Pokémon: Check-In System

On the battlefield, Leiv's expression darkened slightly.

When facing Nero, his first thought was—

This match is in the bag!

After all, against an opponent he had previously defeated, he felt no pressure at all.

But now, after just a brief exchange, his Vaporeon had suddenly sustained multiple injuries. The scales of victory were slowly tipping in Nero's favor, making Leiv feel humiliated!

Leiv gritted his teeth.

This time, he truly sensed the crisis ahead. Fortunately, after so much training, his Vaporeon had finally mastered that move and could now use it at will.

He had originally planned to save it for the later rounds, but under these circumstances, he had no choice but to use it now.

Watching as Vaporeon curled up slightly, preparing its move, Leiv sighed in relief before flashing Nero a smile.

He needed to buy some time for Vaporeon!

After all, that move required a setup period!

"Nero, I didn't expect your Combusken's strength to rise so rapidly—it really caught me off guard. Its speed and power have clearly improved a lot. Could you share some—"

"Combusken, Flamethrower!!"

"Huh?!"

This guy doesn't play by the rules! Normally, when someone compliments you at a time like this, aren't you supposed to chat for a bit? Why is he so different? Has he never won before?!

A pillar of searing flames erupted from Combusken's mouth!

The fire roared fiercely, full of destructive force!

Leiv panicked. In Vaporeon's current state, how was it supposed to dodge?

However, this Vaporeon was particularly intelligent.

Every Pokémon has its own unique abilities, and Vaporeon's special trait was its molecular composition, which allowed it to dissolve into water.

Just moments ago, Water Pulse had left residual water on the battlefield.

A sudden spark of inspiration struck Vaporeon, and it used Acid Armor, transforming its body into water molecules and merging into the puddle, evading the oncoming Flamethrower.

The scorching flames swept past Vaporeon's original position, and the emitted heat caused some of the water molecules to evaporate. The intense burning sensation made Vaporeon extremely uncomfortable.

But at least it had dodged the attack.

Reforming into its original shape, Vaporeon's breathing became noticeably heavy.

"Well done, Vaporeon! You truly are my Pokémon."

Vaporeon shot Leiv a sideways glance.

I used to think you were alright, but now you're just an idiot. All you do is panic!

"Vaporeon, Aqua Ring!"

Although Leiv could be a fool at times, he at least knew when to issue the right commands.

A shimmering blue aura appeared around Vaporeon's body, and its wounds began to heal at a visible rate!

"Aqua Ring restores some HP over time. We need to take Vaporeon down now." Nero quickly gave the order: "Combusken, Feather Flame Dance!"

"Cha-mo!"

If Vaporeon fully recovered, all the previous effort would have been wasted.

Combusken steadied itself, then rapidly spun around, scattering fiery orange-red feathers across the battlefield!

The burning feathers rained down toward Vaporeon.

With a mischievous smirk, Vaporeon once again dissolved into the water on the ground, effortlessly dodging Combusken's attack.

But this time, as Vaporeon returned to its normal form, a brilliant golden star streaked across the sky!

The star radiated a dazzling light. As the glow enveloped Vaporeon, its wounds instantly healed!

At the same time, Aqua Ring's effect activated once more. Under the dual healing effects, Vaporeon regained its proud stance.

"That's… Wish!!"

Seeing the celestial light descending from above, the teacher immediately recognized the move!

Wish—a sacred move that calls upon a shooting star to bring the blessing of healing.

It required a preparation phase, but once activated, its healing effect was astonishing. This divine recovery move could restore a Pokémon's stamina by more than half!!

On the battlefield, Nero's pupils contracted!

He hadn't expected Leiv to have this trick up his sleeve!

After all, Wish was an incredibly difficult move to learn!

He must have invested significant effort during the winter break to teach it to Vaporeon.

And now, with Wish combined with Aqua Ring, Vaporeon had an almost endless supply of stamina…

This could drag the battle into a slow, agonizing defeat.

"It's over—Combusken is going to be disgusted to death."

"I can already see the future. Combusken keeps attacking, while Vaporeon keeps healing… Let's see which is faster: attacking or recovering HP."

"Three seconds of sympathy for Nero. Thought he had this match in the bag, but turns out this Vaporeon is a tanky stall build. This is some dirty play, not gonna lie."

The students watching the battle between fire and water Pokémon voiced their thoughts.

"Look at that. That's my stupid little brother's move."

From the special seating area, Glenn watched his younger brother's Vaporeon and chuckled.

The tall boy beside him nodded. "Indeed. With both Wish and Aqua Ring as healing moves, plus Vaporeon's natural bulk, it's incredibly difficult for Pokémon at this stage to take it down."

"Heehee. I was never worried about my dumb little brother."

Even though Nero had executed a series of rapid attacks, by this point, not even the strongest Combusken should be able to turn the battle around.

Aqua Ring continuously restored HP, Wish prepared for another heal, and Acid Armor allowed Vaporeon to evade damage. With this strategy in play, Vaporeon hardly took any damage, while Combusken was exhausting itself through constant attacks.

"Combusken, burn the battlefield with Fire Spin!"

"Vaporeon, use Whirlpool!"

A spiraling vortex of flames erupted from Combusken's beak, but Vaporeon wasn't about to back down—it summoned a raging whirlpool to counter.

The collision between Whirlpool and Fire Spin generated another thick mist of steam. This time, Vaporeon had already planned ahead, dissolving into the water and once again evading Combusken's attack.

"Hahaha! Nero, I suggest you give up! My Vaporeon is invincible. You'll always be my defeated opponent."

Victory was tipping in Leiv's favor. The glow of Wish descended once again, completely restoring Vaporeon's HP.

In contrast, Combusken was looking far worse than before.

Nero remained silent, his eyes fixed on Vaporeon's every move. The battlefield was starting to dry up as the water on the ground evaporated, prompting Vaporeon to unleash another wide-range Water-type move to keep the terrain soaked.

"You should give up now. There are still plenty of challengers waiting for their turn. This is a pointless struggle! You've already earned everyone's respect with your performance. If you want to defeat my Vaporeon, you'd have to take it out in a single blow before it gets another chance to heal with Wish and Aqua Ring."

Leiv smirked confidently.

Vaporeon, seemingly enjoying itself, started toying with Combusken on the field.

After melting into the water again, Nero noticed that the area around Vaporeon was now completely flooded.

Throughout the entire match, Nero had never responded to Leiv.

But this time, he grinned and replied:

"So, you're saying I need to end it in one hit? Well then, thanks for the strategy!"

"Combusken, Thunder Collapse Punch!!"

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