Chapter 142: Encountering the Pokémon Ring Again

"The first victory goes to Paul's team! Now, let's enjoy the next match!"

After stepping off the hot air balloon, Paul spotted Barry and Lucas approaching him.

"Paul, I didn't expect you to enter the competition too. I look forward to battling you in the finals." Lucas greeted him with a smile.

"No way, no way! The one battling Paul in the finals will definitely be me, Lucas!"

Before Paul could even respond, Barry loudly declared his intent.

"Well, we'll settle it in battle. See you later, Paul."

With that, Lucas boarded the hot air balloon Paul had just stepped out of.

"Fine, bring it on! Paul, just wait! I'll defeat Lucas first, and then I'll take you down too!"

Puffing his cheeks in determination, Barry rushed off toward another hot air balloon, igniting the burner and ascending into the sky.

Paul, left standing there somewhat baffled, hadn't even uttered a word throughout the entire exchange. The conversation had already ended before he could say anything.

It was clear that Barry and Lucas had been quite lucky, encountering each other in the first round of the tournament. That was likely why they were throwing so many competitive taunts at each other from the start.

Out of respect for the "main character," Paul found a spot to watch the match unfold.

Lucas chose Gliscor, while Barry sent out Staraptor.

Lucas vs. Barry – Battle for the Ring Begins!

As soon as the match started, Lucas, well-prepared, ordered Gliscor to use Taunt, preventing Staraptor from using Agility or Double Team to quickly snatch the treasure ring and secure victory.

However, Barry didn't panic. He immediately had Staraptor charge forward with Brave Bird, opting for an all-out offensive approach.

Seeing this, Gliscor quickly used Rock Tomb, summoning a barrage of boulders to obstruct and interfere with Staraptor's advance.

By the time Staraptor had shattered all the rocks, Gliscor had already vanished without a trace.

"Catch it!"

At Lucas' command, Gliscor suddenly descended from above, slamming onto Staraptor's back. Its long tail swiftly coiled around the bird, restraining its movements and preventing it from flying.

"Use Close Combat to fight back!"

At such close range, Close Combat was the perfect counterattack. Barry decisively gave the order.

However, Gliscor had expertly positioned itself, making it difficult for Staraptor to strike with its wings, talons, or beak.

"Use Guillotine!"

Gliscor seized the moment—its massive pincers gleamed white as it clamped down on Staraptor's neck with deadly precision.

A sharp, agonizing cry echoed through the arena. Staraptor, completely immobilized, could do nothing but succumb to the pain as it plummeted toward the ground.

One-hit KO!

Gliscor didn't even need to contest for the ring—it had already secured victory.

Watching the swift and decisive battle, Paul silently acknowledged:

"Not bad."

Taunt to provoke, Rock Tomb to disrupt, close-quarters control followed by a finishing move.

This strategy was clearly designed to counter Barry's battle style.

Only someone as familiar with Barry as Lucas could come up with such a precise plan.

"Losing so easily… damn it!"

Frustrated by his swift defeat, Barry disembarked from the hot air balloon without a word. However, before leaving, he turned back to Paul and declared:

"I'm going to train hard! And next time, I'll defeat both you and Lucas!"

Paul Enters the Ring Battle

Since the tournament was all about securing the treasure rings, the matches progressed quickly. Before long, it was Paul's turn to battle.

This time, his opponent was a girl with a Mothim, while Paul sent out Metagross.

As soon as the battle began, the girl commanded Mothim to rush toward the treasure ring.

Paul, on the other hand, simply gave a single command—

"Gyro Ball!"

Metagross swiftly retracted its four legs and spun into a high-speed Gyro Ball, hurling itself toward Mothim.

Even though Gyro Ball is usually slower but more powerful when the user's speed is low, Paul's execution was anything but slow.

Mothim had just grabbed the ring when it was struck head-on, crashing to the ground and releasing its hold on the ring.

Immediately afterward, Metagross used its Psychic abilities to take control of the treasure ring and guide it toward the hook.

"Mothim, get up! Use Gust to reclaim the ring!"

At the girl's desperate command, Mothim flapped its wings and generated a fierce wind, disrupting the ring's trajectory and preventing it from reaching the hook.

"Grooooo…"

Annoyed by the interference, Metagross let out an irritated cry, casually tossing the ring aside. It then extended its front legs and Meteor Mashed Mothim into the ground with a forceful slam.

BOOM!

Mothim, too focused on controlling the ring, had no time to react. It was sent crashing into the earth, lying motionless in the crater.

With its opponent defeated, Metagross calmly retrieved the ring and placed it onto the hook, securing victory.

Shortly after Paul's battle, Lucas, seemingly inspired by Paul's strategy, sent out Flareon for his next match.

Using powerful Psychic control, Flareon completely immobilized its opponent's Ninjask, rendering its rapid movements useless. Then, with ease, it guided the treasure ring onto the hook, claiming victory.

Semi-Finals – The Crowd Goes Wild!

As the tournament reached the semi-finals, the entire stadium erupted in excitement.

"Now, let's see who will be competing in the final four! First up, we have… the reigning champion, Provo's team, who has won four consecutive matches!"

As the announcer's voice rang out, the screen displayed a rugged, punk-styled man with spiky orange hair. His presence exuded confidence and strength.

"His challenger… the dark horse of the tournament with an unconventional lineup—Paul's team!"

Paul's face appeared on the screen, confirming the long-awaited matchup.

Both trainers quickly boarded their respective hot air balloons, preparing for battle.

Provo was the first to throw his Poké Ball.

"Go, Dragonite!"

From the Poké Ball emerged a large, orange-bodied Dragonite, flapping its small wings with confidence. It radiated an aura of pure dominance, clearly unfazed by the competition.

"I've got a bad feeling about this..."

As Paul tossed out his own Poké Ball, Lucas, watching from the sidelines, couldn't shake the sense that Provo was about to suffer a crushing defeat.

"Woo~"

The next moment, a sleek and elegant Ninetales, its fur with soft golden hue, emerged gracefully from the Poké Ball.

Its entire body radiated with a psychic aura, allowing it to float slightly above the ground. With a poised yet confident gaze, Ninetales locked eyes with Dragonite, unshaken by the challenge before it.

PokéRing... your queen has arrived!

"Battle, begin!"

At the sound of the signal, the two Pokémon did not immediately rush to seize the ring like the teams before them. Instead, they simply stared each other down from a distance.

"Kid, my Dragonite isn't that easy to handle. Don't think you'll win as easily as before."

Provo sneered before barking out his command.

"Dragonite, use Dragon Pulse!"

"Fuu-woo~!"

Dragonite let out a fierce yet adorable cry, releasing a prismatic wave of energy from its mouth. The Dragon Pulse surged forward like a raging beast, hurtling toward Ninetales.

"Use Nasty Plot, then Extrasensory!"

Ninetales remained completely still. Instead of dodging, it activated its ability to scheme and sharpen its mind, drastically raising its Special Attack.

Just as Dragon Pulse was about to reach it, mere inches away, Ninetales finished its setup. Without hesitation, it unleashed Extrasensory, using pure psychic force to take control of the incoming Dragon Pulse.

The multicolored energy attack was instantly compressed into a shimmering energy sphere—now completely under Ninetales' control—before being hurled right back at Dragonite!

"Damn it, dodge!"

Dragonite, quick on its feet, had anticipated a counterattack and swiftly moved to evade, narrowly avoiding the returning blast.

But just as it landed safely, it realized something alarming—

The ring suspended in midair had already been plucked away by Ninetales' Extrasensory and was now elegantly spinning around one of its tails, drifting leisurely toward the scoring hook.

"Don't let it score! Dragonite, use Dragon Rush!"

Dragonite's body glowed blue as turbulent air currents swirled around it. Locking onto Ninetales, it unleashed an aggressive dive attack, exuding an intense battle aura.

Yet, just like before, Ninetales made no attempt to dodge. The only reaction came in the form of a faint, knowing smirk—one that bore an eerie resemblance to Paul's own.

As Dragonite closed in, Ninetales' psychic energy suddenly erupted.

A pre-prepared Gravity field instantly took effect, locking Dragonite firmly in place. At the same time, Ninetales followed up with Psychic, forcefully slamming the stunned Dragonite toward the ground.

Just moments ago, Dragonite had been mere inches away from striking its target. Now, an overwhelming force weighed down on it, rendering all resistance futile.

No matter how much it struggled, its body was inevitably dragged downward by the sheer gravitational force—

And just when it thought it had escaped the worst of it—Another devastating burst of Psychic power struck, accelerating its descent even further.

BOOM!

A thunderous crash echoed throughout the battlefield.

The once-mighty Dragonite now lay sprawled in a deep crater, groaning in pain. Though it hadn't lost consciousness, the damage was severe, and every inch of its body ached from the impact.

"As expected..."

From the sidelines, Lucas sighed. The moment he saw Ninetales enter the battle, he had already anticipated this outcome.

Gravity—especially when mastered to control specific areas—was practically a game-breaking move in PokéRing matches.

Yet, just when everyone thought Paul would have Ninetales take advantage of Dragonite's moment of weakness to score the ring and secure victory-Ninetales casually flicked its tail, tossing the ring in the direction of the scoring hook.

And instead of following it—It turned its attention back to Dragonite.

"Fire Blast, Iron Tail."

Paul's command was delivered coldly.

Ninetales' flames instantly surged to life, activating its Flash Fire ability, further boosting its power. With a flick of its head, it unleashed a roaring Fire Blast toward Dragonite.

Then, twisting its body, Ninetales dove into the Gravity field, its nine luxurious tails shimmering with metallic light.

Using Gravity's acceleration, Ninetales lashed out with Iron Tail from nine different angles simultaneously—each strike carrying devastating force!

BOOM!

KRAK-THOOM!

The battlefield shook violently.

The explosion of Fire Blast sent smoke billowing into the air.

And within that thick cloud of dust—Nine gleaming steel-coated tails came crashing down.

The smokescreen was obliterated in an instant, revealing Dragonite's unmoving body.

It had been completely knocked out.

With its opponent defeated, Ninetales gracefully floated back up, catching the ring it had tossed away earlier and guiding it onto the scoring hook.

Then, as if nothing had happened, it returned to Paul's side.

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