The Graveler on the field was rolling faster and faster. The friction between its gray rock body and the ground intensified, and the surface of the rock sphere even glowed faintly red due to the high temperature.
It had clearly accumulated a lot of power, causing the might of its Rollout to increase continuously like a Snowball, aiming to decide the match in one blow.
Feebas immediately condensed a second Water Pulse. The translucent water ring, glowing with clear blue light, shot toward the Graveler once more.
However, this time, the high-speed rolling Graveler displayed astonishing flexibility, contrasting sharply with its size—
Utilizing the leverage from a protrusion on the battle arena floor, its body suddenly swerved, forcefully changing its Rollout trajectory.
The water ring whistled past its edge, heavily smashing into the ground behind it, splashing water everywhere with a "whoosh," but failing to harm the target in the slightest.
"It missed!" A collective gasp rose from the audience, clearly shocked by the sudden change in direction.
"The Rollout speed is picking up!"
Lionel's fingertips tightened slightly, but his gaze remained calm, firmly focused on every detail on the field.
At this moment, the Graveler's Rollout speed was nearly twice as fast as when it started. The powerful wind generated by the rock sphere could even blow surrounding gravel, kicking up plumes of dust.
It had clearly entered the escalating power phase of the Rollout skill, and its might could no longer be underestimated.
"Feebas, continue using Water Pulse." Lionel's command remained unchanged.
Hearing this unchanging command, the crowd on site and the audience in the live stream instantly grew restless, filling the screen with dense comments:
"Streamer? Still using Water Pulse? Can't you see it's missing?"
"Use Whirlpool! Wrap it up! The longer it rolls, the stronger it gets. If we wait any longer, it'll be over!"
"I don't understand. Why isn't he changing tactics! He shouldn't keep using Water Pulse!"
"..."
Facing the doubts and confusion of others, Lionel seemed to turn a deaf ear.
His gaze was fixed on the battle arena, watching the spray from each Water Pulse gradually soak the rough rock ground, accumulating a thin film of water on the arena floor, quietly changing the battlefield environment.
Feebas had absolute trust in Lionel. Without the slightest hesitation, it continuously unleashed Water Pulse.
Water rings exploded one after another on the field, splashing water everywhere. The originally dry and hard rock arena was quickly soaked through, and shallow puddles even formed in the depressions.
The entire battlefield gradually turned into a slippery area, subtly tending toward a muddy swamp.
"What exactly is he trying to do?" Roxanne looked at the ground, completely saturated with water, and a sudden, inexplicable unease arose in her heart.
Although the Graveler's Rollout was getting faster and its momentum fiercer, its trajectory seemed faintly unstable on the wet rock surface, occasionally showing slight deviations.
"Graveler, rush toward Feebas with full power and end the battle!" Roxanne no longer hesitated, decisively ordering the final charge.
"That's enough."
Lionel's mouth curved slightly upward, a flash of understanding in his eyes. He finally changed his command: "Feebas, Icy Wind, aim for the battle arena!"
Feebas immediately changed direction and shot out a blast of intensely cold white air from its mouth.
Wherever the airflow passed, the air seemed to freeze. The rock ground, already soaked with water, instantly froze solid, and a smooth, mirror-like layer of ice spread outwards at an astonishing speed, covering most of the battle arena in the blink of an eye.
The depressions that had merely held puddles were now crystal-clear ice mirrors, reflecting the sunlight pouring down from the skylight, dazzling enough to make people squint.
"Oh no!" Roxanne's face changed drastically. She finally saw through Lionel's tactic and shouted urgently, "Graveler, stop! Quickly stabilize yourself!"
But the Graveler had already accumulated unstoppable momentum, reaching its peak Rollout speed, and was impossible to stop, like a wild horse running loose.
The moment it rushed onto the smooth ice, its massive body suddenly slipped, and its originally straight Rollout trajectory instantly became erratic.
The rock sphere, the embodiment of the Rollout skill, continuously collided and rebounded on the ice surface, having completely lost control, only able to crash around haphazardly due to inertia.
"Now! Whirlpool!" Lionel's voice suddenly rose, carrying an undeniable decisiveness.
Feebas seized this fleeting, excellent opportunity. The Water-type energy around its body surged abruptly, and the light blue glow was dazzling.
On the slippery ice, a massive water sp-i-r-a-l suddenly shot up from the ground. The rotating water current, carrying fine shards of ice, was like an invisible giant hand imbued with destructive power, violently sweeping the still-skidding and out-of-control Graveler into its core.
"Wuuu—"
The Graveler let out a muffled roar inside the water sp-i-r-a-l. Its four stout arms flailed wildly, trying to grab onto something to stabilize its body, but it only managed to churn the rapid current in vain, and was instead thrown around even more violently by the vortex's power.
The rotational speed of the water sp-i-r-a-l increased rapidly. The ice shards within it were like sharp blades, constantly hitting and scratching its rock body, making a "crunch, crunch" sound.
"Feebas, the final blow, Water Pulse!"
Lionel's voice was steady and firm, carrying an undeniable certainty of victory, echoing through the noisy battlefield.
The Graveler, now tightly engulfed by the water sp-i-r-a-l, was completely trapped in a hopeless situation where it had nowhere to gain leverage. It could only be tossed around by the vortex, without even a chance to adjust its posture, having clearly become a target ready for the slaughter.
Feebas's eyes were sharp. The light blue Water-type energy around its body surged abruptly, the dense blue light almost solidifying.
It suddenly focused its mind and gathered power. Water-type energy rapidly converged and compressed in front of it, and a water ring several times thicker than before quickly took shape.
The next second, this water ring, containing immense power, struck violently toward the Graveler trapped in the center of the vortex with the force of a thunderbolt!
"Bang!"
The water ring exploded upon contact with the Graveler. The powerful shock energy and the impact of the water current combined, sounding like a clap of thunder.
"Boom!"
Amidst the tremendous roar, the water sp-i-r-a-l violently dissipated as the Graveler fell.
Its massive body crashed heavily onto the ice surface with a muffled thud, lying motionless, having completely lost its ability to battle.
"Graveler is unable to battle!"
The Referee was stunned for a long moment before saying in disbelief:
"Challenger Lionel, wins!"
Feebas gently landed on the ice surface, its tail fin swaying slightly, splashing a string of tiny ice shards.
It lifted its small head to look at Lionel, its round eyes filled with unconcealed excitement and joy. Its purple scales glittered with the light of victory under the sun, dazzling and brilliant.
A brief silence first fell over the audience, who were clearly still engrossed in the constantly shifting battle situation, which was then followed by thunderous applause and cheers that lasted for a long time.
The comments in the live stream completely turned into a sea, with the screen flooded with exclamations and cheers:
"Holy crap! That maneuver was incredible! From using Water Pulse to soak the ground, to freezing it to create slippage, then using Whirlpool to control the situation, and finishing with Water Pulse! It was interconnected, step-by-step planning!"
"I was wrong! I shouldn't have cursed the streamer just now! This tactical awareness is simply divine; he's so good at planning!"
"Feebas is too awesome! From being looked down upon at the start to turning the tide now, I'm absolutely hyping this!"
"Who dares to call it a trash Pokémon now? Step forward! Now you know how powerful it is!"
"The streamer and Feebas have such great synergy. This is how a Trainer and their Pokémon should be!"
"..."
Roxanne recalled the fainted Graveler and slowly walked up to Lionel, her face showing unconcealed astonishment and approval:
"That was truly impressive. Utilizing the field environment, guiding the battle step by step, and finally using the freeze to create a fatal opening—this is a level far beyond what an ordinary Trainer can achieve."
She handed a Badge engraved with rock patterns to Lionel, her tone solemn:
"You have truly earned this Rock Badge."
Lionel took the Badge. It was cool and hard in his hand, and the patterns on it were clearly palpable. He bowed deeply to Roxanne:
"I am undeserving. Thank you for your guidance, Gym Leader Roxanne."
With that, Lionel turned and picked up Feebas from the field. The little fellow affectionately rubbed its wet head against his palm, making happy "gurgling" sounds in its throat, full of pride and acting spoiled.
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