Realizing his movements had slowed down significantly, Lian decided to remain stationary and cast moves from his position. Since both he and his opponent were affected equally by Gravity, it didn't matter if his mobility was hindered.
As Lian prepared to release a move, he suddenly noticed even the casting interval felt slower. He glanced at the opposing Dusclops, sensing an invisible pressure enveloping the entire battlefield, impacting the speed of his move execution.
This must be the Pressure Ability, which Lian was familiar with from games where PP (Move Points) played a role. Pressure increased the PP consumption for opponents' moves.
In reality, the Pressure Ability seemed to create a passive aura effect, slowing down the opponent's move casting speed. While this impact wasn't significant for Lian due to his inherently fast casting, even a slight delay could prove crucial in determining battle outcomes for other Pokemon.
Combining Gravity with Pressure proved highly effective, creating a strong sense of constraint for Lian. It felt as though he was surrounded by thick liquid, making each step arduous.
Lian didn't wait for Kalia's command, as she had to observe all four Pokemon simultaneously. Sometimes, after issuing instructions, she might realize potential oversights, but by then, her Pokemon would have already acted. It was more effective to let the Pokemon rely on their combat instincts and execute moves independently, while the Trainer focuses on controlling the overall strategy.
Without hesitation, Lian unleashed Air Slash directly towards Raticate. He disregarded Dusclops since it primarily supported Raticate. The combination of Raticate's Hustle Ability with Double-Edge generated immense power that Lian couldn't ignore.
Once this brown Raticate is dealt with, Dusclops posed no significant threat to Lian; at most, it could use some distant Shadow Ball attacks. Considering Dusclops' Special Attack capabilities, Lian deemed evading unnecessary.
"Raticate, watch out for Air Slash!"
To Lian's surprise, Cameron not only noticed but accurately identified the move as Air Slash. Indeed, mid-level trainers possess vast battle experience. Despite attempting subtle movements, he still got detected.
However, detection alone wouldn't change much. With his current flying type Control Rating at 20%, the released Air Slash was not easily avoidable.
With Cameron's warning, Raticate immediately became vigilant. Despite the increased gravity, it was evident that Raticate had undergone specialized training to mitigate its effects, significantly reducing the impact on its movements.
Raticate swiftly sprinted and skillfully executed Quick Attack, its body shimmering with white light. Just as the Air Slash approached, it leaped, narrowly avoiding the strike, leaving a gash in the yellowish ground below.
Lian was slightly taken aback, but even more surprising was Raticate's immediate charge towards him after evading, transforming Quick Attack into Double-Edge.
The seamless transition between these similar-looking moves astonished Lian; he hadn't anticipated such versatility.
Raticate's original white glow instantly shifted to a layer of radiant yellow, generating immense force as it charged fiercely at Lian on the ground.
Under normal circumstances, Lian could easily fly out of reach, making it impossible for Raticate to touch him. However, under the Gravity Field, Lian couldn't take flight and could only watch as Raticate bore down on him.
Just then, Ninetales stepped in front of Lian, extending all nine tails simultaneously and casting Protect, enveloping itself in a protective shield.
Lian glanced at Ninetales standing protectively before him and nodded slightly. This is true teamwork - utilizing the Protect move's characteristic to shield its teammate from an opponent's attack.
For the enemy to reach Lian, they would have to maneuver around and strike from behind. However, with the Gravity Field in effect, it was nearly impossible for Raticate to get behind Lian, as he could still move, albeit slower than usual.
Suddenly, Kalia warned, "Ninetales, watch out for Dusclops' Curse move!"
Dusclops had indeed made its move, targeting Ninetales with a Ghost-type Curse ability.
Curse relies on Ghost-type energy, sacrificing the user's stamina to inflict a cursed state on the opponent, causing intense discomfort and continuous pain.
While Protect can defend against Raticate's Double-Edge, it cannot block the effects of Curse. Moreover, since Curse is intangible, evading it is not feasible.
After enduring the Curse, black markings appeared on Ninetales' forehead, accompanied by a strong sense of unease. Fortunately, this did not hinder the use of Protect.
Ninetales positioned itself protectively in front of Lian as Raticate charged fiercely. The impact was absorbed by the shield created from Protect, dissipating the force of Double-Edge.
Ninetales appeared distressed, feeling immense pain throughout its body; all nine tails contracted inward, and it lay flat on the ground.
Seeing Ninetales' suffering, Lian expressed his gratitude before swiftly counterattacking. With Ninetales blocking the opponent's move, he couldn't afford to waste this opportunity. He immediately unleashed Flamethrower on Raticate.
Lian refrained from using too much power since Raticate had already been scorched earlier. A regular Flamethrower would be sufficient to defeat it.
Cameron's warning came too late; Raticate didn't have time to retreat back to its side of the field and was promptly taken out by Lian's Flamethrower.
Next, Lian looked with surprise at Dusclops, which had just cast Curse. Due to the move's recoil effect, Dusclops lost half of its stamina, rendering it incapable of further combat due to excessive exhaustion.
This outcome wasn't unexpected, considering that while Dusclops has strong defensive capabilities, its low Stamina is well-known. After losing half its stamina from Curse, combined with the Fusion Flame attack earlier by Lian and Ninetales, it would have been unusual for it not to lose its fighting ability.
Cameron unexpectedly lost two Pokémon at once, which was not part of his plan. Initially, he intended for Raticate to utilize Double-Edge combined with its Hustle Ability to take out Charizard swiftly. Then, relying on Dusclops' Curse, he aimed to entrap Ninetales.
However, Ninetales proactively used Protect, blocking Raticate's Double-Edge attack. In response, Charizard instantly counterattacked and defeated the weakened Raticate.
Although Ninetales fell under the Curse, it became ineffective since Charizard remained battle-ready. Kalia could now freely switch her Pokémon, rendering the Curse pointless. Once cursed Ninetales returned to its Poké Ball, the Curse would dissipate.
Cameron had confidently believed that Double-Edge would instantly defeat Charizard. With Charizard being naturally weak in defense, if it were incapacitated, Ninetales couldn't enter the field, forced instead to endure the agony of the Curse until losing combat ability.
That scenario would have left him with a favorable 2-on-1 advantage.
"Darn it!" Cameron felt frustrated. It was evident that Kalia's Pokémon had undergone special training. The fact that Ninetales autonomously shielded Charizard without direct orders caught him off guard.