Chapter 608 - 608: 608. The final

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Gliscor had lost the protection of its Poison Heal Ability, and the poison coursing through its body was now doing nothing but harm. Its face twisted in pain as its stamina drained away with every passing second.

"Jacob... he really is a frightening opponent."

"He clearly has the power to crush weaker trainers without even trying, yet he still battles so carefully, using perfect calls to grind Ashlie down."

"I feel the same way. Ashlie must have thought she'd worked hard to get that Toxic status onto Indeedee."

"But it turns out that was never a real opening — Jacob let her think she had one."

"Jacob is a nightmare to face. Whether you look at the raw power of his Pokémon or the way he reads a battle, he's terrifyingly strong."

"Does Ashlie even have a chance left?"

"Sableye is completely shut down by Psychic Terrain, and Toxapex is weak to Psychic-type moves on top of that. With Indeedee sitting on three Calm Minds under Psychic Terrain, even Haze won't save Toxapex from going down in one hit."

"It's over. Ashlie's about to get swept."

. . .

"Indeedee, Psychic!" Jacob called, and Indeedee — having stacked three Calm Minds — unleashed a tremendous wave of Psychic-type energy.

It rolled forward like a tide, like something bottomless, crashing into Gliscor and swallowing it whole before hurling it backward. Combined with the lingering Toxic damage, it was more than enough to finish the fight.

Gliscor struck the arena wall hard and slid down, motionless.

"Gliscor is unable to battle! Indeedee wins!"

"Contestant Ashlie, please send out your second Pokémon."

. . .

With the referee's call, Jacob had taken the first game, putting him one match ahead.

"What a match! I'm still replaying Jacob's calls from a minute ago."

"At exactly the right moment, he had Indeedee use Skill Swap to turn the whole battle around. That's just incredible. Honestly, I never imagined that move could be used that way."

"Brilliant. What imagination," the announcer said again, clearly still impressed, before moving the commentary along. "Jacob used Indeedee's Skill Swap to flip the momentum and take the first game."

"Now it's Ashlie's turn to find an answer."

"Of her two remaining Pokémon, Sableye simply can't fight Indeedee here. That leaves only Toxapex."

"Even with Toxapex's excellent defensive stats, it may not survive Indeedee once it's stacked three Calm Minds."

"But she doesn't really have another option."

. . .

"Go, Toxapex!" Ashlie called. She already knew the odds were against her, but sending out Toxapex was the only move she had left.

"Indeedee, Psychic!"

"Toxapex, Baneful Bunker!"

As the surge of Psychic energy bore down, Toxapex threw up Baneful Bunker just in time to block the hit.

"Toxapex, now use Haze!"

"Indeedee, Psychic again!"

Having weathered one attack behind Baneful Bunker, Ashlie immediately called for Haze, hoping to wipe out Indeedee's stat boosts and buy herself one last chance.

Jacob listened to her call without any real concern. He already held the clear advantage, and he knew it. Whatever Ashlie tried next, all he needed to do was keep Indeedee attacking.

Neither Sableye nor Toxapex stood a real chance against Indeedee. No matter how Ashlie fought back, the win was already his.

. . .

Toxapex couldn't block the second Psychic at all. It took the hit directly and was left barely standing, completely outmatched.

At the same moment, though, Toxapex's Haze took effect, and the stat-clearing mist spread through the arena, wiping away everything Indeedee had built up.

Even so, it wasn't nearly enough to change the outcome.

"Indeedee, Psychic, one more time."

Another wave of Psychic energy, vast as an ocean, crashed down and finished Toxapex for good.

That left Ashlie with only Sableye — hardly a threat at this point.

. . .

"Congratulations to Jacob on this win, moving him into the final! And of course, let's hear it for Ashlie as well."

The rest of the match went exactly as expected. Jacob's Indeedee made short work of Sableye, sweeping the match and sending him through to the finals.

As the crowd cheered, Jacob waved back and headed toward the backstage area.

He'd have only thirty minutes to rest before the final began. Back-to-back high-intensity battles like these were starting to wear on him.

Still, he had one thing going for him: this tournament only affected seeding, not qualification. And unlike Ashlie, who had fought dirty the whole way, his two remaining opponents were straightforward, conventional battlers.

Whoever made it to the final against him, Jacob was confident he could win without much trouble.

. . .

Backstage.

"How are the ratings looking?"

"Number one in its timeslot. Ninety-two point three two percent of viewers were watching Jacob's match, while the other semifinal only pulled seven point six eight percent."

"Especially once Indeedee pulled off that Skill Swap comeback — viewership spiked right after."

"There's only one match left. Once it wraps, send someone to talk to Jacob and find out when he plans to enter the G2 League. This tournament was put together too quickly, and there are still a lot of rough edges. We need to do better next time."

. . .

Thirty minutes later, Jacob stood back on the stage. The Gym Leader G3 League was really just a small stepping-stone on the road to becoming a Gym Leader, but standing on a stage this size, in front of nearly a hundred thousand spectators, hearing their voices roaring themselves hoarse — Jacob could feel his blood starting to race.

"Jacob!"

"I love you, Jacob!"

"Marry me, Jacob!"

"Fans in the front row, please don't throw personal items into the battle area!"

. . .

The sheer energy of the crowd left Jacob a little overwhelmed, but their excitement was contagious, and it lit a fire in him. In the match ahead, he intended to hold nothing back and show everyone exactly what he was capable of.

Across the field, his opponent, Jeb, was just as nervous. He had never stood on a stage like this before — had never even imagined he could reach one.

He looked over at Jacob. If not for this tournament, he might never have gotten the chance to stand here at all.

Jeb drew a slow breath, and his eyes, fixed on Jacob, hardened with resolve.

He understood this was likely the only chance he would ever get.

He also understood his odds of winning were slim — but with a moment like this in front of him, he had to give everything he had.

"Let the match begin!"

Jeb closed his hand tightly around a Poké Ball, his gaze steady on Jacob, eyes burning with determination. Then he threw it forward without hesitation. "Go, Parasect!"

"Go, Salamence!" Jacob called back.

Under the bright stadium lights, Parasect and Salamence appeared at the same moment.

The two Pokémon could not have looked more different: one a modest Bug/Grass-type rarely seen on a stage like this, Parasect.

The other a true ruler of the skies, the powerful Dragon/Flying-type Salamence.

The gap in strength between them was almost impossible to ignore.

"Thank you for this match, Jacob! It's an honor to battle someone with your talent," Jeb called out, his eyes shining with something close to longing. "Whatever happens, I'll remember this as the greatest experience of my life!"

Jacob looked at the outmatched Parasect, then at the fierce determination in Jeb's eyes, and couldn't help but smile. "In that case, I'll meet your challenge with everything I've got."

. . .