"Sceptile, use Screech!" Brendan ordered.
"Scep!!"
Sceptile let out a piercing shriek, and Slaking winced, a buzzing pain ringing through its head at the sound.
"Fire Blast!" Gary ordered.
"Slaa!"
Slaking clapped its hands over its ears, then faced Sceptile and spat out a ball of fire.
Sceptile saw the flames coming and immediately slid off to the side.
Boom!
The Fire Blast detonated against the ice, melting it instantly and leaving a water-filled crater behind. Between this and the flames Slaking had used earlier to defend itself, the ice across the field was breaking down fast, and water was pooling everywhere.
Slaking kept up the chase, hurling fire as it went, the ice melting wherever its attacks landed. It still couldn't match Sceptile's speed—but by then the entire field was flooded, and the water had risen past Sceptile's ankles.
The standing water badly hampered Sceptile's footwork, and its speed dropped sharply. Slaking spotted the trouble Sceptile was in and immediately spat another blast of fire at it.
"Sceptile, return!"
A red beam of light reached Sceptile first, recalling it just in time.
Again… Gary could see how hard Brendan was struggling. He was doing everything he could to win, swapping Pokémon constantly to stay in the match. His will to win was strong.
"Manectric, go!" Brendan threw his Poké Ball.
[LV45 Manectric — Champion Potential]
Brendan's last prepared Pokémon was Manectric. It had Champion potential, and while its level was a little low, everything else about it was solid.
Gary glanced down at the flooded field. With water everywhere, conditions were ideal for Electric-type moves.
"Body Slam!" Gary ordered at once.
"Slaa!"
Slaking leapt into the air and came crashing down toward Manectric.
"Thunder!" Brendan didn't have Manectric dodge—he met the attack head-on.
"Trrric!"
Blue electricity radiated from Manectric's body, gathering into a massive bolt like a giant serpent that shot straight up and struck the falling Slaking.
Bang!!
Slaking landed squarely on Manectric, pinning it down. Electric current kept crackling from Manectric's body, but it couldn't force Slaking off.
"Slaa!"
Slaking's huge palm clamped down on Manectric's head, its other hand seizing one of Manectric's hind legs, and it hoisted Manectric straight up over its head.
Manectric panicked, discharging every bit of electricity in its body, but Slaking simply refused to let go, letting the current wash over it.
"Unbelievable! Slaking is holding Manectric overhead and completely ignoring the lightning! What on earth is it trying to do?!" the announcer exclaimed.
Gary deliberately waited a moment longer before giving the order. "That's about enough. Use Endeavor and throw Manectric away."
"Slaa!"
Slaking used Endeavor and hurled Manectric across the field. Manectric slammed into the ground with a pained expression, its stamina instantly cut down to match Slaking's.
Brendan didn't panic too much. With their stamina now equal, Manectric still had a chance.
"Manectric, Thunder Shock!"
The moment Brendan finished speaking, Gary gave his order: "Rest."
Slaking dropped off to sleep, letting the Thunder Shocks rain down on it. A few Thunder Shocks would never outpace what Rest could recover.
"Slaking, return." Gary took out the Poké Ball and recalled it.
Watching Slaking withdraw, Brendan felt a knot in his chest. Slaking hadn't actually knocked out a single one of his Pokémon, but it had forced him to burn through three of them. Gary clearly knew exactly which Pokémon to use against him.
"Brendan, since you've fought this hard, I'll use the strongest Pokémon I've prepared to finish this," Gary said.
"Your strongest… Gardevoir?" It was the first name that came to Brendan's mind. Gardevoir had been overwhelming in the first half of the battle, and Brendan knew his Pokémon were still no match for it.
But Gary took a pink Poké Ball from his waist.
"That Poké Ball… it's Latios!" Ash exclaimed from the stands.
The big screen in the stadium was showing Gary's feed, and Ash had spotted the pink Poké Ball the moment Gary drew it.
"What!"
"Ash, what did you just say?!"
Ash's friends took it relatively well, but Morrison and Tyson were floored, half convinced they'd misheard.
"Latios, it's your turn!" Gary threw the Poké Ball.
[LV66 Latios — Quasi-Legendary]
"Laa!"
The moment Latios appeared, it shot up into the air, circled the stadium once, then descended to hover at low altitude, about five meters above the field.
"Latios… Latios…!" Brendan pulled out his Pokédex.
Pokédex: "Latios, the Eon Pokémon. A highly intelligent Pokémon that folds its forelegs to fly at speeds faster than a jet."
"He actually has a Legendary Pokémon. That's the rival I chose, alright," Brendan murmured to himself.
"Latios, use Luster Purge!" Gary ordered.
"Laa!"
Latios spat out a brilliant pink beam that shot straight at Manectric.
"Thunder!" Brendan countered.
Manectric met the attack head-on, pouring out every last bit of electricity in its body and condensing it into a thick bolt of lightning.
The golden thunder crashed into the pink beam—and was punched straight through. The radiant light slammed into Manectric.
Boom!!!
Manectric was blasted clean out of the field, struck the wall, and lost consciousness on the spot.
"Manectric is unable to battle. Latios wins," the referee announced.
"How terrifying—Latios took down Manectric in a single move!" the announcer exclaimed.
"What? Did you miss the part where Manectric got hit by Slaking's Endeavor?" Gary grumbled. "Of course it went down in one hit."
The knockout looked impressive, but it wasn't really a one-shot on Latios's part.
Brendan reluctantly recalled Manectric and sent out his next Pokémon.
Milotic appeared on the field once again.
Milotic wasn't in peak condition either—it had already burned through a lot of energy dealing with Slaking earlier.
"Dragon Pulse!" Gary ordered.
"Laa!"
Latios looked down from above, energy surging in its mouth, and spat out a dragon-shaped wave that came crashing down.
"Ice Beam!" Brendan countered immediately.
Milotic fired a cold white beam, frigid air trailing around it—but the moment it met the dragon-shaped wave, it was overpowered and forced back, step by step.
Boom!!
The Dragon Pulse struck Milotic and exploded on impact. Milotic lay sprawled on the ice, eyes spinning.
"Milotic is unable to battle. Latios wins," the referee announced.
Just like Manectric, Milotic had already lost too much stamina to Slaking, and it simply couldn't withstand Latios's attack.