"Umbreon, use Shadow Ball."
With a few graceful leaps, Umbreon swiftly distanced itself from the flames and gathered a dark, swirling sphere of energy.
Once the sphere grew large enough, it shot forward, hurtling straight toward Slugma.
"Slugma, block it with Ancient Power!"
Flannery threw aside any regard for her image as a Gym Trainer or a lady, waving her arms wildly with exaggerated gestures.
Slugma's body, blazing like molten rock under the sunlight, radiated a primitive force as chunks of stone materialized and slammed into the incoming Shadow Ball.
Boom~~~
Smoke billowed and slowly dispersed.
The clash ended in a draw. After all, both Pokémon had pitifully low Special Attack stats, and neither move was of their own type.
"Hmph, not bad, but how about this one!"
"Slugma, use Smog!"
Slugma spewed out a filthy, dense mist that spread toward Umbreon, looking unsettlingly eerie as it crept forward.
Sieg's lips curled into a faint smile as he ordered, "Umbreon, take the hit head-on."
Flannery didn't quite understand his intent, but she still shouted with passion, "Slugma, make it stronger!"
The purple Smog engulfed Umbreon, and its Poison-type effect soon showed its fangs. Purple spots began to appear faintly across Umbreon's sleek fur.
Poisoned!
Flannery was overjoyed, inwardly marveling at her luck, one hit and her opponent was poisoned.
But Sieg merely smiled as Umbreon locked eyes with Slugma. Moments later, purple blotches began spreading across Slugma's body too.
Synchronize!
This ability could transmit a Pokémon's poisoned, burned, or paralyzed state back to its opponent.
Flannery's poisonous attack turned out to be a double-edged sword, which was precisely why Sieg hadn't ordered Umbreon to dodge it earlier.
"Umbreon, use Refresh."
This was a supportive move it had learned while still an Eevee, capable of purging any abnormal status and restoring its body to pristine condition.
Paired with Synchronize, it was a flawless combo.
A soft white light shimmered over Umbreon's body. The purple spots slowly faded away, and its poisoned state was gone, leaving Slugma poisoned alone instead.
"We've got no choice but to go all out now, Slugma, use Inferno!"
Flannery didn't look cornered at all, but instead continued to command her Pokémon with fiery vigor.
But Inferno genuinely made Sieg narrow his eyes slightly.
This was a devastating move with a base power of 100 that always inflicted a burn. Slugma could only learn it through breeding.
"Pull through, Protect!"
This was exactly when the Protect TM Sieg gave each of his Pokémon proved its worth.
It guaranteed blocking an opponent's full-force strike from a Pokémon of a similar same level.
As a hellish blaze roared up around the battlefield, flames surged at Umbreon from every direction. The torrents of fire gathered into a towering pillar that shot toward the ceiling.
Umbreon braced itself within a shimmering green shield.
Sparks flew, and the blazing Fire-type energy lit up the whole arena in a fierce, dazzling glow.
Unfortunately for Slugma, its desperate blast was entirely blocked by Protect. When Slugma tried to gather more flames for another strike, its strength was clearly waning.
A single push, then decline, then total exhaustion.
The toxin seeped deeper into Slugma's body, the purple splotches on its body growing darker and darker. In the end, Slugma collapsed straight onto its back, unconscious and unable to fight.
"Slugma has lost the ability to battle, Umbreon is the winner!" The referee declared the result without the slightest hesitation.
"What an incredible fight! The way you used moves and abilities, Ooooohhhh, I'm fired up!!!"
Flannery swept her hand through her hair, undoing the tie that bound it. Her crimson hair cascaded down like a waterfall, fluttering in the breeze.
"Next up is you, go, Camerupt!"
"Cameruuupt~"
A low, muffled cry echoed through the arena as a lazy-looking camel appeared, its eyes dull and half-lidded.
Sieg's eyes narrowed slightly. He murmured to himself, "This one won't be easy, both of its abilities are troublesome."
Aside from its hidden ability, Camerupt's two common abilities were Oblivious and Simple.
Oblivious was manageable, it just prevented infatuation or Taunt.
But Simple was dangerous. This ability doubled the effect of any stat changes.
Meaning, if it used something like Dragon Dance, it would boost two stages in both Speed and Attack instead of one.
Double the boost!
"Luckily, Camerupt barely learns any boosting moves, just Amnesia for Special Defense!"
Only then did Sieg relax a bit, though the cautious glint in his eyes never faded.
"Umbreon, come back for now."
He called Umbreon back into her Poké Ball. The Camerupt in front of him was at least Level 33 or higher, while Umbreon was far lower in comparison, and it had already used up a lot of stamina, so it wasn't the right call for this fight.
"You're up next, Sharpedo."
The moment Sharpedo appeared on the field, a swirl of water enveloped its body, lifting it slightly above the ground. Its savage expression alone could make children burst into tears.
"Ugh, not those fuckin' Water-types!!! Gosh, I hate 'em!!"
Flannery let out a dramatic groan, making no attempt to hide her disdain for Water-types.
The clash between Water and Fire has always been a heated topic among Pokémon Trainers.
But Sieg couldn't care less about that. As soon as the referee gave the signal, he launched his attack.
"Sharpedo, Aqua Jet!"
A Water-type move with quadruple effectiveness was extremely dangerous for Camerupt. In just one hit, the blow sent Camerupt flying halfway across the battlefield.
It skidded across the ground for several meters, eyes still blank and vacant.
"Hmph, that speed… must be Speed Boost. We can't let them outrun us! Camerupt, Flame Charge!"
At Flannery's command, a flame burst from Camerupt's body, spreading to cover it entirely.
It gathered power, boosting its own speed.
The normally sluggish Camerupt shot forward like a cannonball, charging at Sharpedo with surprising velocity.
Simple.
The effect of Flame Charge doubled, rocketing its speed even higher!
Meanwhile, Sharpedo's Speed Boost continued to stack up.
The two Pokémon were locked in a speed duel!
"Camerupt, use Smog!"
Lava within Camerupt's body boiled furiously. As its power peaked, a blast of thick black smoke erupted toward Sharpedo.
"Sharpedo, continue Aqua Jet, bite through it!" Sieg's voice was cold and commanding.
Wrapped in water, Sharpedo lunged forward. Behind it, a phantom image of savage jaws snapped into view, exuding a brutal Dark-type aura.
The terror of the sea, Sharpedo, tore into Camerupt's bulky frame with its razor-sharp fangs.
Camerupt let out a pained groan, molten lava oozing from its wounds.
"Last push! Use Earth Power!"
Flannery grit her teeth, clearly frustrated. She hadn't expected to run into such an annoying opponent. Not only was it a Water-type, her worst nightmare, but it also had Speed Boost.
A Fire and Ground Pokémon with a quadruple weakness to Water didn't stand a chance.
Sure enough, Camerupt's last desperate Earth Power fizzled out before it could even rise, blocked perfectly by Sharpedo's Protect.
"Aaaahhh-! So infuriating! Why does it have to be a Water-type, and why does it have to know Protect as well!?!"
"Can't you fight with the same burning passion as me, and attack like an all-devouring wildfire???!"
Flannery's battle philosophy had always been to strike like an unstoppable blaze. She believed the flame of passion could overcome any opponent.
That's why she despised Water and Rock-types so much, and hated defensive, trick-based battling even more.