Vyxe wanted to cry. He had just uttered that cool, confident line—"It's over"—only to have it blow up in his face. Looking at Eevee's ferocious counterattack, did she look even remotely exhausted?
"Wait a second—" "Eevee is swaying again!" "Is she... is she actually out of stamina this time??"
Duskull was covered in bruises. After Eevee gave it a thorough thrashing, she immediately reverted to her frail, panting state. This rapid shift made Blaze want to scream, but he forced himself to look back at his bench instead.
"That Eevee actually knows Substitute... but after splitting her stamina to create that decoy, she must be at her absolute limit now," Blaze mused. He didn't even bother scolding Vyxe; Eevee's three-win streak was already causing a dull ache in Riverside's collective chest.
"Haha... I knew I didn't misjudge this kid." Seeing Owen take three down, Ethan's expression finally relaxed. He shot a provocative look at Blaze. Fairview No. 1's dignity had been fully restored; conversely, the faces of the Riverside faculty were starting to feel quite hot.
"Ming, you go—no, Brandon, you're up."
Blaze calmed down and looked at the ace of their school: Brandon.
"If this continues, our starters will be picked off one by one. Brandon, do you have the confidence to end this?"
"Of course," Brandon nodded.
To him, dealing with this Eevee was a simple task. He had been waiting for his chance to shine, and now it had arrived.
Whether it was Eevee's speed, her rotating sand-screens, or even her Substitute trick, Brandon didn't care. In the face of absolute suppression, petty tricks were useless.
"Brandon is going in..."
The previously defeated Clement, Kexin, and Vyxe let out sighs of relief. If Brandon couldn't win, Riverside No. 1 might as well just forfeit the exchange.
As Brandon walked toward the arena, the cheers from the Riverside side doubled in volume, leaving the Fairview students stunned.
"Who is that guy?" Leo asked.
"He's likely the captain of their school team," Ms. Nina said with a smile. "Back in our day, the captains always had that kind of popularity."
Brandon's entry felt like Owen had already lost. In terms of sheer momentum, Fairview was getting crushed.
Ethan suddenly stood up and shouted to Owen, "Win this match for me! If you win this one, I'll consider you 'passed'!"
On the field, Owen heard Ethan's roar. A wide, bright smile spread across his face as he looked at Brandon. To Owen, Brandon didn't look like a rival—he looked like a golden egg just waiting to be cracked open.
If he cracked this egg, he'd get those resources for Shadow Ball and Reflect!
Brandon didn't like the way Owen and Eevee were looking at him. He frowned and released his Pokémon.
In the next instant, a wave of hot air swept through the gym. The Pokémon appearing on the field had scorching flames erupting from its body; its aura was overwhelming! The flames on its head flickered like hair, and the fire symbol on its belly gave it a regal, dangerous air.
As the temperature in the gym began to climb, Owen's eyes widened. He hadn't expected to see this Pokémon.
"Magmar."
A Magmar!
Upon seeing this Pokémon, Ethan, Dean Wu, and Ms. Nina all grew solemn. They began to speculate about Brandon's background; Magmar, typically found in volcanic Hidden Realms, were incredibly rare.
Furthermore, this Magmar's strength was significant—it had clearly been evolved only after building a rock-solid foundation.
Ethan sat back down, watching intensely. He stopped pressuring Owen, allowing him to focus entirely. This Magmar was on a completely different level than the Pokémon Eevee had just faced.
The Unstoppable Force
"Magmar, Fire Spin!!"
On Brandon's command, the red bipedal Pokémon took a deep breath and exhaled a swirling vortex of flames that covered nearly half the field.
Magmar then stepped behind the Fire Spin, pushing the vortex toward Eevee. In this setup, no matter how fast Eevee was, she would be burned the moment she got close to the fire-type.
"As I thought, this Eevee hasn't mastered any long-range moves," Blaze noted with a glimmer of hope. Even a monster like this Eevee had to have a weakness. This realization made things easier for him to stomach.
Aside from the Counter Shield version of Sand Attack, Eevee had nothing that could affect Magmar without getting close.
To avoid being scorched, she would have to keep dodging until she ran out of room. And the arena was only so big... eventually, she'd have nowhere left to run!
Ethan's face darkened. He trained Fire-types himself, so he understood the destructive potential of that Fire Spin perfectly.
Based on Eevee's previous performance, it would be nearly impossible to counter. He shook his head slightly. Forget it, Owen has already done enough.
Did he really expect Owen and Eevee to sweep the entire school?
Ethan thought so, but Owen had no intention of backing down. He spoke clearly and decisively:
"Frontal assault."
The moment Owen saw that Fire Spin, he knew Eevee finally had a chance to show her limits. The vortex was strong, protecting Magmar like a moving fortress of offense and defense—similar to a Counter Shield—but it had one fatal flaw.
Eevee possessed a move with even greater raw power. She could punch right through it!
"Vee!!" Eevee's expression turned dead serious. This was the fourth one. To her, every enemy standing in her way was just a paper tiger trying to keep her from her phone. They all had to go!
Emotional energy surged through her body, flowing from her core into her limbs. Eevee felt a massive swell of power. This was the first time she would use the Third Stage of Return against a real enemy.
SHING!
The ground where Eevee stood exploded in a cloud of dust as she rocketed toward the Magmar hidden behind the flames!
"Are they insane?"
Whether they were from Riverside or Fairview, the spectators were aghast. Seeing Owen and Eevee try to use a "Quick Attack" to challenge a Fire Spin looked like a suicide mission.
Like an egg hitting a rock?
From Eevee's perspective, she was the rock. The power of Take Down, coupled with the speed of Quick Attack, created a massive, explosive force of impact.
This momentum strengthened the energy layer protecting her, allowing her to punch a gaping hole right through the center of the Fire Spin!!
This high-velocity, destructive strike bypassed the flames and slammed directly into Magmar's chest.
"Gah..."
Magmar's stomach caved in. It looked in disbelief at the hole in its own vortex as a wave of excruciating pain washed over it. A thin trail of fire leaked from its mouth, and then its entire body was sent flying. It sailed across the arena and slammed into the reinforced wall of the spectator stands.
CRACK...
A visible fissure appeared in the concrete.
As Magmar slumped to the ground, Owen looked up awkwardly. "Um... do I have to pay for that?"
"No... you don't have to pay..." In the Riverside section, Blaze's hands were trembling on the railing as he stared at Eevee in total disbelief.
Brandon, Magmar's trainer, simply stood frozen in place, his mind failing to process what had just happened.
Silence fell over the Riverside No. 1 Gymnasium. It was absolute.
Owen scratched his head, not expecting the power of the Return move to be quite so terrifying when it finally hit home.
"Well, it's probably fine... It's still way weaker than Pikachu's 'Ultimate Catastropika'..."
Eevee trotted back to Owen's side. Owen looked at the Riverside bench and asked:
"Excuse me, who's next?"
"My Eevee... she really only has a tiny bit of stamina left this time."
Owen's voice sounded like the low whisper of a Demon King in the ears of the Riverside No. 1 school team...
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