"Electivire, use Thunder Punch!"
Paul launched the first attack. With golden electricity crackling around its fists, Electivire charged toward Dusknoir with heavy, powerful strides.
The ground trembled slightly beneath Electivire's feet; its massive body unleashed a burst of speed that belied its size, closing the distance to Dusknoir in the blink of an eye.
"Dusknoir, dodge, then use Shadow Punch."
Brandon's voice remained calm and steady, as if he didn't consider Electivire's attack a serious threat at all. Just as Electivire's fist descended, Dusknoir's body turned intangible; the Thunder Punch passed right through the ghostly image, striking nothing but empty air.
The very next moment, dark, eerie energy coalesced around Dusknoir's massive fist, and it slammed a solid blow right into Electivire's midsection!
However, relying on its superb reflexes and speed, Electivire countered instantly, launching a second Thunder Punch of its own!
Bam!
Electivire was knocked back several steps by the blow but sustained no serious damage.
Dusknoir had also been struck by the Thunder Punch; while Electivire held the edge in raw attack power, Dusknoir's defense far surpassed Electivire's. All things considered, Electivire ended up taking the heavier damage.
"Electivire, Thunderbolt!"
Paul furrowed his brows; realizing he wouldn't gain the upper hand in close-quarters combat, he immediately shifted tactics.
Golden electricity surged wildly from Electivire's body, transforming into serpentine bolts of lightning that lunged toward Dusknoir.
The entire battlefield was illuminated by the lightning's glare, and the air grew thick with the scent of ozone and scorching heat.
"Dusknoir, Protect."
A pale green barrier materialized in front of Dusknoir. The Thunderbolt's current slammed against it, sending ripples across the surface, yet it failed to break through the defense.
When the lightning faded, Dusknoir remained completely unscathed.
Brandon gave a slight nod, forming an initial assessment of Paul's command ability: decisive in attack and quick to adapt—he was indeed a talented Trainer.
Unfortunately, that alone was far from enough.
"Dusknoir, use Trick Room."
Brandon finally began to reveal his true strength.
A dark, eerie light flashed within Dusknoir's single eye, and a strange energy radiated outward from its body. Paul's expression darkened as he instantly issued the command: "Stop him! Use Thunder!"
Electivire clenched his fists and slammed them violently into the ground; his two iron-hard tails, which had been driven into the earth, surged with a torrent of wild, crackling electricity.
Under the force of this tangible lightning, the entire battlefield began to fracture. Beyond the raw energy of the Thunder attack itself, debris shattered from the ground by the electrical discharge rushed toward Dusknoir.
Dusknoir stood his ground, taking the full force of the attack without dodging. Terrifying bolts of lightning flickered across his body, and the pelting debris dealt significant damage, yet the energy he had been channeling was already spreading across the arena.
Space itself seemed to warp; visible ripples distorted the air, lending an unsettling, unnatural atmosphere to the previously open battlefield.
"Oh no..." Ash's expression shifted as he watched from the stands.
He knew firsthand just how formidable Trick Room was; it created a special domain where, for its duration, slower Pokémon would move before faster ones.
He had suffered greatly because of it in the past; had it not been for his Gardevoir's unique ability to simply shatter the Trick Room, winning that match would have been incredibly difficult.
In this situation, Trick Room spelled disaster for a Pokémon like Electivire, whose greatest asset was his speed.
"Electivire, end this quickly! Use Wild Charge!"
Paul, clearly realizing the danger, immediately ordered an all-out offensive.
Electivire's body erupted with violent electrical currents, transforming him into a streak of golden lightning as he charged toward Dusknoir. A direct hit would likely overwhelm even Dusknoir's defenses.
"Dusknoir, Shadow Punch," Brandon commanded calmly.
Under the influence of Trick Room, although Dusknoir was not naturally fast...
...yet managed to strike first.
Dark energy once again surged over his massive fist. Just as Electivire charged in, he landed a precise blow; then, his figure vanished eerily, reappearing behind Electivire the very next second to slam a fist—glowing with pitch-black light—hard into the Pokémon's body!
Bam!!
Dark energy exploded outward, sending Electivire flying backward; it tumbled across the ground several times before finally coming to a halt.
This turn of events caused Paul's expression to darken.
Under normal circumstances, even if the initial Wild Charge had missed, Electivire could have used its superior speed and reflexes to counterattack Dusknoir. But now, under the influence of Trick Room, that very speed—which usually overwhelmed opponents—had become a liability.
Two consecutive hits had already dealt significant damage to Electivire, and combined with the effects of Trick Room... the situation was looking grim.
"Electivire, return." Paul quickly produced a Poké Ball to recall Electivire, then drew another one from his belt.
He was not the type of trainer to stubbornly hold his ground in a disadvantageous situation.
As long as Trick Room remained active, Electivire was a sitting duck on the battlefield; rather than letting his ace take unnecessary damage, it was better to recall it and conserve its strength.
He moved quickly to recall it because he feared the opponent might use Mean Look; if that happened, Electivire would truly be wasted.
"Torterra, prepare for battle!"
A flash of light revealed a massive, tortoise-like Pokémon on the field. A small tree grew from its heavy shell, and its thick, pillar-like legs supported a body that exuded an aura of unshakable stability.
Torterra—High-level Elite Four level!
Although both Electivire and Torterra were Paul's ace Pokémon, Torterra's strength was a cut above Electivire's. Back when Electivire hadn't yet reached the Elite level, Torterra was already an Elite-tier Pokémon. While Electivire's talent was formidable, Torterra—being Paul's starter Pokémon—was no slouch in the talent department either.
To this day, Torterra remains the strongest Pokémon in Paul's arsenal.
"Torterra, use Earthquake!"
Paul launched the first attack. Torterra lifted its forelegs and stomped heavily onto the ground!
BOOM!
The entire battlefield shook violently as cracks radiated outward in all directions from beneath Torterra's feet. A wave of seismic energy, carrying destructive power, surged toward Dusknoir.
"Dusknoir, levitate," Brandon said calmly.
At the last possible moment, Dusknoir's body floated into the air; the earthquake wave swept harmlessly beneath it.
"As expected..."
Paul wasn't surprised. How could a veteran powerhouse like Brandon possibly lack a countermeasure against Ground-type moves?
"Torterra, Razor Leaf!"
"Dusknoir, Ice Punch!"
The commands were issued almost simultaneously. Torterra tossed its head, launching a barrage of Razor Leaf blades, while Dusknoir gathered freezing energy into its right fist and drove it straight toward Torterra.
The Ice Punch landed solidly on Torterra's shell. Since Ice-type moves deal quadruple damage to Torterra's Grass/Ground typing, the Pokémon let out a low grunt; a thin layer of ice instantly coated its shell, and its limbs stiffened noticeably.
Even though Torterra was at a higher level than Dusknoir, the quadruple-effective hit was devastating; the blow nearly knocked the fully-conditioned Torterra flat on its back!
However, the Razor Leaf blades also struck true, slicing into Dusknoir's body and causing it to falter abruptly.
"Now's the chance—Torterra, use Giga Drain!" Seizing the split-second opening created by Dusknoir's hesitation, Paul immediately ordered a counterattack. The small tree on Torterra's back erupted with a brilliant emerald glow, and several beams of energy shot toward Dusknoir, striking with pinpoint accuracy!
"Gyaaaah—!!"
Dusknoir let out a piercing scream as emerald energy was forcibly drawn from its body and flowed ceaselessly into Torterra.
This attack not only dealt significant damage but also restored the majority of the stamina Torterra had previously lost.
"Well done!" Paul clenched his fist; with that, Torterra's stamina was back to a healthy level.
"Now for the finish—Torterra, use Frenzy Plant!" Only with ample stamina could it unleash its ultimate move: Frenzy Plant!
This move would decide the match!
Emerald light surged wildly from cracks in the ground, and several vines—each as thick as a bowl—burst violently from the earth beneath Dusknoir!
The hardened vines coiled around Dusknoir's body with lightning speed, hoisting it high into the air and squeezing it tight. No matter how Dusknoir struggled or pummeled the vines with its fists, the steel-hardened growths remained immovable; in fact, they only tightened their grip in response to its thrashing!
The raging Grass-type energy relentlessly ravaged Dusknoir's body. A look of admiration flashed in Brandon's eyes; he knew he had lost this first round.
"Uwaaaah—!"
Dusknoir let out one final, harrowing wail. The light in its single eye rapidly dimmed, and its massive body went limp, slumping down before being slammed heavily against the ground by the hardened vines—cratering the already shattered floor.
"Dusknoir is unable to battle! Torterra wins!" After confirming Dusknoir's condition, the referee waved the flag to declare its defeat.
To everyone's surprise—including Ash's—it was Paul who secured the victory in the first battle. Although Brandon hadn't unleashed his full power, it was still a highly unlikely feat for Paul to be the first to take down one of Brandon's Pokémon.
If the Pokémon Brandon sent out next were of a similar level, then Paul might just... have a chance to win!
"Well done, young man," Brandon said, praising Paul as he recalled Dusknoir. "Good work, Dusknoir."
Even though Dusknoir had been defeated, it had dealt heavy damage to two of Paul's Pokémon.
Electivire was likely down to about half its stamina, and as for Torterra—even though it had recovered a bit of health with Giga Drain, the four-times-effective damage from Ice Punch was far too severe to be fully restored by a single Giga Drain.
Despite losing a Pokémon first, it wasn't yet clear who held the advantage.
And what's more...
"How will you handle this next one?" Brandon asked as he took out a Poké Ball and tossed it.
With a flash of light, a Pokémon made entirely of ice appeared on the field.
It had a prism-like shape and radiated a bone-chilling cold; it looked almost like... a pillar?
"The Ice Titan—Regice!!"
Paul spoke the name slowly and deliberately; his expression had turned incredibly serious, yet his eyes held a spark of excitement.
Regice—this was undoubtedly one of Brandon's ace Pokémon, perhaps even one of his trump cards!
To see it appear as early as the second match showed that Brandon was taking him seriously—the best possible attitude one could hope for from an opponent.
Of course, this also presented a challenge for Paul—a challenge that would be incredibly difficult to overcome.
This Regice was more than just a Legendary Pokémon; the aura it exuded was completely different from that of the Dusknoir he had just faced.
Its level was clearly far superior to that of Dusknoir.
A Legendary Pokémon that also outclassed his own team in level... this was going to be an incredibly tough battle.
Paul took a deep breath and recalled Torterra. Ice-type moves deal four times the damage to Torterra, and since the opponent is a Legendary Pokémon, there is no way he would keep Torterra on the field—especially given that he isn't the arrogant type; facing Brandon, his mindset is one of extreme caution.
"Magmortar, prepare for battle!"
With a flash of light, a crimson, duck-like Pokémon appeared on the battlefield.
Even when facing an Ice-type Pokémon—even a Legendary one like Regice—Paul chose to rely on standard type advantages.
After all, even a Legendary Pokémon cannot defy the fundamental principles of type matchups.
Moreover, Magmortar is one of Paul's strongest Pokémon, alongside Electivire and Torterra, boasting strength at the entry-level Elite Four tier.
However, seeing this, Ash couldn't help but shake his head.
"What is it, Ash? Is there a problem with Paul sending out Magmortar?" Brock asked curiously, noticing Ash's reaction.
From his perspective, swapping Torterra out for Magmortar seemed perfectly logical; did Ash have a different take on the situation?
"There's nothing wrong with the type matchup itself, but... the gap in their levels is just too wide. Type advantage alone isn't enough to bridge that kind of difference!"
Paul could only estimate Regice's level, but in reality, the Legendary Pokémon's power was far greater than he imagined, and the situation he faced was far more dire than he realized.
"A huge level gap? Is that Regice at the Champion level?" Misty asked, blinking her eyes in speculation.
"High-level Champion."
Misty and the others: !!!
There is a world of difference between an entry-level Champion and a high-level Champion!
Paul's Magmortar was only at the Gym Leader level during the Indigo Plateau Conference; even now, it would likely only be at the entry-level Elite Four tier at best. No wonder Ash said the gap in strength was massive—it certainly was!
"Ash, what do you think Paul's chances of winning are?" Serena asked curiously.
"Hmm... I'd say thirty-seventy," Ash replied after a moment of thought.
"Thirty percent? Does Paul really have a thirty percent chance?" This answer undoubtedly caught Brock off guard; he felt Paul didn't even have a ten percent chance of winning. To think Ash would rate Paul so highly?
"You misunderstood. I meant... the Ice Titan could take out seven of Paul's Pokémon in three seconds."
Misty and the others: ...
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