In just a blink, Cubone openly rushed to Wormadam's side, swinging its oversized club straight at Luxio.
The Luxio Trainer, who had never declared any intent to fight Wormadam, nearly exploded. He'd just been waiting to third-party someone, and suddenly he was dragged right into the chaos by Cubone.
He never agreed to this!
He was clearly biding his time for an opening… and now this huge club just came swinging at him.
"Luxio quickly, dodge!"
"Luxiooo!"
Luxio was furious too. It dodged the first Bonemerang with ease and was about to strike back at Cubone when its Trainer suddenly shouted, "Dodge again!"
Thunk!
The second blow struck hard… right on the head! Luxio face-planted into the ground, dazed and dizzy.
'Didn't I already dodge that?'
Meanwhile, Harumi had instinctively ordered Wormadam to block the Magical Leaf. With its quadruple resistance, the attack didn't even leave a scratch.
"Wormadam, use Confusion!"
"Eee-"
Wormadam's eyes glowed blue. Invisible psychic energy locked onto Roselia in the distance.
With type advantage, Roselia took a heavy hit, its face contorted in pain.
Within the free-for-all, it was as if six people were fighting three different battles. Everyone was split, yet no one dared to go all-in against a single opponent.
Until...
"Cubone, use Smack Down!"
Haruki's shout rang out and a stone projectile cut across the arena.
The Trainer of Staravia froze instantly. Among all Pokémon on the field, Staravia was the one most vulnerable to Rock-type moves.
Thud!
Smack Down hit!
Not Staravia, but Roselia, who was still locked in combat with Wormadam.
Haruki turned and met Harumi's gaze.
He smiled.
"We had a deal."
Harumi blinked. A faint blush crossed her face before she smiled back and nodded.
"Turtwig, use Bite!"
Gardenia's voice came out of nowhere. Everyone looked over just in time to see Turtwig leap forward and clamp onto Staravia's wing.
Staravia was down.
Haruki and Harumi exchanged a glance. Then launched a joint assault on Roselia, swiftly eliminating the target.
Now, only three Pokémon remained on the field: Haruki's Cubone, Harumi's Wormadam, and Gardenia's Turtwig.
Haruki and Harumi were still allied.
Gardenia: ...
'Wasn't this supposed to be a free-for-all? Why did the other side suddenly form an alliance?'
Harumi seemed to pick up on Haruki's intent. She beamed at him.
Haruki blinked, then shamelessly said, "I'll go on the offensive. You support me, okay?
Cubone, Smack Down!"
Cubone acted instantly. A small stone infused with energy flew like a baseball straight toward Turtwig.
"Tuurt!"
Turtwig let out a sharp cry. Its large head jerked and it unleashed Razor Leaf, slicing the flying rock into pieces.
It didn't stop there. The leaves kept flying, heading straight for Cubone!
"Wormadam, Confusion!"
At the critical moment, Harumi ordered Wormadam to intercept. The flying leaves were stopped in mid-air; she played the support role perfectly.
Haruki felt reassured. He nodded to Harumi and commanded without hesitation.
"Cubone, Bonemerang!"
The club spun through the air, and at the same time, Cubone began running, short legs pumping hard as it closed in on Turtwig.
Seeing that the two opponents were still teaming up against her, Gardenia wasn't angry at all, in fact, she looked even more eager.
'This match… suddenly didn't feel so boring…'
"Dodge, then use Leech Seed!"
Gardenia shouted. Turtwig timed it perfectly, easily dodging the first part of Bonemerang. Its little head flicked and a golden seed shot out.
Target: Wormadam.
Compared to the slower, Ground-type Cubone, Gardenia clearly recognized the real threat came from Wormadam, who was hanging back.
Turtwig's uncommon agility left Cubone and Wormadam momentarily helpless; they could only watch as Leech Seed landed.
As soon as it touched Wormadam, the vines exploded outward, wrapping tightly around it. Escaping was nearly impossible.
Meanwhile, the second half of Bonemerang struck home, Turtwig was hit squarely.
But at the same time, Leech Seed activated, draining Wormadam's energy and restoring Turtwig's stamina.
One in, one out… Turtwig was practically unharmed.
Haruki ground his teeth in frustration but could only direct Cubone forward again.
"You handle the Leech Seed, I'll hold the line!" he called to Harumi.
If they let Turtwig keep healing, they'd lose for sure.
"Cubone, Bulldoze!"
Finally, just as Turtwig came into range, Haruki's command rang out almost simultaneous with Cubone's attack.
The energy ripple spread fast, and Turtwig, about to dodge, stumbled mid-step.
Cubone closed the gap in an instant, its oversized club coming down hard on Turtwig's big head!
"Turtwig, Mega Drain!"
Gardenia called out, knowing it couldn't avoid the blow, she chose to clash head-on.
But Cubone hit first.
The full-powered strike from Cubone was no joke. Even though Turtwig had braced itself, the impact left it seeing stars.
It couldn't execute the move!
Mega Drain was interrupted!
At the same moment, Wormadam finally unraveled the Leech Seed with Confusion and followed up by using Confusion again to hold Turtwig in place.
"Cubone, Smack Down!"
Ground-type attacks were weak against Turtwig, but Rock-type Smack Down wouldn't be reduced.
"Turtwig, Withdraw!"
Under the effects of Confusion and with Cubone's attack bearing down, Gardenia couldn't be sure Turtwig had recovered. She just hoped they could endure this blow and counter later.
Thud!
Smack Down landed. Held in place by psychic force, Turtwig took the hit clean.
But Haruki noticed… at the last moment, Turtwig curled into its shell, using Withdraw to boost its defense.
He hesitated. He didn't order Cubone to follow up.
After all, it already looked a bit unsporting to be two-on-one in public. Best not to draw even more resentment.
Especially since he still had to live in Steelrock Town for a while.
Wormadam's Confusion faded. Turtwig lay limp on the ground.
But before the referee could get close to confirm anything, Turtwig forced itself up, trying to keep fighting.
It was mid-afternoon, and the sunlight was strong. Turtwig lifted its head and cried out, healing rapidly before everyone's eyes.
Synthesis!
"Cubone, Smack Down!"
"Wormadam, Confusion!"
Now there was no more hesitation. Cubone and Wormadam launched their attacks together, knocking Turtwig out once more.
Turtwig, defeated!
Now only two remained: Cubone and Wormadam, who had been allies the entire match. The atmosphere suddenly turned strange.
Haruki looked at the panting Cubone, then smiled slightly and raised his hand.
"Referee, I forfeit!"
"I forfeit!"