14. Sceptile vs. Escavalier (End)

Escavalier extended its sharp lances, stabbed into the ground, grabbed a massive boulder and hurled it at Sceptile. The stone, infused with Rock-type energy, whistled through the air as it flew toward Sceptile.

"Sceptile!"

Facing the flying rocks, Sceptile wielded the Grass-type blades on its wrists, using Leaf Blade to shatter each incoming stone.

This display made Jacob frown slightly. Although this Sceptile didn't understand tactics, its raw power was incredibly strong. For the moment, it was impossible to determine a clear winner. Jacob needed to find a way to break the stalemate.

The question of how to compensate for the speed difference between the two Pokémon made Jacob long for moves like Dragon Dance and Agility. Both could increase speed, but unfortunately, Escavalier was incompatible with these moves and couldn't learn them.

The priority move First Impression could only be used when first entering battle, and the current situation seemed particularly challenging.

Wait—there was another option. Jacob suddenly remembered another move in Escavalier's arsenal.

"Escavalier, use Aqua Jet!"

Aqua Jet is a low-power priority move. While its power is modest and Water-type moves have extremely limited effectiveness against the Grass-type Sceptile, this move's advantage lies in its priority.

Hearing Jacob's command, Escavalier didn't hesitate. It expelled a powerful jet of water from its back. Propelled by the water's reactive force, Escavalier surged toward Sceptile with astonishing velocity.

"Boom!"

In just an instant, Escavalier closed in on Sceptile. This time, Sceptile had no opportunity to react. Escavalier's Aqua Jet speed was simply too fast. Sceptile took a direct hit to the chest and staggered backward two steps.

Escavalier's Attack power after Swords Dance had reached terrifying levels. Even though the Water-type move was not very effective against the Grass-type Sceptile, it still inflicted damage.

More importantly, with Aqua Jet's assistance, Escavalier managed to close the distance to Sceptile.

At close range, relying on its formidable Attack power, Escavalier became virtually unstoppable.

"Escavalier, use Leech Life!"

After closing the gap, Jacob didn't hesitate to command Escavalier to use Leech Life. Bug-type moves are super effective against Grass-types, and with the same-type attack bonus, it would definitely inflict severe damage to Sceptile if it connected.

This time, Escavalier didn't disappoint Jacob. At such close proximity, Sceptile had no time to evade and was directly struck by the Bug-type energy needle shot by Escavalier.

This Leech Life attack caused direct and severe damage to Sceptile, far more potent than the previous Aqua Jet.

"Sceptile."

Despite its injuries, Sceptile refused to retreat. Instead, it launched a counterattack with all its might.

Facing the Leech Life attack, Sceptile unleashed an extremely powerful Grass-type move: Leaf Storm!

[Leaf Storm]: The user whips up a storm of sharp leaves that whirl around the target. After using this move, the user's Special Attack stat drops sharply.

Leaf Storm is one of the ultimate Grass-type moves. It's extremely powerful, but its side effect is equally significant—reducing the user's Special Attack by two stages. Generally, trainers use this move as a finishing move for Grass-type Pokémon to sweep the battlefield. However, this move is actually the signature move of Serperior. Serperior, which has the Contrary ability, experiences the opposite effect when its stats are lowered, turning what would be a Special Attack decrease into a two-stage increase. This transforms Leaf Storm's side effect into an advantage, making Serperior increasingly powerful and potentially unstoppable in a single sweep.

Seeing Sceptile unleash Leaf Storm, Jacob wasn't alarmed but pleased. Though Leaf Storm was undeniably powerful, Escavalier could certainly withstand it in its current condition. And once Escavalier endured the attack, Sceptile, with its Special Attack reduced by two stages, would definitely be at a disadvantage.

What's more, his father's Escavalier had invested considerably to learn a defensive move.

"Escavalier, use Protect!"

[Protect]: The user completely shields itself from all attacks. Its chance of failing rises if used in succession.

In the games, Protect is almost magical. Regardless of level disparity or species difference, even Rayquaza's most powerful attacks would be blocked by a Caterpie's Protect. It's quite the equalizer.

But reality differs significantly. Protect can only resist attacks with a modest difference in power. If the power gap is too vast, the protective barrier will still be penetrated.

However, with Escavalier and Sceptile being relatively evenly matched, Jacob had no reason for concern.

Pale energy emanated from Escavalier's body, manifesting as a transparent shield that enveloped it completely.

The leaves danced wildly in the air, charged with Grass-type energy, forming a verdant tempest that engulfed Escavalier. The razor-sharp leaves repeatedly slashed against Escavalier's protective barrier.

The attack was loud and imposing, but ultimately failed to breach Escavalier's shield.

A smile crossed Jacob's face. This demonstrated the difference between wild Pokémon and those trained by trainers. While wild Pokémon possessed raw strength, their movesets were limited. Without TMs or move tutors, they naturally couldn't learn protective moves like Protect.

The shallow move pool and lack of tactical coordination made it difficult for wild Pokémon of equivalent levels to defeat trained Pokémon.

"Sceptile."

Sceptile's Special Attack was significantly reduced due to Leaf Storm's drawback. This presented the perfect opportunity for Escavalier to counterattack.

"Escavalier, use Leech Life!"

Escavalier suddenly struck, lunging forward as Bug-type energy surged through its body. It fired a slender needle that pierced Sceptile's body.

The pulsating Bug-type energy struck Sceptile hard once more, while the energy channeled back through the needle healed Escavalier's injuries.

"Follow up! Don't give it a chance to recover."

After several exchanges, the outcome became evident. Escavalier had seized complete advantage, while Sceptile found itself at an absolute disadvantage.

Had Sceptile initially leveraged the jungle's terrain advantage, employed high-speed evasive tactics, and relied on special Grass-type moves like Energy Ball for its attacks, Escavalier might not have secured victory so easily.

But without a trainer's guidance, Sceptile could only engage in direct combat, making it predictably unable to overcome Escavalier.

"Escavalier, finish Sceptile!"

"Sceptile!"

Escavalier activated Leech Life once more. Simultaneously, emerald green energy enveloped Sceptile's wrists again as it prepared Leaf Blade, ready for a desperate final clash.

"Escavalier, use Feint Attack!"

Confronted with Sceptile's last stand, Jacob instructed Escavalier to use Feint Attack.

Dark-type energy wrapped around Escavalier's hard lances as its sharp edges slashed directly at Sceptile.

At the same time, Sceptile's Leaf Blade successfully connected with Escavalier's body, carving a significant wound in its hard shell.

Both attacks landed successfully, but Escavalier had its tough shell for protection, making its injuries less severe. Sceptile, on the other hand, had no such defense and had already sustained damage from two Leech Life attacks previously. It had reached its limit and was now gasping for breath.

"You've already lost," Jacob declared.