The five-minute intermission wasn't long, but Zeke had that rule to thank for saving him.
Without it, Slowking would probably have swept his entire team. Its Attack was up six stages, with Special Attack and Speed up two stages each. Ten boosted stat stages in total. It was terrifying.
The break did more than clear Slowking's stat boosts. The battlefield was also replaced during those few minutes.
That meant the Toxic Spikes the shell crown had scattered earlier were gone.
The downpour had stopped as well, and the sun was out again.
The intermission erased the winning side's advantages and gave the losing side a chance to mount a fresh attack.
"Both Trainers, please return to your positions!"
The five minutes flew by. The referee stepped forward to call for the match to resume.
"Go, Slowking!"
Caster sent Slowking out again.
Its powers activated, bringing back the torrential rain and establishing Psychic Terrain once more.
A vein throbbed on Zeke's forehead, but there was nothing he could do about it.
He gritted his teeth and threw a Poké Ball. "You're up, Gengar!"
"Gengar!"
Gengar was a dark purple Pokémon with two legs and a short, pointed tail. It had red eyes and spikes protruding from its back. The corners of its mouth curled upward in a smile that looked sinister and unsettling.
Ding-ding!
The bell rang, and the second half began.
"Gengar, Phantom Force!"
Zeke swept out his arm, launching the first attack.
Normally, his Gengar's best tactic was to vanish into the shadows of nearby objects and wait for an opening. Then it would use moves such as Confuse Ray, Will-O-Wisp, Toxic, Thunder Wave, and Hypnosis to pile status conditions onto its opponent before toying with it and finishing it off.
But those tricks wouldn't work against Slowking.
For one thing, Slowking's psychic power surpassed even Metagross's. Gengar couldn't hide from it.
For another, Zeke no longer dared underestimate Caster.
He knew Slowking could learn Safeguard and Magic Coat. Those nasty little status moves would be useless against it, and might even backfire.
Of course, trying the same approach against Gengar wouldn't work either.
The best option was to fight it head-on!
"Gengar!"
With a strange cry, Gengar flickered out of sight.
A moment later, Slowking felt a sinister chill rushing toward it.
"Slowking!"
Slowking frowned.
It could vaguely sense Gengar's position, but Gengar was too fast. At its normal strength, Slowking's psychic power probably couldn't catch and restrain it.
With no other choice, it formed six Reflect barriers around itself, ready to defend and counterattack.
Yet Gengar seemed to abandon its attack when faced with the barriers.
"Slowking!"
A ghostly figure suddenly appeared above Slowking's head.
Pain crossed its face. Its stamina began draining rapidly, and it nearly dropped to its knees.
"Curse!"
Caster's expression changed.
Phantom Force had been a feint. Zeke's real weapon was Curse.
Curse was a Ghost-type move.
When used by a Pokémon that wasn't a Ghost type, it lowered the user's Speed while raising its Attack and Defense.
When a Ghost-type Pokémon used it, however, it sacrificed a large amount of stamina to curse the opponent. The target would then lose stamina at intervals until it was defeated or switched out.
"With Gengar out there, switching probably isn't an option!"
Caster narrowed his eyes, weighing his options.
Mean Look was an essential move for Gengar. It prevented the opponent from escaping, allowing Curse to keep working until the target collapsed.
"Slowking, Take Heart!"
Caster had made his decision.
Not enough psychic power?
Then boost it!
With enough strength, Slowking could lock onto Gengar and catch it in an instant, just as it had restrained Poliwrath earlier.
"Slowking!"
Slowking closed its eyes. The psychic energy in its mind grew more and more active.
Zeke was delighted.
If Slowking was using a stat-boosting move, it couldn't use Magic Coat at the same time to reflect status moves.
"Gengar! Now, use Confuse Ray!" he shouted.
The hidden Gengar became a dark blur above Slowking. Ghost-type energy formed a strange light that shone straight down onto its target.
Reflect could blunt physical attacks, but it couldn't stop Confuse Ray.
Slowking grunted. Stars appeared above its head.
"It worked!"
Zeke was thrilled.
But just then, two flashes of light shone from Slowking's body.
Its power rose. Its psychic energy became even more active, condensing into a layer of armor over its body.
Slowking's Special Attack and Special Defense had increased!
And when it opened its eyes, the circling stars above its head vanished.
Zeke stared in disbelief. "What move is that? It can even cure confusion?"
Unfortunately for him, neither Caster nor Slowking was going to answer.
With its psychic power strengthened, Slowking finally caught Gengar.
But at that moment, Curse struck again. Slowking grimaced in pain, and even its psychic power faltered. Gengar nearly escaped.
"Gengar!"
Panic flashed across Gengar's face. It tried to break free, but couldn't budge.
Caster didn't attack immediately. Gengar didn't have much stamina left.
Under normal circumstances, a single Psychic from Slowking would knock it out.
But Caster didn't dare do that. He was afraid Destiny Bond would take Slowking down too!
Destiny Bond was a Ghost-type move. After using it, if the user fainted from an opponent's attack, that opponent would faint as well.
It was a nasty surprise to spring on someone, and extremely difficult to guard against.
Luckily, Caster had a way out!
"Slowking, use Scald!"
Slowking nodded and spat a stream of steaming hot water over Gengar.
Scald was a powerful Water-type attack with a chance of burning the opponent, making it an excellent move.
A burn lowered the opponent's physical Attack and steadily drained its stamina, much like Toxic. It was a good way to counter Curse.
Most importantly, Scald was an attacking move rather than a status move. Gengar couldn't bounce it back with Magic Coat.
"Gengar!"
Gengar howled as the water scalded it. It writhed and struggled desperately, but couldn't escape the psychic restraint.
To Caster's disappointment, it didn't get burned.
His expression darkened as he watched Gengar grow weaker.
He was worried another hit would knock it out on the spot.
For the first time, Caster wished his opponent could last a little longer.
"Heal Pulse!"
With no other choice, he had Slowking heal Gengar first.
"Slowking!"
Waves of gentle light washed over the plump purple Pokémon. Its body began to glow, and its injuries healed considerably.
"Oh my God!!! What am I seeing?"
The commentator's excited voice rang out over the speakers. "Caster's Slowking is actually healing Zeke's Gengar!"
"Gengar?"
Gengar was just as bewildered.
Only Zeke understood what Caster was planning. He gritted his teeth.
This Trainer was ridiculously strong, but way too cautious!
He wasn't giving Gengar any chance to take Slowking down with it!
Splash!
The second Scald finally burned Gengar. Caster let out a breath of relief.
Soon, with barely any stamina left, Gengar swayed and drifted to the ground, its eyes spiraling.
۞۞۞۞
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