Having previously watched Yuuji's Bellsprout battle Nozomi's Sandshrew, Nozomi thought he had a good grasp of the little Ground-type's capabilities.
In his mind, his Gastly should be able to easily overcome Sandshrew in a direct confrontation.
But it wasn't until Gastly actually faced off against Sandshrew that Nozomi realized he had slightly underestimated A.J.
A.J.'s Sandshrew truly was his ace. Even after its earlier skirmish with Yuuji's Bellsprout, its combat strength remained formidable. Against Gastly, it showed no signs of weakness.
On the battlefield, Gastly once again whizzed past Sandshrew.
Gastly's Shadow Ball unleashed a blast that staggered Sandshrew backward, while Sandshrew's Rock Throw forced Gastly to dodge erratically.
The intense exchange thrilled the watching trainers.
After retreating, Sandshrew unleashed a Sandstorm.
The whirlwind of sand made Gastly's gaseous form appear blurred, and the dense grit carried by the fierce wind inflicted more than a little damage on it.
"Looks like Sandshrew has the upper hand."
"Gastly's in a tough spot."
"I think Nozomi might lose this round."
The spectators muttered among themselves.
To them, it seemed Gastly was on the verge of defeat. But A.J. didn't share their optimism. Watching his panting Sandshrew, he felt the situation was far from favorable.
It wasn't that Sandshrew was struggling. On the contrary, its condition had been excellent from the start—both offensively and defensively it performed admirably, even managing to inflict some damage on Gastly earlier.
Nozomi's Gastly had maintained its offensive momentum but had been unable to land any meaningful damage on Sandshrew.
And then A.J. noticed a serious problem—a problem only revealed through this battle with Gastly.
Gastly's unique traits.
While the Ghost/Poison type combination didn't have a type advantage over Sandshrew's Ground-type, the critical factor was that as a Ghost-type Pokémon, Gastly was composed of gas. Many physical attacks didn't outright fail against it, but the damage they inflicted was minimal.
During the battle, there were multiple occasions when Sandshrew's attacks should have landed, but Gastly avoided them thanks to its immunity to physical strikes.
Moreover, because Gastly floated in the air, Sandshrew's Ground-type moves—like Quicksand or similar techniques—were entirely ineffective. Meanwhile, Sandshrew had to get dangerously close during its attacks, risking exposure to Gastly's naturally toxic body.
This was a very precarious situation: Gastly could threaten Sandshrew, but Sandshrew had almost no way to counter it.
If Sandshrew continued to tire, a single defensive lapse could lead to a devastating blow.
How could this battle continue like this? Gastly could strike Sandshrew, but Sandshrew couldn't touch Gastly.
A.J.'s expression remained calm, but inside, he was panicking. He had to find a way to turn the tide!
Across from him, Nozomi maintained an unflappable demeanor.
When A.J. first sent out Sandshrew, Nozomi had anticipated this scenario, which was why he had asked whether A.J. was sure about using Sandshrew against his Gastly. A.J. had ignored the warning and sent it out anyway, and now he was paying the price.
"It's time to counterattack."
Nozomi had allowed Gastly to battle Sandshrew alone merely to test the results of its training in operating independently. Now, with damage inflicted on Gastly and the match progressing, it was time to strike back.
Eyes fixed on the battle, Nozomi's mind raced as he quickly formulated a strategy against Sandshrew.
"Gastly, Sludge Bomb!" he commanded.
The spectators froze at the sudden order.
When the dark purple Sludge Bomb arced through the air toward Sandshrew, they finally reacted.
"That attack is easy to dodge!"
"Why would Nozomi give such an order?"
The trainers questioned the wisdom of the command. From their perspective, Gastly, recently weakened by the Sandstorm, should have adopted a more cautious strategy.
Nozomi ignored their doubts. To him, trusting these opinions would have been foolish. Following their advice would have been the real mistake.
He filtered out the irrelevant noise of the crowd and focused on the battle at hand.
Then he issued an even bolder command.
"Gastly, close in!"
Seizing the moment as Sandshrew dodged the Sludge Bomb, Gastly surged forward, quickly closing the distance.
"Hehehe."
A sharp, sinister laugh escaped Gastly's mouth.
The sudden approach tensed Sandshrew, its large eyes fixed on the ghostly Pokémon enveloped in violet gas.
"Sandstorm!"
A.J. commanded, opting to repeat the tactic.
It wasn't flashy, but in this situation, with few offensive options, it was highly effective.
"Sandstorm again? You think you can control me with just that?"
Nozomi addressed the attacking Sandshrew.
"But who gave you the courage to unleash Sandstorm right in front of Gastly?"
He hadn't forgotten his countermeasure. It was time for A.J. to witness a strategy that fully exploited a Pokémon's unique traits.
With a wave of his hand, Gastly flickered behind Sandshrew.
By the time Sandshrew finished the Sandstorm, the swirling sand and dirt, though fierce, had inflicted no damage on Gastly.
"Sandshrew, careful! Gastly's in your shadow!" A.J. shouted.
Gastly had slipped into Sandshrew's shadow at the very moment the Sandstorm erupted. Sandshrew couldn't hit it at all.
Having learned from his Butterfree's previous encounter, A.J. was wary of Gastly's shadow ambush and immediately noticed it.
But noticing alone wasn't enough.
Gastly, concealed in Sandshrew's shadow, seemed to vanish. Sandshrew was helpless.
"Damn…"
A.J. felt uneasy.
Gastly was like a hidden assassin, waiting in the darkness for the perfect moment to strike a fatal blow.
Could he guarantee that Sandshrew would never show a weakness? Clearly not.
This tactic wouldn't work on more experienced trainers—they could endure Gastly's attacks and seize the moment to counterattack, potentially defeating the frail Gastly in one strike.
But A.J. was in a different situation.
Sandshrew was evenly matched with Gastly, and it lacked effective offensive options. Combined, this made it powerless against Gastly.
Time passed. Sandshrew darted about like a headless chicken, while Gastly's crimson eyes flickered ominously from its shadow.
Gastly's looming presence pressured Sandshrew, forcing it to guard against sneak attacks even when turning.
This went on for a full minute.
Finally, exploiting a small lapse caused by Sandshrew's impatience, Gastly emerged from the shadow with a sinister laugh. Purple toxic gas rapidly enveloped Sandshrew, whose face turned a deep purple in pain.
"Sandshrew, break free of the toxic cloud!" A.J. urged.
If Sandshrew succumbed to the poison, victory would swing decisively to Gastly.
Sandshrew understood the danger, but Gastly's speed far exceeded its own. No matter how hard it tried, it could not escape the persistent Gastly.
Every time it tried to turn and fight back, Gastly cleverly receded into the shadows.
The scene was bizarre: Sandshrew frantically fleeing, Gastly trailing behind, ghostly eyes glowing from the shadow, releasing poisonous gas wherever it went.
"Such a battle style?"
"Unbelievable!"
"So underhanded!"
The surrounding trainers were astounded by Nozomi's cunning tactic.
They had previously doubted him, but now they watched in awe. Accustomed to battles where trainers traded moves in a straightforward back-and-forth, Nozomi's method seemed revolutionary—a rogue's playstyle.
And for trainers often considered 'weaker,' the scrappy, underhanded tactics were inspiring. They saw a hope of victory against stronger opponents.
Meanwhile, the purple gas thickened, and Sandshrew's pain grew.
Finally, at a critical point, Sandshrew collapsed from the poison.
"Sandshrew is unable to battle! Gastly wins again!"