Chapter 704

As a well-deserved ultimate move for the Grass type, Power Whip has almost no drawbacks, other than being so wide-ranging and forceful that it is easily dodged.

And when the opponent happens to be a Slowbro, which is extremely immobile and reacts a beat slower than other Pokémon, this flaw naturally ceases to be a problem.

After blocking with the Shellder biting its tail and protecting most of its body, Slowbro hadn't even had a chance to breathe a sigh of relief before it instantly felt a stinging, burning pain on its back.

Slowbro subconsciously tilted its head, and it took a long while for its sluggish mind to react, slowly turning its head behind it.

Then, it discovered that the vine whips, which had extended from the opponent's body at some unknown time, had already bypassed the Shellder acting as a barrier and reached its front, yet for some reason, they had voluntarily stopped their attack.

"Boniyo!"

Just as Slowbro was staring at the vines, Ogerpon's voice, which sounded like it was suppressing a laugh, came from behind again.

Subsequently, countless vine whips slammed down instantly, and under the successive attacks, several striking wounds quickly appeared on Slowbro's already pink skin.

"Slow..."

The attack lasted for quite a while, and it wasn't until Ogerpon was a bit tired from attacking and stopped waving the vine whips that Slowbro suddenly poked its head out.

"So tough???"

Xiang Qingyu was a bit stunned, thinking that Caitlin really had some tricks up her sleeve; the Slowbro in her hand actually had such strong endurance that even Ogerpon couldn't take it out in one hit...

However, he quickly overturned his own thought.

Staring blankly at Ogerpon as she retracted her vine whips, Slowbro subconsciously scratched its head.

Then, it discovered the striking whip marks on its two short arms.

"Slow?"

Only then did Slowbro react belatedly that it seemed to have been beaten up by the opponent just now...

So it had suffered such serious injuries on its body!

So, shouldn't it express something at this time?

Otherwise, it felt like it would have to endure more beatings...

"Slow..."

After this thought arose, the Slowbro, which had looked like nothing was wrong just a moment ago, immediately let out a wail, then collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Seeing this, Xiang Qingyu breathed a sigh of relief.

Good grief, that scared me; so this Slowbro had the Oblivious ability?

"..."

Compared to Xiang Qingyu, Caitlin's mood was not so pleasant.

After another one of her Pokémon was easily dealt with by Ogerpon, she now only had her last hope left among her main team.

And in a situation where it was basically certain that Xiang Qingyu still had a Mewtwo in reserve, the possibility of completing the miracle of a three-Pokémon sweep against a consecutive battle with Mewtwo and Ogerpon was already very slim.

Although she was unwilling, Caitlin actually knew very well that she had already lost.

Moreover, she had been easily defeated by Xiang Qingyu on her home turf, the Psychic Master Tournament, and with Champion Zhulan cheering her on...

Was the gap in strength between her and Xiang Qingyu really this large?

Sure enough, as long as he was there, she would always be a foil, and would never be noticed by others.

It was like that before, and it's the same now...

That weak self of hers had never left...

Caitlin shook her head helplessly.

With her inner state shattered, she even wanted to raise her hand and declare her defeat to the audience before sending out her third Pokémon.

It was impossible to win anyway; since that was the case, wasn't any effort just a waste of time?

It would be better to be decisive and admit her failure...

Just as Caitlin was gradually being drowned by negative emotions and her right hand was raised involuntarily, a Poké Ball in her pocket shook at an inopportune time, as if it felt her dejection.

This is... Gothitelle?

Relying on the subtle connection between psychic powers, Caitlin reacted immediately.

At the same time, the luster in her eyes instantly returned.

No, she couldn't give up yet!

Her partners hadn't given up yet, and for her, the trainer, to have already lost her fighting spirit was simply unacceptable!

Moreover, if she gave up hope now, she would probably have psychological trauma every time she met Xiang Qingyu in the future!

Being inferior to Xiang Qingyu for the rest of her life and having to hide whenever she saw him—that was absolutely not allowed!

Having suddenly realized this, Caitlin quickly regained her fighting spirit. After recalling the collapsed Slowbro into its Poké Ball, she took a deep breath and took out her last Poké Ball.

Although there were clearly better choices, at this point, victory or defeat was no longer important.

Responding to the expectations of one's Pokémon is also a basic quality of being a trainer!

"No matter what, I will fight to the end."

"So... I choose you, Gothitelle!"

That's right, the point she had been obsessed with from the beginning was wrong.

Losing to Xiang Qingyu was not something unacceptable at all; it was just that she had been subconsciously comparing herself to him.

Recalling the time spent with Champion Zhulan in the past, although the appearance of this guy Xiang Qingyu would always attract Champion Zhulan's gaze and make her unhappy.

But...

I have to admit, this guy has been a genius since he was a child.

It would be a lie to say I'm not envious of a guy who can make even Champion Zhulan admire him.

But Xiang Qingyu is Xiang Qingyu, and I am me.

There is no need for me to compare myself with him at all.

Therefore, instead of living in his shadow and eventually becoming my own inner demon, it's better to wake up early and be more open-minded...

Just like when I decided to go to Unova, taking a step forward might reveal how childish my past self was.

To say goodbye to my weak past self, I don't need to win against Xiang Qingyu to prove it!

That's right, I just need to be the best version of myself, and as for Xiang Qingyu...

He's just an accident in life, not worth mentioning at all!

Even with Xiang Qingyu around, I am still Champion Zhulan's best friend, the kind that lasts a lifetime!

Xiang Qingyu, can you do that? You can't do it at all!

Thinking of this, the expression on Caitlin's face quickly underwent a new change, and she gained a bit more confidence when looking at Xiang Qingyu.

And when Caitlin spoke, Xiang Qingyu also clearly showed a look of surprise.

Originally, he thought Caitlin would prepare a more special Pokémon specifically to counter him.

Unexpectedly, she finally chose to trust her trump card, Gothitelle.

All three are Psychic-type Pokémon, which is theoretically not a great choice, but in actual combat, there are many times when emotion is more correct than reason.

Because after sending out Gothitelle, there was no longer any dejection on Caitlin's face; all that remained was the desire for victory and the obsession not to leave any regrets.

Gothitelle not only played a role in stabilizing Caitlin's mindset, but it was also the Pokémon she was most skilled at using.

To this, Xiang Qingyu only nodded slightly.

It seems the final match will be a purer contest.

Gothitelle's Shadow Tag ability was triggered the moment it entered the field. With its feet as the center, a pitch-black shadow quickly spread to the surroundings of the arena and rapidly locked onto Ogerpon's shadow, causing it to lose the ability to actively rotate.

"Gothitelle, Fake Out!"

"Ogerpon, Protect."

Xiang Qingyu and Caitlin spoke almost simultaneously, and both sides' Pokémon immediately took action.

Gothitelle's ghostly figure disappeared rapidly, and by the time it was captured by the audience's gaze, it had already reached Ogerpon.

Fake Out is a tactic Xiang Qingyu likes to use when playing tactics on his broadcast.

When the opponent is unprepared, this sudden slap can make the opponent's Pokémon instantly stunned, thereby playing a role in interfering with the opponent's tactics.

In singles, the effect of this move is actually quite limited, especially in Master rules, where it's not very profitable for many Pokémon to waste a skill slot as a means of damage-free consumption.

This move was even seen through by Xiang Qingyu at a glance, who had instructed Ogerpon to prepare in advance.

"Poni!"

Before Gothitelle's hand strike arrived, Ogerpon had already reached out to condense a layer of energy barrier, completely isolating itself from Gothitelle.

"Sure enough, this move could never have an effect on Xiang Qingyu..."

While Lance spoke subconsciously, he couldn't help but sigh.

This Miss Caitlin seems to have made the same mistake as the previous trainers.

She subconsciously used the tactics learned in Xiang Qingyu's broadcast room, but forgot that Xiang Qingyu is a ruthless person who provides counter-methods for every tactic he teaches; these contents, which he has already mastered and engraved into his instincts, actually don't even require him to think.

And Caitlin's reckless command is clearly going to pay a huge price.

Because Gothitelle, who is better at harassing opponents with energy attacks, has already reached an extremely close distance after using Fake Out, and could be severely damaged by Ogerpon's counterattack at any time.

Although it is indeed commendable to be able to muster the fighting spirit to resist again at such a time, it seems it has come to an end.

For these young newcomers, it seems it is still too early to defeat Xiang Qingyu.

After all, besides the terrifying Invisible Fist Lucario and the Fairy-type Sylveon with its own special effects, Xiang Qingyu can even pull out the Ogerpon + Mewtwo combination; these stats...

Lance couldn't help but think.

When he grows up a bit more, maybe when he meets old guys like them in the Master Tournament in the future, he will also sweep through them like this Psychic Master Tournament...

It's too terrifying!

However, soon, when the situation on the field changed again, his eyes widened.

Because Caitlin's operation was completely beyond his expectations.

"Ogerpon, Ivy Cudgel."