[It's Iron Defense? Why not use Protect?]
[Baxcalibur's Ice Fang is terrifying. Last year, Hassel's Baxcalibur directly OHKO'd Rika's Torterra with this move!]
[Tbf isn't it normal for Torterra to get one-shot? It's four times weak to Ice, dude...]
Unlike Kommo-o, which has the potential for mixed offense.
Although Baxcalibur has no shortage of energy-based attacks, its combat prowess in this area is almost on par with Altaria.
Even a Draco Meteor wouldn't be able to severely damage the sturdy Kommo-o.
Therefore, after foreseeing the possibility of two pseudo-legendaries facing off from the start, Aiden quickly came up with the best solution with Cynthia—
Direct Iron Defense boost!
The reason was simple: betting on the future.
Protect can indeed avoid being hit by high-damage super-effective attacks at the start and maintain safe HP, but it has almost no impact on the subsequent battle.
Iron Defense, on the other hand, is different. As long as the boost is completed before the attack arrives, it not only reduces the damage taken but also significantly affects the upcoming battle.
Of course, that's the theory. In practice, it still depends on both sides' reaction speed.
If the opponent strikes first, whether the Fighting-Dragon type can react quickly enough is another question.
Under Aiden's watchful eyes, Baxcalibur soon exhaled cold air, forming the first Ice Fang in its hand, and threw it with full force towards the motionless Kommo-o.
Just as the attack was about to hit, it suddenly opened its eyes, which had been closed in meditation.
At the same time, the golden scales covering its body quickly took on a metallic sheen, becoming as hard as iron.
Before the opponent's attack arrived, Kommo-o had already completed its boost!
"Roar—!"
With a powerful low growl, it immediately crossed its arms and blocked the incoming Ice Fang attack aimed at its face.
After enduring the second attack head-on, Kommo-o finally found an opening to dodge the subsequent attacks coming its way.
Looking at Kommo-o, both Cynthia and Aiden let out a sigh of relief.
Although the earlier attacks had knocked off some of its scales, judging from its currently rising momentum, there was no major problem.
The opponent's attack only made its fighting spirit soar even higher.
Facing the Baxcalibur that had harmed it, the Fighting-Dragon Pokémon's eyes quickly turned blood-red, and its arms unconsciously clenched.
"Kommo-o, use Body Press!"
Cynthia decisively commanded the Fighting-Dragon Pokémon to retaliate swiftly.
"The power of Body Press is directly linked to its own defense. After the previous Iron Defense boost, Kommo-o's Body Press will be extremely terrifying."
Aiden provided timely explanations.
Meanwhile, Hassel also quickly reacted, recalling Baxcalibur before the Fighting-Dragon Pokémon leapt high into the air and hadn't landed yet, switching to Dragapult for a defensive wall.
(Dragapult, with two Dreepy residing on its head)
Dragapult is a Ghost/Dragon dual-type Pokémon that can ignore Normal and Fighting-type moves through its special intangibility ability.
Thus, Kommo-o's Body Press unsurprisingly missed.
"So it's Dragapult after all..."
Aiden nodded, seemingly not surprised by Hassel's hidden trump card.
Because Paldea's ecology is so excellent, it has led to a large number of wild Pokémon populations in the region. Many areas near the sea can see the presence of Dragapult families.
Since he had anticipated this, naturally, he and Cynthia had already thought of a countermeasure.
"Now, Kommo-o, use Dragon Claw!"
Cynthia spoke again, instantly bringing a new change to the rhythm on the field.
Due to the Body Press rushing straight at Dragapult, although no damage was done due to type matchups, the two Pokémon were now at a very intimate distance.
Upon Cynthia's command, the blood-red-eyed Kommo-o instantly executed a backhand swipe, turning its body halfway while delivering a powerful claw strike!
Caught off guard, Hassel hadn't even had time to give a command when Kommo-o's attack had already struck.
Dragapult was instantly blown away, struggling briefly after falling, but ultimately failed to stand up using sheer willpower.
Its eyes rolled back, and it collapsed unconscious, completely losing its ability to fight.
One-hit KO!
Seeing this, both the live audience and stream viewers were momentarily stunned.
[Wait, something seems off about this Kommo-o; does it feel like it's on drugs? Send it for doping tests!]
[It really does seem... The dragon's aura changed completely after Iron Defense.]
[Teacher Azure, can you explain what just happened?]
Smiling slightly at the chat's confusion, Aiden quickly provided an answer:
"It's actually quite simple. Kommo-o is holding the Weakness Policy, so being attacked by Baxcalibur actually triggered its combat effectiveness."
This was also his suggestion to Cynthia.
Weakness Policy, similar to the Focus Sash Aiden had used in games, is a held item allowed in battles.
Its effect is to greatly increase the holder's offensive capabilities when hit by a super-effective move.
And it boosts both physical and special attack stats.
For a Pokémon like Kommo-o, which has mixed offense capabilities, it's a perfect fit.
Generally, Weakness Policy is a gamble, chosen only by Pokémon with many weaknesses and decent bulk (like Tyranitar).
But because this is the Dragon-type Master Tournament, it instead gave it a chance to shine.
As the saying goes, one mountain cannot accommodate two tigers.
Proud and powerful dragons are the same.
Dragon-types are mutually restraining, and Baxcalibur, with both Ice and Dragon types, has super-effective moves against Kommo-o.
Therefore, the trigger probability of Weakness Policy in this Master Tournament was quite high.
Dragon civil war? Go talk to my Weakness Policy!
With the defensive boost from Iron Defense and the dual-attack stat boost from Weakness Policy...
Converted to in-game terms, it's equivalent to Kommo-o boosting six stages of stats in the first turn, which is incredibly terrifying.
However, managing to one-hit KO Dragapult was indeed an unexpected bonus.
After all, this thing is a standard high-speed assassin template, with all its base stats going into speed and dual attacks, so it's not very durable.
Thus, Cynthia's hastily trained Kommo-o managed to one-hit KO it by luck. If it were another pseudo-legendary, it might not have been so easy.
After quickly taking out one of the opponent's Pokémon, Cynthia clearly had gained a significant advantage.
On Hassel's side, his already furrowed brows deepened further.
After some deliberation, he ultimately chose to send out the more robust Duraludon, attempting a direct confrontation.
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