The entire Luminara League Stadium was on its feet. Neither Mystveil nor Froslass had fallen. Both Pokémon floated across from one another, battered and exhausted.
Snow still drifted through the arena.
The hailstorm had weakened, but the battlefield remained covered in patches of ice and pools of water from Infernarx's earlier Flamethrower.
The referee watched carefully.
One clean hit...
Would decide the first knockout of the semifinals.
Kai calmly raised his hand.
"Froslass..."
"Use Blizzard!"
A freezing storm exploded from Froslass, swallowing the battlefield. The wind screamed across the arena. The audience shielded their faces from the icy gusts.
Elior remained calm.
He smiled.
"Mystveil..."
"Don't fight the storm."
Kai looked surprised.
"Use Calm Mind."
Instead of attacking, Mystveil closed its eyes. Its body became surrounded by a soft violet aura. Its breathing slowed.
Its focus sharpened.
The Blizzard continued to strike...But Mystveil endured it. Turning Defense into Offense The moment Blizzard ended—
Elior pointed forward.
"Now!"
"Psychic!"
Mystveil's eyes flashed.
A powerful psychic force seized Froslass before it could escape. For the first time in the battle...Froslass couldn't move.
Kai immediately reacted.
"Shadow Ball!"
Froslass struggled. A Shadow Ball formed...But the Psychic grip made its aim unstable.
The attack missed completely.
"Finish it!"
"Psybeam!"
A brilliant rainbow-colored beam shot across the battlefield.
It struck Froslass head-on.
BOOOOOOM!!
The explosion echoed through the stadium. When the smoke cleared...
Froslass slowly tried to float upward.
It trembled...
Its eyes closed...
And it gently collapsed onto the frozen battlefield. The referee immediately raised the green flag.
"Froslass is unable to battle!"
"Mystveil wins!"
The crowd exploded with applause.
Score Update
Elior
6 Pokémon Remaining
Kai
5 Pokémon Remaining
Kai smiled instead of looking disappointed. He quietly returned Froslass.
"You did well."
He looked toward Elior.
"Now..."
"Let's raise the level."
He threw his second Poké Ball.
A massive white figure appeared with a powerful roar.
Beartic!
Its heavy footsteps cracked the frozen battlefield.
The commentators shouted,
"Kai sends out Beartic!"
"This powerful physical attacker is the complete opposite of Froslass!"
Kai didn't wait.
"Beartic!"
"Icicle Crash!"
Huge pillars of ice fell from above.
"Mystveil!"
"Teleport!"
Mystveil vanished.
The ice smashed into empty ground.
The stadium shook.
Mystveil reappeared behind Beartic.
"Psychic!"
Invisible force struck Beartic from behind.
The giant Pokémon staggered...
But barely.
The audience gasped.
"It tanked the attack!"
Beartic's Strength
Kai smiled.
"Now..."
"Night Slash!"
Beartic moved with shocking speed despite its size.
Its claws glowed black.
SLASH!
The attack struck Mystveil directly.
Mystveil was thrown backward across the battlefield.
"Recover!"
Green light surrounded Mystveil once more.
But this time...
The healing was noticeably weaker.
It had already taken too much damage.
For the next several minutes, the battle became a war of endurance.
Psychic.
Ice Punch.
Psybeam.
Night Slash.
Reflect.
Icicle Crash.
Every attack landed with tremendous force. Neither Pokémon was willing to retreat. The audience applauded after every exchange.
Mystveil floated unsteadily.
Its breathing had become uneven.
Beartic was also exhausted, covered in injuries.
Kai raised his fist.
"End this!"
"Ice Hammer!"
Beartic roared and charged.
Its fist became surrounded by solid ice.
Elior smiled.
"Mystveil..."
"One last Psychic!"
Both Pokémon unleashed their final attacks. Psychic energy met the frozen hammer. The collision created a massive shockwave. The battlefield cracked apart.
Smoke covered everything.
As the dust slowly settled...
Two silhouettes appeared.
One was kneeling.
The other remained standing.
The referee narrowed his eyes.
The audience held its breath.
No one knew who had won the exchange.
TO BE CONTINUED...