The referee swung his arm downward and shouted, "Release your Pokémon!"
Both trainers immediately threw their Poké Balls.
Two flashes of light appeared on opposite sides of the battlefield.
A graceful Gardevoir materialized on Alex's side, while an imposing Skarmory landed opposite her with a metallic clang, its steel wings spreading wide as it fixed its sharp gaze on its opponent.
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Pokémon: Gardevoir
LV: 58
Type: Psychic / Fairy
Abilities: Telepathy (hidden ability)
Gender: Female
Potential: Diamond (7%)
Moves:
- Growl, Confusion, Double Team, Teleport [E], Disarming Voice, Lucky Chant, Magical Leaf, Heal Pulse [E], Draining Kiss [E], Psychic [M], Imprison, Future Sight, Captivate, Hypnosis [M], Dazzling Gleam [M], Dream Eater
- (Perfect Talent) Disable [M], (Perfect Talent) Calm Mind [M],
- (TM) Protect [E], (TM) Shadow Ball, (TM) Will-O-Wisp, (TM) Thunderbolt [E], (TM) Thunder Wave, (TM) Helping Hand, (TM) Focus Blast [E] , (TM) Reflect [E], (TM) Light Screen, (TM) Safeguard, (TM) Charm, (TM) Icy Wind, (TM) Hyper Beam [E], (TM) Guard Swap, (TM) Mystical Fire, (TM) Psych Up, (TM) Substitute
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Pokémon: Skarmory
LV: 59
Type: Flying/Steel
Abilities: Keen Eye
Gender: Male
Potential: Shallow Diamond (2%)
Moves:
-Leer, Peck, Sand Attack, Metal Claw, Air Cutter, Fury Attack, Feint, Swift, Spikes [E], Agility [M], Steel Wing [M], Slash, Metal Sound, Air Slash, Autotomize, Night Slash
- (Perfect Talent) Taunt [M], (Perfect Talent) Sky Attack [M]
- (TM) Toxic [M], (TM) Roost [E], (TM) Flash Cannon, (TM) Substitute,(TM) Facade, (TM) Swords Dance [M],(TM) Fly, (TM) X-Scissor (TM) Sandstorm
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When Alex saw that Steven hadn't led with Metagross, he couldn't help but smile.
He had been hoping for exactly this. As long as Steven didn't open with Metagross, Gardevoir would have enough time to strengthen herself before facing Steven's ace.
However, after looking over Skarmory's moves, the smile on his face faded slightly.
Master Rank Swords Dance, Agility and Taunt rendered his initial strategy useless.
Alex immediately abandoned his original plan.
If Gardevoir tried to set up with Calm Mind, Skarmory could simply use Taunt and shut the strategy down.
Even worse, if Skarmory boosted his own Attack with Swords Dance while Gardevoir was unable to buff herself, the match could quickly spiral out of control.
Alex thought. 'Steven really did prepare for me...fzck'
It was obvious that Steven had studied his previous battles in detail. He knew exactly which strategies Alex preferred to use and had deliberately chosen a Pokémon capable of disrupting them.
The referee raised his hand and shouted, "3, 2, 1, Go!"
Alex said telepathically, "D2."
Meanwhile, Steven said nothing, allowing Skarmory to get a head start on his move before Gardevoir even began preparing hers.
For the first time in a match, Alex's Pokémon was slower to start preparing moves as the enemy.
This happened because the original plan was no longer effective, and he had to issue a new command to Gardevoir.
Steven apparently had an original plan as well, and since he didn't change it, he held a slight lead.
Knowing how crucial that small time advantage was, Alex wore a serious expression.
He could guess which move Skarmory was likely preparing—one for which such a small time advantage was extremely important.
Alex felt there was a very high chance Skarmory was preparing the move Taunt.
He concentrated, and in less than a second, he telepathically said, "E1," changing his command once again.
Gardevoir aborted the preparation of her original move and began preparing a new one.
Steven, who had been watching Alex the whole time, caught a glimpse of a faint purple aura around Alex's head for a brief moment and realized he had likely issued a new command.
He understood Alex's fighting style and tricks better than anyone, so he wasn't surprised that Alex had realized something was amiss.
However, Steven had no intention of changing his plan.
Gardevoir and Skarmory had nearly identical speeds, and neither could outrun the other's range.
Skarmory finished first and used Taunt. he let out a cry that transformed into a shockwave, which flew toward Gardevoir.
Gardevoir reacted immediately and used Protect, successfully blocking the shockwave.
Alex was annoyed at having to use a crucial move like Protect here, but he absolutely could not let Gardevoir get hit by Taunt. Gardevoir's best move would have been useless in this battle—something Alex couldn't afford.
Disable, Calm Mind, and, above all, Teleport.
Without a word from Alex, Gardevoir began preparing a new move.
Steven quickly called out, "S2."
Skarmory, on the other hand, began preparing its move a moment later.
Hearing Steven issue a new command, Alex realized that while he had likely assigned his Pokémon a sequence of more than one move, something unusual had occurred, forcing Steven to issue a fresh order.
However, he knew Steven very well and had anticipated something like this.
You can't simply train a Pokémon quickly to understand when to alter a move sequence and when not to.
Even Alex's Pokémon could only manage that if he had a precise initial plan for the opponent and understood them thoroughly (not to mention the high risk involved).
Gardevoir finished first and immediately used Disable. It struck Skarmory directly, not only interrupting its Taunt but also making it impossible for Skarmory to prepare that move for the next few minutes.
Steven had half expected this, so he maintained a calm expression.
Skarmory began preparing another move without waiting for Steven.
He had specifically briefed his Pokémon on this possibility before the match, so Skarmory knew exactly what to do.
Gardevoir immediately began preparing a new move—not because Alex had anticipated this specific situation, but because "E1" consisted of three consecutive moves.
Alex was a little surprised that Skarmory was preparing another move without Steven after something like that had happened.
Most other Elite Trainers Alex had encountered were far less skilled than Steven.
He knew that his time spent with Steven had likely had a strong influence on him, explaining why he was so skilled at timing and move management.
Gardevoir finished first because she was using a move that required less preparation time. She used Teleport to warp to the edge of the arena.
Skarmory reacted immediately, flying rapidly toward Gardevoir as it prepared his move.
Gardevoir prepared a new move while running along the edge to put some distance between herself and Skarmory.
However, since Skarmory could fly, the fact that the center of the arena was filled with water didn't hinder it; it could fly straight toward Gardevoir.
While in flight, Skarmory finished preparing his move and used Agility, which increased his speed.
Without hesitation, Skarmory flew toward Gardevoir again as he prepared another move.
As it flew in her direction, Skarmory avoided looking directly at Gardevoir's face, focusing instead on the lower part of her body.
Gardevoir finished preparing her move and used Calm Mind.
Although things were going reasonably well, Alex felt the situation could quickly become dangerous if he wasn't careful.
Gardevoir could only use Thunderbolt against Skarmory.
However, since her Thunderbolt was only at the Expert Rank, it wasn't as powerful as it could have been.
Skarmory held the advantage, possessing Steel Wing—a super-effective move that was even at the Master Rank.
This was especially significant because the boost from Swords Dance was more useful in this matchup than the one from Calm Mind.
Gardevoir had no chance in a fair fight.
No matter how Alex looked at it, he was currently at a disadvantage.
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