Hearing the Diamond Clan leader's gloating remark, the Pearl Clan chief gritted his teeth in frustration.
Like hell he didn't know what that guy was thinking.
Every one of the Diamond Clan's top contenders had been knocked out by that Cynthia girl. Now the man was clearly hoping Elias would follow suit—just another challenger thrown down from the path to the championship.
The chief sighed. Judging by how things were going on the battlefield… it might really turn out just like that.
So close. They were just one step away from bringing the title ho to the Pearl Clan.
Elias, anwhile, had no idea what the old chief was stewing over.
He was too busy wrestling with a tough decision: should he have Lucario withdraw?
At this rate, Lucario was going to lose.
And the longer the fight dragged on, the more unstable the terrain beca—those growing numbers of holes were already affecting the battle.
The problem was…
I'm not sure Zoroark's willing to step in yet, he thought.
Lucario hadn't been defeated, after all. It wasn't like he had to switch.
Just then, Zoroark—who'd been silently watching from behind—seed to pick up on his hesitation.
She sighed, a little irritated.
Lucario really was useless. At this point, it was a foregone conclusion that she'd have to go in.
And if that was the case, she might as well step up early.
Maybe this can be a surprise gift for Elias, she thought.
Taking a deep breath, she gently patted his shoulder and muttered under her breath:
"Call Lucario back."
"I'll… I'll go in."
The mont the words left her lips, Zoroark felt her whole body go numb.
Her heart thudded so hard in her chest that she could hear it.
Never in her life had she imagined she'd be the one volunteering to go onstage.
Elias's eyes lit up with surprise and delight.
Of course. Zoroark had always been quietly stubborn like this—she hadn't changed at all.
"Lucario, co back for now."
He gave the call as he reached back to ruffle the soft fur behind him.
Lucario heard it instantly—and knew imdiately who was taking his place.
He didn't like it, but he obeyed. With a few quick backsteps, he jogged off the battlefield, shoulders stiff with frustration.
Before leaving, he shot a fierce glare at the smug-looking Garchomp.
He couldn't catch this slippery land-shark no matter what he tried—but Zoroark's illusions didn't care about that.
If she didn't twist that smug bastard inside out, it'd be a disgrace to her na.
That thought made him feel a bit better.
For the first ti in his life, Lucario actually looked forward to seeing what Zoroark could do.
As Lucario cleared the field, the Pearl Clan chief—still acting as referee—let out a silent sigh.
"Elias, are you forfeiting?" he asked, raising his voice.
From his perspective, withdrawing your only battling Pokémon could only an one thing: surrender.
But to his surprise, Elias shook his head.
"No. I'm just switching."
"...Switching?"
The chief frowned, confusion all over his face.
But before he could say more, a sudden gust of wind tore past him.
It felt like sothing had just zipped by at blinding speed.
Across the field, Garchomp suddenly lashed out, swinging a glowing [Dragon Claw] in a blur.
The claw collided with sothing invisible—blow after blow echoed with sharp, tallic clashes, stirring up gusts of displaced air.
Then, just as Garchomp wheeled around to burrow underground once again—
Thud—!
This ti, it dove straight into solid ground.
Its skull slamd into the hardened earth with a crack so loud it reminded so onlookers of smashing coconuts open by the beach.
Even being a Ground-type, digging still relied on claws—not a headbutt.
Now dizzy, Garchomp's vision blurred, a loud buzzing ringing in its ears.
From its perspective, it had aid right for the hole it had made earlier.
But when it blinked again… it was solid rock.
Nearly knocked out cold on impact.
Across the field, Zoroark finally dropped the illusion she'd been wrapped in.
A sleek fox, fur gray-white streaked with blood-red accents, erged at center stage.
Faint crimson light shimred from her eyes. Even under the high noon sun, a chill swept through the audience.
There was no doubt—this was the one who had just turned the tide of battle in an instant.
"This is my second Pokémon—Zoroark," Elias said quietly, his voice carrying across the field.
At once, the crowd erupted.
Other than a handful of insiders, no one had expected a second Pokémon to show up.
Zoroark stood still in the open, fierce on the outside, but jittery inside.
To her surprise, aside from a few murmurs of "monster" or "disaster beast," most people seed... okay with her being here.
The reaction from both clans wasn't nearly as hostile as she'd feared.
Because of Elias, she thought, I've got a little more courage now.
She stood taller, eyes locking onto Garchomp, who was already pushing itself up off the ground with a disgruntled scowl.
A glint of fanged amusent pulled at her lips.
Being out in the open like this still felt strange, uncomfortable even.
Which ant her number one goal now… was to end this match, fast.
Malicious energy poured off her like smoke, nearly solid, curling toward Garchomp and giving it a real sense of cold unease.
Out of the corner of her eye, Zoroark noticed Cynthia watching her closely, brows furrowed in thought.
To counter illusions like Zoroark's, Psychic or Dark-type Pokémon were usually the go-to.
Unfortunately, neither of those types were on Cynthia's current roster.
"Zoroark, use [Phantom Assault]."
Elias's command rang out clearly at just the right mont.
Zoroark, already coiled and ready, vanished into the darkness in a blink.
A beat later, Garchomp felt a sudden chill at the back of its neck—
---
[With no choice, Cynthia recalled her Garchomp, now unable to continue.]
[Despite a fierce resistance, it had lost—just as expected.]
She let out a quiet sigh.
It was disappointing, sure—but not surprising.
From the testing she'd done with Elias over the past few days, they had co to a strong suspicion: the Hisuian Zoroark was likely a Normal/Ghost-type.
That ant its only real weakness… was Dark-type moves.
Add to that its near-perfect illusions and uncanny speed, and Garchomp had little chance of winning.
Still…
Is it really okay for Elias to reveal Zoroark in a place like this? she wondered, a hint of worry flashing across her face.
This ancient, closed-off region might not respond well to sothing so… unusual.
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