Chapter 137 ⇾ The Mysterious Final Defender
The beautiful woman known as Assassin waved to the spectators and blew kisses, stirring the crowd into a frenzy.
"Assassin! Assassin! Assassin!"
"Assassin! Assassin!"
"Assassin!" ...
The chants demonstrated her immense popularity in the arena.
[Our defender today is Assassin. Every arena regular knows her — beautiful, powerful, and lethal...
She holds the highest win rate in our gym-level matches and has been a veteran contestant here for nearly a decade.
If you're placing bets, Assassin is your safest choice!]
The announcer's excited voice rang out, already anticipating Cole's defeat. Swayed by his enthusiasm, the spectators rushed to place their chips on Assassin.
In the VIP room, Lysandre confidently bet another thousand chips on Cole. If Cole won three matches in a row, Lysandre's wagers would yield at least a tenfold return.
Terrifying!
Daisy also sat in the box, silent in her corner, her eyes fixed on the large wall screen.
With the betting device in hand and access to Cole's storage account, she made sure to place bets for him.
She had wagered five hundred chips on her son's first match, a thousand on his second — matching Lysandre's bet — and for this final match, she would stake fifteen hundred chips, everything in Cole's account.
Though Daisy was gambling with all her son's assets without his knowledge, her face remained perfectly calm. She knew Cole wouldn't lose.
At the announcer's signal, Cole and Assassin released their Pokémon simultaneously.
Cole sent out Brionne, while Assassin chose Weavile.
The Weavile likely possessed the Pressure ability — its mere presence sent waves of intense psychological pressure through both Cole and Brionne.
This Pokémon moved with ruthless efficiency. The moment the announcer finished speaking, it vanished in a flash, not even waiting for its trainer's command.
[Oho~ Just like Contestant Assassin's Weavile to strike first! It's using Quick Attack to close in on Zoroark's Brionne — how will he respond?] The announcer commented, clearly favoring the arena's champion.
Brionne had expected to bask in the crowd's enthusiastic cheers.
Instead, the audience roared for Weavile while completely ignoring Brionne.
Brionne: (°ヘ°) What gives? Is that black cat somehow prettier than me?
As Weavile charged forward, Brionne's anger flared. It opened its mouth, filling the arena with countless rainbow-colored bubbles.
Weavile was rushing forward at high speed when suddenly a colorful bubble its own size materialized before it.
Caught off guard, it slammed into the bubble — but instead of bursting, the highly elastic bubble violently bounced Weavile backward. Another bubble behind Weavile bounced it to the front left, then another to the front right, pinballing it around until it finally crashed face-first into the ground.
Assassin, the previously excited announcer, and all the cheering spectators stared in disbelief. How could their champion's ace Pokémon be at such a disadvantage from the start?
Even the Weavile lying on the ground seemed stunned by what had happened.
These special bubbles were an ability Brionne had awakened over the past two years as Cole helped it unlock hidden energy circuits. While Brionne could create resilient bubbles since its Popplio stage, they had never been this powerful before.
Seeing its opponent's predicament, Brionne bounced gleefully, waving non-stop to the audience as if to say: See? I'm still the strongest! Beautiful and powerful!
As a Soloist Pokémon, Brionne naturally loved to sing, dance, and show off to humans. After two years of streaming, it had grown even more passionate about being in the spotlight.
But its performance drew no cheers — seeing Weavile's disadvantage, the audience wore funeral expressions, already mourning their lost bets.
[Th-this... Contestant Assassin's Weavile has taken such a heavy blow right at the start. The battle's outcome has become completely unpredictable. Who will claim victory?]
Even the announcer's commentary had lost its spirit.
Weavile, being a proud Pokémon, was deeply frustrated by this embarrassment. It was then that Assassin spotted the bubbles' weakness — being made of water, they were naturally vulnerable to ice.
"Weavile, Icy Wind!"
Cole knew Brionne's bubbles' weakness well — while they resisted physical attacks, they were vulnerable to ice-type moves like Weavile's.
Seeing his opponent discover a counter, he called out decisively: "Brionne, Hyper Voice!"
Weavile rose from the ground and exhaled a freezing breath laced with ice shards. The cold wind froze every bubble in its path, sending them crashing to the ground in crystalline pieces.
Brionne countered by unleashing rolling waves of sound. The soundwaves detonated the remaining unfrozen bubbles while resonating between them, multiplying their power.
Thanks to its Liquid Voice ability, Brionne's sound-based moves transformed into Water-type, letting it manipulate water vapor through sonic vibrations.
The moment Hyper Voice activated, the air's moisture began oscillating violently, setting off a chain reaction in the water-filled bubbles.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The explosions began!
A series of fierce, unstoppable blasts erupted. The shockwave caught Weavile mid-Icy Wind, hurling it through the air.
Before it could recover, another bubble detonated nearby, launching it again. This continued three or four times until the explosions finally ceased.
Smoke and dust filled the arena as the tense audience waited to learn the outcome.
When the haze cleared, Weavile lay motionless in the debris.
Cole had expected this — Weavile's strengths lay in its speed and attack power, but its defenses were fragile. Like any assassin-type Pokémon, it relied on swift approaches and devastating strikes.
But with its speed nullified by Brionne's bubbles, its offensive power meant nothing. It couldn't even reach its target.
Its weak defenses stood no chance against the relentless bubble barrage. Defeat was inevitable.
The Pressure ability never got a chance to work — it needed a longer battle to become effective.
In the VIP room, Lysandre and Daisy shared knowing smiles.
[The... the match is... is over, the winner is Contestant Zoroark,] the announcer stammered.
He was stunned by both the decisive victory and their arena champion's swift defeat.
The audience outside was even more agitated - Assassin, whom they had been certain would win, had lost so quickly. Some of them were even her devoted fans, following her since she first signed with the arena, and this was the first time they'd seen her lose so quickly.
The audience was devastated — their disappointment at the match's outcome stung even more than their financial losses.
True to form, the spectators hurled abuse at Assassin. Civility wasn't their strong suit — they'd curse anyone, regardless of gender or appearance, who cost them money.
Assassin's expression flickered at the verbal assault before quickly settling back to neutral.
"Little brother, you're quite impressive." She purred while recalling Weavile, batting her eyes at Cole, "What's your name? Tell big sister~"
She drew out the last syllable with a lazy, seductive tone that oddly reminded him of his Liepard.
Cole simply shook his head, remaining silent.
"Don't be so cold. If you tell big sister, I could visit you tonight~... Then you can~ do whatever you want~ with big sister~"
Her mannerisms were becoming increasingly Liepard-like.
Cole: (´⊙ω⊙`)!Big sister... no, auntie, I'm only fourteen — I can't do anything!
Finally, with Assassin watching regretfully, he left the arena and returned to the waiting room for his final match.
Brionne wore a dejected expression.
Why? Why? Why? I won so beautifully, but no one cheered for me!
✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲
Meanwhile, several arena officials were engaged in a heated debate.
"Now that Assassin has lost, who should we send for the final match?"
"Why not pick from Castor, Cyber, or Lancer?"
"Pick them? Their win rates don't even match Assassin's. That would be admitting defeat."
"So what if we lose? Won't the arena profit more if the challenger wins?"
"Keep quiet if you don't understand. This isn't just about one match. After Assassin and Berserk's losses, do you realize how much our customers' confidence will drop? Can you imagine the long-term losses?"
"Why are you getting so agitated? I was just suggesting. Besides, it's your decision, not mine."
"Well then, speak up! You're quick to criticize, but now you've got nothing to say?"
After this scolding, the managers fell quiet as mice.
Just then, someone knocked at the door.
"Come in!"
The door creaked open, and an arena staff member entered, whispering something to one of the managers.
The manager's face suddenly lit up with joy.
"Is what you're saying true?"
The staff member nodded, "They've agreed to be our defender."
"That's wonderful! If it's them, winning the final match won't be a problem." The manager turned to the others, "Alright, I've found our contestant — you don't need to worry anymore."
"Who is it?"
The other managers leaned in eagerly.
"You'll find out when the time comes."
✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲
Cole soon received notice to enter the arena.
With the audience's spirits low, he slowly entered, wearing his Zoroark mask as always.
The crowd glared at him fiercely, their burning gazes seeking to incinerate the man who had made them lose everything.
[First to enter is Contestant Zoroark. He has already won two consecutive matches, truly giving us a big surprise. Can he create another brilliant moment in this third match? Let's wait and see! Next, our defender will enter. I bet you can't guess who this defender is!] The announcer said mysteriously, [Trust me, if you really want to win, betting on this defender is definitely the way to go!]
Hearing these words, the audience erupted in curses, "Still listening to you? It's because we listened to you that we've already lost twice!"
Some people had already decisively bet on Cole before the defender even appeared.
Of course, most audience members were more rational. Though they were inclined to bet on Cole for the final match, they wanted to see who the defender was before making their decision.
The announcer ignored the audience's dissatisfaction, shamelessly continuing to promote his judgment.
At this moment, the defender finally made their long-awaited entrance.
This defender, like the others, wasn't wearing a mask. When the audience saw their face, their eyes widened in shock.
"Bet on them! Bet on them! It's a sure win!"
✲✲✲
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