"Wait, look at the battlefield!"
Suddenly, a spectator shouted in alarm.
The others, upon hearing this, turned their gaze toward the arena and were immediately stunned by the changes that had occurred there.
All that could be seen was that the ground, which had originally endured the violent battle between two Pokémon, had at some unknown point become covered with countless densely interwoven cracks.
At the same time, Cacturne maintained the posture of throwing a punch, with its arm extended and its fist wrapped in a green light.
Beneath its fist, the ground that was already cracked suddenly split open even further, and immediately afterward began to sandify, transforming into a completely sandy terrain that spread out in all directions.
"Shit... s-sand!"
"The entire battlefield has turned into sand!"
Seeing this scene, all the spectators burst into exclamations of astonishment, disbelief reflected in their eyes.
What had they just seen?
With a single blow, the entire field had turned into a desert?
How on earth had he managed to do something like that?!
"It's Drain Punch!"
"Cacturne used Drain Punch to absorb all the underground water from the soil!"
A spectator put forward his conjecture, immediately triggering another wave of sharp inhalations throughout the stadium.
"He did it. Even though he didn't use the move Ingrain, the combination of the move Drain Punch with the ability Water Absorb was just barely enough to pull it off."
Watching Cacturne standing on the sandy terrain, Ethan smiled faintly. Turning the field into sand was something Cacturne was more than accustomed to.
At the same time, after absorbing the moisture from the underground, it was clear that Cacturne's condition had improved considerably. At that moment, its gaze crossed once more with Machamp's, which had used the move Bulk Up.
When Machamp finished using Bulk Up, Cacturne also concluded the use of Drain Punch, and the field had already completely transformed into a sea of sand.
"Machamp, advance!"
Kevin Brooks could no longer worry about anything else and immediately gave the order.
Machamp's gaze sharpened, and it too charged at full speed toward Cacturne.
However, just when everyone thought a new and fierce round of combat was about to begin, they were left dumbfounded to discover that... Cacturne had started running away!
"Hey, hey, hey! What's going on here?"
A spectator opened his mouth wide, looking at the two Pokémon chasing each other across the field, completely confused.
"Sigh... it looks like that Ethan has clearly decided to drag things out. Moreover, on this sandy terrain, Machamp's speed is clearly restricted, while Cacturne, as a Pokémon raised in the desert, isn't affected at all; it even seems like its speed has increased slightly."
A spectator sighed, finally understanding Ethan's plan.
And that was indeed the case. Given that Machamp was forcing its body to suppress the internal poison, this choice was undoubtedly the most sensible one.
As long as he could buy time, Machamp's defeat would be inevitable.
"Damn it, this Ethan is too despicable!"
"That's right! This is a martial arts tournament—what's the point of running away?!"
"How shameless, how shameless! If you're going to do this, why even participate in a martial arts tournament!"
Immediately, the students of the Machamp dojo began hurling insults nonstop. Some girls restrained themselves a bit, but the boys spat increasingly unpleasant insults.
"This is tactics! Don't you know what tactics are?"
The students of the Multitype Martial Dojo did not stay silent and responded with mockery.
In the blink of an eye, the venue turned into a heated verbal clash between the two dojos.
"You have to admit it: Cacturne's Drain Punch is really far too powerful."
Other, more rational spectators looked at the sand-transformed field and couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
"And besides, how on earth did Cacturne manage to poison Machamp? I really can't understand it, no matter how much I think about it."
Some spectators kept mulling over that question from beginning to end.
Meanwhile, on the field...
Kevin looked at Machamp, unable to catch up to Cacturne, grinding his teeth with an audible crunch. But at the same time, a deep sense of powerlessness arose in his heart.
In the end, Machamp failed to catch Cacturne, which could move with agile and steady steps even in the desert.
"Machapmm... machapmm..."
Machamp stood on the sand, breathing heavily.
At that very moment, it could be seen how a deep purple poison rapidly spread over Machamp's entire skin, dyeing it completely violet.
At that moment, the poison that Machamp had been suppressing could no longer be contained and, in one fell swoop, drained all of its strength, causing its massive body to collapse heavily onto the ground.
"Hahaha, it's over!"
"This time, the championship belongs to our Multitype Martial Dojo!"
The instant Machamp fell, the students of the Multitype Martial Dojo burst into excited laughter.
In contrast, the students of the Machamp dojo looked much more dejected. Regardless of the method Cacturne had used to defeat Machamp, the final result was undeniable: Cacturne had won.
Just as history is always written by the victors, after the battle everyone would only remember the champion, regardless of how the victory had been achieved.
"It's over."
Other spectators also sighed softly.
This battle had had far too many unexpected twists; no one had imagined it would end this way.
"Huh, what's going on?"
"Why hasn't the referee announced the result yet?"
Suddenly, a spectator asked in confusion.
Looking toward the field, medical personnel were already removing the poisoned Machamp, yet the referee was still standing in the arena, with no intention whatsoever of announcing the result of the match.
"Could it be that there's still some unexpected twist?"
Another spectator spoke, unable to understand the situation.
"Wait, I know! That Cacturne must have cheated!"
"I said it from the very beginning! How could a Cacturne poison Machamp without using any Poison-type move? Now it's clear that there's something wrong with Cacturne!"
At that moment, a student from the Machamp dojo shouted excitedly, leaving many spectators stunned.
"Could it be...?"
A student from the Multitype Martial Dojo said worriedly.
"What do you mean, could it be?"
"Just wait and see, the referee will definitely announce that the final winner is Machamp."
"Hey, look! The guests are coming onto the stage! There's definitely something strange about this fight!"
As that student from the Machamp dojo was speaking, a group of guests indeed stepped onto the field.
The first to come up was the leader of the Machamp dojo, and following behind him was Leader Henry Harper, his expression slightly gloomy.
"Dad!"
Seeing him, Kevin was instantly filled with joy.
Without caring that Machamp was still receiving treatment, he quickly returned to the field, an expectant look in his eyes.
"Ethan, can you explain it?"
"How did Cacturne put Machamp into a poisoned state?"
The one who spoke was the mayor of Battle City. Upon hearing this, everyone immediately fell silent, waiting for Ethan's answer.
(End of chapter)