If this blow landed, it would be enough to keep the already-weakened Zapdos from staying airborne.
It might not be so bad that it lost the ability to battle outright, but becoming a flightless chicken for a while was very much on the table.
"Roost."
Grey's calm command cut through the tension.
There were simply too many stones hanging over Zapdos's head. If he forced it to dodge, odds were it would still be clipped, and that would be a terrible trade.
So instead, Grey chose to temporarily "strip away" its Flying type.
That way, when Rock Slide hit, the damage wouldn't be so ridiculous.
Fortunately, Zapdos was up to the task.
At the exact instant those jagged rocks were about to crash down, Zapdos snapped its wings shut and dropped to the arena floor.
Golden feathers fluttered down around it, each one radiating a soft, healing glow.
Those Rock Slide boulders that would have been lethal under ideal circumstances now crashed into it with markedly reduced force.
By the time the last healing feather fell, Zapdos was already back in high spirits, launching itself into the air once more.
That Roost had practically restored its HP to full!
Of course, the Rock Slide still caught up in the end.
Thud, thud, thud!
A barrage of stones slammed into Zapdos in rapid succession, dealing a measurable amount of damage.
Thanks to Grey's foresight in having Zapdos use Roost to temporarily shed its Flying type…
If it had taken that double-super-effective Rock Slide head-on, it really would've been in no condition to fight.
"Cross Poison!"
A sharp light flashed in Reggie's eyes. Seeing Zapdos shielding its head with its wings, he seized that defensive opening with another attack.
"Dronk!"
Drapion let out a hiss, its crossed pincers blazing with poisonous purple light.
A glowing X-shaped blade of venomous energy tore through the air, aimed straight at the golden wings protecting Zapdos's head!
The combo was so smooth that just as Zapdos finished shaking off the last of the stone shards, that purple-black Cross Poison was already on top of it!
Slash!
The Poison-type energy detonated the instant it struck.
In the flare of violet light, two overlapping gashes were carved brutally into Zapdos's wings, ragged feathers and electric sparks scattering in all directions!
"Jiji!" (What's with that face, huh?! What are you looking at me like that for?!)
Zapdos was blasted backward several meters. After steadying itself and shaking its head clear, it locked eyes with Drapion—and immediately realized the other was staring at it like prey.
The insult was immense.
For a prideful Zapdos, that was enough to make it see red.
But right now, under the effects of Parting Shot, the power of its moves had plummeted. No matter what it used, it only had about half its previous punch.
It was a textbook case of the spirit being willing while the flesh was weak.
And in a Gym challenge, the Gym Leader wasn't allowed to recall their Pokémon of their own accord.
So unless Zapdos went down, Grey had no way to switch it out.
Of course, Zapdos did know Baton Pass, U-turn, and Volt Switch.
If it really wanted off the field, Grey could pick any one of those and pivot it out.
But to Zapdos, that felt no different from surrender.
A legendary Pokémon like itself, running away from some random roadside brute?
If Articuno ever saw that, it would never stop laughing about it.
"Dronk!" (So this is all Zapdos amounts to, huh? One Parting Shot and you've got no bite left. Maybe I should be the one taking that legendary slot, what do you say, you scruffy little featherball!)
Drapion's tongue was just as venomous as its typing.
And with that one line, it stepped squarely onto Zapdos's personal landmine.
You could even say it was dancing in a minefield.
"Jiji!" (Who are you calling a scruffy featherball?!)
The moment Zapdos heard its "nickname" out of Drapion's mouth, the lightning flickering around its body surged sky-high.
Golden current flared out like a mane, throwing its already-imposing face into an even more ferocious relief.
Right now, Zapdos looked every bit like a wrathful thunder god out of legend descended upon the arena.
"Drapion, charge in and use Cross Poison!"
Lightning reflected in Reggie's eyes. Seeing Zapdos provoked into fury by Drapion's taunts, he chose to force a close-quarters clash.
"Dronk!" (Come on then, featherball! If you've got any guts, fight me head-on!)
Drapion's expression twisted into a savage grin. This time, the Cross Poison it readied wasn't the ranged projectile version—it crossed its pincers into an "X" and held them in front of its body as a guard, charging straight at Zapdos!
"Jiji!" (Grey! I've never asked you for anything, but do not let me get pulled off the field in this fight!)
Zapdos shrieked, lightning crackling violently over its body as it waited for Grey's command.
It knew that shackled by Parting Shot, it couldn't bring its full strength to bear.
In a situation like this, it needed Grey's direction more than ever.
"I know. So you need to keep your cool, got it?"
Grey's voice wasn't loud, but Reggie heard it from across the field and frowned deeply.
At a time like this, and he's telling Zapdos to stay calm?
Drapion was seconds away from getting into striking distance—Grey really was a little too confident in himself…
If Zapdos were still at its peak, that would be one thing.
But right now both of its offensive stats had been heavily cut. How was it supposed to stand up to Drapion?
"Jiji…" (Fine… no idea what kind of play you're cooking up, though…)
Zapdos stayed at low altitude instead of climbing high to pester Drapion from long range.
The debuff to its offenses came with a mountain of drawbacks. The lightning that had once been thick as a barrel was now more like a tiny spark.
In that case, it might as well stick close to the ground—a close-quarters fight might offer some unexpected openings.
"Dronk!"
Drapion let out a bellow as it closed in, driving its pincers forward with all its strength while the claw at the tip of its tail lashed wildly.
Swish!
Seeing Zapdos still motionless, Drapion's tail whipped forward in a stabbing thrust, its pincers spreading wide, ready to clamp Zapdos in an unbreakable grip.
"Dodge left—Thunder Wave!"
Grey's order rang out at the perfect moment.
"Jiji!"
Zapdos twisted sideways, and the poisonous tail scraped past its wing feathers by mere inches.
In that split-second window, several thin arcs of electricity leapt from the tips of Zapdos's feathers, racing along Drapion's tail and into its body. Fine lightning danced instantly through the gaps in its armor!
"Dronk!" (You—cheap shot!)
Drapion's movements slowed to a crawl; even the act of channeling Cross Poison became painfully stiff and labored.
Thunder Wave—a move that inflicts paralysis on the target.
Grey had his reasons for keeping Zapdos at low altitude.
And Thunder Wave was just one of them.
"Jiji." (If you're weak, you grind harder. Don't you love using poison? Look who just got countered~)
Muttering under its breath, Zapdos still didn't forget to fire off a Thunderbolt.
Zzzzt!
Hundreds of tiny arcs of electricity gathered at the tip of its beak, coalescing into a tight ball before erupting into a terrifying beam of lightning that roared forward, spearing straight through Drapion's entire body!
Its offenses might have been lowered—but that didn't mean it suddenly had no damage.
With nothing there to cancel it out, the power of that Thunderbolt was still more than respectable.
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