Baimu looked at the huge cloud of smoke hanging in midair over the field; the gale wrapped with sand brushed against his face, yet he seemed not to notice. When he saw the two Pokémon each standing on one side, looking a bit tired, the corners of his mouth hooked up.
Got it right!
Compared to the Ditto with full stamina, the Gengar that had been blasted by Invisible Rock was at a disadvantage in terms of endurance; if they kept clashing head‑on, he'd only lose more and more ground—
If you were only talking about physical stats.
In the current match he clearly held the upper hand, and the pacing of the battle was firmly in his grasp. Not to mention that Gengar had just taken down an opponent and its momentum was sky‑high—Ditto could stand on equal footing with that?
Just numbers on paper!
In an actual battle, there are far more factors to consider than what Transform can copy!
The fact that its same‑type Mud Bomb failed to surpass the Evil Attribute Evil Fluctuation was proof enough that Gengar's current condition had given it a downright extraordinary boost!
While this guy's got this head of steam, finish it in one push!
He waved his hand and shouted, "Shadow Ball!"
"Keh‑hihihihi—"
Gengar giggled as it slightly turned its body; countless deep‑violet motes of energy in the air, like wailing wronged spirits, gathered through the gap between its claws, forming a pseudo‑spherical dark energy bullet with a twisted appearance.
It suddenly shoved the energy bullet forward, hurling it at Ditto like a fighting game character throwing a projectile!
Wom~
The fluctuation of Ghost Attribute Energy made the air tremble, emitting a somewhat sharp, eerie sound.
There was no way Ditto would dare just stand there; under Elma's command it likewise rubbed together a dark energy bullet of nearly the same size and heaved it forward with all its might!
In an instant.
The two energy bullets slammed into each other with a roar, triggering a terrifying explosion of fire and smoke that covered half the field!
Boom!
Sand and stones flew!
The spectators all felt their hearts jolt violently as they stared in amazement at the smoke‑choked field. The destructive power the Pokémon displayed not only failed to inspire fear, it made them all the more fired up.
When the pervasive smoke finally dispersed and the audience looked toward the field, they immediately noticed that the positions of the two Gengar had shifted slightly.
Elma's Gengar was still maintaining a floating posture, while Baimu's Gengar had fallen onto the ice, panting heavily, as if its stamina had been greatly drained.
The commentator said in surprise, "The Shadow Ball clash is over! The real Gengar actually lost to Ditto? What on earth—wait a second!"
The expressions of Elma and Baimu were captured and projected on other screens, and the audience could clearly see the gravity on the former's face and the calm on the latter's.
Why are they wearing those expressions?
Could it be that the two Gengar swapped positions in that explosion just now?
Which one is which, exactly?
Murmurs erupted in the stands. Ditto's Transform was so flawless that the two Gengar looked identical from head to toe.
Probably no one but the two Trainers on the field had any idea who was who anymore, right?
Fortunately, as a commentator who had called countless matches, his eye was razor‑sharp and his memory outstanding; from tiny details he picked out the wounds Gengar had received from Invisible Rock.
He quickly provided the audience with the answer that the two had indeed switched positions.
The audience was in an uproar.
On the field.
Elma's heart was restless. Ditto had copied everything of Gengar's physical data, but it had failed to copy the latter's Spirit.
After using Mud Bomb to defeat Komala, Gengar's momentum had soared, its condition was immaculate, and it was even performing at a level seemingly beyond its original strength.
Even if Ditto could exert one hundred percent of Gengar's power, facing the original, it was still not above it.
Facts speak louder than words.
In that Shadow Ball shoot‑out just now, Ditto came up a notch short of Gengar, causing it to crash down onto the ice in the explosion. Clearly it held the edge in terms of stamina, yet who'd have thought it would lose in such an unpredictable area.
Lose one step, and you lose every step after.
Elma had intended to use Ditto's stamina advantage to suppress Gengar; he hadn't expected that the opponent's actual strength would surpass its physical strength!
This wasn't the first time he'd run into something like this—Ditto's Transform was far from perfect—but this was definitely the most frustrating time yet.
He had to take Gengar down!
Elma recalled the Techniques he'd thought of before and decided to act recklessly for once.
In the distance.
Baimu narrowed his eyes when he saw the determined face of the pink‑haired boy, and said softly, "Good, he's starting to get anxious."
He exchanged a glance with the Gengar facing his way and gave it a thumbs‑up.
"Keh‑hihihihi!"
Gengar was thrilled, its momentum rising even higher.
With the advantage on their side, they didn't need to adopt any gambling strategies; all they had to do was press their offense steadily and solidly. The less they rushed, the more Elma would.
Not having taken down even a single opposing Pokémon before going into halftime—who wouldn't be anxious in that situation?
For the rest of the battle, all he needed to do was guard against Shared Fate.
The two Trainers stared at each other from a distance; one calm and composed, the other eyes solemn.
Both gave their orders at the same time.
"Shadow Ball again!"
"Rush!"
Only to see the Gengar in front of Elma raise both claws high, and at Baimu's command, once again call forth twisted dark Energy Bullets. It assumed a slam-dunk posture, about to smash them down at the panting Ditto on the ice!
"Gen!"
All of a sudden.
Ditto abruptly vanished with an even swifter speed, and then, like smoke, mysteriously appeared at Gengar's side. A layer of blood-red energy formed a ferocious beast claw over its chubby paw, raking down viciously!
Whoosh!
An evil wind howled!
Rush—when the opponent uses an attacking Technique, it can strike even faster! Paired with the Ghost Attribute's uncanny, elusive abilities, it was honestly like Instant Teleportation, enough to make one's heart skip a beat!
But before the blood-colored beast claw could land, Gengar suddenly twisted around, baring a sinister grin at Ditto, then opened its mouth wide and bit down on Ditto's claw in one chomp.
At the same time.
The Shadow Ball that had seemed to be thrown at the ice was actually only half loosed; it had only let go with one hand. When Gengar quickly spun around, its other claw had already yanked the Shadow Ball back hard!
It was like swinging a kettlebell as it smashed the Shadow Ball at the stunned Ditto!
Bang!
Deep violet energy flames roared wildly!
Riding the blast's shockwave, Gengar flew backward, cackling smugly.
A fake Ghost trying to play elusive tricks in front of a True Ghost?
That's like trying to brandish a blade in front of Guan Gong!
Ditto, meanwhile, fell out of the smoke and crashed heavily onto the ice, looking rather miserable.
Elma shouted, "Hang in there, Ditto! You can do it!"
The commentator cried out, "It hit! Gengar deliberately tanked Rush! Ditto got nailed by Shadow Ball! Can it still hold on?!"
As soon as the words left his mouth.
On the ice, Ditto struggled to its feet in response to Elma's call.
Baimu and Gengar were both surprised; Ghost Attribute restrains Ghost Attribute—how was a mere Ditto this tanky?
But before he could issue another order—
Splut.
Ditto swayed and toppled over, light flaring as it returned to its original form, its eyes covered by fainted swirls.
"Mo..."
Elma's excited expression froze. The words "Shared Fate" that had reached his lips were swallowed back down, leaving him silent for a moment.
The Referee raised his flag and shouted, "Ditto is unable to battle! Gengar wins!"
The commentator sighed, "What a pity! Contestant Elma got just a little bit impatient at the end there, giving Contestant Baimu and Gengar an opening to exploit. All right, next we'll be entering a five-minute halftime break!"
Thunk!
On the big screen, the timer stopped.
Baimu welcomed back the overjoyed Gengar and soothed it softly, "Nice job! Two opponents down! Keep it up!"
"Gen-gen~"
Gengar was immensely pleased with itself, pressing its legs together and raising its little claws to give a goofy salute.
The two intense bouts had actually taken a certain toll on its stamina; Ditto's Rush hadn't been completely ineffective either.
But to Gengar, all of this was worth it.
It was ready to keep pushing, aiming to knock down the remaining three opponents as well!
On the other side.
Elma recalled Ditto, and after quietly offering it some comfort, he glanced up at the scoreboard. The two lit circles by Baimu's head and the four still-unlit circles brought him immense pressure.
This opponent was just too strong—stronger even than during the previous Gym Battle.
At least back then, in the three-on-three, he'd still had a chance to take down one or two of Baimu's Pokémon, but now he couldn't even take a single one.
"I'll have to trouble you guys again."
He muttered to himself as he touched the bracelet with a glass bead set into it on his wrist, as well as the strange device hidden in his sleeve that looked like a watch.