After Christine's Cacturne took the stage, despite Ninetales' desperate efforts to turn the tide, its flames couldn't even touch Cacturne. In the end, Ninetales had no choice but to withdraw.
Due to the gap in their strength, when Ninetales attempted to use Fire Blast against Tsareena, she could only evade. However, Cacturne effortlessly shattered any of Ninetales' Fire Blast, including the area-of-effect technique Heat Wave, with its Spiky Shield.
Sora's last Pokémon was the Electric-type Ampharos. However, the previous Ninetales was already his strongest Pokémon. If Ninetales couldn't compete with Cacturne, Ampharos naturally fell to Cacturne's hands as well.
With a pseudo-Elite level Cacturne, Christine successfully advanced to the finals. If it weren't for this pseudo-Elite level Pokémon, Christine's other Pokémon would likely have struggled against Sora's Ninetales.
But even though Sora was defeated, he still received applause and cheers from the audience. The match had been incredibly intense, with unexpected moments. The appearance of Shiny Ninetales and the pseudo-Elite level Cacturne were surprises for everyone.
Following Sora and Christine's match, there was almost no halftime break, as the next match was between Yuga and Roxie.
Yuga's dazzling performance in previous matches had garnered him immense popularity. As the favorite to win the championship, he received the warmest cheers from the audience when he stepped onto the stage.
Roxie's strong performance in previous matches had also earned her high popularity, but compared to Yuga, who had always been a championship favorite, she fell slightly short in terms of popularity.
If Roxie were a great beauty, her popularity might have been higher. After all, this world valued appearances, but unfortunately, Roxie, while not ugly, couldn't be considered a beauty.
Because they knew each other, when Yuga and Roxie took the stage, they politely exchanged greetings.
Yuga's first Pokémon was Bellossom, while Roxie sent out her giant Arbok. In terms of type advantage, Yuga was at a disadvantage, but he didn't think his Bellossom would lose.
Upon receiving commands from the electronic referee, the giant Arbok, as swift as purple lightning, closed in on Bellossom, attempting to strangle the Bellossom tightly.
However, Bellossom was no pushover. It swiftly dodged and simultaneously released a Shiny of light to the sky, invoking a Sunny Day.
Arbok squinted its triangular eyes and it kept spitting out snake letters, menacingly fixating on Bellossom not far away. Soon after, it activated its ability, Intimidate.
Bellossom couldn't help but feel a hint of fear in the presence of Arbok due to its Intimidate ability. However, it quickly shook off this fear.
Thanks to Arbok's Intimidate, Bellossom's physical attack power was reduced. Yet, Yuga didn't mind. Instead, he directed Bellossom, saying, "Sweet Scent."
Bellossom joyfully danced upon hearing the command, emitting pink fragrant mists from the two red flowers on its head.
The sweet scent of Bellossom quickly filled the entire battlefield. Even the cold and aloof Arbok couldn't help but appear somewhat dazed, its concentration wavering.
"Arbok, snap out of it! Use Wrap and then Fire Fang!" Upon seeing her Arbok affected by Sweet Scent, Roxie quickly gave commands.
Hearing its Trainer's voice, Arbok's mind cleared up significantly. It gently shook its giant head, then swung its tail, swiftly approaching Bellossom, intending to use Wrap.
Arbok's giant size and strong physique were its greatest weapons. Whenever it ensnared prey, it was challenging to break free from its tremendous Wraping force. Yuga had already experienced the incredible strength of this Arbok in previous matches.
Under the bright sunlight, Bellossom's speed became its greatest weapon. As Arbok steadily approached, Bellossom gracefully spun its body, dancing while evading Arbok's attacks.
Being delicate in build, Bellossom wouldn't allow Arbok to get close. With its lightning-fast agility, Bellossom both dodged and it completed performed its Quiver Dance.
As Arbok made another attempt to close in, Bellossom directly unleashed Solar Beam, striking Arbok's head with force.
Under the sunny skies, Bellossom's Solar Beam was almost instant. Caught in a high-speed charge, Arbok couldn't evade and was sent flying.
Although Arbok, a Poison-type, resisted Grass-type moves, Solar Beam, as the ultimate Grass-type move, still carried considerable power when directed at it.
Solar Beam's move gathered solar energy and released it in one breath. Despite being a Grass-type move, it had a high temperature, akin to being scorched by flames.
Arbok's head, struck by Solar Beam, turned charred, emitting wisps of hot air. This hit genuinely left Arbok in a dazed state.
Capitalizing on the opportunity while Arbok was still somewhat disoriented, Bellossom began gathering solar energy with its left and right hands and fired two beams at once, striking Arbok again and knocking it to the ground.
Due to simultaneously concentrating energy into two Solar Beams, these two attacks were less powerful than the initial one but managed to bring Arbok down once more.
As her Pokémon repeatedly found themselves in a disadvantageous position, Roxie remained calm, though she felt a hint of frustration. She hadn't expected Yuga's strength to surpass her expectations. Truly, one could only gauge it through actual battles.
Arbok was already one of Roxie's top Pokémon, approaching level 50, yet it couldn't gain any advantage over Yuga's Bellossom.
The level of Bellossom was even a few levels lower, but the difference lay in the battle power gained from their respective potentials.
Bellossom had a Blue-level potential, while despite Arbok's exceptional physical qualities, it only had a Green potential.
"Arbok, Sludge Bomb!"
Seeing that Arbok couldn't get close to Bellossom, Roxie had no choice but to opt for a secondary approach and ordered Arbok to use a special attack.
Unlike Christine's Tsareena, which excelled in physical attacks, Arbok's special and physical attack stats weren't that different. Trainers often tend to develop their Pokémon's special attacks slightly to compensate for any physical attack shortcomings. Roxie's Arbok was one such case.
Roxie's command prompted this highly skilled Arbok to react swiftly. With a flick of its tail, it sent forth a wave of purple sludge surging toward Bellossom, who was in the midst of gathering energy for its next attack.