The vast forest battlefield stretched before them.
Wally gripped his Poké Ball nervously as he watched the referee approach the frozen Garchomp.
After a brief silence,
The referee suddenly raised his flag.
"Garchomp is unable to battle! Porygon2 wins!"
"It's confirmed! Porygon2 successfully countered Garchomp with Ice Beam! What astonishing power!"
Flobo's voice rose.
Clap, clap, clap!
Applause rippled through the stands like firecrackers, mingling with cheers and shouts.
The gap in strength was undeniable.
Wally had seemed to control the pace of the match, only for it to turn at the crucial moment. Baimu had either gotten lucky or seen it coming.
Or perhaps both.
The result was plain to see. Everyone could only marvel at Baimu. He had shown exactly what made a Champion—
No matter how many twists a battle took, no matter how great the early tactical advantage, one opening could cost everything.
A comeback would be wonderful.
But could Wally withstand the pressure?
On the big screen,
The young man recalled his defeated Garchomp and took a deep breath to steady himself.
The sudden reversal seemed to have shaken him.
Fortunately, he could still manage a faint smile.
Down on the field,
Wally quietly reviewed his mistakes. The overall strategy had been sound, but the details hadn't been precise enough. That was the gap between theory and practice.
He had dragged it out too long.
If he couldn't bring down Baimu's Pokémon quickly, he had to change tactics.
Wally threw a Poké Ball.
"Talonflame! Let's do it again!"
Pop!
"Fwee!"
Talonflame cried out, beating its flame-like wings as it circled above the forest.
Porygon2's Discharge had hit it, but Talonflame had been using Roost at the time, replenishing its lost stamina.
In other words, it was still healthy enough to activate its Gale Wings Ability.