"Return, Ditto."
Drake kept a calm expression as he withdrew Ditto back into its Poké Ball. But the audience? They were far from calm.
"Wait, Ditto lost just like that?"
"Wasn't Ditto usually able to go toe-to-toe with the Pokémon it transforms into? Sometimes it even had the upper hand! Why did it get knocked out after just a couple of hits?"
"This doesn't make sense! If both Ursaluna have the same power, how could the original tank Ditto's Arm Thrusts like it was nothing?"
"…"
Whether online or in the stadium, the spectators were filled with confusion.
But the battle wasn't over yet.
After weighing which of his remaining Pokémon would be best suited to deal with Ursaluna, Drake made his decision.
"Let's go—Gengar!"
Even though Gengar is weak to Ground-type attacks, under normal circumstances it's immune to both Fighting- and Normal-type moves. Not to mention, it's fast and it can fly.
And according to all available data, Ursaluna typically fights in a straightforward, brute-force style.
In theory, Gengar was the perfect counter!
"Geh-heh~"
With an eerie chuckle, a plump ghost Pokémon materialized mid-air and started making faces at the crowd.
"Gengar, use Dark Pulse!"
"Geh-heh~"
Still grinning maniacally, Gengar flipped twice in the air and let loose a dark-purple wave of energy from its hands, sending it hurtling toward Ursaluna like a beam of shadowy light.
"Ursaah~"
Ursaluna didn't flinch. It didn't even use a move, it just raised a mighty paw and smashed through the incoming attack using nothing but its raw power.
"It didn't work?"
Drake was stunned, but his mind quickly shifted gears. "Then use Curse!"
If direct attacks wouldn't work, he'd pay the price for a more indirect route. After all, this Ursaluna had used Belly Drum, meaning its HP was already halved—it wouldn't take long for Curse to wear it down.
"Geh-heh…"
Gengar's expression turned grim as it stopped joking around. A spectral nail manifested out of nowhere and pierced straight into its own chest. A purple aura engulfed its body, and a visible grimace of pain crossed its face.
"Slack Off."
Paul wasn't fazed in the slightest. His command was calm, almost indifferent.
While Gengar was busy cursing itself to afflict its foe, Ursaluna took the time to Slack Off—a move it had learned long ago, restoring its HP back to full.
So when Gengar's Curse took effect for the first time, Ursaluna still looked like it was in prime condition.
Drake's expression stiffened. He muttered through clenched teeth:
"Gengar, Sludge Bomb!"
Raising its arms, Gengar conjured several globs of glowing corrosive purple liquid. With a wave, the bombs hurtled toward Ursaluna like a barrage of chemical grenades, one after another.
"Rock Tomb. Stone Edge."
Paul stared straight at Gengar, unflinching. With a surge of energy, Ursaluna slammed the ground, and thick stone pillars shot up diagonally in front of it and above its head, easily shielding it from the acid assault.
Simultaneously, a rain of jagged stones came crashing down from above like a meteor shower, blanketing most of the battlefield.
The Rock Tomb had wide coverage, but for a nimble Pokémon like Gengar, it was far from a guaranteed hit.
As a nimble rotund ghost, Gengar's bulbous frame flitted and weaved through the falling stones, as if playing tag with Ursaluna's rocks.
Seeing this, Paul remained utterly calm and quietly said a single word:
"Explode."
BOOM!!!
All the stones that had been falling from above suddenly detonated at once.
Gengar's playful face went pale. Eyes wide, it barely had time to react before being engulfed by the explosion.
What looked like a mere containment strategy had been a trap from the start. The Rock Tomb immobilized the careless Gengar, and the hidden detonation slowed it further.
When Gengar barely pulled itself together hanging on by a thread, it found itself shrouded in an overwhelming shadow.
And that shadow was getting larger.
"…Geng?"
It weakly looked up and for the first time, its usual grin vanished entirely.
CRASH!!!
Ursaluna's massive body slammed down, pinning Gengar flush against the ground. No space left between its bulk and the battlefield. Gengar had seemingly vanished from sight.
"Ursaah~"
Once Ursaluna stood up and lumbered back to its feet, Gengar's flattened figure was revealed—embedded into the ground.
But the victory wasn't without a twist.
Ursaluna noticed a faint purple glow drifting off Gengar's body.
Destiny Bond.
"Ursaah~"
Ursaluna didn't even blink. As if used to it by now, it let out a yawn and casually laid down before the Destiny Bond could trigger.
Slack Off again.
Destiny Bond—Success!
Still drowsy from its moment of laziness, Ursaluna closed its eyes and peacefully drifted into sleep, taken down along with Gengar.
"Gengar and Ursaluna are both unable to battle!" The referee announced.
"Return."
Without a word, Paul calmly returned Ursaluna to its Poké Ball.
The moment he saw Drake send out Gengar, he had known: unless he used Mewtwo or Gengar somehow turned out to be completely useless, there was no way he could pull off a full six-to-one sweep.
"No wonder he's regarded as the strongest of the new generation, right up there with Red and Blue."
Drake quietly stored Gengar's Poké Ball and while still reflecting on the intense exchange, he tossed out another Poké Ball.
"Go—Steelix!"
"Aggron, battle ready."
Even before Steelix appeared, Paul had already thrown out his next Poké Ball.
Rooooaar!
Gwooooh!
Two thunderous roars echoed across the field. Two massive Pokémon took the stage, locking eyes with intense hostility.
"Stealth Rock."
Paul issued the command as calmly as ever.
Aggron's body gleamed with a white light before launching several sharp stones into the air, scattering them across the battlefield.
As the rocks embedded themselves into the terrain, they faded from view—Stealth Rock now lay in wait, ready to punish any future switch-ins.
"Earthquake!"
Seizing the moment while Aggron was still preparing its move, Drake made an aggressive call.
ROOOAR!
Steelix raised its massive tail and slammed it into the ground, sending violent tremors through the entire stadium. A powerful shockwave raced toward Aggron, who had just finished setting up.
Given Aggron's speed, dodging was out of the question.
And with its Steel/Rock typing, Earthquake would hit for 4× super-effective damage.
Even so, Aggron didn't budge an inch—lowering its center of gravity and bracing itself to take the hit head-on.
It's super effective!
Just as the dust settled, Paul's voice cut through the aftermath.
"Metal Burst."
"Aggrrr!"
Aggron roared defiantly. Its entire body flashed bright white as it gathered the damage it had just endured. Concentrating the power into its mouth, it unleashed a devastating beam of metallic energy across the battlefield.
"Dodge it, quick!"
ROOOAR!
Steelix, lightened through Autotomize, summoned every ounce of its boosted speed to swerve, managing to evade the brunt of the beam. It was hit, but not directly.
The explosion was still brutal—Steelix staggered, badly injured but not completely knocked out.
Unfortunately, Paul and Aggron weren't going to wait around for a turn-based exchange.
BOOM!
Before Steelix could regain its footing, the ground quaked again. A second shockwave crashed into its body.
"ROAAAH—!"
Steelix cried out, its muscles seizing, its eyes closing—and then it collapsed.
"Steelix is unable to battle. Aggron wins this round!"
"Since one trainer has now lost three Pokémon, the battlefield will be changed!"
(End of Chapter)
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