Chapter 676: I'll Wake You Up, Then I'll Bring You Down
Watching the Hatterene on the field begin a brutal trade with Greninja while layering Heal Pulse, the Kubfu Alliance players in the lounge felt their hearts climb into their throats.
"The Goddess of War is back," someone whispered.
"See? This is exactly why I said Arthur shouldn't have opened his mouth!"
"It's one thing to be a chatterbox, but don't give the opponent a literal second wind!"
As Gwyneth's fighting spirit reignited and her playstyle turned vicious, the poor souls who had been previously eliminated by the Royal Rapidash Team felt a familiar shiver of dread. They remembered the humiliation and the sheer pressure of facing her at her peak.
Even if the team's overall conservative philosophy didn't suit her natural instincts, Gwyneth's raw power was the real deal. For years, she had been globally recognized as one of the strongest female professional trainers in the world. Even Future Yuzuru, who had gone an entire year undefeated in the Sakura Alliance, was considered a step behind her.
When a trainer like that stops caring about the score and starts playing with nothing to lose, even her non-ace Pokémon become nightmare fuel.
Hatterene's body was shaped like a tall, slender stalk with legs so short they were nearly invisible, making her incredibly slow. But as she began her Brutal Swing, her movements became deceptively fluid—her entire form twisting into a chaotic, violent dance of destruction.
The Sinnoh fans, who only moments ago were accusing Arthur of "mental manipulation," immediately changed their tune the second Gwyneth reclaimed the momentum.
"I knew she should've been playing like this from the start!"
"Maybe that Kubfu Alliance kid actually had a point after all."
Truly, the tides of public opinion were as fickle as the sea.
Arthur, however, wasn't rattled. Waking his opponent up was a sign of respect, but the ultimate respect for a rival was to defeat them at their absolute best.
"Greninja, use Toxic Spikes!"
Hatterene's Magic Powder had temporarily locked Greninja into a Psychic typing, but Arthur realized this actually simplified his strategy. Since he was stuck as a Psychic-type for the moment, he didn't need to worry about the complex elemental cycling of his Protean ability.
Normally, a Poison-type move would be a liability against a Psychic-type opponent like Hatterene. But Arthur chose to ignore the risk.
As Greninja continued to engage, the sparkling dust from the Magic Powder began to flake off his skin. While the move could lock a normal Pokémon into a specific type for a long duration, its "shelf life" against a Greninja—whose very nature was constant change—was significantly shorter.
It could shacke Greninja for a moment, but it could never hold him for the whole round.
The two Pokémon clashed violently. Soon, the glow of the Magic Powder faded completely.
"Greninja, Water Shuriken!"
Arthur called for the twin blades again. This time, however, Gwyneth was a step ahead.
"Sorceress, use Power Whip!"
It was a classic "gift for a gift." In the world of high-tier professional play, Arthur wasn't the only one capable of making a read. Catching the exact microsecond Greninja shed the powder and reverted to his Water typing, Gwyneth countered with the devastating Grass-type ultimate: Power Whip.
It was a perfectly timed interception.
"Yes! Go Gwyneth!"
The stands erupted. Most had assumed the match was over for her, but the sudden reversal was a shot of adrenaline for the crowd.
The "Witch" of Sinnoh was truly awake. Her playstyle was no longer hesitant or weighed down by the team's veteran caution. With Heal Pulse active, she turned her Hatterene into a relentless juggernaut.
She didn't care about "safe" plays anymore. She only cared about the win.
This was what the audience lived for. Professional sports weren't about protecting your stats or playing for a draw; they were about the peak of human and Pokémon potential.
"Sorceress, don't be afraid! Grab his arms, stop those blades, and bring him down!"
When the trainer casts aside their demons, the Pokémon casts aside its fear.
Hatterene leaned into the fray, letting one of Greninja's liquid blades bite deep into her shoulder just so she could lunge forward and bite down on his arm. She used her mouth and her body to lock Greninja's weapons in place, then twisted her torso to slam him into the turf.
"Greninja, Substitute!"
That suicidal aggression forced Arthur to burn a defensive move just to escape the pin.
"I really shouldn't have underestimated you," Arthur said. After Greninja blinked away from the grab, Arthur let out a small, appreciative laugh.
Gwyneth offered a faint smile in return. "Regretting being so talkative now?"
Despite the fierce tension between their respective Alliances and the heat of the battle, a genuine bond of sportsmanship was forming between them. They were two pure trainers, acknowledging each other's strength in the middle of a storm.
The commentator couldn't help but chuckle. "They're actually chatting! I've never seen a Top 4 match this... polite."
But as Arthur's voice trailed off, his hidden trap finally sprang.
Through all that chaotic close-quarters brawling, he had managed to sneak in a tiny advantage—
Hatterene was now Poisoned.
The pro players in the lounge froze, then realized it. "The Toxic Spikes!"
Earlier in the round, Greninja had scattered jagged, poisonous barbs across the floor. Hatterene possessed the Magic Bounce ability, which normally reflected status moves like Toxic back at the user.
But Toxic Spikes were different. They were a field hazard.
Hatterene hadn't been targeted by a move; she had simply stepped on the "nails" while she was busy spinning, whipping, and wrestling. The spikes had pierced her skin during her violent movements.
While Hatterene had the tools to clear the poison, in a match this fast, every second was a currency.
"Sorceress, use Aromatherapy!"
Gwyneth had no choice. But in a high-intensity assassination match like this, wasting a turn on a non-offensive move was a death sentence.
"Greninja, use Shadow Sneak to get behind her, then stay in her blind spot with Night Slash!"
Aromatherapy had a massive recovery window. By choosing to heal, Gwyneth had essentially handed the "first move" advantage back to Greninja for the next ten seconds.
Arthur and Greninja were the undisputed authorities of close-quarters combat. After that brief exchange, they had already identified Hatterene's fatal weakness: her vision. No matter how much she twisted or turned, there was a specific "dead zone" in her peripheral vision behind her tall, hat-like head.
For a Pokémon as fast and agile as Greninja, finding that blind spot was trivial.
Step, slide, pivot—and strike!
Greninja became a literal shadow, glued to Hatterene's back, moving as she moved, always staying just out of her sight like a silent executioner.
Arthur was demonstrating the true meaning of pride: I have the grace to wake you up, and I have the strength to bring you down anyway.
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