The waiting room.
The organizers had thoughtfully arranged two separate rooms.
Baimu brushed the last grains of sand from his body and washed his face.
"Whew..."
The halftime break was only five minutes. He sat on a bench and closed his eyes to rest.
The finals were going smoothly.
From Porygon2's "Clone" and Steelix's Sandstorm to Blissey risking everything to take a Drill Run, then ending the battle by returning the move with Copycat.
There had been few surprises.
If anything, the final clash with Excadrill had been thrilling. It had used every attack as a smokescreen, even firing Focus Blast to kick up dust and obscure his view.
In truth, it had staked everything on a one-hit knockout.
It reminded him of his battle with Shan Ren.
No wonder everyone liked aggressive tactics that forced both trainer and Pokémon to their limits.
You had to break something down before you could rebuild it?
Unfortunately, things broke without being rebuilt far more often.
Just as he had lost to Shan Ren back then, Iris had lost to him just now.
Scenes like Ash successfully triggering Infernape's special Blaze, hanging on by a thread, and beating Paul were rare.
But...
Would Iris give up after one failed challenge?
Obviously not.
If she did, she wouldn't be Iris.
Baimu rubbed his face and let Porygon2 out of its Poké Ball.
"Run through it one more time."
"Pory~"
Porygon2 agreed and slipped into his phone to simulate the second half.
With its processor, it could use the information they had to predict Iris's next choices and possible tactics. The results were well worth considering.
It was a talent unique to Porygon2.
Baimu watched lines of text appear on his phone and fell into thought.
Before the match, judging by Iris's recent performance and