng Che chose Venusaur.
"Snorlax vs. Venusaur... what a strange matchup." "Snorlax eats brambles and thorns for breakfast. Venusaur's vines are just snacks to it!" The crowd buzzed, mostly convinced that Venusaur was at a type-disadvantage against the gluttonous giant.
"Snorlax, Bulk Up!" "Venusaur, Vine Whip!"
Snorlax flexed its massive arms, its muscles expanding several times over. Venusaur lashed out with thirty-two vines, but they simply bounced off Snorlax's toughened hide with dull thuds.
"Snorlax, Mega Punch!"
Snorlax charged, the ground cracking beneath its weight. As it raised a fist the size of a beanbag, Venusaur's vines suddenly coiled around its limbs, binding it tight. Golden light drained from Snorlax—Giga Drain.
"Snorlax, use Superpower!"
Veins popped on Snorlax's forehead. It grabbed the vines binding it and, with a roar, yanked them upward. Venusaur was launched high into the air.
Snap!
Snorlax actually tore several vines right off Venusaur's back. The broken vines leaked fragrant sap. Snorlax licked its lips and, to the horror of the audience, stuffed the vines into its mouth and began chewing.
"Brutal! It's actually eating Venusaur's vines!" "Snorlax has zero chill."
High in the air, Venusaur's vines regenerated instantly thanks to its incredible vitality. It wove thirty-two vines together into two massive hammers.
"Wood Hammer!"
Venusaur slammed the giant wooden mallets down. BOOM! A shockwave blasted through the stadium. When the dust settled, Snorlax was holding its hands up, struggling to hold back the wooden hammers, its feet buried deep in the dirt.
"Venusaur, keep going! Chain Wood Hammer!"
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Venusaur hammered Snorlax like a nail into a board until the giant disappeared completely underground.
"Venusaur, it's probably using Dig. Use your vines as radar to find it!"
Venusaur spread its vines across the surface, sensing tremors.
"Snorlax, now! Body Slam!"
Snorlax erupted from the earth like a volcano, aiming its massive weight at Venusaur.
"Venusaur, Solar Beam!"
Feng Che had predicted the move. A golden pillar of light blasted Snorlax mid-air, pushing it back. However, Snorlax's Thick Fat ability dampened the fire/heat damage of the beam, allowing it to land relatively unscathed.
"Snorlax, Hyper Beam!" "Venusaur, Power Whip!"
Venusaur used its vines to intercept the Hyper Beam. The collision destroyed half of Venusaur's vines, but the blast was neutralized.
"Finally, I broke through that vine defense," Red sighed in relief.
"Venusaur, Grassy Terrain!"
Green light washed over the field. Venusaur's destroyed vines grew back in the blink of an eye. "Now, Seed Bomb!"
"Snorlax, don't let it hit! Mega Punch the ground!"
Snorlax punched the earth, creating a localized earthquake that knocked the incoming seeds off course.
"Haha! I stopped it!" Red cheered.
"Venusaur, Sweet Scent."
A seductive aroma wafted from Venusaur's flower. Snorlax seemed to lose its mind, walking dazed toward Venusaur. Simultaneously, pink petals drifted onto Snorlax's body—Petal Dance.
"Snorlax, now! Mega Punch!" Red shouted.
Snorlax's eyes instantly cleared. It wasn't confused at all—it was a feint! Red grinned as Snorlax closed the distance.
"Actually, Red... you're the one who fell for it," Feng Che smiled calmly.
Suddenly, thick vines erupted from the petals on Snorlax's body, wrapping it up like a mummy.
"While using Petal Dance, Venusaur hid Leech Seed among the petals. With Snorlax's current speed, it can't brush them off. It will be drained bit by bit."
"Impressive as always, Feng Che," Red countered, undeterred. "But you forgot one thing. My Snorlax knows Belly Drum! Snorlax, do it!"
"Stop it, Venusaur!" Feng Che cried.
But it was too late. Snorlax slammed its palm against its own stomach. Its face turned pale as its health plummeted by half, but an aura of terrifying, raw power exploded from its body. Its attack stat was now maximized.
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