"Giga Impact!"
"Mega Punch!"
Boom!
Instantly, Slaking and Chansey collided. Slaking's elbow struck Chansey's fist. In the next moment, both Pokémon staggered back. Chansey retreated two steps, while Slaking stumbled back five or six steps before slowly lying down and yawning.
"That power..."
Norman's eyes narrowed. In terms of strength alone, his Slaking was no match for Chansey.
"Slaking is very strong, but its Truant ability is too fatal," Ace said, looking at the prone Slaking. "Seismic Toss!"
The wooden floor beneath Chansey's feet cracked as it charged toward Slaking. Without giving Slaking a chance to retaliate, Chansey tossed it high into the air.
The Seismic Toss was successfully executed, followed by a powerful slam that sent Slaking crashing into the wooden floor below.
Crack!
Slaking broke free from the shattered wood and let out a fierce roar, instantly completing a Bulk Up. It then launched a Focus Punch toward the descending Chansey.
"Safeguard! Then, Return!"
A light veil quickly enveloped Chansey. Chansey then gathered its power and delivered a mighty punch toward Slaking's Focus Punch.
Boom!
Crack!
The two Pokémon clashed again. The floorboards beneath Slaking's feet shattered once more, and it fell with a splash into the seawater below.
"Ice Beam!"
Chansey was sent flying backward by the recoil, unable to gain leverage in the air. It crashed into the ceiling above, then immediately opened its mouth and fired an Ice Beam toward the hole in the floor.
"Facade!"
It was Facade again. Slaking's muscles bulged. The Ice Beam swept over it, but the ice that formed on its body was instantly shattered by Slaking's sheer force. At the same time, using Facade seemed to flip a switch within Slaking, and its lazy demeanor instantly vanished.
The now energized Slaking leaped out of the hole, its muscles swelling once more.
Ace's eye twitched. In such a short time, Slaking had already used Bulk Up nearly five times in a row!
"Now the real battle begins! Go, Slaking! Focus Punch!"
At Norman's command, Slaking roared, rapidly concentrating energy into its fists.
"Gravity, then Minimize."
A wave of Gravity instantly descended upon Slaking, abruptly halting its forward momentum. Meanwhile, Chansey's body shrunk dramatically, causing Slaking's Focus Punch to miss completely.
Thump!
Chansey leaped up and delivered a heavy punch to Slaking's knee. Although it was much smaller, its power hadn't diminished. Slaking's face twisted in pain. With its knee damaged, Slaking's speed would be slowed for a short time.
"It's over. Mega Punch."
Ace shouted. Chansey used Slaking's knee as a foothold to leap high into the air, then delivered a powerful uppercut that slammed into Slaking's jaw. The intense force dazed Slaking, and it lost control of its body, falling heavily onto the floorboards.
Chansey returned to its normal size and struck itself with an Egg Bomb, instantly recovering its lost health.
"What a powerful Chansey."
Looking at his defeated Slaking, Norman sighed and recalled it. At the same time, he wondered if he should catch and train a Chansey himself, seeing how strong it was.
This thought popped into Norman's mind. He also considered that even if he didn't train it to be a fighter, a nurturing Pokémon like Chansey could be given to his wife, Caroline, to help her with household chores.
Ace was unaware that he had given Norman a false impression—the illusion that Chansey was inherently very strong. This led Norman to genuinely catch and train a very capable Chansey in the future. Although it wasn't as strong as Ace's, Norman inadvertently discovered the "toxic" nature of Chansey in battle.
This led to a saying among future gym challengers: "I'd rather be taken down in one hit by Norman's Slaking than get into a long battle with his pink devil!"
Ace also recalled Chansey and then said to Norman, "How were you able to use Facade to forcibly suppress Slaking's Truant ability, Uncle Norman?"
Norman smiled without answering. This was his secret weapon, not something he could just tell anyone. Ace understood this and didn't press the matter.
However, Ace made a mental note of it. Facade was a move that allowed a Pokémon to unleash more power when afflicted with a status condition. It was hard to imagine how Norman had developed it into a divine technique that not only ignored status conditions but also suppressed the Truant ability.
Yes, a divine technique!
Status conditions had a significant impact on a Pokémon's performance. A move that could ignore the penalties of a status condition and instead unleash even greater power could truly be called a divine technique.
"Take this. It's proof that you defeated me." Norman took a box from his pocket and handed a Balance Badge to Ace.
Ace didn't refuse, and simply took the badge.
"Ruby, what do you think? What are your thoughts?"
After Ace accepted the badge, Norman looked at his son, wanting to know his feelings.
"Crude, barbaric, not beautiful at all," Ruby said seriously. "I'm not interested in the slightest."
Crunch!
The metal box containing the badge instantly crumpled in Norman's hand. This alone showed that Norman's physical strength was also exceptionally great.
Ace sighed. Why didn't this brat Ruby understand the saying, "If you don't court disaster, you won't get it"? Norman was restraining himself now, but judging by the situation, Ruby was definitely in for a beating once they got home.
Afterward, Ace bid farewell to Norman and his family and went to a store in Sootopolis City to buy some Pokémon supplies. With everything ready, Ace mounted his Lapras, and under its guidance, he slowly headed toward the Sky Pillar.
Back in Sootopolis City, after Browse for a while, Norman held Ruby by the scruff of his neck, ignoring his struggles, a vein throbbing on his forehead. "When we get home, you're training with me at the gym for a month! If you dare to play with those frivolous things again, I'll break your legs!"
"If my legs are dog legs, then you're a dog too!"
Smack!
Norman's hand landed on Ruby's backside, causing him to burst into tears.
Caroline, walking behind them, looked on helplessly. As a wife and a mother, she understood these two men best. Norman clearly doted on Ruby, but he did so in the most severe way possible. Ruby cared deeply for his father but treated him in the most rebellious manner.
You could say both father and son weren't very good at expressing their feelings, which was the root cause of their constant conflict.