Now it's all about which side can predict more accurately.
Gengar moved with extreme speed and then appeared in front of Alakazam. Electromagnetic energy erupted from its hands, with golden electric light attaching to Alakazam, inflicting a paralysis status on it.
Sabrina, who was linked to Alakazam, immediately sensed the effects on it. She quickly used her superpower to try to dispel the abnormal status; however, this time it wasn't so easy.
The previous two abnormal statuses, one was Taunt, and the other was Confusion, both affecting the mind, but this time, the paralysis affected the body!
To remove paralysis, one must use superpower to expel the electric current from Alakazam's body, which is not something that can be done instantly.
And Ash definitely wasn't going to let this opportunity slip by.
'Gengar, Shadow Ball!'
Gengar formed a Shadow Ball with one hand and slammed it hard on Alakazam's head!
"Boom!"
A roaring sound echoed in the arena once again. Outside, Sabrina let out a muffled groan, and her already pale face turned even whiter, her long, slender legs almost buckling.
Powerful skills often come with risks. Alakazam's level was elevated to Elite Peak because Sabrina had superposited her superpower and spirit with Alakazam's.
Unlike the rather basic Aura Fusion between Ash and Gengar, Sabrina and Alakazam had achieved a superpower fusion that made them inseparable, enabling Sabrina to push Alakazam's Elite Advanced Level power even higher with her Elite Level superpower.
But this method also came with significant risks. With each of Alakazam's energy expenditures, much of Sabrina's superpower would be consumed. Each time Alakazam endured an attack, her mental state would sustain damage.
Since acquiring her monster-level superpower, Sabrina had never used her power to such an extent, nor had she ever found herself in such a pitiable state.
As the smoke cleared, the scene on the field was revealed before Misty and Brock.
At this moment, Gengar was still lively and jumping, while Alakazam was already half-kneeling on the ground, looking like a flickering candle in the wind.
Seeing this, the two of them couldn't help but smile, thinking that Ash should have won this battle!
"Gengar, finish it off with one last blow, Shadow Ball!" Ash exhaled a light breath, then ordered Gengar to completely take down Alakazam.
Alakazam no longer had the strength to escape, nor the strength to resist; only one last straw was holding it from losing its combat ability.
The pitch-black Shadow Ball appeared in Gengar's hand, and Gengar gave a sinister laugh and said, "Looks like my trainer's special ability is still superior! See you later, big fox!"
With that, Gengar made a shot-putting gesture, about to throw the Shadow Ball...
"Wait!!"
A sudden voice made everyone on the scene freeze, including Ash.
Gengar, who was already in position, stumbled and almost fell backward!
Gengar dissipated the Shadow Ball in its hand, looking grouchily in the direction the voice came from, wanting to see who was idle enough to say wait just as the outcome was about to be decided.
It was a hat-wearing man who had somehow appeared inside the gym, standing by Sabrina's side.
The one who had spoken was this man.
Ash looked at the man and felt a sense of familiarity. The next second, he exclaimed, "Ah! Aren't you the one who warned us outside the gym?"
This was the man who, when they arrived at the Saffron Gym, had advised them not to challenge the gym.
But back then, this man was directly scared away by Sabrina, and now he's come back?
"What are you doing, man? I'm about to win!" Ash looked at the defenseless Alakazam and didn't rush to finish it off.
Given Gengar's current state, even if it withdrew from the Aura Fusion, it could easily beat Alakazam unless the opponent had some backup or hidden cheat. Otherwise, they couldn't possibly win against them.
So Ash wanted to hear the man's reason for stopping them.
"Right now, Sabrina and Alakazam's superpowers are in a merged state. If you let Gengar land the final Shadow Ball, not only will Alakazam lose its combat capability, Sabrina will likely also faint and suffer severe mental damage. That's the downside of forcefully increasing a Pokemon's power."
The man patiently explained to Ash, his eyes beneath the brim full of heartache and guilt as he looked towards Sabrina.
Hearing this, Ash looked towards Sabrina and found her indeed not in a good state.
When he merges with a Pokemon using Aura, he does bear some of the damage suffered by the Pokemon. However, due to his physique, unless it's a battle above Champion Level, such damage doesn't affect him much at all.
But Sabrina is different. Her superpower is only at Elite Level. Even though it's considered extremely formidable among humans, one could even say it's top-tier, compared to powerful Pokemon, there's still a gap.
While she can use superpower to enhance a Pokemon's strength, once the intensity of the Pokemon battle rises, this trainer might not be able to keep up, just like now.
Usually, Alakazam and Gengar are high attack, low defense, and low physical strength types. Sabrina's Alakazam is a classic, standard Alakazam.
However, Ash's Gengar is different. This old Gengar, which has lived for a thousand years, has an extremely terrifying physical strength. Not only does it have an S-grade aptitude in physical strength, but it has also trained its physical strength to S-grade. So in battles of attrition and endurance, Gengar fears no equal-level opponents.
This is why after several clashes, Sabrina and Alakazam were already exhausted and panting, while Ash and Gengar still seemed fresh and energetic.
In terms of raw power, Sabrina paired with Alakazam isn't weaker than Ash paired with Gengar. But in terms of endurance, there's a huge gap. Sabrina is now so exhausted she's struggling to stand.
If Gengar had landed that one Shadow Ball earlier, both Alakazam and Sabrina would have been knocked out.
Seeing this, Ash also slowly withdrew the Aura from himself, and the barrier on the field was lifted by him: "Sabrina, the outcome is already decided, there's no need to continue fighting, is there?"
Hearing this, Sabrina finally couldn't hold up her forcibly supported body any longer and slumped to the ground.
Alakazam's level also reverted to its original state and, like Sabrina, slumped on the ground.
"I lost." Sabrina's voice was still icy, but it seemed to carry some other emotions mixed in.
The man in the cap hesitated to approach Sabrina when he saw her sitting on the ground, but when he saw her cold expression, he ultimately didn't take a step forward.
At this moment, Ash was also looking at Sabrina, remembering the situations described by the experts in the group. After hesitating for a moment, he stepped forward.
"You lost, Sabrina."
"I know." Sabrina slightly raised her head, looking at the boy standing in front of her, unsure why he felt the need to repeat those words.
"Do you feel unwilling?"
"Unwilling?"
"When you put so much into the battle, giving it everything you have, but in the end, you still lose the match. Even if your skills aren't as good as your opponent's, you still feel very unwilling, like something is tugging at your heart, making you extremely uncomfortable, and even wanting to fight them again... Don't you feel that way?"
Sabrina: ...
Does she? It seems she does.
From a young age, she had already possessed superpowers, and as these powers grew, her emotions became increasingly indifferent and twisted.
Eventually, she became what she is now: indifferent to everything, doing as she pleases, only doing what she wants without considering others.
She even turned her mother into a doll to keep by her side, and her father, since he also had superpower, eventually escaped from her grasp.
Her relatives driven away, bound by her own hands, her emotions became more and more closed off, more and more twisted, eventually leading to a dual personality, embodied in the doll she held in her arms initially.
But during the battle, without realizing it, the doll in her arms disappeared, and the emotions she had suppressed were gradually released through the fight.
In the end, after the defeat, a bitter sensation surged from her heart to her throat, an indescribable feeling resonated within her heart, and this was... defeat.