At the End

"Skorupi, hold on!" Aoki ordered just in time.

The two Pokemon lunged in unison, but at the same moment, Skorupi countered with Bug Bite—aiming straight for their weakness.

The Breloom's attacks struck Skorupi's hardened defenses, while Skorupi's Bug Bite landed directly on a vulnerable spot.

A Bug-type attack hitting for double damage, combined with the critical boost from Skorupi's Sniper ability—five times the usual power in one devastating strike!

The Breloom collapsed instantly.

Before its Fire Punch could even fully ignite, it was already down.

The remaining Pokemon froze, eyes widening in horror as its battle partner—who had trained beside it for years—was taken out in a single hit.

"What the hell?!" Kaiji shouted, stunned.

No matter how fragile Breloom might be, it shouldn't have been defeated in just one blow.

But he had no idea that Aoki's Skorupi had the Sniper ability. If he had known, maybe he wouldn't have been so shocked.

Meanwhile, Honchkrow and Sneasel were wrapping up their fight.

Sneasel had been using a combination of Icy Wind and Ice Punch to slow down the Zangoose, forcing it into a purely defensive stance.

Poison Heal kept Breloom from being completely overwhelmed, and though its wounds looked nasty, its stamina was still holding up.

But this time, it wouldn't be able to stall any longer—because Honchkrow had fully charged up its Brave Bird attack.

Without Protect, the Breloom had no way out.

"Sneasel, Ice Shard to block its path! Honchkrow, go for Brave Bird!" Aoki commanded.

In an instant, Sneasel leaped back and unleashed jagged shards of ice, forming a barrier around Breloom.

The mushroom Pokémon dodged instinctively—only to find its retreat blocked.

And in that moment—

Honchkrow, engulfed in blue flames, crashed straight into Breloom.

Boom!

Crack!

The ice shattered on impact, sending Breloom flying along with the broken shards.

One direct hit from Brave Bird, powered by Murkrow's Overconfidence ability and the quadruple weakness to Flying-type moves—Breloom stood no chance.

"Caw!!"

Honchkrow screeched in triumph as its attack power surged again from Overconfidence.

In Aoki's view, both Honchkrow and Sneasel leveled up—Honchkrow reaching level 35 and Sneasel climbing to level 33.

With Breloom down, the battle shifted entirely in Aoki's favor.

Honchkrow and Sneasel, now freed up, didn't immediately rush to attack Zangoose. Instead, they circled around, leaving the remaining Breloom to Skorupi.

With only one Breloom left, Skorupi no longer felt as pressured.

"Skorupi, your pincers are just as strong as your fangs. Try using Bug Bite with them—or Venoshock!" Aoki suggested.

As he said this, Skorupi's pincers clenched, energy swirling around them. Though its mouth was usually used for biting attacks, its claws had just as much force—and they could conduct energy just as effectively.

The last remaining Pokemon struggled, knowing it had been reduced to nothing more than Skorupi's test subject.

Kaiji's face turned pale.

Ever since Breloom went down, he knew he was doomed.

Originally, he had sent both Pokemon to take out Skorupi. If they had succeeded, the rest of Aoki's Pokémon wouldn't have been nearly as much of a threat.

But who would've thought—Skorupi, after taking such a brutal beating from Zangoose, would recover so quickly?

And then to one-shot a Breloom in return?

Kaiji hadn't even considered the Sniper ability in his calculations. He knew Bug-type attacks were strong against Breloom, but he never imagined that two-on-one would turn into a massacre.

Now, his last Breloom was just a punching bag for Skorupi's experiments.

Running wasn't an option, either. Against an opponent with Flying-types, he would just die faster.

Kaiji could only watch as his last Breloom flinched under Skorupi's repeated attacks.

Aoki's scorpion Pokémon was learning fast. After multiple tries, it had fully adapted to using its pincers like fangs—though the energy output was still weaker due to lack of practice.

But that would change with time.

Before long, Skorupi would be able to use its claws just like teeth.

And as Skorupi landed the finishing blow, the final Breloom collapsed, unable to continue.

With that, Skorupi leveled up—reaching level 27.

Just three more levels, and it would be level 30—closing the gap between itself and Honchkrow.

On the other side of the battlefield, Zangoose—who had been struggling under Slowking's relentless Psychic attacks—was now completely overwhelmed.

With Honchkrow's Overconfidence ability activated and Sneasel pressing the attack, Zangoose had no escape.

A final burst of Psychic energy from Slowking stunned Zangoose for just a second—

And that was all the time Honchkrow and Sneasel needed.

Their combined strikes hit Zangoose head-on, sending it crashing to the ground.

It was over.

Zangoose's poison had already drained its strength. The constant mental attacks from Slowking had left it weak. It had lasted this long only through sheer willpower.

But now, it was done.

The Poison Surge ability had been interesting, Aoki noted.

If someone didn't know about it, Zangoose would have been even more dangerous—its boosted power making it a serious threat. Combined with Swords Dance and Close Combat, its sheer offensive presence could have turned the tide of battle.

Aoki made a mental note of it.

It was a strategy worth exploring in the future.

But for now, the battle was won.

Kaiji's four Pokémon had all been defeated.

There was no colour left in his face.

Even with a Kecleon still resting on his shoulder—one that could use Protect—he knew it wouldn't make a difference.

Not against Aoki.

Not against a battle he had already lost.