Accident in the Competition

Kachina's shout seemed to suddenly trigger something in Drilbur.

Drilbur roared and then spun in place, using his sharp claws to remove all the grass around his body. Dante had a bad premonition from all these unexpected events.

Just as he was about to take this opportunity to let Pikachu finish off the opponent, Drilbur suddenly stopped and stomped his feet, causing a huge Earthquake around himself.

Dante could feel how much more powerful this attack was compared to before. If before, Drilbur had an Attack stat of about 40, then now, his Attack should have reached the late 50s or possibly even 60!

Because of the move's large area of effect, Pikachu wasn't able to dodge the attack even with Quick Attack. Everyone saw him being hit before the whole arena was filled with smoke from the rubble, blocking their vision and making the result of the battle unclear.

In a corner of the stadium the old man from before stood up from his chair after seeing what just transpired.

"B-bond amplification!? Just a Newbie Trainer!?"

His jaw almost dropped to the floor in shock.

Bond Amplification is an application of emotional energy. It can be achieved through the Trainer and Pokemon forming a perfect synchronization with one another. When their emotions are high and the goal they are trying to achieve is perfectly aligned.

After Bond Amplification, two of the Pokemon's stats can be boosted by 10% to 50%. 

In the whole history of the Pokemon Alliance, this state can only be achieved occasionally during the heat of battle. Only a select few were recorded to be able to permanently control that power. And without exception, all of them were masters of their time.

"I must get her in our school! With her and the girl from earlier, there will finally be a chance for our university to take first place in the coming years!"

However, when he thought about how scouts from other universities will flock tomorrow, he had a headache. He was sure that some of them would be able to see the potential of these two girls and compete with him in grabbing them.

Huh? The battle's still not over and he already determined that Kachina will advance? 

With his years of experience, he didn't need to wait for the smoke to clear in order to determine the result like everybody else. 

Pikachu has definitely fainted. Even if it reaches its racial limit, with 40 Defense and 35 HP, it surely wouldn't be able to take this super-effective move from the Bond amplified Drilbur. 

In another corner of the stadium, Louis was laughing wildly while looking at Dante on the field. 

After his battle with Shinobu, he quietly escaped from the stadium after healing Scyther, ashamed of meeting Dante after all that he said. But now, with his knowledge regarding Pikachu from last month, he knew that he definitely wouldn't be able to survive from an attack of this caliber.

Although he didn't know how Drilbur suddenly exploded with such strength, but as long as Dante was eliminated in the same round of the competition as him, he would be very satisfied.

"What an upset!! Drilbur managed to free himself from the Grass Knot and hit Pikachu with an Earthquake! Will Pikachu be able to survive? Or is this the end for Trainer Dante in this competition!?"

Dante frowned when he saw this scene. When he watched Kachina's previous battles, he didn't see Drilbur using Earthquake and thought he hadn't learned that move yet.

He didn't expect her to hide that move as a trump card. Although his response was immediate, Drilbur was able to hold on with the help of Kachina using some unknown means that were beyond his knowledge.

'I've become lax. I didn't even read about something like this in the Alliance database. When I go back, I have to step up on my studies. But, that energy she used does seem familiar…'

Everyone watched with bated breath as the smoke began to clear. The silhouette of the Pokemon were seen, with one standing and one on the ground.

Louis's laughter suddenly stopped, like a duck with its neck suddenly strangled.

"PIKACHU SURVIVED! He took that attack head-on and remained standing! The referee is already checking Drilbur's s– and he is down! Drilbur has fainted and Trainer Dante has won the battle!"

The crowd burst into applause. Dante's mother and Luna were among those that cheered the loudest. 

At the VIP seats, the old man stared in shock at the arena.

"Pikachu…survived? Huh!??"

This time, the old man finally took a good look at Pikachu in the arena. Although he was injured, he looked energetic enough to fight another round of battle.

"Was I wrong about my estimation on the strength of Drilbur's attack?"

Dante was waving his hands to the crowd with Pikachu in his arms. With their experience fighting in the dungeon, he already knew that an attack of this scale wouldn't be able to take Pikachu down. Looking at the menu, he saw Pikachu having more than half of his health still left.

"Great job bud. Sorry about getting hurt, I didn't expect he'd still be able to survive your attack."

"Pika!" (Don't worry about it! We've suffered worse than this in the dungeon.)

"U-um, Dante? Congratulations for the win!"

As the two were talking, a voice from the side interrupted them. It was Kachina. The tone of her voice sounded a little peppy, but from how it cracked and the forced smile on her face, Dante knew otherwise.

"You don't have to force yourself, you know. It's okay to feel sad after losing."

"I-I'm not forcing myself! I'm really really happy for you and Pikachu!"

Seeing Dante's skeptical look, Kachina lowered her head.

"…I just don't want Mom and Dad to worry about me…"

Hearing her pitiful voice, Dante felt a little guilty, especially when he was the one who took her out of the competition. Looking at the Pokeball she was tightly clutching, he suddenly diverted the conversation.

"Do you want to go to the Med Center together then? You guys were pretty strong. You know, this is the first time Pikachu took this much damage."

"Pika!"

"R-really? Ehehe thanks, me and Twirly tried our best."

Kachina scratched her head in embarrassment at Dante's 'praise'.

The two started to walk towards the Med Center, but just as they took a couple of steps, Dante saw Kachina falling forward.

"Hey! What's wrong?!"