Ultimately, Lian successfully defeated Blissey using a Special Attack move, showcasing his formidable strength.
With Blissey's defeat, the battle entered its final phase: three Pokemon against one. Unless Kalia immediately conceded, Hassa faced an uphill struggle to turn the tide.
"Darn it!" Hassa felt frustrated, just narrowly missing victory. If Charmeleon's Dragon Rage had been released even a second later, Blissey might have already used Soft-Boiled.
At that point, Charmeleon would not have stood a chance against Blissey. Unfortunately, details determine success or failure, and this mere second sealed Blissey's defeat.
Kalia beamed with delight, having finally overcome the most challenging Pokemon. Blissey's Soft-Boiled move was incredibly powerful; for most ordinary Pokemon, attempting to defeat Blissey would likely result in despair as they watched helplessly while Blissey utilized Soft-Boiled and Minimize, rendering itself virtually invincible, freely employing various moves.
For Hassa's final Pokémon, he released a Fairy and Flying-type Togekiss—an exceptionally rare species typically only seen at the Pokémon Academy.
If encountered outside, such a Togekiss would undoubtedly attract significant attention from numerous Trainers.
"Togekiss, go for it!"
Hassa now relied solely on this Togekiss, although his chances of winning seemed slim. Nevertheless, as a dedicated Trainer, he refused to give up until the very end.
Toge~
The Togekiss emerged from its Poké Ball, hovering in mid-air with an adorable cry.
Lian observed the Togekiss, recognizing it posed a considerable threat. With high Special Defense and immunity to Dragon-type moves, using Dragon Rage was no longer feasible.
Fortunately, Fire-type Pokémon have resistance against Fairy-type moves, so Togekiss likely wouldn't employ Fairy-type attacks but rather flying-type ones instead.
"Charmeleon, return."
At that moment, Kalia spoke up, showing no underestimation when facing Togekiss. Clearly, she intended to leverage Sunny Day once more, aiming to defeat Togekiss with Charmeleon.
Lian promptly returned to his Poké Ball. This was advantageous; with his current Stamina level and activating Solar Power, he could sustain for some time longer. A well-executed combination of moves should be sufficient to defeat a fully charged Togekiss.
Unlike Blissey's terrifying Physical Ability and Special Defense values, Togekiss lacked such capabilities. In fact, even without executing a full move set, just one Weather Ball could potentially instantly defeat Togekiss.
Fighting Togekiss directly without Sunny Day's assistance seemed too risky, especially considering Lian had already lost significant Stamina due to Solar Power's side effects. He managed to endure silently, ensuring no one noticed his weakened state.
"Togekiss, use Air Slash!" Hassa commanded, as Lian anticipated. Hassa's Togekiss employed the flying-type special attack move, Air Slash.
Lian felt fortunate that Kalia had him step aside earlier. Although he could likely dodge Togekiss's attacks, it's always better to err on the safe side. If hit, there was a high chance of being defeated, which would render all efforts in this battle futile.
Lian couldn't let this happen. Encountering such a rare Pokémon like Blissey was a golden opportunity to earn substantial Combat Points. He couldn't afford to squander his efforts due to complacency at the final moment.
"Go, Ninetales!"
He knew that deploying Ninetales would immediately invite Togekiss's attack and possibly defeat it swiftly. However, Kalia's strategy revolved around Charmeleon as the central combatant, with Ninetales and Grovyle serving as supporting Pokémon. Their primary purpose was to create optimal conditions for Charmeleon's offensive maneuvers.
Ninetales losing wouldn't be catastrophic, but if Charmeleon fell, the balance of victory would instantly tip towards Hassa, potentially leading to a complete turnaround in favor of his opponent.
As soon as Ninetales entered the field, it faced Togekiss's Air Slash, with an invisible gust slicing through the air towards it.
Air Cutter is imperceptible, detectable only by subtle ripples in the air. Air Slash has a chance to induce flinching, essentially catching the Pokemon off guard when suddenly struck by the invisible gust, causing brief disorientation.
A well-trained Pokemon would typically not be significantly affected by Air Slash's flinch effect or could quickly recover from it.
As Ninetales landed on the ground, it failed to detect the incoming Air Cutter. Sensing only a slight disturbance before its eyes, it was struck instantly by the invisible blade formed from air.
Ninetales collapsed and did not rise again, losing its combat effectiveness immediately.
Although Ninetales became incapacitated without even using a move, its Drought Ability still activated.
Drought is not a move; it does not require the Pokemon to actively trigger it. As soon as Ninetales entered the battlefield, the Ability took effect. Even though Ninetales fell swiftly to Air Slash, the Drought Ability had already commenced prior to its defeat.
"Ninetales, I'm sorry. You've done your best," Kalia recalled Ninetales with an apologetic tone.
Despite having only one Pokemon left, Hassa's Togekiss posed a significant threat. To ensure ultimate victory, Kalia had no choice but to sacrifice Ninetales, allowing Sunny Day to return once more.
Lian voluntarily emerged from his Poké Ball, knowing Ninetales was destined to lose. Togekiss's Air Slash, being a Flying-type move, had the advantage against Ninetales, which had already suffered a bite from Feraligatr earlier; it couldn't possibly withstand the attack.
The battle neared its end.
Feeling the sun's heat intensify once more, Lian brimmed with confidence. It was finally coming to a close. Although Ninetales fell, the Combat Points earned far outweighed the loss.
Seeing Sunny Day return, Hassa's face paled. If even Blissey couldn't withstand Charmeleon's moves, there was little hope for Togekiss.
"Togekiss, use Air Slash!" Hassa shouted loudly, still holding onto a chance. His Togekiss possessed the Serene Grace Ability, making Air Slash capable of inflicting flinch on opponents, and Serene Grace increased the likelihood of this effect.
Charmeleon definitely hadn't undergone training for mental resilience. If Togekiss could hit Charmeleon before it attacked, causing it to flinch—even briefly—this momentary distraction could be crucial in turning the tide.
"Charmeleon, use Weather Ball!" Kalia countered, unwilling to let Hassa seize any opportunity. She immediately commanded Charmeleon to unleash its most powerful Weather Ball.
Lian acted swiftly to prevent Togekiss from executing Air Slash first. He immediately unleashed the Weather Ball move.
He was genuinely cautious of Air Slash, especially from a Togekiss with the Serene Grace Ability. Although Lian believed he could avoid flinching, there's always a chance otherwise, and he couldn't afford to be complacent.
The gas ball rapidly absorbed surrounding Fire-type energy, transforming into a massive fiery-red sphere. Under Lian's control, it hurtled towards the airborne Togekiss.
"Togekiss, dodge!" Hassa shouted as soon as seeing the formation of Weather Ball. It must not get hit; even Blissey couldn't withstand it, let alone Togekiss.
Togekiss abruptly halted its Air Slash release and shifted focus to evade the incoming fiery red Weather Ball.
Even after launching Weather Ball, Lian didn't relax for a moment. He quickly followed up with Flamethrower, utilizing all available pure fire-type energy for maximum impact.
With only a 10% Control Rating over Normal-type energy, achieving the same rapid descent speed as before for Weather Ball aimed upwards was virtually impossible.
Gravity acted on the ground, allowing for faster descent earlier, but releasing moves upward resulted in slower speed.
As expected, Togekiss focused solely on evading the Weather Ball and successfully dodged it, letting the ball pass by.
Immediately after, Lian unleashed Flamethrower following the Weather Ball, mercilessly striking Togekiss with intense heat.
The joy of narrowly avoiding the Weather Ball was shattered instantly by this Flamethrower move, as Togekiss struggled to endure the scorching flames.
"Hang in there..."
Before Hassa could finish his sentence, he closed his mouth because it was over; Togekiss's body plummeted downward.