After a night of rest, Ace and his companions returned to the newly repaired battle arena.
Without much talk, Ace and Xiao Qi, the winner of the previous second match, took their positions on opposite sides of the field.
"The match begins!"
As the referee gave the signal, both Ace and Xiao Qi threw out their Poké Balls. Ninetales and Bisharp appeared on the field.
"Swords Dance!"
Xiao Qi made the first move. Bisharp spun rapidly in place, quickly boosting its attack power.
"Flamethrower."
Ace spoke calmly. Facing the Fire-type Ninetales, Bisharp's Steel-typing was at a disadvantage. If it managed to get close to Ninetales, he'd consider it a loss.
Ninetales raised its nine tails, and nine clusters of flames formed at the tips.
"Sucker Punch!"
Bisharp lunged forward, charging quickly toward Ninetales.
Ninetales gave a slight smile. From the nine clusters of flames, nine pillars of fire shot toward Bisharp.
"What the—"
Xiao Qi nearly cursed aloud. Nine Flamethrowers? What a joke!
Bisharp screeched to a halt, sliced through one flame pillar, and instantly dodged to the side.
"Will-O-Wisp!"
Nine ghostly blue flames emerged. With a cry from Ninetales, they shot toward Bisharp like bullets.
"Dodge it!"
Seeing this, Xiao Qi immediately told Bisharp to evade, but were Will-O-Wisps that easy to dodge?
A faint blue light flashed in Ninetales's eyes. The nine ghostly flames sharply curved, striking Bisharp's back, legs, and shoulder in quick succession the moment it relaxed after dodging the first volley.
Bisharp immediately let out a painful cry. Its back was severely burned. The pain was so intense that just moving threatened to make it pass out.
"Ember."
Ninetales's attack didn't stop. Following the Will-O-Wisps, nine more clusters of flame formed at the tips of its tails. As Ninetales swished its tails, a dense hail of small fireballs streamed out.
When Bisharp managed to slightly endure the searing pain and look up, the sky was already covered in countless small fireballs!
"Are you cheating?!"
Xiao Qi's mouth twitched at the sheer number of small fireballs, and his composure instantly broke.
Ace, however, ignored him and calmly waved his hand.
Following Ace's command, the small fireballs, controlled by Ninetales's psychic power, rained down like a sudden shower.
Even though Bisharp did its best to dodge or slice through the fireballs, it was a futile attempt, like a praying mantis trying to stop a chariot, against the ceaseless downpour of flames.
Under the continuous bombardment, Bisharp held out for half a minute before being completely engulfed by the flames.
When the flames dissipated, the scorched Bisharp lay on the ground, unable to battle.
"Bisharp is unable to battle! Ninetales wins! Xiao Qi please switch your Pokémon."
"How did you train that Ninetales? It's way too broken!" Xiao Qi complained before recalling Bisharp.
He threw out a Poké Ball, and a Houndoom leaped out, baring its teeth at Ninetales and Ace.
"Return, Ninetales."
Seeing Houndoom, Ace decisively recalled Ninetales. If he wasn't mistaken, this Houndoom likely had the Flash Fire Ability, and its Dark-typing completely countered his Ninetales.
"Blastoise, it's your turn."
Ace threw his Poké Ball, and Blastoise landed heavily on the field, its cannons opening and pointing toward the opposing Houndoom.
"Seriously?! That targeted?!"
Xiao Qi was so frustrated he cursed again, but after a moment's thought, he decided not to switch his Pokémon.
"Roar!"
Houndoom suddenly opened its mouth and let out a furious roar. Blastoise instantly looked bewildered and was recalled to its Poké Ball in a flash of red light.
Next, Ace's other Poké Ball opened, and Crobat landed on the field.
Ace's eye twitched. The opponent was looking for trouble, and he couldn't be blamed for it.
"A Crobat, seems easier to handle! Flamethrower!"
Xiao Qi waved his hand, and a Flamethrower quickly shot toward Crobat.
"Poison Wing!"
Ace spoke softly. Crobat fiercely flapped its two pairs of wings and suddenly ascended, dodging Houndoom's flame.
At the same time, a vicious liquid rapidly spread across Crobat's wings, coating its entire body in a thick, purplish-black venom within seconds.
Another flame attack came, which Crobat easily evaded. It was about to attack but then remembered it wasn't a standard combat scenario. It stopped flapping and then vigorously beat its wings downward.
The next moment, a torrent of highly toxic liquid rained down, giving the opponent no chance to dodge.
"Oh no!"
Seeing the toxic liquid fall, Xiao Qi yelled out, but looking at the dense venom, a sense of powerlessness welled up in his heart.
The venom poured down, directly hitting Houndoom, and in the blink of an eye, it was absorbed into Houndoom's body.
The next second, Houndoom rolled its eyes and fell straight to the ground, unconscious.
"What the heck was that?!"
Watching Houndoom lose its fighting capability immediately upon contact with the toxic liquid, Xiao Qi felt his perception of reality shatter.
"You should concede."
Seeing this, Ace directly threw a Pecha Berry toward Xiao Qi and said, "My Crobat's venom is extremely potent. Ordinary Antidotes won't completely solve the toxicity. The field is now covered in venom, and no matter which Pokémon you send out, it will be poisoned upon contact."
Xiao Qi took the Pecha Berry, skeptically recalled Houndoom, released it again, and administered an Antidote.
Houndoom recovered slightly, but a visible purplish-black hue was still evident on its face.
Xiao Qi frowned and fed Houndoom the berry Ace had given him.
After consuming the Pecha Berry, the toxins in Houndoom's body were rapidly neutralized. After half a minute, it finally managed to stand up shakily.
"Uh... Xiao Qi contestant, are you conceding?"
The referee was also feeling a headache looking at the venom-soaked field, but the match had to continue if Xiao Qi didn't concede.
"Concede? Never!"
Xiao Qi pondered for a moment, opened a Poké Ball, and a Murkrow flew out, charging toward Crobat.
"Well then, the match..."
But before the referee could finish, Murkrow flew straight at Crobat and struck it with a Wing Attack.
Then...
The poisoned Murkrow fell straight down. If Xiao Qi hadn't swiftly recalled it, the fall would have caused at least a few broken bones.
"Murkrow is unable to battle! Crobat wins! Therefore, the winner is Ace!"
The referee looked at the match that ended before it had a chance to begin, then at the highly toxic liquid covering the field, and said helplessly, "The following matches will be delayed. We will resume the competition after the arena has been thoroughly cleaned."
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