Nessa and Marvin arrived at opposite ends of the battlefield at the same time.
Granny Shae, Edgar, along with Shiro and Allister, stood at the sidelines in the spectator area, watching the match about to unfold.
"Ahem..." Shae cleared her throat softly and then called out, "Nessa and Marvin, begin the battle. The match continues until both of one side's Pokémon lose the ability to fight or surrender."
The moment her voice fell, Marvin tossed out his Poké Ball.
A flash of red light burst forth, and a snowy white, moth-like Pokémon appeared midair. It hovered with ethereal grace, its wings fluttering in a slow, hypnotic rhythm. Cold shimmered around it, the air thickening into a glimmering veil of snow. Delicate ice crystals formed and floated lazily around its figure, giving the creature the appearance of a winter spirit cloaked in frost.
A Gym-level Frosmoth.
From the spectator's stand, Shiro's eyes focused as he scanned its stats:
[Name: Frosmoth
Type: Ice/Bug
Level: 42 (Gym)
Ability: Ice Scales
Held Item: None
Moves: Struggle Bug, Icy Wind, Powder Snow, Attract, Helping Hand, Stun Spore, Infestation, Mist, Defog, Feather Dance, Aurora Beam, Snowscape, Bug Buzz, Aurora Veil, Blizzard, Protect…]
"Hmm. Not bad, well trained," Shae muttered, nodding in approval as she examined the Pokémon closely. The shimmering ice particles floating around it were proof enough of its powerful ice-type energy.
It wasn't something a typical Ice Pokémon could produce. Only a combination of Frosmoth's traits and its unique ability made those crystals possible.
Edgar looked on curiously and casually asked, "What's with all that ice crystal stuff? Normal Ice-types don't have that, right? Even that Elite-level Vaniluxe of yours doesn't make ice like that."
"It's from Frosmoth's wings and its ability," Shiro explained instinctively. "Its wings are extremely cold, reaching temperatures as low as minus 180 degrees Celsius. Its ability, Ice Scales, sheds icy powder; those floating crystals are the scales constantly falling."
As soon as he finished, both Shae and Edgar gave him surprised looks.
"You sure know quite a bit, kid," the old man said, rubbing his chin. "And you've never raised an Ice-type before, have you?"
Shae, however, didn't care about that. She instead followed up with another question. "Then tell me, Shiro, what exactly does Ice Scales do?"
He tensed a bit, trying to come up with a believable excuse while answering, "I saw it in a notebook my mother left behind. Ice Scales cuts special move damage in half."
"Your mother's notebook?" Shae's interest sparked. "She was from Kanto, wasn't she? Do you still have that notebook?"
Shiro scratched his head awkwardly. "It got stolen in Spikemuth. Team Yell took it. I have no idea where it is now."
"Team Yell…" The old woman repeated with a frown. Edgar reminded her, "They're the gang run by Eldon. He uses them to catch Pokémon."
Shae's face darkened. She gripped her cane tightly and slammed it against the floor with a cold grunt. "Disgraceful. That kind of group must be cleaned up."
"Yeah." Shiro nodded firmly.
Back on the battlefield, Nessa hesitated for a bit before deciding on her first Pokémon.
Water-types had an advantage over Ice-types. Ice-type moves were halved against Water Pokémon. Her Drednaw, being part Rock-type, was strong against both Ice and Bug. On the other hand, Golisopod had no such edge and was weaker overall.
In short, Drednaw was a perfect match to counter Frostmoth. If its Rock-type moves landed, the quadruple damage would be too much for the opponent to bear.
If Drednaw could make use of this typing edge and defeat both of Marvin's Pokémon on its own…
With that thought, she threw her Poké Ball.
"Go! Drednaw!"
"DREDNAAAW!"
With a thunderous roar, a massive, brownish-yellow Pokémon crashed hard onto the field. The jagged horn atop its rocky shell gleamed, and its gaping jaws, lined with razor-sharp teeth, opened wide toward Frosmoth, like it could swallow the delicate moth whole in a single bite.
Shiro glanced at the now noticeably stronger Drednaw and analyzed its current status:
[Name: Drednaw
Type: Water/Rock
Level: 43 (Gym)
Ability: Shell Armor
Held Item: None
Moves: Rock Tomb, Tackle, Bite, Water Gun, Protect, Crunch, Rock Polish, Razor Shell, Headbutt, Counter, Jaw Lock…]
With the two sides ready, the battle officially began.
Marvin wasted no time and launched the first attack.
"Icy Wind!"
Though he knew he was at a type disadvantage, Frosmoth's ability to fly and strike from a distance was its key strength in this match. If it could stay mobile and chip away at the foe, it could gradually wear Drednaw down.
Icy Wind wasn't powerful, but it could lower the enemy's Speed; this was critical for gaining tempo against a heavier opponent like Drednaw.
"Frooos!"
The moth let out a soft cry, flaring its translucent white wings. The fluffy, snow-like limbs crossed over its chest parted, releasing a surge of biting cold. A chilly wind swirled outward, laced with shimmering blue ice threads as it swept toward Drednaw.
Nessa responded instantly, "Rock Tomb!"
That move also lowered Speed, but she had something else in mind. Taking advantage of Frosmoth's 4× weakness to Rock-type moves, this move could do serious damage, maybe even end it.
She didn't know about the Ice Scales ability, but that only halved special damage. Rock Tomb was a physical move, and wouldn't be affected.
A direct exchange would clearly favor Drednaw.
Marvin understood that too. The second Frosmoth started stirring up the cold air, he interrupted.
"Fly up and dodge!"
The Icy Wind wasn't fully unleashed yet. It was just a light breeze, barely enough to annoy Drednaw. Meanwhile, several giant chunks of rock, each the size of a basketball, were already forming midair and launching toward Frosmoth.
Luckily, it was quick, and Marvin's order came just in time. The moth danced through the air, narrowly dodging the incoming boulders.
Seeing that, Nessa grew more confident and quickly followed up.
"Drednaw! Use Rock Slide!"
Unlike Rock Tomb, Rock Slide summoned and hurled even larger rocks in a brutal avalanche. It also had a chance to make the opponent flinch, which was especially deadly for a fragile Pokémon like Frosmoth.
Normally, the user needed time to create new rocks with energy or dig them up, but thanks to the earlier Rock Tomb, plenty of debris already littered the field.
So this move launched fast. Right after Nessa gave the command, Drednaw focused on the field, pulling the leftover rocks together and hurling them at the airborne Frosmoth.
The moth had just finished dodging the last barrage and was gliding downward. It didn't expect another larger Rock Slide to come hurtling its way.
**
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