"Rhydon, Rock Tomb defense!"
The moment Annihilape disappeared, Shimura immediately issued his command. Rocks tumbled down, encasing Rhydon within a protective shell. Just as the defense was complete, Annihilape lunged out from the pocket dimension.
Under the strike of Rage Fist, the rocks shattered instantly, and the remaining force slammed into Rhydon's body.
"Stay calm, Rhydon! Drill Run!"
At Shimura's voice, Rhydon endured the sharp pain in its chest and lunged forward, using the single horn on its head to launch an attack at Annihilape. As a Bug-type specialist, Shimura had sent out Rhydon specifically to use its excellent physical defense to tank Annihilape's Rage Fist and trade damage for damage.
Gu Yuan naturally understood Shimura's intention, so he had instructed Annihilape from the start to focus on dodging. This prevented Drill Run from dealing its full damage. Even so, the move left a wound on Annihilape while simultaneously helping it boost the power of Rage Fist to 250.
"Annihilape, Rage Fist!"
As Gu Yuan's voice rang out, a fanatical expression appeared on Annihilape's face. The stimulation of the pain only served to make its attacks increasingly violent. Faced with a Rage Fist that now condensed the power of an Explosion, even a Pokémon with Rhydon's defensive capabilities could not ignore it, and it was sent flying back.
"Annihilape, Phantom Force!"
Charging forward rapidly, Annihilape's figure vanished into the pocket dimension once more. When it reappeared, it was right in front of Rhydon. At this moment, Rhydon was still immersed in agony. It only managed to use Rock Blast to attack after hearing Shimura's shout.
In its panic, Rhydon could only manifest two rocks, and Annihilape chose to take the hits head-on.
"Oh no!"
Seeing Annihilape tank the Rock Blast to reach Rhydon, Shimura couldn't help but cry out in alarm. Unfortunately, Rhydon no longer had a chance to counter. A Rage Fist with a power of 300, further enhanced by a Swords Dance boost, landed heavily, instantly knocking Rhydon out of the battle.
As Rhydon was recalled, Annihilape looked at Shimura with a gaze full of fighting spirit, waiting for him to release his next Pokémon.
"Finish him, Forretress!"
The third Poké Ball was thrown, and Forretress appeared on the field. Much like Rhydon before it, Forretress possessed outstanding defensive capabilities. Most importantly, it had the mutual-destruction moves Self-Destruct and Explosion.
"Forretress, Zap Cannon!"
Seeing Annihilape starting to use Swords Dance again, Shimura had Forretress launch an immediate attack. A blast of electricity resembling a cannon shot out. With a power of 120, it was even more formidable than Thunder, and it was guaranteed to leave the target paralyzed upon hitting.
Shimura had used this tactic many times before: having Forretress blast the opponent with Zap Cannon, and if the opponent dared to get close, Forretress would use Explosion to take them down with it.
"Annihilape, dodge carefully with Phantom Force."
Before the Zap Cannon could reach it, Annihilape successfully performed Swords Dance and vanished into the pocket dimension.
"Forretress, aim with Zap Cannon and keep up the pressure!"
The moment Annihilape reappeared, another Zap Cannon was released. Annihilape simply used Phantom Force to vanish again. If one looked closely, they could see that with every reappearance, Annihilape was closing the gap between itself and Forretress.
Shimura noticed this too. He watched Annihilape's position with intense focus, ready to have Forretress use Explosion at any second.
"Now! Phantom Force, Rage Fist!"
Gu Yuan's command rang out, and the prepared Annihilape acted immediately.
"Forretress, Explosion!"
Seeing Annihilape suddenly appear right in front of Forretress, Shimura frantically gave the order. A white light surged forth, but before the blast could fully detonate, Annihilape's fist struck home.
With staggering strength, Forretress was sent flying, yet it still released a portion of the explosion's power before losing consciousness.
Boom!
At such close range, Annihilape had no way to dodge and was caught in the blast, causing its injuries to worsen significantly. Conversely, the power of Rage Fist was now boosted to its absolute limit.
"Go, Ariados! Continuous Pin Missile!"
Seizing the chance while Annihilape was wounded, Shimura quickly sent out his next Pokémon. Several small missiles shot out, heading straight for Annihilape. Turning around, Annihilape used Phantom Force to disappear from the spot.
"Ariados, Venom Drench!"
A large amount of toxic liquid sprayed out, quickly covering the area around Ariados. Shimura had already planned how to use the pre-placed toxic trap to gain an advantage after Ariados finished off Annihilape, allowing him to gradually recover from his disadvantage.
"Bloom with your final strength, Annihilape! Charge straight in and finish it with Rage Fist!"
Having seen through Shimura's plan, Gu Yuan decided to let Annihilape use its remaining strength to crush Ariados. Without hesitation, Annihilape charged forward upon receiving the command.
"Ariados, Pin Missile!"
Before the missiles could strike, Annihilape used Phantom Force to enter the pocket dimension. When it reappeared, it inevitably stepped into the toxic liquid, and the toxins immediately began to erode its strength.
"Ariados, retreat with Agility!"
Shimura shouted, but even with four legs, Ariados couldn't outrun Annihilape's Phantom Force. The moment it lunged from the pocket dimension, Annihilape delivered a Rage Fist that instantly defeated Ariados.
At the same time, Annihilape collapsed into the toxins, swaying unsteadily under the corrosive effects.
"Come back, Annihilape. You did a wonderful job. Hang in there; I'll get you treated very soon."
As he recalled Annihilape, Gu Yuan couldn't help but praise it.
"In that case, let me show you the power of the Ace Rank!"
Roaring, Shimura released his Drapion, intending to use its Ace Rank strength to turn the tide of his disadvantage.
"Go, Charizard! Burn him to ashes!"
The moment Drapion appeared, Gu Yuan released his own Charizard, which was also at the Ace Rank. A dragon's roar echoed, and surging flames appeared on Charizard, causing the temperature in the entire stadium to rise significantly.
"It's here! Contestant Gu Yuan's Ace Rank Pokémon has appeared!"
"Gu Yuan has used this battle to answer all previous questions. He is not only a Psychic but also possesses Ace Rank Pokémon!"
"With the strength he has displayed, he will surely be the strongest contender for this year's championship!"
As the announcer's voice rang out, Shimura stood there in a daze, looking as if he couldn't believe his eyes.