Chapter 49: The Final Showdown

"Go, Nidorina!"

After her Ditto was defeated by Gary's Nidorino, Leaf sent out her own power-type Pokémon.

"Good thing Nidorino doesn't have the Sheer Force ability!" Gary breathed a sigh of relief. "But Nidorina's raw power can't compare to Nidorino's!"

"You never know!" Leaf revealed a confident smile, which made Gary slightly more vigilant. He wondered what Nidorina was capable of to make her so confident.

"Nidorino, use Double Kick!"

"Nidorina, you use Double Kick too!"

The two Pokémon obeyed their Trainers' commands, turning sideways to clash with powerful kicks. To Gary's surprise, his Nidorino, which should have had the advantage in strength, was subtly overpowered by Nidorina.

"Could it be…" Gary's eyes lit up as he quickly guessed the reason. "Your Nidorina has the hidden ability—Hustle?!"

(Hustle: Attack is increased by 1.5 times, but the accuracy of physical moves is reduced by 20%.)

"Nidorina is a Pokémon I worked very hard to catch. She gave me a lot of headaches back then!" Leaf replied. Nidorina's personality was just as energetic as her ability, and she had nearly driven Leaf to despair when she was first caught.

"You're lucky," Gary said with a hint of envy. Pokémon with hidden abilities were rare, and a good one could add significant combat power to a team. "But it's a pity that Nidorina is still a bit lacking! Nidorino, use Horn Attack!"

Nidorino let out a savage roar, its heavy footsteps making Leaf vigilant. Her Ivysaur had already been defeated by Nidorino's raw strength.

"Use Dig to avoid the attack, then find an opportunity for an ambush!"

Nidorina quickly used her feet to nimbly dig a hole, successfully avoiding the Horn Attack.

"Sorry, Leaf! I'm really looking forward to my battle with Red, so… Nidorino, listen carefully for the sound of Digging. The moment Nidorina appears, use a full-power Drill Run!"

Drill Run was a Ground-type move that would deal double damage to Nidorina and had a high chance of landing a critical hit. Gary planned to use this move to decisively defeat Leaf.

"Oh no! A miscalculation!" Leaf regretted her command. Dig had seemed like a safe way to avoid Nidorino, but she hadn't expected Gary to have a move like Drill Run.

As if hearing the vibrations from underground, Nidorino's expression turned solemn. It locked onto the position in front of it, intending to knock Nidorina down with one blow the moment she emerged.

"In that case, Nidorina, use a full-power Take Down!"

Sensing Nidorina's position, Nidorino charged frantically. Its hind legs pushed off, its body spinning as its horn became a sharp drill. To strike before Nidorino, Nidorina leaped out of the hole with all her might, aiming a powerful Take Down at Nidorino's head.

The super-effective Drill Run made Nidorina scream in pain. Nidorino, in turn, bravely endured the 1.5x power of Take Down, determined not to lose.

The power struggle ultimately ended in Nidorina's defeat. She had not only taken double damage and a critical hit from Drill Run but also suffered recoil damage from her own Take Down. The stacked damage had completely exhausted her stamina.

"One last Double Kick!" Gary pressed his advantage, giving Leaf and Nidorina no chance to breathe.

THWACK!

After taking the final blow, Nidorina's eyes spun, and she collapsed to the ground.

"Nidorina is unable to battle! The winner of this match is Gary!" Professor Oak announced, looking at his grandson with approval. If it weren't for the upcoming battle with Red, the Professor would have rushed over to praise Gary right now.

"As expected, you won," Red said calmly, walking over with the tall Golden Pidgeot by his side.

"I didn't get a good look during the battle just now, but I didn't expect Pidgeot's physique to develop so ridiculously!" Gary looked up at Pidgeot and exclaimed, feeling a surge of excitement for his own match.

"Don't you need to rest?" Red asked, indicating that Pidgeot's stamina had mostly recovered. He didn't want to take advantage of Gary.

Gary suddenly realized why so many spectators had gathered on his side of the beach a few minutes ago—Red's match had already ended.

"I'm sorry, Red. I couldn't win against Gary…" Leaf lowered her head in guilt.

"It's okay. To be honest, you and Ash are currently no match for Gary. You don't need to blame yourself," Red said softly, his blunt words doing little to comfort the dispirited Leaf.

(Doesn't this boy know how to comfort girls?) Delia complained to herself weakly. When Red had defeated Giselle earlier, Delia had watched as Red and Pidgeot just stood there, "carefully" watching Giselle cry and lay on her Golem. He truly didn't understand girls at all.

"Finally! I don't have to run back and forth!" Professor Oak gasped, catching his breath. The doubles battle had inexplicably turned into two simultaneous singles matches, forcing him to constantly monitor both to announce the results. It was exhausting for the old man.

"I'm sorry, Professor Oak," Red apologized, though his tone was not particularly sincere, making the Professor feel a bit uncomfortable.

"Sorry to trouble you, Grandpa," Gary said awkwardly. "This is the final match!"

Noticing that the audience's gaze had already converged on them, Leaf wisely retreated a few steps to find a place to rest. But as soon as she turned, she saw the previously disappeared Giselle sitting next to Delia, chatting and laughing with her.

(That girl!)

Leaf glared at the smiling Giselle. She knew exactly what her rival was planning: trying to use Delia to get closer to Red.

(Tch! What a sensitive one!)

Giselle glanced at Leaf walking over and reluctantly made room. She couldn't let a small detail ruin the good impression she was making on Delia.

(These two children are really cute!)

Delia smiled as she looked at Leaf and Giselle, who were acting like friendly sisters but were secretly at odds. It was as if she had gained two more daughters.

After a short rest, Gary readjusted and commanded his Nidorino to attack.

"Nidorino, use Horn Attack!"

"Fly into the air and use Air Slash. Nidorino's ability is Poison Point, so avoid close combat as much as possible."

Pidgeot quickly ascended, easily avoiding Nidorino, and then flapped its wings to release countless sharp blades of wind. The merciless attack struck every part of Nidorino's body, making it fearful and hesitant to attack Pidgeot directly.

"Nidorino, don't be discouraged! You are a Pokémon I am proud of. Don't lose confidence because of one setback. I always believe you can overcome any difficulty!"

Seeing Nidorino's fear, Gary quickly cheered him on, helping his partner overcome it's fear. An excellent trainer not only needs a mind that can calmly analyze the battle but also needs to constantly pay attention to the changes in their Pokémon's emotional state. Clearly, Gary did this very well, and it also served as a positive example for Giselle, who was watching from the side.

***

(End of Chapter)

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