"Haunter, use Mean Look!" Maen commanded as soon as the battle began.
In both Gym battles and wild encounters, Psychic-type Pokémon have a major advantage with Teleport. If Maen didn't find a way to counter that move, Haunter's attacks would likely never land against the keen perception of a Psychic-type Pokémon.
Haunter's eyes darkened with an eerie haze, glowing red with an intense, hypnotic stare. Under this gaze, the opposing Kadabra (previously Abra, now evolved) felt an invisible force locking onto it, rendering its body stiff.
Teleport had been completely sealed.
"Psyshock!" Sabrina's cold voice echoed through the gym.
Kadabra's body shimmered as a powerful Psychic force surged around it, momentarily relieving the stiffness. Then, it unleashed a wave of blue, pulsating energy aimed directly at Haunter.
"Use Dark Pulse!"
A black mist erupted from Haunter's body, colliding midair with Psyshock. The two attacks clashed briefly, but the dark energy overpowered the Psychic wave and surged toward Kadabra.
Kadabra instinctively tried to Teleport away, only to realize it was trapped. With no escape, it took the full force of Dark Pulse, causing it to cry out in pain before collapsing to one knee.
"Recover!"
Sabrina's command was immediate. Kadabra's body glowed with soft, golden light as its wounds began to close. Within moments, it was back on its feet, looking as if it had never been injured.
Maen frowned.
The move Recover required a substantial amount of energy to restore health. Normally, a Pokémon would tire after using it a few times. However, Sabrina was continuously supplying Kadabra with Psychic energy, essentially acting as a limitless battery.
If this continues, Kadabra could use Recover indefinitely!
Maen needed to overwhelm it with rapid attacks, preventing it from healing.
"Haunter, suppress it with Shadow Ball!"
Haunter cackled and quickly conjured two Shadow Balls, one in each hand. Without hesitation, it hurled them at Kadabra in rapid succession.
Sabrina's eyes flashed. "Confusion!"
Kadabra's red eyes glowed as it attempted to intercept the incoming Shadow Balls with its psychic energy. However, due to the type disadvantage, it couldn't fully stop them.
Sabrina's Psychic aura flared again, causing Kadabra's power to spike. Its strength suddenly jumped from a lower Elite level to an advanced Elite level in an instant.
With this power boost, Kadabra successfully caught the Shadow Balls midair and redirected them toward Haunter.
The ghost-type was caught off guard, taking the full brunt of its own attack. The impact sent Haunter spiraling backward, groaning in pain. Since Ghost-type moves were also super effective against other Ghost-types, the damage was significant despite being its own attack.
Maen's frustration grew.
Sabrina's outside interference is making this battle unfair. If she keeps forcefully boosting Kadabra, then I have no choice but to level the playing field.
A dark aura began to seep from Maen's body.
Thick black mist spread around him like a swirling shadow, giving him an eerie presence. Slowly, the mist drifted toward Haunter, wrapping around it like a protective cloak.
Haunter's wounds started to heal as the dark energy fused with its body. The once-injured Ghost Pokémon now floated upright again, its body darker and more sinister than before.
"The real battle starts now," Maen muttered, his voice carrying a chilling edge.
Kadabra visibly shuddered. For the first time, fear flashed in its eyes.
Sabrina narrowed her gaze and intensified her Psychic energy to suppress Kadabra's fear.
Although this was supposed to be a one-on-one Gym battle, both trainers were actively influencing the fight—Maen with his dark aura and Sabrina with her Psychic enhancements.
"Haunter, use Shadow Ball!"
Haunter, now brimming with dark power, cackled and launched a Shadow Ball faster and stronger than before.
"Protect!"
A shimmering green shield materialized in front of Kadabra, completely blocking the attack.
But Haunter wasn't done. The moment the shield faded, it teleported in front of Kadabra, its claws glowing with dark energy.
"Shadow Claw!"
Three sharp, shadowy claws slashed across Kadabra, sending it flying backward.
"Now, Hex!"
Without giving Kadabra a chance to recover, Haunter spewed a dark haze toward it.
Sabrina reacted quickly. "*Confusion—manipulate the terrain to block it! Then use Speed Swap!"
Still airborne, Kadabra used its Psychic power to pull chunks of rock from the gym floor, forming a makeshift barrier against Hex. The haze shattered the rock, but the brief distraction gave Kadabra enough time to complete Speed Swap.
Maen's eyes narrowed.
Speed Swap meant that Haunter and Kadabra had now exchanged their speed stats.
Unlike in the games, where speed only determined move priority, in real battles, it also affected movement. Haunter, once swift and unpredictable, now moved sluggishly, while Kadabra became noticeably faster.
Sabrina's Psychic energy continued to surge, but something felt… off.
Maen could sense it.
Her Psychic aura was spiraling out of control.
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End of Chapter 33
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