Chapter 199: Battle Against Lily

"Ladies and gentlemen, we now enter the highly anticipated fourth-round battle!"

"The first contender to take the stage is none other than the top favorite to win the championship—Ron!"

"There's no need to elaborate on Ron's track record. From the Indigo League to this very moment, no one has been able to force Ron to reveal his third Pokémon. Will today be any different? Let's wait and see!"

"Now, let's give a round of applause to welcome Ron!"

As the announcer's voice echoed through the battle arena, the audience erupted into deafening cheers, with a significant portion of the spectators being female fans.

Ron stepped out from the challengers' tunnel, calmly acknowledging the crowd's enthusiasm before making his way toward the battlefield, awaiting his opponent.

"For those who have been following the pre-match discussions, you'll know that Ron's opponent today is none other than the fierce and highly popular 'Fighting-Type Beauty'—Lily!"

"Using the sheer strength of her Fighting-type Pokémon, Lily has fought her way through the tournament and now stands at the fourth round, facing the opponent she has long anticipated. Let's look forward to an exhilarating match!"

From the opposite challengers' tunnel, Lily emerged, visibly excited. She ignored the roaring cheers around her, keeping her eyes fixed solely on Ron.

Before the Indigo League even began, Lily had read about Ron in the newspapers.

Back then, she already had a hunch that Ron might be one of the fiercest competitors in the tournament.

What truly caught her attention, however, was the news of Ron single-handedly taking down an entire poaching group.

As someone with a strong sense of justice, Lily despised Pokémon poachers from the depths of her heart. Knowing that Ron had the strength to wipe out an entire gang of them on his own, she couldn't help but admire him.

Throughout the preliminary rounds and subsequent official battles, Ron displayed overwhelming strength time and time again.

At some point, Lily developed a strong desire to challenge Ron—a sentiment she even expressed publicly online.

Unbeknownst to herself, admiration had slowly taken root in her heart.

As she jogged onto the battlefield, her well-trained physique momentarily caught Ron's gaze.

Fortunately, in order to maintain his cool and reserved persona, Ron quickly looked away, preventing anyone from noticing his brief lapse.

Once both competitors had taken their positions, the referee began announcing the battle rules.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Lily wasted no time once the match commenced—releasing her first Pokémon, Infernape.

The battlefield was set as a Grass Arena, though this would not hinder her Fighting-type Pokémon's abilities.

As an High Elite-level Trainer, Lily had two Elite-tier Pokémon, with her strongest being her Level 48 Infernape.

Against a Fighting-type opponent, Ron's natural choice was his Psychic-type Pokémon—Gardevoir.

Although Gardevoir was only at Level 40, its type advantage and sheer psychic power ensured it wouldn't be at a disadvantage against Infernape.

"Don't underestimate me! Infernape, use Thunderbolt to open the path, then charge in with Close Combat!"

The moment the battle began, Lily's mind was solely focused on the fight, her fighting spirit surging.

Thunderbolt was one of the few long-range attacks Lily had prepared for Infernape, preventing it from being kited by opponents.

However, while Thunderbolt might work against common adversaries, it was far from enough to threaten Gardevoir.

"Gardevoir, use Teleport to close the distance, then strike with Psychic!"

Disappearing from the battlefield, Gardevoir reappeared at Infernape's left front.

It unleashed Psychic, only for Infernape to block it with Close Combat.

"Infernape, use Stone Edge to restrict Gardevoir's movement, then close in and finish it off!"

"Gardevoir, Moonlight Phantom."

After evolving, Gardevoir had learned the move Moonblast, which, when combined with Magical Leaf in a technique akin to Bellossom's signature combo, formed the 'Moonlight Phantom.'

Sharp rocks shattered mid-air, while the radiant glow of Moonblast slowed Infernape's charge.

To enhance coordination, Gardevoir used its Telepathy ability, allowing Ron to issue commands as if he possessed psychic abilities himself.

"Gardevoir, use Future Sight, then hit yourself with Psyshock and Psychic!"

A wave of psychic energy radiated as Gardevoir unleashed Psyshock and Psychic, redirecting the attacks toward itself.

"Be careful, Infernape! Use Protect!"

As a Fighting-type specialist, Lily was highly familiar with Psychic-type opponents, quickly issuing the command.

A green barrier enveloped Infernape, shielding it as it and Gardevoir swapped positions, preventing it from taking damage from the attacks.

Noticing that Ron wasn't vocally giving orders, Lily quickly deduced that Gardevoir must have the Telepathy ability. Though surprised, she wasn't entirely caught off guard.

"Gardevoir, expand your psychic field—Moonlight Phantom!"

A bright Moonblast formed above Infernape's head, casting Magical Leaf's shadow across the battlefield.

Utilizing its exceptional psychic talents, Gardevoir extended its control over the surrounding space, enveloping Infernape within its telekinetic grasp, further limiting its movements.

Within the battle arena, Gardevoir stood amidst the Moonlight Phantom, its body surrounded by a soft blue glow.

The sight of the elegant Gardevoir in this poetic and picturesque scene mesmerized the audience, drawing them into the breathtaking spectacle.

"Hold on, Infernape! Use Earthquake in combination with Stone Edge!"

Lily's voice rang out, rekindling Infernape's fighting spirit.

As the illusionary beauty of the battlefield faded, Infernape forcefully stomped on the ground, unleashing Earthquake. The sudden tremor forced Gardevoir to levitate using its psychic power.

Taking advantage of the opening, Infernape launched Stone Edge, sending sharp, rock-like projectiles hurtling toward Gardevoir.

Using this chance, Infernape charged at Gardevoir's position.

"Gardevoir, use Psychic!"

A surge of immense psychic energy burst forth. The power of Psychic not only shattered the Stone Edge attack but also came crashing down on Infernape with overwhelming force.

"Infernape, Close Combat!"

As Infernape braced itself to push through Gardevoir's Psychic and close the distance, the effects of Gardevoir's previously used Future Sight activated, striking Infernape from behind and pinning it in a pincer attack.

"Infernape, use Protect!"

"Gardevoir, combine Psyshock and Psychic—prepare for an Ally Switch!"

As the green glow of Protect emerged, Ron issued a command to Gardevoir through telepathic communication.

Protect shielded Infernape from both the Future Sight and Psychic onslaughts, but in that instant, Gardevoir activated its move, switching positions with Infernape using Ally Switch.

After two consecutive uses of Protect, Lily wasn't confident that Infernape could successfully pull off a third. Instead, she opted for Infernape to use Substitute, enduring the incoming attacks.

Before it could get close to Gardevoir, Infernape had already lost more than half of its stamina, panting heavily from exhaustion.

However, Gardevoir wasn't faring much better. After consecutively using high-powered Psychic-type moves, its stamina and psychic reserves were depleting rapidly.

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