Everyone knew Gible's weaknesses.
It was young.
Its stamina was poor.
It couldn't sustain prolonged battles.
Its physical abilities were well below the average level of the Round of 16.
In many cases, a single solid hit could knock it out of combat.
Naturally, no one understood Gible's condition better than Gible itself.
It desperately wanted to finish Fraxure before its Sandstorm Domain collapsed.
However—
Despite being struck twice by Dragon Breath, Fraxure's response had been extremely clever.
After realizing it couldn't dodge Dragon Breath, it simply stopped resisting altogether, allowing the impact to blast it out of the sandstorm.
As a result, Gible had been unable to follow up and end the battle in one decisive sequence.
Still—
The damage from those two Dragon Breaths was very real.
After taking both attacks head-on, Fraxure was already heavily injured.
Gible understood this clearly.
As long as it held on a little longer, victory would eventually be its.
Yet—
Just as Gible expected Fraxure to use the opening created by the second Dragon Breath to stall for time and drain its stamina—
Fraxure did the exact opposite.
Instead, it charged directly back into the sandstorm.
"Ka-ao..."
Without a trainer directing it, Gible had fought every match in this tournament with extreme caution.
Therefore—
The first thing it thought upon seeing Fraxure's actions was:
It's a trap.
Instinctively, it tried to increase the storm's power and force Fraxure back out.
But at that very moment—
Its body sent a warning.
You can't keep dragging this out!
"Ka-ao..."
After a brief moment of consideration, Gible made its choice.
The sandstorm was its domain.
As long as it remained within it, Gible didn't believe it could lose.
So what if Fraxure came in?
Let it!
Within the endless storm of sand—
Gible waited silently.
After confirming that Fraxure's condition appeared no different from before, the cautious little shark finally made its move.
"Ka-ao!"
Now!
Catching a significant opening while Fraxure focused its mind through Focus Energy, Gible immediately squeezed every bit of Dragon-type energy from its body and gathered it in its mouth.
Dragon Breath!
The pale-blue beam, carrying scorching heat, pierced through the sandstorm and shot toward Fraxure.
Although the distance was slightly greater than during the previous attacks, Gible remained certain of one thing.
Fraxure could not dodge.
BOOM!
The blast struck Fraxure directly.
But—
Watching the scene unfold, Gible's eyes widened in shock.
"Gible's Dragon Breath hits Fraxure again! That's the third time! Given Fraxure's current condition, it's hard to imagine it can continue fighting! This match may very well belong to Gib—WHAT?!"
Before the commentator could finish—
As the camera zoomed in, countless spectators suddenly noticed that the Fraxure struggling against Dragon Breath exploded into a cloud of smoke.
The entire arena erupted.
Meanwhile, Chen Mo laughed and applauded.
"A beautiful response."
"Huh?"
Hearing him, the middle-aged couple sitting beside him—especially Mo Yu's father—couldn't help but ask anxiously:
"Brother, what was that just now?"
"A Substitute."
Chen Mo smiled.
"Your daughter used Substitute to bait out one of Gible's attacks."
"With that, the momentum is about to shift."
At the same time—
Though the commentator was briefly stunned, his professionalism quickly kicked in.
"Substitute! Mo Yu must have had Fraxure prepare a Substitute beforehand! This is a move Fraxure has never revealed in previous matches and it's an incredibly risky strategy!"
Unlike Double Team—
Substitute consumed a significant amount of stamina.
In the games, it cost a quarter of the user's HP.
In reality, the more lifelike the substitute, the greater the physical burden on the Pokémon.
Considering Fraxure had already taken two Dragon Breaths and then created such a realistic Substitute, it was undoubtedly a gamble.
But—
The payoff was enormous.
Gible had been tricked into wasting an attack.
"Ka-ao!"
A powerful sense of danger suddenly surged through Gible.
It knew immediately.
It couldn't stay where it was.
It needed to relocate.
"You can't escape!"
A voice rang out from beyond the storm.
Mo Yu remained perfectly calm.
"Now, Fraxure—use Swift!"
"Na-ta!"
A stream of golden stars burst from within the sandstorm.
At that moment—
As Gible attempted to disappear back into the storm, it suddenly realized those stars were chasing it like guided missiles.
Just like Aerial Ace—
Swift was considered a guaranteed-hit move in the games.
Reality wasn't quite that absurd.
Yet it still possessed a certain tracking ability.
Watching the stars pursue their target through the storm, Mo Yu's eyes shone.
The reason she'd forced Fraxure to spend its precious remaining stamina on Substitute—
Was precisely to create this opportunity.
To expose Gible.
And now—
It had worked.
Little shark, you're not getting away anymore!
"Fraxure! Left front! Use Dragon Claw!"
Finally—
After using Substitute and Swift to expose Gible's position, Mo Yu shouted her next command.
At the same time—
Fraxure, battered by both the sandstorm and its injuries, gritted its teeth and pushed forward.
The moment it heard Mo Yu's voice, every distracting thought vanished.
Dragon-type energy surged through its body as it charged.
"NA-TA!!!"
The massive Dragon Claw tore through the storm and plunged into the loose sand.
An instant later—
The gathered energy exploded underground.
A battered Gible was blasted out and exposed directly in front of Fraxure.
"Ka-ao..."
Gible felt as though its insides were churning violently.
The sandstorm was beginning to collapse.
It no longer had the energy to maintain the domain.
After only a heartbeat of hesitation—
Gible made its decision.
It didn't want to lose.
At least—
Not this battle.
A different aura suddenly erupted from its body.
The little shark's eyes rapidly turned crimson.
Yet—
At that exact moment—
A sharp voice rang out like a judgment from above.
"Not happening! Dragon Claw!!!"
The next second—
Gible felt the sky vanish.
Fraxure had leapt high into the air, completely blocking the light above.
The world darkened as though dragging Gible into an abyss.
"Ka-ao..."
Gible couldn't understand.
Why was Fraxure so fast this time?
It was almost as if—
It had predicted that Gible would use Outrage.
"NA-TA!!!"
Their crimson eyes met.
And at that moment—
Gible finally realized something crucial.
Its opponent was a dragon too.
No one understood Dragon-types better than Dragon-types themselves.
And when pushed into a corner—
What move would a dragon choose?
Another dragon knew the answer best.
Then—
Let's settle this!
"KA-AO!"
There was no retreat left!
Facing Fraxure's overwhelming Dragon Claw, Gible launched the first true frontal assault of the match.
Empowered by Outrage, it raised both claws, attempting to block the incoming strike.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The instant the attacks collided—
The earth trembled.
Centered on Gible, the ground caved inward, forming a massive crater.
Then—
Smoke billowed skyward alongside terrifying shockwaves.
"Who won?!"
"Probably Gible! If I saw correctly, that last move was Outrage! With Fraxure's condition, I doubt it could withstand the counterattack!"
"But considering Gible's physical stats, I feel like Fraxure has the better chance!"
The entire arena erupted into debate.
Mo Yu's parents instinctively turned to ask the seemingly knowledgeable young man beside them.
But—
To their surprise—
The young man in the white T-shirt had already vanished.
At that same moment—
The commentator's passionate voice echoed throughout the stadium.
"Fraxure! Fraxure is still standing! The winner has been decided!!!"
The entire arena exploded into cheers.
On the giant screen—
The smoke cleared.
Gible lay battered inside the crater.
Beside it stood Fraxure.
The dragon slowly raised one claw toward the approaching referee, proudly declaring its status as the victor.
"Ka-ao..."
Gible gasped heavily.
Outrage had activated too slowly.
Fraxure had arrived too quickly.
There hadn't been enough time for its body to reach peak condition.
But...
Gible didn't understand.
Fraxure had already endured two Dragon Breaths and sacrificed stamina for a Substitute.
Its condition should have been even worse.
So why—
After taking Gible's final attack—
Could it still stand?
Why?
It didn't understand.
It couldn't understand.
Then—
Gible noticed something.
The direction Fraxure was clenching its fist toward...
Wasn't the referee.
Instead—
Rapid footsteps approached.
Once the referee officially declared the match over, a short-haired girl with tears in her eyes rushed forward and threw her arms around Fraxure.
Lying on the ground, Gible froze.
From its angle—
It could clearly see Fraxure's expression.
It was filled with happiness.
Filled with certainty.
As though—
From beginning to end—
Fraxure had always believed.
Believed it would bring victory to the girl embracing it.
"Na-ta..."
Fraxure noticed Gible watching.
It quietly mouthed a sentence.
Sorry.
With her standing behind me... I can't lose.
"..."
A strange ache welled up inside Gible.
It had come to this stage to become stronger.
But—
It also wanted to bring victory to that person.
The problem was—
When it came to its matches, that person wasn't standing behind it.
In fact, he hadn't even come to watch in a very long time.
Gible was worried.
Would he be disappointed after seeing it lose?
Would he be disappointed in it?
Would he—
Just as the little shark's thoughts spiraled—
The atmosphere in the arena suddenly became even more explosive than before.
The noise nearly burst its ears.
"Ka-ao..."
What happened...?
Having recovered a little strength, Gible struggled to its feet.
Then—
A familiar voice reached its ears.
Gible's eyes widened.
Not far away—
Beside Fraxure's trainer—
Stood a familiar tall figure.
Perhaps sensing its gaze, the figure slowly turned around.
On his shoulder, Pikachu gave it a thumbs-up.
Beside him stood several familiar companions.
Absol watched gently.
Pidgeotto flapped its wings and let out an approving cry.
Gengar wore its usual mischievous grin.
Even during the most intense moments of battle, Gible had never completely lost control of itself.
Yet now—
Its body trembled uncontrollably.
The young man approached with his Pokémon.
Stretching out his arms, he spoke softly.
"Gible, you and Fraxure gave us an incredible battle."
"Ka-ao..."
Don't cry.
Absolutely don't cry.
Gible buried its face into Chen Mo's chest and gripped his clothes tightly with its little claws.
Only after a long while—
After forcing down its emotions—
Did it finally raise its head.
"Ka-ao..."
(You... came...?)
Chen Mo smiled.
"Of course."
"Round of 16, Gible."
"A match this important—there's no way I wouldn't come."
"Ka-ao..."
The little shark didn't know what to say.
Its trainer had finally come to watch.
Yet it had failed.
It had lost.
Just as Gible was struggling for words—
Chen Mo spoke again.
His voice remained as gentle as a cool summer breeze.
"Gible."
"You've really become strong."
"..."
Gible fell silent.
Then it buried its head in Chen Mo's chest once more and let out a quiet whimper.
At the same time—
A long-forgotten notification rang out in Chen Mo's mind.
[Ding! Detected that the host's affection level with six Pokémon has reached maximum value...]
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