Before Misty could object, Eddie interrupted her with an excited roar!
Although Eddie was typically a calm person, battles always stirred excitement in trainers.
Especially in situations like this—a head-on confrontation where he was at a disadvantage.
Eddie's roar served as both a command to Grovyle and encouragement, boosting his Pokemon's morale.
While this world doesn't operate on the nonsensical principle that "battle outcomes depend entirely on shouting," there's no denying that a trainer's roar can be quite imposing.
Grovyle seemed to feel Eddie's fighting spirit and roared in response, despite being suppressed and potentially facing defeat in the next moment.
Nevertheless, he carried out Eddie's orders meticulously. As his left hand continued its struggle, his right hand immediately clenched into a fist.
Another crackling sound of electric currents echoed across the battlefield.
His left hand fought against the Ice Beam and was about to be overpowered, but his right hand was quickly gathering energy for the Stockpile.
Everything happened in a flash.
At the exact moment when the Thunder Punch in Grovyle's left hand was completely dispersed by the Ice Beam, his right hand had finished charging. When his body was struck by the Ice Beam, the Thunder Punch from Grovyle's right hand simultaneously connected with Lapras's abdomen, hammering the Water-type Pokemon into the pool.
Lapras had been floating with its body mostly above water, and Grovyle had used Quick Attack to position himself in front of Lapras, striking from above.
The collision of energies temporarily kept Grovyle suspended in the air.
So...
Who says Grovyle can't fly?
No, ahem.
Lapras was above the water, and although it had successfully hit Grovyle with Ice Beam, it also took a Thunder Punch to the abdomen.
A single Thunder Punch wouldn't normally be enough to defeat a Lapras, but it was enough to knock it back into the water. And now, with Thunder Punch making contact with the water while both Pokemon were in it...
Crackle! Crackle!
Electricity surged through the water, and the entire aquatic portion of the stadium echoed with the sound of discharging electricity.
Both Grovyle and Lapras were caught in the water.
A few seconds later, they both floated to the surface, eyes swirling in the telltale sign of being knocked out—both electrocuted by the Thunder Punch's discharge in the water.
"We were guaranteed to win, but now we both lost like this?" Misty said incredulously. She had held a huge advantage and could have defeated Grovyle without Lapras taking any damage.
But after Eddie's clever maneuver, both Pokemon were down.
Although Grovyle had also fainted, Misty had obviously squandered her chance to win this battle.
She had lost a significant advantage!
"Hmm, I was hoping to use Thunder Punch to trigger the paralysis effect, but it turned out like this. I forgot about electricity conducting through water," Eddie admitted, somewhat surprised. This outcome wasn't exactly what he'd planned.
However, his original strategy had a low chance of success anyway. He was already quite satisfied with the current result.
"Ding! No experience points awarded when both sides lose, but due to the effect of Exp. Share, your other Pokemon still receive experience!"
"Ding! Riolu gains experience! Level +1, reaching Level 33!"
Eddie smiled. "That's fine by me—not a loss at all."
Charmeleon and Frogadier showed no reaction, indicating they hadn't gained enough experience to level up.
Eddie immediately recalled Grovyle, then used the healing power of Viridian through the Poké Ball. He treated Grovyle's injuries, and after healing was complete, clipped the ball back onto his belt.
You might wonder why Eddie bothered healing Grovyle now. After all, Pokemon can't gain experience when they've lost their combat ability.
Eddie always carried an Exp. Share, so as long as his Pokemon retained some fighting strength, they could still gain experience. That's why he prioritized healing Grovyle first.
"I didn't expect this outcome from a battle I thought was in the bag," Misty said, recalling Lapras with reluctance. "Should I call this coincidence, or is this the result of your hard work, Morning Sun?"
"What do you think?" Eddie asked, not directly answering her question. "If I had given up attacking at the beginning, would we have ended up with this result?"
"That's true," Misty admitted. "If you had launched your attack at the start, only Grovyle would have fallen now, instead of Lapras."
"Exactly. The outcome of a battle cannot be determined until the final moment."
Misty recognized that Eddie's strategy had caused this surprising result, and it made her more alert.
Battles always contain variables, but if you surrender at the beginning, defeat is inevitable.
"Alright, Lapras has been defeated, so I'll send out my last Pokemon," Misty said, taking out her third Poké Ball with a serious expression. "Get ready. According to League regulations, I can't use my strongest Pokemon, but this time, I'll use this one to defeat you with everything I've got!"
After these two battles, Misty had gained respect for Eddie's strength and had come to realize some important truths about battling.
So she planned to use this final Pokemon, exerting all her strength, to challenge Eddie properly!
"Misty, have you forgotten what I said last night?" Eddie responded. "If you have, I'll say it again." He took out his second Poké Ball.
"No matter who my opponent is or how strong they might be, I'll battle with the belief that I can win."
As he spoke, he smiled confidently—a smile that showed his absolute faith in victory.
"You're right. I asked a stupid question," Misty replied with a smile of her own. Then they both threw their Poké Balls.
"Come out! Gyarados!"
"Your turn to fight! Riolu!"
Two blue Pokemon appeared on the field, though their sizes were dramatically different.
Gyarados towered at 6.5 meters tall, while Riolu stood as a small fighter at just 0.7 meters.
Of course, a Pokemon's strength isn't determined by size, so the comparison was meaningless.
"Gyarados, huh? But is its condition okay for battle?" Eddie wasn't surprised to see Misty's choice, but he was concerned about the Pokemon's readiness, given its previous condition.
"Don't worry. After a night of treatment, it's almost fully recovered. A battle will actually help it relax," Misty explained, understanding Eddie's concern.
She then took out a bracelet from her pocket and slipped it onto her wrist.
"Morning Sun, are you ready? I'm going all out! Be careful not to get defeated in one hit."
"Gyarados, show Morning Sun our true strength!"