Both Pokémon left the field simultaneously.
In this Elite Four performance match, each side will only send out three Pokémon instead of a full team battle, as indicated by the number of Pokeballs on the big screen.
Now, both have lost one Pokémon each.
The second Pokémon will be sent out next.
"I wonder if we can see Celestial King Liu Bo's Piloswine and Ghost-type Elite Agatha's Gengar," Flint said with some anticipation.
These two Pokémon can be considered their signature Pokémon.
"Most likely not," Natsuhiko thought for a moment and said.
It's not that they don't want to perform in Liu Bo's final battle, but they clearly have a task to accomplish.
If they cripple their trump cards before completing their mission, what would happen in case of an unexpected situation?
"Hmm..."
Hilona also nodded hesitantly, looking at the big screen, "The possibility of only battling with three Pokémon is not too high."
"True," Flint mused.
During their conversation, both of them sent out their second Pokémon.
Liu Bo's Lapras, and Agatha's Arbok.
Speaking of which.
As the Ghost-type Elite, Agatha surprisingly does not have many Ghost-type Pokémon. She might as well be a Poison-type Elite because almost all her Pokémon have the Poison Attribute.
For example, Arbok now, or Gengar, Golbat, Weezing, etc.
This is quite similar to a certain future self-proclaimed Dragon-type Elite.
Obviously, most of their Pokémon have the Flying Type, yet they claim to be a Dragon-type Elite because some Pokémon have the "Dragon" word in their names.
On the other hand, Uncle Liu's identity as an Ice-type Elite is more convincing.
"Who do you think will win this time?" Flint's gaze landed on Natsuhiko.
Even Hilona looked at him with a bit of curiosity.
Feeling their gaze, Natsuhiko rolled his eyes.
Do they really think I'm an Elite who can predict the outcome of their matches?
I might as well go bet on the side.
Despite the teasing, he was still thoughtfully considering the possible outcomes.
"Logically, Lapras should also use Song of Destruction, but it can't catch Arbok, so Liu Bo won't use it. I wonder if Agatha's Arbok has mastered the Snake Pattern Transformation..."
In Natsuhiko's view, the probability of Liu Bo winning this match is high.
As long as he uses Jynx and Piloswine, leveraging the advantage of Psychic Type and Ground Type over Poison-type Pokémon, he'll have a considerable edge.
But Liu Bo hasn't sent out these two Pokémon in both rounds, maybe he's holding back.
Based on this round, Agatha's Arbok should have a higher winning rate since it's likely the one mastering the Snake Pattern Transformation.
Let's see how much they're willing to reveal in the performance match.
As they discussed, the battle between Lapras and Arbok reached a fever pitch.
Indeed.
It was Natsuhiko's first time witnessing Arbok's Snake Pattern Transformation, which is Agatha's specialty "Death Makeup Technique."
"Finally showing something real? Both Elites are not young, yet their ambition is quite big as well..."
Flint and Hilona were also shocked by Arbok's Snake Pattern Transformation.
So Pokémon can break their limits in such a way?
"Lapras lost. The final Surf attack didn't take down Arbok, though Arbok staying on the field means not much difference from losing."
This Arbok should be one of Agatha's trump cards, while Liu Bo still has many tricks up his sleeve.
It's uncertain if this Lapras is Liu Bo's strongest one.
After hesitating for a moment, Agatha temporarily retracted the severely injured Arbok.
Then sent out a Golbat.
Natsuhiko: "..."
Liu Bo tossed out a Pokeball, and it was a Cloyster that appeared.
Are they really not prepared to reveal their full strength?
These two... both are more secretive than the other.
But since it's a performance match, it was somewhat expected.
"Cloyster, Hatching," Liu Bo's calm voice resounded through the venue.
"Golbat, Taunt."
In the private box.
"I think... it's probably... over," Natsuhiko said.
Did Agatha finally choose to hold back and give Liu Bo a decent retirement ceremony?
Sending out Flying Type Pokémon to battle Ice Type Pokémon is quite the expert move...
"What do you mean?" Hilona asked curiously.
Although Ice Attribute Pokémon have an advantage over Flying Type, Agatha now has the numerical advantage.
And they've encountered many instances of winning with an opposite attribute.
Natsuhiko smacked his lips, realizing that Agatha clearly has no intention to win...
Or is it that the Hatching Dragon Slayer Shell technique isn't prevalent yet?
Or has Hilona not encountered it yet?
Thinking of how the "Dodo" will be badly handled by Kona's Dragon Slayer Shell in the future makes it clear.
Unable to take the crucial step to become Champion, isn't it because Kona's Dragon Slayer Shell has always been a roadblock?
Natsuhiko couldn't think of any way for a Golbat to defeat a Dragon Slayer Shell. Even if Golbat is slightly stronger, the result would be the same.
Thinking further: "With Hatching and Continuous Attack trait, Agatha's Golbat can't withstand two rounds of Ice Cone damage, and sending out Arbok in poor condition wouldn't make it a match either."
After all, both Elites genuinely treated this battle as a performance, it seems.
"How do you know for sure this Cloyster has the Continuous Attack trait?"
Do people train Cloyster without the Continuous Attack trait?
There might be some.
That's also why the Dragon Slayer Shell isn't widespread yet.
Maybe I should take the opportunity to write a paper or post about this topic?
Might even make some money that way.
Perhaps it might lead to a surge of Dragon Slayer Shells...
And who would suffer the most?
"I'm just guessing," Natsuhiko could only say.
Sure enough, Natsuhiko's prediction was confirmed by the referee's final announcement.
"The winner is the Ice-type Elite, Liu Bo!!"
"It really was the Continuous Attack trait."
Flint finally snapped out of the shock from the two Elites' battle.
There's a level of disparity among Elite Four tier Trainers, but it's not too significant. Often, attribute advantages can make a big difference in determining victory.
This brings us back to the Dragon-type Elite who has yet to become Champion and the future new Ice-type Elite....
Agatha's holding back is largely why this performance match had no suspense.
But then again, Liu Bo didn't use the Psychic Type Jynx or the Ground Type Piloswine, indicating he also held back, right?
It comes down to who held back more.
Most people can indeed learn something from the Elite battle, but it's primarily tactical. On critical aspects like Pokémon training, they clearly can't learn much.
Unfortunately, the tactical side that Natsuhiko knows might be more comprehensive than these two Elites.
They've only diversified some tactics, yet the core hasn't deviated from the essence of tactics.
For instance, Misdreavus using Song of Destruction for a one-for-one trade, or the utilization of Dragon Slayer Shell, etc.
Natsuhiko was somewhat disappointed, hoping to see some genuine skills from the two.
In the end, the performance match remained a performance match, showcasing some tactical maneuvers.
The performance match ended.
However, they didn't leave immediately, as there were more events to follow.
Uncle Liu, about to retire from the Elite Four position, prepared some "small" gifts for Trainers of different levels from various regions.
And these gifts are also one of the reasons why so many people are eager to come and watch.