Leafeon could not dodge in time and took the hit head-on, flying backward once again.
The blow was a heavy one, sending Leafeon several meters before it finally struck a large tree damaged by the cold and slid down onto the snow-covered ground.
The snow left by the Blizzard had covered the tree's canopy. The impact shook it loose in a shower, burying Leafeon in snow.
When it tried to get up again, it really could not.
Of course, that was not because the snow was weighing it down.
Rather, the impact had broken Leafeon's intense concentration. Once its rhythm was interrupted, it naturally slipped out of its awakened state. At that very moment, all its fatigue and strain surged over it at once. Leafeon felt as though its entire body hurt terribly, and it could not move a muscle. It could only lie there, panting heavily.
Seeing Leafeon like this, Gardenia first felt a jolt of alarm, then her body shuddered as well. She tried to call out, only to discover that she could not even speak. Her feet stumbled, and her legs went weak as she dropped to one knee!
One look was enough for Xia You to know that he had knocked both the Trainer and her Pokémon back to their senses!
Looking at the pair, who had lost both the will and the ability to fight, Xia You knew the outcome was decided. He ordered his Umbreon to stop, then turned his gaze toward the referee at the edge of the battlefield.
When Yōko noticed his gaze from the referee's station, she froze briefly before coming to her senses. Raising her right hand high, she announced, "Leafeon is unable to battle! All three of Gym Leader Gardenia's Pokémon have been defeated. The winner of this Gym