In that same instant, Drakloak's body erupted with Ghost-type energy — dense and suffocating, spreading outward like a curtain of shadow drawn across the night sky, turning the air above the arena a deep, bruised purple.
Drakloak's connection to Dragon-type energy had always been strong, but after absorbing the core Ghost-type energy from the shattered Prison Bottle, its affinity for Ghost-type power had surpassed it entirely. This was the first time it had let that show.
"Curse!"
Just as Jacob had anticipated.
In a one-on-one battle, Curse used by a Ghost-type Pokémon was one of the most oppressive moves available. There was no switching out to escape it — the target had to endure the damage every single turn until one of them went down.
Drakloak paid half of its own HP to set it. Ghost-type energy poured off its body like smoke, tunneled into Sceptile, and settled there — a quiet, relentless drain that had already begun.
From this point on, the match was a race against time. Sceptile had to finish Drakloak before the Curse wore it down to nothing. Drakloak only needed to outlast it.
"Cham!"
Sceptile's eyes sharpened. It could feel the Ghost-type energy gnawing at it from the inside. Dragon-type energy surged through its body in answer — thick and coiling — concentrating at its wrists into massive, heavy claws. It launched off the ground and drove straight at Drakloak.
Dragon Claw.
But Drakloak was already moving. A dimensional rift opened behind it, and it slipped through before Sceptile's claws could reach it.
Phantom Force.
Unlike Dimensional Ambush, the standard version of Phantom Force required Drakloak to spend time charging inside the dimensional space before striking. Dimensional Ambush was instantaneous. Having mastered both, Drakloak could choose freely how long it remained hidden — though staying too long risked losing its way in that space entirely.
It reappeared at Sceptile's flank and attacked from the side.
Sceptile was ready. The moment Drakloak came through, it spun and drove its Dragon Claw into it.
Boom.
Ghost-type and Dragon-type energy clashed, sending a ripple through the arena. Sceptile had the slightly better of that exchange — but the real damage wasn't from the hit. It was from Curse, still grinding away in the background.
The pressure on Sceptile was building. It couldn't afford to let up for a single turn, and it couldn't let Drakloak slip back into the dimensional space unchallenged.
Dragon-type energy surged again. Sceptile pulled it together fast — in one breath, a swirling dragon-shaped pulse of force had already formed in front of it.
Dragon Pulse.
A barrier of light snapped up in front of Drakloak, catching the full force of Dragon Pulse and holding.
Protect.
The moment the barrier faded, another dimensional rift opened, and Drakloak vanished again.
Phantom Force. Protect. Phantom Force. And Curse running the whole time underneath — this was Drakloak's plan, and it was working.
Jacob watched with a faint, reluctant appreciation. It was effective, no question. Annoying, even. It reminded him of the old Substitute-Protect-Toxic stall loop. He caught himself wondering: what if you layered Curse and Phantom Force on top of that? Would it just completely break the opponent?
Then he caught himself. Drakloak was strong enough to beat Sceptile cleanly. Why was it playing it this way?
Sceptile's eyes narrowed as Drakloak disappeared into the dimensional space again — but it didn't wait. A vivid green glow ignited across its body, Grass-type energy gathering like scattered fireflies, flowing inward and beginning to restore its health.
Synthesis.
It was nighttime, which significantly weakened Synthesis's recovery. But even a partial heal helped offset what Curse was taking from it turn by turn.
Jacob nodded quietly. A reasonable call. But Sceptile had hesitated a moment too long — if it had used Grassy Terrain during Drakloak's previous Phantom Force phase and followed with Synthesis now, the recovery would have been meaningfully better. Experience would close that gap eventually.
Drakloak noticed the Synthesis the moment it took effect, and came back out of the dimensional space — but this time it was smarter about it. Instead of reappearing right next to Sceptile as before, it opened the exit at a distance, putting space between them before Sceptile could react.
Both Pokémon were reading each other well. The battle had become precise.
"Cham!" Dragon-type energy surged through Sceptile again. Its ranged move options were limited — Dragon Pulse was the most reliable tool it had right now, and it reached for it again.
The energy dragon streaked through the air toward Drakloak, roaring as it went.
Drakloak had just come out of the dimensional space — Phantom Force wasn't available yet. And Protect had been used recently enough that forcing it again risked failure. It needed another option.
"Double Team!"
In an instant, Drakloak's form flickered and multiplied. Seven, eight identical copies of it stood across the arena — each one indistinguishable from the next.
Boom.
Dragon Pulse swept through three of them, scattering the illusions. Five remained.
The real Drakloak was still among them. Sceptile's luck hadn't been kind.
The miss only sharpened the urgency. Every turn that passed was another tick of Curse damage. Sceptile pulled Dragon-type energy together again, preparing another Dragon Pulse — it didn't have many other options.
Then something struck it from the side.
Normal-type energy, sharp and sudden, hit like a needle slipping into its thoughts — and the Dragon Pulse simply stopped forming. The energy collapsed before it could take shape.
What was that?
Disable.