Slowking displayed its battle prowess the moment it was attacked.
Compared to Kadabra from before, this Slowking was on an entirely different level.
The Psybeam it fired came in with great force—but Dusknoir wasn't fazed. Yes, it had lost to Metagross before, but that didn't mean it feared Psychic-type Pokémon.
At least in Dusknoir's eyes, this Slowking was far from Metagross's level. It wasn't even close.
Dusknoir's massive legs flexed, and despite its bulky frame, it moved with eerie agility, gliding to the side as if weightless.
Though it looked huge, Dusknoir's body was hollow inside, giving it an average weight of only around thirty kilograms—barely half of Slowking's near eighty kilograms.
Having followed Sabrina around Kanto for years, Slowking didn't have much experience fighting Ghost-types like Dusknoir.
When it saw Dusknoir move so nimbly, it hesitated for just a moment—long enough for its Psybeam to miss completely, striking only empty ground.
The counterattack failed.
"Dusknoir, don't give it a chance to breathe—use Shadow Ball!"
When facing a Psychic-type opponent, there was no move better suited than Shadow Ball.
Among Ghost-type attacks, Shadow Ball was the definitive measure of strength—whether a Ghost-type Pokémon could master it or not often defined its power.
Dusknoir's single eye opened halfway, as though focusing. Its two floating hands came together, molding a sphere of dark energy before hurling it straight at Slowking—an excellent offensive opportunity.
"Slowking, Protect!"
A blue aura flared before Slowking just in time.
Shadow Ball exploded with a boom, but Slowking stood unharmed behind its barrier.
Nozomi wasn't frustrated that his attack had been blocked. He knew that Protect couldn't be used consecutively without fail."Now—use Curse!"
A red glow lit up in Dusknoir's eye. Slowking, still recovering from the blast, couldn't react in time and was instantly cursed. A sinister aura spread over its body.
Sabrina frowned the moment she saw it.
A cursed Slowking was bad news. Its speed was roughly equal to Dusknoir's, meaning the battle could easily drag into a war of attrition—and in that kind of drawn-out match, the curse would undoubtedly decide the outcome.
After a long moment of thought, Sabrina found herself cornered. If this were her Alakazam, she could've relied on sheer speed to finish the fight quickly—but Slowking was too slow for that.
In the end, she sighed in resignation."Psychic!"
All she could do now was try to finish Dusknoir before the curse drained Slowking completely.
But reality proved once again that when a Ghost-type Pokémon decided to stall, no one could take it down quickly.
Under Slowking's relentless psychic assaults, Dusknoir's endurance shone through.
It moved unpredictably, its form fading in and out, its defenses formidable. No matter what Slowking threw at it, none of its moves could land a decisive hit.
Instead, Dusknoir retaliated with endless harassment—Will-O-Wisp, Confuse Ray, Astonish—each stacking more and more status effects onto Slowking, breaking its rhythm entirely.
Nozomi wasn't aiming for damage; he just wanted to disrupt.
After all, this wasn't a game—Pokémon in the real world could suffer from multiple negative statuses at once. Soon, Slowking was afflicted with burn, confusion, curse, and flinching, all at once.
Its stamina drained away under the relentless curse. Eventually, Slowking collapsed under Nozomi's shameless tactics.
Sabrina's face turned red as she watched her Slowking fall—whether from anger or humiliation, even she couldn't tell.
The young referee nearby looked on nervously, sweat beading on his brow, as Sabrina took a deep breath. Sparks of fury flashed in her eyes.
But even in her anger, she forced herself to stay calm. Now wasn't the time to lash out—she still needed Nozomi's help to capture Mewtwo. With visible effort, she swallowed her rage.
"The third match—shall we continue?" Nozomi asked with a faint smile.
He was secretly impressed by Sabrina's restraint. Dusknoir's tactics had been intentional on his part—he wanted to provoke her. People often revealed their true selves in anger, and this was his test.
From everything he'd learned, Sabrina wasn't known for patience.
The fact that she could endure this much meant she truly needed something from him.
"No need," Sabrina said flatly. "I've seen enough of your strength."
Though she'd managed to suppress her temper, her dissatisfaction was clear.
Besides, Nozomi had only used two Ghost-types so far—his main team, Dragonite and Metagross, hadn't even appeared. Further battling was pointless.
"Then... the Marsh Badge?"
"Take it." Sabrina tossed the badge at him, then said curtly, "Follow me," and turned to leave the arena without another word.
Nozomi didn't mind her attitude. In fact, he found it fitting—a girl of seventeen or eighteen throwing a bit of a tantrum suited her perfectly.
He pocketed the badge, ignoring the system notification about earning a lottery draw, and followed Sabrina out.
"Mr. Nozomi, that was amazing!"
Behind him, the young referee looked at him with admiration and envy.
To have made Miss Sabrina that angry and still not be turned into a doll—Nozomi was the first person he'd ever seen accomplish such a feat.
In the past, anyone who upset Sabrina would, without exception, be transformed into a doll to "cool off."
"From now on, Mr. Nozomi—you're my idol!" the young man said with open reverence.
But he seemed to forget whose territory he was on.
Before his words even finished echoing, an Alakazam appeared right before him.
The referee's expression froze in terror as Alakazam raised its two spoons.
"Wait—no! I was wro—"
He never finished the word. A burst of rainbow light engulfed him, lifting him into the air.
In the next instant, he was no longer human, but a soft doll, falling gently into Alakazam's hands.
A faintly pleased glint passed through Alakazam's eyes as it placed the new doll into a nearby display case. Its form twisted and vanished into thin air.