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Jacob's expression tightened as his eyes shifted to Claydol.
With Trick Room in effect, Claydol moved with a swiftness that hadn't been there before. Its body flared with light as Ground-type energy surged beneath it, and it launched Earth Power straight at Cinderace.
"Bounce, Cinderace!" Jacob called.
Cinderace drove its feet into the floor and launched skyward, Flying-type energy bursting from its body as it rose. Libero activated immediately — Cinderace's type shifted to Flying, the pale blue energy wrapping around it and lifting it clear of the Earth Power below.
Claydol's attack struck the empty ground beneath it.
Cinderace hung in the air a moment, then dropped — plummeting down and driving its kick toward Claydol.
But Claydol, moving with the unnatural speed Trick Room granted, slipped aside with ease. Cinderace's Bounce landed on nothing.
On the other side of the field, Bronzong hadn't been idle.
Its heavy body glowed a deep, burning red as it surged forward, picking up speed with an aggression that seemed wrong for something so large. It was using Tackle — and under Trick Room, Bronzong's slow speed was now an asset, letting it move before Darkrai could react.
The bronze bell slammed into Darkrai with a resonant crash. The impact was brutal.
"Protect!" Jacob barked.
The command came a fraction too late to prevent the hit, but Darkrai had already begun raising the shield — a barrier of pale light snapped into place just as Bronzong followed through, absorbing the worst of the blow and holding firm.
Jacob's jaw was tight. Trick Room had flipped the entire dynamic of the battle. Bronzong and Claydol were moving faster than they had any right to, while Cinderace and Darkrai felt sluggish, as if held back by invisible weight. He didn't know how much time remained on Trick Room, but he doubted his Pokémon could hold out until it expired.
There was one option left. One gamble.
Dark Void and Wonder Room together — used in a single moment.
It was the combo he had been saving. If it landed, the battle was over. But there was only one clean window, and if Bronzong or Claydol managed to raise Safeguard before Dark Void connected, the move would be wasted. Jacob would have nothing left.
He didn't act yet. He waited, watching his opponents, reading their rhythm.
Bronzong coiled inward and launched itself forward again, Fighting-type energy coursing through its body as it bore down on Darkrai.
Tackle!
Across the field, Claydol's eyes flared. Psychic energy gathered around it in a swirling mass and hurled itself toward Cinderace like an invisible fist.
Confusion!
Both Pokémon attacked at the same instant.
Jacob's eyes sharpened. Now.
"Darkrai, Dark Void! Cinderace, Wonder Room!"
Both Pokémon moved without hesitation.
Cinderace threw its arms wide and the space between the two sides seemed to ripple — Normal-type energy surged across the field in a wave, and in an instant, the field conditions were reversed. The Safeguard that had been protecting Bronzong and Claydol swept over to cover Cinderace and Darkrai instead, leaving their opponents completely exposed.
At the same moment, black energy orbs bloomed in the air around Darkrai and shot toward both targets.
Bronzong was already in motion. It had no time to stop. Its heavy body drove straight into Darkrai with a shuddering crash, dealing heavy damage — but Dark Void had already passed through it. The black spheres sank into Bronzong's body like smoke.
A deep, suffocating darkness spread through it. The world went quiet.
With a heavy thud that shook the arena floor, Bronzong collapsed.
Asleep.
On the other side, Claydol saw what was happening. The moment Darkrai released Dark Void, Claydol dropped its Confusion mid-cast and twisted sideways, drifting clear of the incoming attack. The black orb that had been meant for it sailed wide.
One hit out of two. Not perfect — but more than enough.
"Darkrai, Nightmare!"
Ghost-type energy poured from Darkrai, curling like dark smoke as it seeped into Bronzong's sleeping form. Nightmare latched on, pulling at Bronzong's stamina from the inside. And on top of that, Darkrai's Bad Dreams Ability went to work — steadily, silently draining Bronzong's stamina for every moment it remained asleep.
The combination was relentless. Bronzong's stamina was already low. Between Nightmare and Bad Dreams grinding away at it, Jacob estimated it had only a few turns left — almost certainly not enough to wake up and fight back.
All they had to do now was handle Claydol.
Then Claydol's body lit up.
A brilliant, expanding white light erupted from inside it — Normal-type energy surging outward with terrifying intensity.
Jacob went cold. "That's... Self-Destruct?!"
He hadn't seen this coming. But Claydol clearly had. It knew the battle was lost. Bronzong was asleep and fading, and Claydol alone couldn't turn the tide. Its only remaining option was to take everyone down with it — a last-ditch attempt to force a draw.
"Cinderace, Protect — now!"
Jacob's voice cracked with urgency. Cinderace threw up a Protect barrier immediately, sealing itself behind a dome of shimmering light.
But Darkrai had no such option. There was nothing Jacob could do for it.
BOOM.
The explosion tore through the arena. A shockwave of smoke and force blasted outward in every direction, slamming against the electric barrier at the edge of the field — which absorbed it completely, swallowing the blast and keeping the destruction contained within the circular arena.
Silence followed.
The smoke thinned slowly. The electric barrier at the edge of the field had gone dark, the energy spent.
Bronzong, Claydol, and Darkrai lay scattered across the arena floor — all three motionless, their stamina fully depleted.
Cinderace stood at the centre of the field, the Protect barrier fading around it. It was battered. But it was standing.
Jacob exhaled long and slow. "We won."
It had been the hardest battle he had ever fought at this level. The kind of fight he wouldn't soon forget.
Then, from the floor, Bronzong stirred.
"Challenger…" it intoned, its hollow voice filling the arena, "…congratulations… you… may… proceed… to the next floor."
Jacob stared as the energy around both Bronzong and Claydol surged. Their stamina returned to full in an instant — and then kept rising. The readings climbed steadily past Gym Leader level, past anything he had faced today, until they settled at a level that made his breath catch.
Master level.
[Claydol]: Master-level strength. Cannot be captured. Cannot leave the first floor of Dragonspiral Tower's secret realm.
[Bronzong]: Master-level strength. Cannot be captured. Cannot leave the first floor of Dragonspiral Tower's secret realm.
"This is… a reward… for you," Bronzong's voice came again. "You… may… choose… one."
Three bronze treasure chests materialised before Jacob.