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As Skarmory entered the field, it flapped its metallic wings, producing a piercing sound akin to grinding metal. Being both a Steel- and Flying-type Pokemon, Skarmory's base stats might not be exceptionally high, but its defensive capabilities ranked among the top-tier for all Pokemon.
However, Skarmory's Special Defense was relatively weak. Considering Sceptile's current strength, using Giga Drain would still deal significant damage to Skarmory.
Despite having a steel body, Skarmory's Stamina was quite poor. As the saying goes, "Excessive rigidity invites breakage," and any damage to Skarmory's armor is challenging to recover from.
"Skarmory, use Air Slash!" Joel immediately shouted, opting to have Skarmory initiate the attack with the flying-type move that counters Sceptile effectively.
Although Skarmory's special attack capability isn't inherently strong, Joel's Skarmory had been specifically trained, making its special attacks noteworthy.
With double effectiveness against Sceptile, this move could potentially inflict considerable damage.
Sceptile's movements were swift, but evading invisible attacks like Air Slash is notoriously difficult. One can only perceive faint air disturbances; without careful observation, they're nearly undetectable.
"Sceptile, watch out above!" However, Kalia, being familiar with Air Slash itself, promptly alerted her Pokémon. Once prepared, moves like Air Slash become much harder to exploit effectively.
Upon receiving Kalia's warning, Sceptile immediately focused on detecting air disturbances. With its keen eyesight, as a forest-dwelling Pokemon and having mastered Detect, it effortlessly spotted the Air Slash.
In the next moment, Sceptile dodged the incoming attack with ease. This evasion was relatively simple, primarily due to Kalia's timely reminder. The role of a Trainer shines here, as Pokemon often rely solely on instinct rather than strategic thinking during battles.
The synergy between a Trainer and their Pokemon maximizes the latter's potential, akin to ancient armies where the Trainer acts as the general, orchestrating strategies and directing the battlefield.
"Missed again?" Joel felt frustrated; how could he keep missing? This Sceptile proved incredibly elusive. Although Sandstorm continuously inflicted minor abrasions on Sceptile, the damage was negligible, barely scratching the surface.
If unable to land a hit on Sceptile, it effectively rendered it invincible—how is one supposed to compete then?
"Sceptile, use Giga Drain!" Seeing Sceptile dodge the Air Slash, Kalia smiled and commanded her Pokemon to counterattack.
At the same time, Joel realized that using conventional attack strategies would not suffice against this Sceptile. The lizard's body seemed fragile; just one successful hit could severely injure it.
However, Skarmory's special attack capabilities were limited, and its only guaranteed hit move was Swift. Since it typically relied on Air Slash, it hadn't learned Aerial Ace, leaving Swift as too weak for significant impact.
"Even Fly won't work if I can't land a hit," thought Joel, feeling genuinely challenged for the first time. With no other choice, he decided to focus solely on defeating this Sceptile, which appeared to be his opponent's strongest Pokémon.
To ensure a decisive blow with guaranteed accuracy, there was only one option: a Z-Move. Against such power, Sceptile would have no chance of evasion.
Joel glanced at the Z-Ring on his wrist, assessing the battlefield situation. Naturally, Skarmory did not possess a Z-Move; his strongest Rock-type Pokémon, Aggron, held that capability.
"Skarmory, dodge Sceptile's Giga Drain and return!" Joel shouted loudly. The battle wasn't over yet; they needed to wait for Sceptile's attack to conclude, creating a brief window before Skarmory could switch out for another Pokémon.
Sceptile extended its arms and unleashed Giga Drain towards Skarmory soaring in the sky. However, it's worth noting that apart from slow-moving Pokémon like Gigalith, even agile ones like Skarmory undergo rigorous training for evasive maneuvers.
The Giga Drain missed as Skarmory swiftly dodged.
Capitalizing on the gap between Sceptile's attacks, Joel switched his Pokémon, recalling Skarmory and quickly tossing out another Poké Ball.
Joel was highly proficient at switching Pokémon, efficiently saving time to bring fresh fighters promptly into battle.
Simultaneously, Kalia also exchanged her Pokémon, clearly intending to counter Sceptile with her best option: Charizard.
"Go, Charizard!"
However, in the next moment, Kalia's expression changed when she saw that Joel had brought out Aggron, equipped with a Rock-Type Z-crystal.
This indicated that Joel had planned to use a Z-Move against Sceptile. Kalia felt regretful; a Z-Move is guaranteed to hit, and Charizard would undoubtedly struggle against a Rock-Type Z-Move.
As Lian emerged, he felt exhilarated - finally, it was his turn! He immediately soared high into the air, scanning his surroundings. Being inside the Poké Ball was incredibly dull, only allowing him to hear sounds outside.
The Combat Hall was filled with spectators, all seemingly astonished by Kalia's exceptional performance, even putting Joel momentarily on the defensive.
Lian wasn't sure which Trainer among them was Taro, but upon scanning the crowd, he noticed a young man in the front row who appeared likely to be him.
He eagerly wanted to gauge the strength of the Elite Four's Pokémon, as it would help determine his own prowess and standing within this world.
A Dragonite consistently maintaining Extreme Speed showcased its remarkable capabilities.
As one of the top Trainers in this world, possessing incredibly powerful Pokémon is quite expected, much like Lian himself, whose Pokémon boast terrifying base stats and exceptional Control Ratings that far exceed the norm.
"Surprisingly, she chose Charizard." Upon seeing Charizard, Joel felt slightly disappointed about Kalia switching out Sceptile, but Aggron actually fared better against Charizard due to Rock-types having advantages over Fire and Flying types.
"Aggron, Rock Slide!" Joel shouted, deciding to save the Z-Move for Sceptile. Using it against Charizard would be wasteful, considering Charizard's inherent fragility; a single successful Rock Slide could virtually guarantee its defeat.
Joel also observed that this Charizard was Kalia's primary Pokémon, as evidenced by the Fire Z-crystal attached to it. By defeating Charizard, he would prevent Kalia from using any Z-Moves.
This significantly increased his chances of winning. Even if Sceptile were exceptionally strong, it couldn't carry the battle alone without its main ally. Without her primary Pokémon, no matter how formidable Sceptile might be, it ultimately wouldn't withstand the strain and lose its fighting capability due to exhaustion.
Lian glanced at Aggron on the ground, realizing that his opponent specialized in Rock-type Pokémon. The Sandstorm weather condition persisted, with fierce gusts continuously blowing dust all around them.
"Charizard, stay alert and launch full-force attacks!" Kalia commanded. With Charizard, she didn't need much concern; only during critical moments did she provide guidance.
First, Lian cast Sunny Day to change the weather conditions. Winning against Rock-type Pokémon under Sandstorm increases their Special Defense abilities, so eliminating the Sandstorm would make it easier to defeat Aggron.
As for evading moves like Rock Slide, Lian found it relatively straightforward. Although not as agile as Sceptile, his speed compensated effectively.