vs Cynthia part 2

The battle was far from over, but now it was my turn to play my cards. In front of me, Cynthia kept her gaze steady, her Garchomp ready to fight. Meanwhile, I called out Gliscor. With an agile leap, it landed on the field, flapping its wings confidently.

"Use Toxic on yourself," I ordered without hesitation.

Cynthia raised an eyebrow. "What…?"

Gliscor enveloped itself in a cloak of poison, soaking its body in the toxic substance. To anyone else, this would seem like a grave mistake, but not to us. I felt a slight smile form on my lips as I saw its Poison Heal ability take effect, slowly healing it instead of weakening it.

Cynthia didn't take long to react. "I don't know what you're planning, but I won't stand idly by. Dragon Claw!"

Garchomp roared with fury and charged forward, enveloped in a draconic aura. Its speed was brutal, but I had expected it.

"Dodge it."

Gliscor took flight immediately, letting the attack pass by. Cynthia clicked her tongue, but she didn't have time to worry about that.

"Now, Toxic on Garchomp," I ordered coldly.

From the sky, Gliscor descended and fired a burst of poison directly at its opponent. The purple liquid stuck to its scaly skin, and its effect began to take hold. I saw Cynthia tighten her lips, noticing that her Garchomp had been badly poisoned.

"Break its defense with Brick Break!"

The dragon didn't hesitate for a second. Its claw glowed with energy and slammed into Gliscor's body, sending it flying backward with force. I felt the impact through the ground, but I wasn't worried.

"Get away. Maintain altitude and use Earthquake when you can," I ordered calmly.

Gliscor immediately ascended, floating out of Garchomp's reach. I knew Garchomp could also fly, but not as easily as a true Flying-type Pokémon. Its wings allowed it to stay airborne and move quickly, but not with the same freedom as Gliscor. Every time it tried to reach it, my Pokémon outmaneuvered it.

Every now and then, Gliscor would descend just enough to make the ground rumble with Earthquake, relentlessly striking. Cynthia frowned.

It didn't take long for her to realize this wasn't going in her favor. With every passing second, the poison did its work. Then, I saw it on her face: the decision to change strategies.

"Garchomp, return. Go, Spiritomb!"

"Toxic," I ordered without wasting time.

"The champion brings out her ace and sends out her Spiritomb!" the commentator announced.

The ghostly Pokémon was greeted by the field with a double punishment: Cynthia's Stealth Rocks and Gliscor's poison.

"Shadow Ball," Cynthia ordered.

"Dodge and use Earthquake!"

Gliscor dove down and struck the ground with force, causing a devastating tremor.

"Tomb!" Spiritomb growled, feeling the accumulated damage.

The battle continued. Spiritomb moved with difficulty, its ethereal body losing stability. The poison kept weakening it bit by bit.

"CHEAP TRICK! CHEAP TRICK! CHEAP TRICK!" some in the crowd shouted.

"JAKE IS USING HIS INFAMOUS STALL STRATEGY! WILL CYNTHIA BREAK HIS TACTICS?"

"BY THE WAY... GLISCOR IS POISONED, BUT I SWEAR IT LOOKS MORE ENERGIZED THAN WHEN IT WASN'T. IS THE POISON AFFECTING IT?"

I laughed at the commentator's question. Gliscor was at 100% thanks to the poison, but this world barely understood hidden abilities or advanced strategies.

"Earthquake," I ordered as Gliscor dodged a Dark Pulse.

Then, something happened that I wasn't prepared for.

I saw a shadow briefly envelop Gliscor. I had never seen that move in the year I'd been a trainer, but I had an idea.

"Destiny Bond," I murmured.

"Gliscor, wait!"

Too late. Gliscor activated Earthquake.

Spiritomb bid farewell with a sinister smile before fading away. And, without warning, Gliscor fell to the ground, unconscious.

"WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!" Erick, the commentator, shouted. "I MEAN... 4 - 3, JAKE LOSES. WHAT DO YOU THINK HAPPENED, TOM?"

"I DON'T KNOW, YOU'RE THE ANALYST! BUT THAT GLISCOR WAS POISONED AND STILL LOOKED PERFECT. ON THE OTHER HAND, SPIRITOMB WAS ABOUT TO FAINT AND STILL MANAGED TO TAKE IT DOWN."

"WHAT A SPECTACLE FROM THE SINNOH CHAMPION! REMEMBER, WE'LL ANALYZE THIS BATTLE ON SINNOH TV."

"WELL, WE CAN BE HAPPY THAT THAT DAMN BAT DIDN'T LAST 20 MINUTES THIS TIME..."

I cursed under my breath. Now I had to carefully decide my next move.

If Cynthia sent out Togekiss and used Heal Bell, my poison advantage would disappear. In that case, my best option was Glalie.

"Release your Pokémon on the count of three! One, two, and three!"

Cynthia threw her next Poké Ball. Togekiss, just as I expected.

"Kiss…" the Fairy-type Pokémon groaned as it was immediately hit by Stealth Rocks.

"Heal Bell," Cynthia ordered without hesitation.

A bell chime resonated across the field. As I feared, Cynthia had sacrificed Togekiss to cure Garchomp of the poison.

But I already had my answer. Glalie didn't wait for orders. While Togekiss was busy healing, it fired a lethal Ice Beam.

The icy energy blast hit head-on. The damage, combined with Stealth Rocks, was too much for Togekiss.

Without even putting up a fight, Togekiss fell.

3 - 3.

Cynthia made her next decision and threw her Poké Ball. Milotic emerged onto the battlefield.

Like the others, it was immediately greeted by Stealth Rocks, as well as a speed reduction from Sticky Web.

"Aqua Ring," Cynthia ordered.

Water began to surround the sea serpent, enveloping it in a healing mantle. It regenerated slowly, creating a protective layer around itself.

A mistake, in my opinion. You just surrounded yourself with water… against an Ice-type.

"Blizzard," I ordered, hoping to freeze it in its own defense.

The icy wind roared across the field, but it didn't have the desired effect. Blizzard was too slow.

'Once again, we prove we're rookies,' I thought in frustration. 'Our signature move is still Explosion, after all.'

"Recover," Cynthia ordered calmly.

A green light covered Milotic, restoring its health completely.

Crap. I forgot that Recover was one of Cynthia's Milotic's moves in some version.

"CYNTHIA GOES FOR A DEFENSIVE STRATEGY! AQUA RING GIVES HER PASSIVE HEALING, AND RECOVER KEEPS HER AS IF SHE JUST ENTERED THE FIELD!" the commentator narrated.

I didn't have time to lament.

"Scald," Cynthia ordered.

Milotic fired a powerful jet of scalding water at Glalie.

"Gla…!"

Something wasn't right. Glalie was an Ice-type, but it should resist Water attacks.

Then I saw it. Its aura turned red for a moment, a change imperceptible to an untrained eye.

It was burned. The secondary effect of Scald.

"Glalie, use Double Team and get closer," I ordered, wasting no time.

Glalie smiled. Its moment to explode had come.

"Don't let it get close! Surf!" Cynthia countered.

"Blizzard," I responded immediately.

The icy air collided with the wave Milotic summoned, freezing it instantly.

"Keep closing in!" I ordered.

Glalie and its clones advanced in formation, cornering Milotic against a wall. The sea serpent tried to defend itself, attacking one of the copies, but it missed, hitting an intangible clone.

And then… Glalie exploded.

The blast shook the field. When the smoke cleared, Milotic was staggering, unable to continue.

"2 vs 2! JAKE SACRIFICES HIS POKÉMON AGAIN TO SECURE A WIN."

2 - 2.

"Competitors, release your Pokémon on the count of three!"

The referee raised his hand.

Three.

We both threw our Poké Balls.

On my side, Beedrill emerged, buzzing its wings intensely.

On hers, Roserade landed gracefully, ready for battle.

Cynthia was the first to react.

"Get close and use Shadow Ball!"

Roserade's roses glowed with dark energy before firing a ghostly sphere at Beedrill.

"Block it with X-Scissor!"

Beedrill crossed its stingers and made them glow with a sharp edge. With a single slash, it tore through the shadowy sphere in midair.

Cynthia didn't give up.

"Shadow Ball again!"

Another dark sphere was fired, and again, Beedrill shredded it with ease.

The cycle continued. Every Shadow Ball was torn apart in midair, and with each block, Beedrill got closer and closer to Roserade.

Until, finally, it was just a meter away.

There was no escape.

"X-Scissor!"

Beedrill launched a cross slash with all its strength, hitting Roserade head-on. The impact made it stagger, teetering on the edge of fainting.

Cynthia frowned. She knew it couldn't withstand another hit.

I, on the other hand, knew exactly how to take advantage of the situation.

"Fell Stinger!"

Beedrill charged with its stinger in one final, precise strike.

Roserade fell to the ground, completely defeated.

And then, Fell Stinger's effect activated.

Beedrill shuddered, its body glowing with a fierce aura… and its strength increased from defeating a rival with Fell Stinger.

The scales of the battle had just tipped in my favor.

The commentators fell silent. Everyone's favorite was losing. 1 - 2.

Cynthia sent out Garchomp to defend her title, which took the Stealth Rocks as if they were nothing, but the damage was clearly done.

"Garchomp, Flamethrower!" she ordered, hoping to turn the battle around.

Heh, I had everything under control.

Suddenly, a shield formed with Beedrill's stingers, and it advanced through the fire unfazed, getting dangerously close to the dragon. Just a meter away from its enemy, Beedrill didn't waste time.

Hmm, what attack hits Garchomp neutrally in the games? Ground or Bug.

"Don't let it get away, use Drill Run!" I shouted with determination. Though Garchomp tried to move, the Sticky Web's poison kept it trapped.

The Ground-type attack hit Garchomp head-on, already weakened by two entries into the field due to Stealth Rocks and Toxic's poison. I saw its knee buckle slightly, a small sign of its wear.

"Fire Fang!" Cynthia ordered, confident in her last attempt.

But Beedrill was ready. "Drill Run!" I responded, watching as Beedrill's stinger prepared for the final blow.

Ground against Fire. The terrain had been won by Ground.

Another hit landed on Garchomp, which now staggered. Its endurance was almost gone. The poison and the accumulated damage from the attacks left it no room to react.

"Don't let it rest, Beedrill!" I shouted, as the dragon slowly fell.

Beedrill showed no mercy. The moment Garchomp tried to regain its balance, it was struck by one last devastating attack.

The battle was over. The roar of the crowd filled the air as the scales of the battle tipped irreversibly in my favor.

"Finish it with X-Scissor!" I ordered.

Beedrill, with deadly speed, launched its final attack.

Garchomp fell.

And no one saw it coming.

"The winner is Jake Britannia..."

"...AND WE HAVE A NEW CHAMPION!"