Chapter 231: The Victor

"Scizor, use Agility! Get in close and strike with Brick Break!"

Chewing on his lip with growing frustration, Chuxing barked the command as his anger simmered just beneath the surface. Across from him, his Scizor roared, eyes burning with fury as it blitzed forward, the air around it shimmering from its rapid acceleration.

The mantis-like Pokémon's speed surged, nearly matching its earlier Quick Attack. Its red carapace shimmered as it closed the distance between it and the evasive Skuntank, poised to end the fight.

"Skuntank, dodge," said Imu, voice cool and composed.

And once again, Skuntank evaded with practiced ease. Though Scizor's movements were blindingly fast, Imu's partner was battle-hardened, its motion fluid and instinctive. Boom! The steel pincers crashed into the ground where Skuntank had been just a second earlier.

"Scizor, X-Scissor!"

"Skuntank, dodge."

"Fury Cutter!"

"Dodge."

Again and again, Chuxing launched attacks in a desperate fury, while Imu calmly countered with nothing but evasion. The clash continued, Scizor attacking relentlessly, Skuntank slipping away like smoke.

The air sizzled with intensity.

"Scizor, Hyper Beam!"

With a voice full of rage, Chuxing issued his strongest command yet. Scizor's claws opened, energy surging between them, forming a blinding orb that fired with a resounding whoosh across the battlefield.

Imu's eyes sharpened. "Skuntank, avoid it—and use Smoke Screen."

The purple-striped Pokémon darted sideways, the beam narrowly missing. It then opened its jaws and released a dark fog that quickly engulfed the field.

Chuxing's face contorted. "No way! Even Hyper Beam couldn't land? That's impossible!"

Imu finally responded, voice calm but cutting. "I envy people like you—those who can afford so many TMs. But sadly, your ignorance is showing. Hyper Beam is devastating, but only if used properly. Your Scizor? It's a half-baked user of that move."

Most of Scizor's skills weren't ones it could learn naturally. They'd clearly been acquired through machines, and while flashy, their execution lacked finesse. Imu had suspected something was off earlier—now it all made sense.

"You little—"

Chuxing's face twisted in fury, his hands trembling.

Imu's expression hardened. "Let's end this. You wanted to see a real Pokémon's strength, didn't you?"

He didn't wait for a reply.

"Skuntank—use Screech, then Focus Energy."

From within the black mist came a screech so high-pitched it made the spectators flinch. On the battlefield, Scizor winced, claws twitching, posture faltering.

"That's your attack?" Chuxing sneered. "What a joke. Even if I let you hit me, you wouldn't win."

Imu ignored him. He gave no rebuttal, just another order.

"Skuntank, spread the smoke toward Scizor. Then use Slash."

Footsteps echoed through the mist. The black haze shifted, advancing toward Scizor, who instinctively stepped back.

Chuxing's eyes widened. A blur darted through the smoke.

"Scizor, be careful! It's coming—dodge!"

"Dodge?" Imu said with a faint smile. "Can you?"

Before Chuxing could retort, a loud thud came from the mist. A red figure was hurled out of the smoke like a ragdoll. Scizor crashed to the ground outside the arena, leaving a crater in its wake.

"Finish it," Imu called. "Flamethrower."

The smoke flickered orange, and a stream of fire blasted forth. It roared across the battlefield like a serpent, lighting up the entire space.

"Scizor, move!"

Chuxing's shout was desperate now, his eyes wide in panic.

Scizor, still reeling from the previous hit, staggered to its feet. It turned toward the oncoming inferno—far too slow.

The fire struck.

Boom!

Heat radiated in every direction. Even Chuxing instinctively raised his arms to shield himself from the blast. In the firestorm's center, Scizor was launched into the sky like a blazing comet before crashing outside the ring with a final thud, kicking up dust and debris.

"Match over. The winner is Imu," the referee declared firmly.

Gasps spread across the stands. Chuxing stood frozen, eyes locked on the cratered ground where his prized Pokémon lay motionless.

"I… I actually lost?" he whispered.

All that confidence, all his arrogance—it crumbled in an instant. Chuxing had believed himself unbeatable. Everyone else, he thought, were like those weaklings in the preliminary rounds—fodder, nothing more.

Imu approached, eyes cool.

"You shouldn't have made it this far," he said. "You don't even understand skill synergy or move effects. I'm amazed you passed the preliminaries at all."

Chuxing's fists clenched, then slowly loosened. He looked up with a bitter glare. "Don't get cocky. One day, I'll beat you."

Without waiting for a response, he turned and trudged toward his fallen partner.

As he passed the edge of the arena, a staff member offered quietly, "There's a healing station nearby. You can get Scizor treated right away."

Chuxing nodded stiffly but said nothing. His pride was shattered. Today, he'd been taught a lesson not just in battling—but in humility.

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