Thinking of this, Kukui grit his teeth and made his decision.
"Kommo-o, Soul Dance Fierce Sound Burst!"
Soul Dance Fierce Sound Burst: at the cost of one-third of its own HP, its Attack, Defense, Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed—all five basic stats—are boosted.
You could call it a weakened version of Eevee's exclusive Z Move effect.
Clang! Clang! Clang!——
With every movement Kommo-o made, the scales on its body burst out with a powerful, metallic clanging.
And with every clang, Kommo-o's abilities rose, its aura soaring higher.
"Dragon's Fluctuation! Then charge in!"
Only to see.
The blue-violet energy condensed on Kommo-o's arms was hurled out, and right after, its body followed close behind.
After one Dragon Dance, one Body Lightening, and one Soul Dance Fierce Sound Burst, Kommo-o's speed had already become quite impressive.
On top of that, thanks to using sound and air vibrations to Lock onto Beedrill, it chose, for the first time, to take the initiative and launch the attack.
Beedrill twisted its body to the side, dodging Dragon's Fluctuation.
Its scarlet compound eyes flashed, Long Needle swung in turn, Cross Blade meeting Kommo-o's fist.
This time.
Beedrill was knocked back.
Kommo-o's eyes flushed red, its expression savage and ferocious. After knocking Beedrill away, it continued to press forward, closing the distance.
"Sss-peee!"
Beedrill's entire aura shook. Faced with the vicious Kommo-o, it didn't retreat in the slightest, choosing to clash head-on.
Bang——bang——bang——!!
The sound of impacts rang without end; only amid the showering sparks could the audience barely make out where the collisions were happening.
Boom!!
With a violent clash between Cross Cut and Dragon Claw, the two Pokémon were each forced back.
Both were fired up now.
They stared at each other, unblinking.
"Did you find it?"
Natsuhiko's voice came through.
"Sss-peee."
Beedrill nodded heavily, its Double Needle slowly grinding together, cold light glinting.
"Good, Continuous Slash!"
Buzzz——
Beedrill shot out again.
This time.
The vicious light in Kommo-o's eyes faltered for a moment.
It got even faster?
Its eyeballs flicked left and right, trying to track Beedrill's position.
But it suddenly realized that even its tracking of air vibrations was starting to lag behind Beedrill's speed.
Bam!!
A sharp stab of pain.
From its abdomen.
Kommo-o's body hunched over at once, its eyes widening.
It lowered its head in disbelief.
And met Beedrill's gaze head-on.
What kind of look was that?
A gaze that saw through everything?
Landing the strike, Beedrill retreated with the momentum.
In that instant, Kukui finally understood why Beedrill had chosen to clash head-on with Kommo-o just now.
Obviously having a speed advantage, yet choosing to brute-force the exchange, leaving Beedrill with no upper hand at all and even taking damage for it.
It was... capturing Kommo-o's weak point!
Sniper trait!
What now?
After a brief moment of confusion, Kukui quickly calmed down again, his gaze sharpening.
He shouted, "Kommo-o, Nirvana!"
"Roooar——!!"
With an enraged roar, Kommo-o's whole body swelling with power, a crimson glow rose off its body. Veins bulged on its forehead, muscles knotted and swelled.
A brutal aura rushed out like a wave.
It was going all-in for the final struggle!
Natsuhiko understood that, too.
He clenched his fist slightly and chose to completely trust Beedrill's ability and strength.
Buzzz——
Golden light flared.
Beedrill revealed itself for the second time, same position, same angle, an even more powerful Continuous Slash.
And this time.
Kommo-o hesitated not at all; pain, in its current berserk state, was the best catalyst.
It gathered all its power and drove its fist down.
With its thick scales wrapping its body, every part of it was a weapon.
Thud!!
Beedrill took the full brunt of the heavy punch and was smashed into the ground.
Its massive, heavy tail swept toward it.
Thud!!
It lashed Beedrill's body without a shred of mercy, swatting it straight into the air.
The intense pain made Beedrill feel like every bone in its body was coming apart.
Fortunately.
Its wings beat on reflex, stopping it from crashing into the ground and suffering secondary damage.
Seeing the crazed Kommo-o in the distance charging toward it.
Beedrill took a deep breath, enduring the pain.
It gathered every ounce of strength in its body, all its Insect Energy pouring into its Long Needle without the slightest reserve.
Natsuhiko hadn't said a word from beginning to end.
Since he'd chosen to trust Beedrill, at this point he knew Beedrill would absolutely not let him down.
He only watched the shimmering green light twining around Long Needle, slightly surprised.
Battling really was the best way to draw out a Pokémon's potential.
Beedrill's control over its energy had improved once again.
Which meant.
It was getting closer and closer to Elite Trainer Level.
Facing the approaching Kommo-o, Beedrill showed no intention of retreating. It advanced against the tide, surging forward like Rapids.
Buzzz——
Only a faint sound could be heard.
Beedrill, hovering in place, suddenly froze mid-motion.
Frozen?
Boom!!!
The sharp Long Needle reappeared at Kommo-o's abdomen, carrying a ruthless resolve, all its Insect Energy bursting out in that instant.
Only then did everyone realize.
The Beedrill hovering in place had actually been just an afterimage it left behind!
Only after Beedrill's strike had already landed did the afterimage slowly fade.
The ferocious expression on Kommo-o's face abruptly froze, its eyes clearing for a moment, then quickly filling with haze again.
Clang!!
Its massive body crashed heavily to the ground, accompanied by the clatter of disordered scales.
Beedrill, its body still hunched, slowly pushed itself upright.
The pain all over its body surged up, but it only clenched its jaw and endured.
It simply hovered silently above Kommo-o.
Surveying the deathly quiet arena.
The dual-layered aura it exuded brought a crushing intimidation that was fully unleashed in that moment.
The next second.
Beedrill, having caught its breath, drew in a deep lungful of air.
"Sss-peee——!!!"
The full-force roar of a victor rang throughout the arena.
Swoooosh——
With Beedrill's triumphant howl like a victor's declaration, the crowd finally erupted again in a tidal wave of shouts.
Who says Insect-type Pokémon are destined to never match Quasi-God Pokémon?
Who says bottom-tier Trainers are destined to only crawl, hunchbacked, in the "sewers"?!