A thunderous impact echoed across the battlefield.
Boom!!
"Ao—!"
Luxray crashed heavily onto the ground, dust scattering beneath its body. For a moment, it lay still.
But then—
Its limbs trembled.
Slowly, stubbornly, Luxray forced itself back onto its feet.
Its breathing was ragged. Its golden eyes, once sharp and focused, now wavered unfocused—its pupils dilated, its stance uneven.
It had entered a confused state.
Even so, it refused to fall.
Flint let out a quiet breath. "Tough…"
Gary's gaze remained steady, unreadable.
"Power-Up Punch."
The command came without hesitation.
Flint's expression changed immediately.
That's bad.
He knew that move all too well—Infernape had used it countless times. It wasn't just an attack. Every successful hit would raise the user's physical strength, stacking momentum with terrifying speed.
And Electivire—
A pure physical powerhouse.
If its Attack kept increasing, the rest of Volkner's team would be in serious trouble.
Volkner clenched his jaw slightly.
As a Gym Leader under official rules, he couldn't switch Pokémon freely. And Luxray's confused state made things even worse—any command he gave might not even be followed correctly.
Still—
Doing nothing was worse.
"Luxray! Iron Tail!"
"Ao—!"
Luxray roared and moved, its tail glowing with metallic sheen.
But in its disoriented state, its control faltered.
Instead of closing in properly, electricity crackled wildly around its body, and a surge of power burst outward—
"Luxray, no—!"
Too late.
A bolt of electricity shot forward—
Thunderbolt.
It struck Electivire head-on.
Gary didn't react.
Because he didn't need to.
"Electivire."
"Electivire!"
The moment the electricity made contact, Electivire's grin widened.
Its entire body absorbed the current.
Motor Drive activated.
Whoosh!
Golden energy erupted around it, speed surging instantly.
Before Luxray could even stabilize itself—
Electivire vanished.
Then reappeared right in front of it.
A fist came crashing down.
Boom!!
"AO—!"
Luxray was sent flying again, its body tumbling across the field before slamming into the ground.
It tried to rise—
Its legs shook.
It forced itself up—
Then staggered again.
Flint shook his head slightly. "This is getting rough…"
Even Volkner's expression darkened.
Luxray was fighting with everything it had—but against Electivire's overwhelming power and type advantage, it was simply outmatched.
"Power-Up Punch," Gary said again.
No emotion.
No urgency.
Just inevitability.
Electivire charged once more.
Its fist glowed faintly as it closed the distance in an instant.
Boom!!
The strike landed cleanly.
"Ao—!"
Luxray cried out, its body trembling violently as the force rippled through it.
The enhancement took effect again.
Electivire's muscles tensed, power swelling further.
And this time—
Luxray couldn't stand back up.
Its body slumped against the battlefield.
Unconscious.
The referee machine hovered forward.
"Luxray is unable to battle."
Volkner closed his eyes briefly.
Then exhaled.
"Return, Luxray."
A beam of red light pulled the fallen Pokémon back into its Poké Ball.
For a moment, the battlefield fell silent.
Then—
Volkner's eyes sharpened again.
"Rotom. You're up."
A Poké Ball flew forward.
Flash!
A small, orange, plasma-like Pokémon materialized midair—its body merging instantly with a hovering electric fan.
"Rotom!"
Blades spun rapidly as it stabilized itself in the air.
[Rotom (Fan Form) — Level 56
Tier: Elite-tier]
Gary's gaze flickered slightly.
Fan Rotom… Electric/Flying.
A solid choice.
Its airborne mobility alone would neutralize much of Electivire's advantage.
Gary didn't wait.
"Electivire—Rain Dance."
Volkner's eyes narrowed.
So that's what he was planning.
"Rotom! Air Slash!"
The fan blades spun faster.
Sharp crescents of compressed air formed instantly and shot forward like slicing moons.
They struck Electivire head-on.
Slash! Slash!
The impact kicked up dust—
But Electivire didn't retreat.
It planted its feet firmly and raised its arms, enduring the attack as dark clouds gathered above.
Rain began to fall.
A steady drizzle at first—
Then heavier.
Water soaked the battlefield, amplifying the electrical atmosphere.
Flint leaned forward slightly.
He tanked that?
That Electivire was definitely beyond ordinary Elite-tier.
Gary raised a hand slightly.
"Swift."
"Electivire!"
Golden light gathered in its palms.
Stars burst forth, streaking into the sky in a wide arc—then curved sharply, homing in on Rotom.
Volkner reacted instantly.
"Substitute! Then Confuse Ray!"
Rotom dropped sharply.
A decoy flickered into existence—
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Swift attacks slammed into the Substitute, shattering it into fragments of light.
At the same time—
Rotom reappeared close to Electivire.
Its eyes glowed an eerie crimson.
"Rotooom—!"
A strange, spiraling beam shot forward.
Confuse Ray.
"Discharge," Gary ordered immediately.
"Electivire!"
Electricity exploded outward from its body in a violent surge.
The rain amplified the effect, turning the entire field into a web of crackling current.
Rotom was caught in it—
Its body shuddering under the impact.
But it didn't retreat.
It pushed forward—
The Confuse Ray struck.
Electivire froze for a split second.
Then its pupils shifted—
Clouded.
Confusion took hold.
Flint exhaled sharply. "He got it off…"
Volkner's eyes gleamed.
"Rotom! Hex!"
Rotom's body glowed with a sinister red aura.
A wave of ghostly energy surged forward, slamming into Electivire.
The damage doubled against its status condition.
Electivire staggered.
Gary's eyes narrowed slightly.
That's enough.
"Return."
A red beam recalled Electivire instantly before further damage could accumulate.
Flint clicked his tongue. "Ahh… shame. That was getting good."
Volkner, however, didn't relax.
He knew exactly what this meant.
Gary wouldn't switch unless he had a better answer.
And when the next Pokémon appeared—
The ground trembled.
"Rhyperior. Your turn."
Boom!
A massive figure crashed onto the battlefield.
"Rhy—PERIOR!!"
Its heavy armor gleamed under the rain as it let out a deep, resonant roar.
[Rhyperior — Level 64
Tier: Champion-tier]
Flint's grin widened.
"Now that's a problem."
Volkner's expression tightened.
Ground-type…
And not just any.
A Champion-tier Rhyperior.
Gary didn't hesitate.
"Sandstorm."
"Rhy—PERIOR!"
With a thunderous stomp, Rhyperior slammed its foot into the ground.
The battlefield responded instantly.
The rain clouds were torn apart as swirling winds rose violently. Sand and dust spiraled upward, forming a raging sandstorm that swallowed the arena whole.
Visibility dropped.
Wind howled.
Rotom's body wavered slightly in the turbulent air.
"Air Slash!" Volkner called out immediately.
Blades spun—
Crescent winds sliced forward—
Slash!
They struck Rhyperior directly.
But—
The massive Pokémon didn't even flinch.
The attack left only faint white marks across its rocky armor.
No real damage.
Gary's voice cut through the storm.
"Smack Down."
Rhyperior raised one arm.
Its palm glowed—
Then—
Boom!
A dense chunk of rock launched into the air at terrifying speed.
Rotom barely had time to react.
The projectile struck.
"Rot—!"
The impact disrupted its flight instantly.
Its body spiraled downward—
And slammed toward the ground.