Bruno Lost the Will to Battle

The Masters Challenge was in full swing.

After losing the opening exchange, Lorelei's presence grew even icier.

Meanwhile, Bruno's Hitmonchan only grew fiercer as the battle went on, knocking out Lapras, Cloyster, and Jynx in succession!

Those three were arguably the top three attackers on Lorelei's team.

By the mid-match break, Bruno had even started humming. That alone showed how pleased he was with himself.

Lorelei sat quietly in the rest area, then looked up toward the VIP room.

Gary nodded. It's time, Lorelei!

Lorelei let out a long breath. She had no intention of losing this match, so...

Sorry, Bruno~

"The second half begins!" The referee waved his flags, signaling for both sides to return to their positions.

The crowd cheered even harder. Bruno raised his right hand and waved to his fans in the stands.

"Bruno really is going to sweep her whole team with one Pokémon. Kid, your judgment still needs work," Lt. Surge said breezily from beside Gary.

"Is that so~?" Gary propped his temple on one hand and gave a lazy yawn. "It's time to show some real skill, isn't it?"

"Hmph, all bluster." Gary's flippant tone irritated Lt. Surge, who huffily turned away from him.

Gary smiled faintly and turned his attention back to the field.

Both sides' Pokémon were already in position. Bruno had kept Hitmonchan out after its valiant performance in the first half.

On Lorelei's side stood a vacant-looking Slowbro.

"Begin!" At the referee's command, the second half officially began!

"Slowbro, Trick Room!" Lorelei made the first move, forcing the room into play!

"Hitmonchan, use Focus Punch!" Bruno's expression changed, and he immediately launched a swift attack.

Hitmonchan rushed toward Slowbro with quick, shuffling steps. Its fist, brimming with white light, slammed toward Slowbro's chest!

Thump! Slowbro took the punch head-on and pressed its hands together~

Snap! A square wall of energy spread across the battlefield. Slowbro tilted its head. "Ya~"

"Impossible. How could it not react to Hitmonchan's full-power punch?" Bruno said incredulously.

"Ya~ ya~" Just as Bruno finished complaining, the previously indifferent Slowbro suddenly opened its mouth and cried out in pain. At the same time, its normally unwieldy tail swung up hard.

Thump! Hitmonchan tried to block, only to discover that its movements seemed to be playing back in slow motion.

Boom! Slowbro's tail sent it flying. Hitmonchan staggered to its feet, questioning everything it knew.

"Sorry, my Slowbro takes a little longer to process things~" Lorelei adjusted her glasses and smiled.

Bruno frowned deeply. Lorelei's sudden change in fighting style had caught him off guard.

And that wasn't all. He felt there was something... devious about her smile~

"You don't think having the advantage means you can do whatever you want, do you? As long as Hitmonchan's moves land, Slowbro won't last much longer!" Bruno snorted.

"Oh, that's certainly true. Slowbro~ snack time," Lorelei said with a smile.

"Yado~" Slowbro wasn't slow this time. In full view of everyone, it pulled out an Oran Berry and swallowed it in one bite.

A green glow immediately shone around Slowbro. Its stamina had recovered!

Bruno was dumbfounded. "Hey, everyone saw that! She's cheating! She's taking medicine in the middle of the match! I want to report this! I protest!"

Lorelei looked at Bruno with the patient concern one might show an idiot, then spread her hands toward the referee. "You explain it."

The referee rolled his eyes at Bruno. "Pokémon are allowed to use Berries they carry themselves during a match. That's explicitly stated in the Pokémon League tournament rules. Your protest is overruled~"

"Huh?" Bruno looked at Lorelei indignantly. "Can you stop using these cheap little tricks?"

"Oh, I'm not finished yet." Lorelei clapped her hands. "Slowbro, all full now? Use Belch~"

Buuurp~! Slowbro opened its mouth wide and spat out a string of purple bubbles that burst right in Hitmonchan's face.

"Hitmon..." Hitmonchan's expression suddenly changed, and a purple discoloration spread over its body.

"It's poisoned!" Bruno finally lost his composure. "Come back, Hitmonchan!"

For the first time since the match began, Bruno switched Pokémon. "Machoke, go!"

The second Pokémon to enter was Machoke...

"That's not very wise..." Gary couldn't help shaking his head. Trick Room was still active, making a sluggish Pokémon like Slowbro practically unbeatable. Sending in Machoke now was almost like handing over a free knockout...

Sure enough, a moment later, Slowbro lifted Machoke with Confusion. After slamming it up and down ten times, Slowbro stepped forward and threw an Ice Punch!

Crack! Machoke was frozen solid and knocked out on the spot!

Lorelei gave a playful wink. "We're only just getting started..."

Bruno's face was already a mask of misery. Lorelei, you've gone bad...

With no other choice, Bruno sent out another Machoke. His plan now was to stall until Trick Room ended, then finish things with one explosive offensive.

And then...

Machoke endured the hardest battle of its life. With no defensive moves to begin with, it was pinned to the ground and mercilessly pummeled by a Slowbro...

The instant Machoke fell, the blue room slowly cracked, then shattered into fragments.

Before Bruno could celebrate, he heard Lorelei's voice. "Trick Room..."

A moment later, the blue energy field once again covered the entire battlefield~

Bruno: To hell with this battle! Give me my Poké Balls. I'm going home!

Gary rested his head on his hand and smiled. Master Bruno, hang in there! There are still more tactics we haven't used. Don't surrender. Hold on...

Lorelei glanced at the glass of the VIP room with admiration. Gary really was a born Pokémon Trainer. This strategy had practically ground Bruno's intelligence into the dirt.

Fortunately, Master Bruno's reputation wasn't undeserved. He finally discovered Trick Room's weakness.

He sent Hitmonlee out to battle.

"Hitmonlee, Agility, then Rolling Kick!" Although using Agility inside Trick Room only made Hitmonlee slower, the reach of its long legs finally allowed it to stabilize the situation.

The instant Trick Room vanished, a sharp glint flashed forward!

Bam! An explosive High Jump Kick gave Slowbro no chance to react and knocked it out outright.

"Phew~" Bruno let out a long breath, though Hitmonlee didn't have much stamina left either.

Still, he had finally dealt with that filthy, trick-filled Slowbro. Hitmonchan and Machamp should be able to handle the rest!

Lorelei could see how strained Bruno was and covered her mouth with a soft laugh. If you think this is really over, you're far too naive.

"Starmie, take the field!" Lorelei brought out the centerpiece of her strategy.

"Hitmonlee, use High Jump Kick!" Bruno attacked first.

"Starmie, Swift!" With Hitmonlee barely hanging on, Lorelei's attack landed first despite being ordered second, securing another knockout.

Bruno ruffled his hair. "Ah~ I got careless! But now it's our time to shine. Hitmonchan, take the field!"

Hitmonchan entered the field again. Despite its long rest, its complexion hadn't improved. It had only worsened~

The poison left it feeling terribly weak.

"Let's finish this quickly! Hitmonchan, use Thunder Punch!" Bruno wanted to end the match fast.

Lorelei shook her head. Even the Elite Four could lose their composure... "Starmie, use Protect!"

Thump! A green shield of light flashed into existence. Hitmonchan's fist slammed squarely into it, hurting so much that it nearly hopped on the spot.

Taking advantage of that opening, Lorelei began setting up again. "Follow up with Double Team and Substitute!"

After a dizzying flurry of afterimages, two identical Starmie remained on the field.

Bruno broke into a cold sweat. "Lorelei... you... have a little mercy~"

Lorelei spread her hands. "A dear younger friend of mine came up with this strategy. Impressive, isn't he? Would you like to meet him?"

Bruno clenched his fists and smiled. "Oh, yes~ Please make sure you introduce us."

Gary's left eyelid twitched in the stands. "Yikes. With that look on Bruno's face, is he planning to pound me after the match~?"

Back on the battlefield, the badly poisoned Hitmonchan, unable to land a hit on its opponent, fell valiantly...

Looking sickly, Bruno brought out his final trump card: Machamp!

Bruno had thought that as long as Machamp could break Starmie's shield with Brick Break, he would still have a chance.

He hadn't expected to suffer another crushing setback a moment later.

"Starmie, use Minimize~" Lorelei continued targeting his weaknesses.

Not only did Machamp miss its attack, but Starmie retaliated by spitting a glob of thick purple phlegm onto its chest.

In an instant, purple bubbles began rising all over Machamp's body...

"That was..." Bruno asked despairingly.

"Mm-hmm. As you can see, Toxic~" Lorelei nodded solemnly.

Bruno watched Starmie, which he couldn't hit and which kept diligently shrinking until it was almost impossible to find.

Suddenly, his chest tightened. "Pfft!!"

The referee announced, "Bruno has lost the will to battle! The winner of this match is Lorelei!!"

The entire crowd erupted in cheers, paying their respects to Lorelei for successfully defending her position.

Gary promptly stood up, recalled his Pokémon, and turned to leave. "Time to make myself scarce..."