Chapter 118: The Advantage Is Mine

Fortunately, Daisy was at least somewhat considerate, as the second Pokémon she sent out was a Poliwhirl.

Its blue skin was coated with a slick, sticky fluid to prevent enemies from grabbing hold of it. Its bulbous eyes protruded from the top of its head, positioned above small nostrils.

A distinctive black counterclockwise spiral adorned its white belly, the opposite of its pre-evolved form. This detail often appeared as a key question in Pokémon exams, yet many still struggled to differentiate them.

A rather eerie fact unknown to many was that the spiral pattern was actually its exposed internal organs, visible through its transparent skin.

Compared to its previous form, its legs were longer, and it had now grown arms, making it far more adept at battle.

Its two hands looked as if they were wearing white mittens, while its feet were round and lacked toes.

One particularly noteworthy trait was that one of Poliwhirl's evolutionary paths, Politoed, shared the Drizzle ability with Pelipper. However, to this day, no one knew exactly how Poliwhirl evolved into Politoed—except for Team Rocket.

While many were aware of Politoed's existence, it was usually encountered only in the wild and was incredibly rare, almost rivaling pseudo-legendary Pokémon in scarcity. Anyone who managed to capture one could sell it for a high price.

After all, Drizzle was an invaluable ability for Water-type trainers. There was a significant difference between manually using Rain Dance and having Drizzle activate automatically.

For Pokémon with Drizzle, it was as if they were born with mastery over Rain Dance, allowing them to use it effortlessly. Compared to them, Pokémon that learned the move later in life could never achieve the same level of efficiency.

If a Torkoal and a Water-type Pokémon with Rain Dance were placed together, the weather would almost always be locked in favor of sunny conditions.

This was precisely why weather-based abilities were so highly sought after. Though Pelipper also had Drizzle, its Water/Flying typing made it vulnerable to Electric-type moves, which could take it down instantly. In some cases, a pure Water-type Pokémon might even have the advantage.

Furthermore, Pelipper and Politoed had entirely different move pools and combat strategies, leading some trainers to prefer the latter.

It was similar to how everyone knew Milotic evolved from Feebas. Regardless of how it happened, trainers could always breed a Feebas with a Ditto. Yet, no one could ever figure out exactly how Feebas underwent its transformation.

"Let's see what your Pokémon can do, shall we?"

Daisy winked playfully at Maki, flashing a subtle smile. If humans had elemental types, Maki thought, this girl would undoubtedly be Fairy-type.

"Dragon Dance, then Stun Spore!"

Maki didn't immediately go on the offensive. His Pokémon were at a natural disadvantage in terms of typing. Even though Cottonee was a Grass-type, it held no real advantage against the dual Grass/Water-type Lombre.

Additionally, due to the battlefield conditions, Water-type energy was more abundant. If Nature Power were used, it would likely alternate between Water Pulse and Tri Attack.

While Stun Spore wouldn't affect Lombre, it could still be used to restrict Poliwhirl's movements.

"Fake Out."

Following Daisy's command, Lombre clapped its hands together forcefully, sending a white shockwave toward Charmeleon.

The move was executed so swiftly that it even outpaced Cottonee's Prankster-boosted Stun Spore, reaching Charmeleon first.

As a priority move with +3 speed priority, Fake Out was guaranteed to make the target flinch. Its only downsides were its relatively low power and the fact that it could only be used immediately after switching in.

The only Pokémon Maki could think of that could deal serious damage with Fake Out alone was Hariyama—it could slap a frail opponent out of existence in one hit, no questions asked.

With no time to dodge, Charmeleon was struck by Fake Out, flinching and having its Dragon Dance interrupted.

Due to the move's sheer speed, evading it was nearly impossible.

Since Fake Out could only be used once per battle, Daisy wasn't going to waste the opportunity. As Charmeleon flinched, Poliwhirl fired off a Bubble Beam.

From Daisy's perspective, this Bubble Beam should have dealt significant damage to Charmeleon. After all, it was currently unable to counterattack. As for Cottonee, it had just finished using its move and wouldn't have time to respond—

Just as these thoughts crossed Daisy's mind, she suddenly saw an incredibly powerful Water Gun collide with Poliwhirl's Bubble Beam, neutralizing the attack entirely.

Daisy: ?

Cottonee used Water Gun? Is your Pokémon even legal!?

Though she quickly realized that the Water Gun had been generated via Nature Power, its speed was shockingly fast.

What should have been an optimal moment for Daisy to take control of the battle was completely ruined by Cottonee's counterattack.

"Cottonee!"

Cottonee spun a few times in the air before directly using "Taunt" on Poliwhirl and Lombre.

Is that all you got? You're not even close!

With this, Charmeleon's flinching state naturally ended. Although its previous attack had failed, now that they understood Maki's intent and knew Charmeleon had mastered Dragon Dance, they wouldn't let it use the move so easily.

Against the Fire-type Charmeleon, sending out the pure Water-type Poliwhirl was the correct choice. Poliwhirl immediately launched another Bubble Beam while slightly retreating a few steps.

After all, before Cottonee countered its Bubble Beam with Water Gun, it had already used Stun Spore. Lombre, being a Grass-type, was immune to it, but Poliwhirl wasn't so lucky.

To prevent Cottonee from interfering with Poliwhirl's attack, Lombre swiftly rushed toward Cottonee.

"Leech Seed."

Unlike in the battle at Celadon Gym, this battlefield wasn't well-suited for planting seeds. As such, the Leech Seed was aimed at Poliwhirl instead.

Although both Pokémon were stronger than Cottonee, they couldn't compare to it in terms of speed when using moves.

The Leech Seed completely bypassed Lombre and landed directly on Poliwhirl.

Now that's Maki's signature dirty trick—playing rough without mercy. Though Poliwhirl was hindered by Leech Seed, it still managed to fire off a second Bubble Beam accurately.

This time, however, it was met by a roaring column of fire—Charmeleon's Flamethrower.

Knowing that Daisy would choose an all-out offensive approach, Maki naturally wouldn't waste time using Dragon Dance. That would be giving the opponent an opening for no reason.

The collision between Bubble Beam and Flamethrower instantly nullified the momentum Poliwhirl had. Despite being able to slightly suppress Cottonee's Water Gun earlier, Poliwhirl's bubbles quickly evaporated under the heat of Charmeleon's flames.

Even though Poliwhirl tried its best to hold its ground, it couldn't stop the advancing firestorm.

"That's some powerful flames!"

Misty gasped in surprise. Normally, when Water-type moves clash with Fire-type moves, Water-type moves should have a slight advantage. But now, Poliwhirl's Bubble Beam was being completely overwhelmed.

"Yeah. This Charmeleon's Fire-type moves are exceptionally strong, strong enough that even Poliwhirl isn't a match." Sitting beside Misty, Violet nodded in agreement.

This Poliwhirl was a familiar face to her. Many challengers with only one or two Gym Badges often used it in battles, so she had seen it many times before.

She knew it wasn't weak.

"Maybe it's holding a Charcoal?" Lily speculated after a moment of thought.

In Gym battles, challengers were allowed to have their Pokémon hold items, but only limited ones like Charcoal and Miracle Seed. They were restricted to carrying just one such item, and if caught with additional ones, their challenge would be forfeited.

Having a bunch of Berries to heal mid-battle? That was absolutely not allowed. Otherwise, Gym Challenges would become a joke.

"Does Charcoal really boost Fire-type moves that much?"

Charcoal could indeed enhance Fire-type moves to some extent, similar to Plates, but the difference between them was massive.

First, the boost from Charcoal was limited—it wasn't as strong as a Life Orb. Its only advantage was that it had no negative side effects. Additionally, its effect was solely increasing move power, and if used for too long, the item's potency might diminish over time.

For example, a Miracle Seed that lost its effect would be nothing more than an ordinary seed—it wouldn't even sprout.

These kinds of items weren't particularly rare or valuable. Charcoal, for instance, could be produced by a regular Torkoal, though the quality varied greatly. The Charcoal from an Elite Torkoal was leagues above that of a common one.

"It's probably that Charmeleon already had outstanding Fire-type abilities, and the Charcoal just amplified that advantage further," Violet concluded.

After all, she had no idea about the existence of Plate fragments. Even if she did, she wouldn't expect someone to give such a precious item to a Charmeleon—that would be a complete waste.

Flamethrower roared straight toward Poliwhirl. Because it had been using Bubble Beam to counter the flames, and with Leech Seed sapping its energy, Poliwhirl couldn't dodge in time and was directly hit.

Fortunately, being a Water-type Pokémon, Poliwhirl resisted Fire-type moves. Though some parts of its body were slightly charred, it wasn't in critical condition.

Still, its face twisted in pain. Not just from Charmeleon's Flamethrower, but also from the continuous drain of Cottonee's Leech Seed.

On the other side, while Cottonee's Leech Seed had helped Charmeleon gain the upper hand, her own situation wasn't looking great. When it came to speed, she was no match for Lombre.

Her only advantage was her ability to fly, making her slightly more agile.

Lombre swiftly closed the distance and leaped into the air, his clenched right fist coated in frost—

Ice Punch!

It wasn't unusual for a Lombre to know Ice Punch. In fact, most Water-type Pokémon carried Ice-type moves precisely to counter Grass-types.

Grass-types were a notorious challenge for Water-types, so it was only natural to have a way to handle them. And among all available options, Ice-type moves were the most practical due to their wide coverage and accessibility.

Although Ice and Bug were often considered the weakest types, Ice had a slight edge over Bug due to its superior offensive potential.

That meant Cottonee was in serious danger.

A Fairy Wind stirred behind her. Using Nature Power wasn't an option—this battlefield was already saturated with Water-type energy. The clash between Bubble Beam and Flamethrower had further increased the humidity in the air.

If she activated Nature Power now, the resulting attack would likely be Hydro Pump.

Against a Water/Grass-type like Lombre, who had a quadruple resistance to Water moves, Hydro Pump wouldn't do much. Landing a hit was difficult enough, and even if it connected, it would barely leave a scratch. Fairy Wind was the better choice.

Cottonee flitted back and forth, the Fairy Wind swirling behind her, trying to disrupt Lombre's movements while waiting for an opening—

She needed to saturate the area with Fairy-type energy. Once the concentration was high enough, she could unleash a devastating Moonblast straight to his face.

But a Gym Leader's Pokémon wouldn't go down so easily. Lombre maintained his composure, and before long, he landed a solid Ice Punch on Cottonee, sending her tumbling through the air.

Fortunately, Cottonee had decent defenses, and her cotton-like fluff absorbed some of the impact. She wasn't out of the fight just yet, but she could probably only take two more of those punches before she was done for.

Meanwhile, Charmeleon was faring much better. With Lombre focused on Cottonee and Poliwhirl briefly restrained by Leech Seed—though he broke free soon after—Charmeleon had gained a crucial few seconds.

Only a second or two, but for Charmeleon, that was enough.

Dragon Dance!

With a single boost, Charmeleon's speed now far outpaced both Lombre and Poliwhirl. He immediately pulled back and dashed toward Cottonee.

"Cotton!"

Cottonee winced, rubbing her cotton fluff with a leaf to soothe the pain. She even flicked away a few ice shards as if to say, "What took you so long?!"

"Char…"

Charmeleon scratched his head awkwardly, letting out a small growl. He had been having his fun over there, while Cottonee had been taking hits.

Without hesitation, Charmeleon stepped in front of Cottonee, his determined gaze locking onto the Lombre ahead. Now that Dragon Dance had powered him up, he stood his ground with an imposing presence—

A lone warrior holding the line against an army.

On the sidelines, Maki's face broke into a confident grin.

Looking at the current battlefield, he wanted to say just one thing—

"The advantage is mine!"

What he didn't notice was that Mawile, who had been clinging to his pant leg the entire time, was now watching Charmeleon with admiration in its eyes—

As if dreaming of the day it, too, could stand in battle for Maki.

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