The crackling lightning struck hard against the mass of silk threads in the air.
In an instant, the barrier made of silk was pierced through with a large hole, and Thunderbolt directly hit Butterfree's fragile body.
"Butterfree~!"
A pained cry came from Butterfree amid the dazzling yellow light.
It hadn't fainted? Silas was a bit surprised.
With Butterfree's low Defense and Stamina, after being hit by both Charge Beam and Thunderbolt, it shouldn't logically still be able to fight.
But he quickly realized the reason why Butterfree could still battle.
As the electricity faded, a Butterfree covered in burn marks appeared before everyone, its body still faintly wrapped in a bluish-purple glow.
"So it used Psychic to offset part of the damage? That was a quick reaction. I didn't expect Butterfree to use Psychic powers this skillfully,"
Silas thought to himself in admiration.
Under the thin barrier of psychic energy, Butterfree hadn't become paralyzed either—its Psychic acted like a temporary Protect effect.
"Butterfree, use Supersonic!" shouted Keith Morris, full of hope.
Barely keeping itself in the air, Butterfree's antennae touched again, and ripples of sound waves spread out.
"Dodge it, then finish with Shock Wave," Silas responded calmly.
Supersonic can confuse a target on hit, but its biggest drawback is its poor accuracy. Despite being a sound-based move, it travels slowly—most Pokémon can dodge it.
And now, with Butterfree almost exhausted, its Supersonic traveled so slowly it looked like it was crawling in front of the fully energized Ampharos.
Ampharos quickly moved aside, easily avoiding the waves, and at the same time, electricity surged over its body before shooting forward as several electric bolts.
"Butterfree is unable to battle! Ampharos wins! Will the red-side Trainer be switching Pokémon?"
Seeing the fallen Butterfree, the referee raised the red flag toward Silas.
"Yes," Silas answered simply—stunning Keith Morris, who was recalling Butterfree.
Ampharos had barely taken any damage—why would he switch?
"In that case, the blue-side Trainer, please send out your next Pokémon," the referee continued dutifully.
Keith's hand hovered over his Poké Balls for a moment, hesitating.
Silas's unexpected switch disrupted his plan, leaving him unsure which Pokémon to send.
That was one of the few advantages of a winner switching Pokémon first—it gave the opponent a chance to counter strategically.
Although the next Pokémon would take damage upon entering the field, they'd have the chance to pick the more favorable type matchup.
"Blue-side Trainer, please send out your next Pokémon," the referee urged.
Keith finally chose a Poké Ball and threw it. "All right then—go, Breloom!"
Breloom, the Mushroom Pokémon, looked somewhat like a kangaroo. The "mushroom hat" on its head was dome-shaped with two red orbs on the sides and a vent in the middle—its namesake feature.
Its limbs ended in two red claws each, and its flexible wrists allowed it to attack from surprising angles. Its green and beige body gave it an unexpectedly cute look.
Evolved from Shroomish, Breloom was one of Keith Morris's main Pokémon.
With its dual Grass/Fighting type, Breloom resists moves from Ground, Rock, Grass, Water, Electric, and Dark types—six total.
Three of those match many of Silas's remaining Pokémon, making Breloom a great counter.
Of course, it's also weak to Flying and Fire, but Keith Morris considered this his best possible option.
If Silas sent out Pidgeot or Blaziken, he wouldn't stand a chance anyway.
So he might as well bet that Silas wouldn't use those two powerhouse Pokémon for training battles.
Keith almost guessed who his opponent would send.
"Rise gracefully into the sky—Togekiss!"
As he'd hoped, Silas chose the most suitable Pokémon other than Pidgeot or Blaziken—Togekiss, a Normal(Fairy)/Flying-type.
"Return, Breloom! Go, Froslass!"
The moment Silas gave his command, Keith used his one-time right to freely switch Pokémon.
He recalled Breloom and sent out Froslass in one smooth motion.
Normally, after an opponent switches, Silas's Pokémon would get the first move—but Keith's speed and decisiveness caught even Silas off guard.
The two Pokémon hovered across from each other over the grassy battlefield.
"Oh! It seems Keith Morris knows Silas quite well—what a decisive switch! This puts Silas in a tough spot, since Froslass's Ice type has a huge advantage over Togekiss!"
The commentator praised Keith's move.
Silas paused. He didn't plan to switch. Even if Froslass got the first strike, Togekiss was likely faster. No need to put himself at a disadvantage.
Besides, his next Pokémon was Serperior, a pure Grass type—also weak to Ice. Not a better choice.
"All right! It seems Silas won't be switching. Let's see—who will come out on top? The happiness-bringing Togekiss or the fearsome predator Froslass?"
The commentator's tone brightened. "And don't be fooled by Froslass's eerie appearance—despite looking menacing, it's one of the most loyal Pokémon known!"
"Froslass, turn the field into a world of ice!"
"Togekiss, use Flamethrower! "
The two Trainers shouted their commands simultaneously.
Keith's sudden dramatic command made Silas wince internally. He wasn't like that a minute ago when ordering Butterfree.
Keith's face turned a little red—he couldn't help it. His Froslass had a peculiar temperament, and this style of command helped it listen better.
On the field, Froslass looked like an icy goaltender's mask, with a black core inside its body, icy blue skin, and two black cone-shaped horns on its head—its overall shape somewhat demonic.
Some might mistake it for a Ghost/Dark type due to its design, but in truth, Froslass is Ice/Ghost.
Hearing her Trainer's command, Froslass let out a pleased, chilling laugh. A blue-white orb began to form between her horns.
Togekiss, on the other hand, acted more directly—a stream of flames erupted from its mouth, aimed straight at Froslass.
A perfect example of how type advantage doesn't decide everything.
Though Froslass is weak to Fire, Togekiss's movepool covers many attack types—it's highly versatile.
Whoosh!
The column of flame shot across two-thirds of the grassy field at lightning speed, the heat drying and yellowing the grass along its path.
Froslass stayed still, enduring the blast head-on.
"What's going on? Keith's Froslass didn't even try to dodge! Was that a mistake? Fire-type moves deal double damage to Ice-types! Ice and Water aren't the same thing!"
The commentator's shout and the crowd's cries didn't faze Keith. His gaze stayed fixed on the orb between Froslass's horns.
Froslass endured the pain, keeping the energy stable—then hurled the blue orb into the sky.
Pop!
A sharp sound rang out as the referee calmly opened a special umbrella.
Thud, thud, thud.
Moments later, dark clouds covered the battlefield. Snow began to fall, accompanied by wind and hailstones of varying size.
"Togekiss!"
Caught off guard, Togekiss cried out in pain as a fist-sized hailstone struck it.
A Hail weather setup with the Ice Body ability? Silas frowned. Looks like this can't drag on.
Hail would continuously chip away Togekiss's HP, while Froslass—with Ice Body—would heal every turn.
That combination could be deadly over time.
No wonder Keith let Froslass take Flamethrower head-on—he needed to set up Hail at all costs.
Silas hadn't expected the opposing Froslass to know such a rare weather move; those were tough to teach. Keith must've invested serious effort to make it fit her ability.
"Looks like I'll need to train my team in weather control too…" Silas mused briefly.
He hadn't been traveling long—he still had many areas to improve.
"In that case, let's finish this fast! Togekiss, use your signature move—Steel Wing!"
Silas swung his hand decisively.
"Togekiss!"
Togekiss responded with an excited cry. A layer of silvery-white energy instantly coated its triangular wings, and the Pokémon shot toward Froslass at incredible speed.
Its agile flight maneuvers allowed Togekiss to dodge hailstones one after another, minimizing the weather's impact.
Silas's sharp eyes caught a brief flash of white light shimmering across Togekiss's body.
It seemed the probability-based side effect of Steel Wing—raising physical defense—had successfully activated.
That was good news for Togekiss, who intended to end the battle in close range.
"Ice Shard—no, use Icy Wind!"
Keith hesitated for a split second. Although he noticed the same detail, changing his command in a rush left him slightly flustered.
Fortunately, the transition from Ice Shard to Icy Wind was relatively simple. Froslass was skilled in both moves, and icy blue gusts of freezing air surged toward the oncoming Togekiss.
Dive, roll, sidestep—keep charging!
Before Keith and Froslass could even react, Togekiss slipped past the freezing gust with impossibly graceful movements.
Keith's expression darkened. If only he'd stuck with the physical Ice Shard instead of switching to the energy-based Icy Wind. The faster-moving Ice Shard would've been much harder to dodge. Even though its damage output was lower, it would have been a better choice than this.
But it was too late for regrets. Who could've expected Togekiss to maneuver so elegantly while flying at high speed? Icy Wind was usually a reliable move—it wasn't exactly slow.
Smack!
Without halting its charge, Togekiss's triangular wings struck Froslass's sturdy body with a heavy blow.
Froslass spun out of control, falling toward the ground. Just before impact, it managed to regain balance, avoiding the secondary damage from the crash.
It exhaled a frosty mist, recovering slightly from its battered state.
"Ancient Power!"
Before Froslass could even catch its breath, Togekiss—hovering above—continued its assault under Silas's command.
They both knew they couldn't give Froslass time to recover. A shift in momentum could turn the fight around fast.
The grassy battlefield beneath Froslass suddenly bulged upward. A rock the size of a human head burst from the ground, slamming directly into Froslass from below.
Froslass screamed in pain.
Fire-type Flamethrower, Steel-type Steel Wing, Rock-type Ancient Power—it had taken all three super-effective moves head-on, each with considerable strength. If not for the constant recovery effect from the hailstorm, Froslass would've been down already.
And as if to make matters worse for Keith, a white light once again appeared on Togekiss's body—signaling another stat increase.
Keith wanted to scream in frustration. Are you battling with your lifespan on the line or what?
That simultaneous all-stat boost effect from Ancient Power was supposed to be barely one percent in reality, even though the game lists it as ten percent and yet Silas's Togekiss had triggered it in one go?
But what could he do? Silas only shrugged. His Togekiss had the Hidden Ability Super Luck—it didn't need to play fair.
Honestly, Silas thought his Togekiss's luck today was only average. After three attacks, not a single one had landed a critical hit. If even one had, Froslass would've been finished long ago.
"Use Sheer Cold!"
Seeing the hopeless situation, Keith clenched his teeth and called out his trump card.
Sheer Cold was undoubtedly one of the Ice-type's most powerful moves. However, it behaved a little differently from how it did in the games.
In the games, Sheer Cold fails if the user's level is lower than the target's. In reality, that "level" difference was expanded into a difference in power tiers.
Simply put:
A Standard-tier Pokémon using Sheer Cold on an Advance-tier Pokémon—ineffective.
An Advance-tier Pokémon using Sheer Cold on a Standard-tier one—if it hits, it instantly knocks the opponent into a near-faint state.
If both Pokémon were of the same tier, such as Advance versus Advance, then the outcome would depend on the level gap between them.
For instance, if a level 49 Advance Pokémon hit a level 30 Advance Pokémon with Sheer Cold, the latter would be nearly incapacitated.
But the problem was landing the hit—Sheer Cold's long charge-up time and slow attack speed made it almost impossible to connect against opponents of equal strength.
"Extreme Speed!"
Silas chose to take the initiative, aiming to defeat Froslass before Sheer Cold could fire.
He had other options—Protect, Encore—both of which could've nullified Keith's command.
But that would take too long.
Togekiss didn't hesitate. Following Silas's order, it lowered its head as the three feathers of its crown glowed a bright silver-white, and it lunged straight toward Froslass.
"Faster… faster!"
Keith prayed desperately.
If Sheer Cold could be released before Togekiss's strike connected, there was still hope. And in such a direct clash, Sheer Cold's hit chance was slightly higher.
But the next second, in his despairing gaze, Togekiss's shining crest slammed right into Froslass.
The blue light that had been gathering on Froslass's body—signifying Sheer Cold's charge—vanished instantly.
Froslass's body plummeted straight down.
"Froslass is unable to battle! Togekiss wins! Red-side trainer—do you wish to switch Pokémon?"
The referee, holding an umbrella, raised the red flag representing Silas, announcing his victory as Froslass lay unconscious on the field.
On the large screen at the side of the arena, the Poké Balls representing Keith Morris's Butterfree and Froslass dimmed out.
"I will."
Silas's reply was the same as before.
But now, Keith had no choice left.
At the referee's signal, he sent out his final Pokémon.
"Once more, I'll rely on you—go, Breloom! Battle ready!"
"You did great, Togekiss. The rest is up to your teammate now."
Silas recalled his Togekiss, who had taken quite a beating from the hail.
Estimating the remaining duration of the hailstorm, he slowly pulled out his final Luxury Ball.
Keith knew exactly what was coming, but there was nothing he could do. The referee hadn't intervened—Silas was acting within the rules.
Just like earlier, switching Pokémon was allowed as long as it wasn't excessively delayed.
If the trainer failed to release a Pokémon after two referee warnings, they would automatically forfeit.
Otherwise, everyone could just stall for time and the audience wasn't there to watch silence.
"Show your majesty—Serperior!"
Silas tossed out the Luxury Ball.
He had swept three opponents in the first match; now, in this second one, he would aim to win differently but the result would be the same.
....
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