The battlefield was quickly covered in a dense layer of poisonous needles, but the shadow darting rapidly across the ground remained completely unaffected, rushing straight toward Toxapex without slowing down.
Nessa's expression changed drastically, panic flickering in her eyes as her mind scrambled for a counter. She had misjudged the ghostly shadow's movements, and her attack failed to land.
Across from her, Allister remained eerily composed, as though he had anticipated this outcome from the start. He raised his hand and commanded.
"Dusclops, use Thunder Punch!"
The moment Nessa heard those words, a chill ran down her spine.
Electric moves were super effective against Water-types. If Toxapex took a close-range hit from that Thunder Punch, the damage would be severe, potentially enough to end the battle then and there.
On the field, Toxapex raised its two front limbs, keeping its true body hidden inside. Its eyes stayed locked onto Dusclops' shadow, ready to strike at any moment.
'I have to time this perfectly!'
Nessa made her decision. Her eyes stayed glued to the encroaching shadow, tracking its every movement.
When the two were less than a meter apart, she seized the moment and shouted decisively.
"Poison Jab!"
At her command, Toxapex instinctively gathered its Poison-type energy. Its two tentacles shot out, stabbing fiercely at the shadow slithering along the ground.
But Dusclops moved with unnatural agility, its form twisting and shifting as it evaded the strike. It wasn't aiming to surface for the attack just yet.
"Damn it…" Nessa barely got the words out.
Before she could react further, Dusclops had already slipped behind Toxapex. Its large, heavy fist crackled with electricity, flashing brightly before slamming down.
BAM!
A muffled, heavy thud echoed through the battlefield.
Toxapex was sent flying several meters before crashing to the ground. Its tentacles twitched and quivered, struggling to lift its battered body.
Allister showed no mercy. He raised his hand again and commanded firmly.
"Dusclops! Keep going! Thunder Punch—"
"I give up!" Nessa interrupted, her voice urgent. Before Dusclops could strike again, she recalled Toxapex into its Poké Ball, saving it from the next blow. "I give up!"
She repeated it once more, louder, looking toward Shae. Then, without another word, she turned to leave the field.
"Oh ho ho, giving up after only two Pokémon?" Shae chuckled from the referee's position, though her smile held an icy edge. "If this were a wild battle, surrendering would mean death, you know…"
Nessa froze mid-step, feeling as though a bucket of cold water had been dumped over her. Realizing Shae misunderstood the situation, she quickly stepped forward to explain.
Shael listened quietly, then gave a slow nod. Once she understood Nessa's remaining Pokémon couldn't fight properly on land, she dropped the matter.
Tapping her cane lightly on the ground, Shae pointed toward Shiro and Marvin.
"You two, get moving!"
The boys exchanged glances before stepping onto a different battlefield together.
The previous one was still littered with Toxic Spikes, so they shifted to a fresh arena. Soon after, Macro Cosmos staff arrived to clean up the poisoned field.
"Shiro, go easy on me, yeah?" Marvin called out with a grin. Then his eyes sharpened. "But I'm still giving it everything I've got!"
Shiro chuckled, his voice carrying across the field. "Heh. Alright, Marvin—show me what you've got!"
After watching Allister and Nessa's battle, Shiro had a rough idea of their strength.
Allister wasn't quite at the Gym-level yet, but he was close. The only uncertainty was how many Advanced-level Pokémon he still had in reserve.
Nessa, on the other hand, had just reached Advanced-level strength.
As for Marvin, since he always lost to Allister, it was clear he wasn't as strong. Shiro remained confident in his Pokémon.
Not wasting any more time, both trainers threw out a Poké Ball.
Shiro released his Corvisquire, while Marvin sent out a snow-white, fluttering moth—Frosmoth.
Frosmoth's body was pure white, its eyes a vivid blue. A diamond-shaped blue mark rested between its brows, and two large, feather-like antennae extended gracefully from its head. Its semi-transparent wings, patterned with snowflake-like markings, shimmered softly. Its small hands were crossed over its chest, giving the appearance of a fluffy scarf wrapped around it.
This was no ordinary Pokémon; it was a creature as rare and precious as a pseudo-legendary.
Shiro's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
In some ways, Frosmoth was even more elusive. Compared to its fiery counterpart—Volcarona—which was hailed as the embodiment of the sun in Unova and revered like a legendary Pokémon, Frosmoth was a winter spirit, equally extraordinary and rare to encounter.
"How about that?" Marvin grinned smugly, one hand on his hip. "Bet you've never seen one of these before!"
This Frosmoth was his father's final gift, entrusted to him before he died. It was the last Pokémon their family had left.
His so-called older brother, Gordie, had an obsession with Rock-types, which didn't help. As for Melony, despite parading around as an Ice-type trainer, she'd never actually raised a single Pokémon on her own. Every one of her so-called "partners" had been their father's hard work.
To Marvin, this Frosmoth was more than a Pokémon. It was his father's final act of trust. He saw it as his responsibility—no, his duty—to uphold that trust and drive that bastard Gordie and that wretched woman out of Circhester for good.
"Alright!" Shiro's voice rang out, excitement bubbling within him. "Let's get this started!"
Even though his Corvisquire was still at the Intermediate-level, while Frosmoth was Advanced-level, neither of them looked intimidated. The bird's eyes burned with eagerness, mirroring Shiro's own anticipation.
No matter how strong this moth is, can it be scarier than a Drakloak?
Corvisquire, who had already faced Drakloak's overwhelming pressure, wasn't about to back down from a pretty white moth.
Across the field, Marvin barked his first command.
"Frosmoth, don't give it a chance! Use Snowscape!"
A flurry of ice burst from Frosmoth's wings, blanketing the battlefield in falling snow. The move not only summoned a snowy field but also boosted Ice-type Pokémon's durability.
Shiro recognized the move and reacted immediately.
"Corvisquire, Hone Claws!"
While snow filled the air, Corvisquire scraped its talons together, sharpening them with swift, aggressive strokes.
Blue and grayish-white light flashed across the battlefield as both moves activated simultaneously.
"Not bad," Marvin murmured, recognizing the bird. This was the same Rookidee he'd seen before, except now, it had grown far stronger. Its movements were sharper, faster, more refined, nearly on par with his Advanced-level Frosmoth.
'Looks like I still haven't trained enough.'
Marvin thought back to seeing Shiro, first thing in the morning, pushing himself in the 9th-floor training rooms. He clicked his tongue in frustration and shouted.
"Frosmoth, U-turn!"
U-turn was a Bug-type move that let the user dash in, strike, then retreat at high speed.
"Corvisquire, Air Cutter!" Shiro countered without missing a beat.
Frosmoth blurred into a pale green streak, racing toward its opponent.
At the same time, Corvisquire spread its wings wide, conjuring several sharp, translucent blades of compressed air.
What no one expected was the sheer size of the attack; each of the wind blades stretched nearly three meters long. Five or six blades overlapped, forming an airtight wall that sealed off Frosmoth's approach, slamming into the moth mid-flight.
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