Chapter 8: 8. Chapter 8: The Final Battle with the Cherry Blossoms

Chapter 8: The Final Battle with Sakura

However...

Xia You looked up at the ceiling. This battle was not without its advantages.

Through the bright glass dome, the sun could be clearly seen, casting a soft, warm light.

It was still a sunny day today...

"Let's begin!" Seeing that both Pokémon were ready,菖蒲 (Ayame) didn't wait for Sakura to speak before shouting her command, "Krabby, use Water Gun!"

A thick stream of water erupted from Krabby's mouth, heading straight for Bulbasaur!

"Bulbasaur, dodge it, then use Vine Whip!"

Hearing the command, Bulbasaur leaped to the side to avoid the attack, and at the same time, two vines extended from the bulb on its back, lashing out toward Krabby.

But the next second, Krabby dove into the water, and the vines only splashed against the surface!

In their first exchange, neither side had gained any advantage.

Regardless of whether these three sisters were solely focused on water ballet, their strength was not something to be taken lightly!

Seeing the stalemate, however, Ayame suddenly smiled.

"Well, one is in the water and one is on the shore; it's hard to decide a winner with them attacking each other like this. It seems we need to change tactics. Krabby, get on that floating platform!"

"Oh?" Hearing her command, Xia You raised an eyebrow in slight surprise. "Giving up your home-field advantage to fight Bulbasaur face-to-face—are you sure about that?"

Ayame tilted her head, clearly full of confidence.

"Don't worry. Unlike牡丹 (Botan)'s Goldeen, my Krabby is still very strong even on land! Krabby, use Leer!"

Krabby’s four legs moved rapidly, and it quickly crawled sideways onto the floating platform where Bulbasaur was standing. Suddenly, its dull eyes glowed red, staring fixedly at Bulbasaur.

Was she trying to make Bulbasaur more vulnerable through fear?

Xia You said calmly, "Bulbasaur, don't let it affect you. Use Growth!"

A faint green light suddenly emerged from Bulbasaur's body.

Growth is a move that increases the user's Attack and Special Attack. Because it was a sunny day, the sunlight was abundant, and using Growth now would provide an additional boost to the power of its moves!

Seeing this opportunity, Ayame’s eyes lit up, and she hurriedly said, "Krabby, use Water Gun quickly!"

Because it was too late to dodge, the Water Gun hit Bulbasaur directly. Although Bulbasaur's defense had been lowered by Leer, Water-type moves are not very effective against Grass-types, so even though it landed, it didn't cause significant damage.

"Bulbasaur, it's our turn to return the favor. Use Tackle!"

Understanding that the power of this attack was greatly enhanced by Growth, Ayame didn't dare to be careless.

"Krabby, use Harden quickly!"

As she spoke, just before Bulbasaur reached it, Krabby’s body flashed with a metallic sheen. From its appearance alone, it was clear it had become much sturdier.

*Bang!* With a solid impact, Krabby was forced to take a step back.

Fortunately, it didn't seem to be in any serious trouble and even had the strength to counterattack!

"Now, Krabby, use Vice Grip!"

Following Ayame's command, Krabby’s large claw reached forward and clamped tightly onto Bulbasaur's neck.

Since Vice Grip is a Normal-type move, it wasn't weakened by Bulbasaur's Grass/Poison typing. Combined with the effect of Leer, it dealt considerable damage, causing Bulbasaur to cry out in pain.

But Xia You clearly wasn't going to sit idly by.

"Use Vine Whip!"

The vines rose high from the bulb and then came crashing down. Each lash dealt massive damage to Krabby.

*Whack! Whack... Whack!*

After taking a few hits, Krabby couldn't bear the pain any longer and was forced to retreat, moving away from Bulbasaur.

This allowed Bulbasaur to regain its freedom!

And the roles of attacker and defender had reversed!

"Now, it's our turn!"

Narrowing his eyes, Xia You commanded, "Use Leech Seed!"

A small seed flew out from the bulb, sticking to Krabby at high speed. The Leech Seed began to grow rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, it sprouted long vines that tightly bound Krabby!

This time, it was Krabby's turn to be unable to move!

Seeing the situation turn dire, Ayame tried one last desperate move: "Krabby, hurry back into the water!"

This was undoubtedly the best solution.

But...

Thinking of escaping now?

Too late!

Xia You chuckled and gave the final command.

"Bulbasaur, finish it! Use Vine Whip!"

The two vines moved rapidly, lashing out fiercely at Krabby before it could reach the water. Beyond the double damage caused by the type advantage, the Leech Seed glowed with a faint green light, draining Krabby's remaining stamina.

This time, Krabby finally couldn't hold on and collapsed onto the floating platform.

Stunned for a moment, Ayame sighed.

"I lost too..."

Saying this, she took out a Poké Ball and recalled Krabby.

Xia You had won two consecutive battles.

Now, only Sakura remained.

Seeing her two younger sisters defeated, Sakura’s expression turned serious.

She walked slowly to the trainer's command area, looking Xia You over carefully.

"You are truly strong, and very calm. I can tell you are an excellent trainer. But we won't give up so easily! Come out, my Pokémon, Seel!"

As her Poké Ball opened, a grayish-white, seal-like Pokémon appeared in the pool.

In terms of appearance, this Pokémon had a protrusion on its head, tusks curving upward on both sides of its mouth, a tongue sticking out, and a tail split in two. It didn't look much different from the common Seel of his previous life.

Not knowing much about it, Xia You took out his Pokédex and scanned the Seel.

The Pokédex quickly provided feedback.

"Beep. Seel, the Sea Lion Pokémon, Water-type. They generally live on icebergs and use the sharp protrusion on their heads to break through ice to swim in the sea. Their skin is very thick, allowing them to move freely even in temperatures of minus 40 degrees."

Unlike Goldeen and Krabby, this Seel was both agile and capable of close-quarters combat, making it much harder to deal with.

"Return, Bulbasaur."

Xia You recalled Bulbasaur and sent out his final Pokémon, his ace—Ralts.

"Ralts, it's up to you!"

Hearing her trainer's instruction, Ralts let out a soft cry and used Teleport to appear on the floating platform.

It looked at Seel, a glimmer of light flashing in its eyes beneath its bangs, and its skin had already quietly undergone a change.

"Is its name Ralts?" Looking at Ralts's cute appearance, Sakura immediately took a liking to it and couldn't stop staring. "I saw it just now; it's so cute! Is it a Pokémon from another region?"

"That's right, Ralts is not a Pokémon from the Kanto region." Xia You nodded, then kindly reminded her, "Please be careful, Miss Sakura. It is a Psychic and Fairy type, which makes it quite difficult to deal with."

"What a gentle and handsome man," Sakura said with a smile, but added, "However, I won't go easy on you because of that! Seel, use Aqua Jet!"

Aqua Jet, where the user wraps itself in water to charge at the enemy, is a Water-type physical move with more power than Water Gun. The fact that it could use this move showed that this Seel's level was quite high.

However, hitting Ralts with such an attack would be difficult!

"Ralts, dodge it!"

Xia You spoke softly, and the very next second, Ralts vanished from where it stood and reappeared on another floating platform.

It had dodged the attack with ease!

"A Psychic-type Pokémon is really troublesome."

Sakura shook her head, sighing, but soon she smiled. "In that case, let's restrict its abilities first. Seel, use Icy Wind!"

A fierce, cold wind erupted from Seel's mouth, engulfing Ralts and a large area nearby. The power was so great that the temperature of the battlefield dropped below freezing, and even the surface of the water began to freeze into a thick layer of ice!

Although Ralts used Teleport to dodge the area-of-effect attack, its speed was inevitably affected by the surrounding environment.