Both sides had used Protect to buy themselves some time.
Jacob's eyes settled on Mega Sceptile. After a short while, it had mostly shaken off its confusion. It still felt a little dizzy, but it was in far better shape than before.
"Sceptile, Leaf Blade!" Jacob called out. With things as they were, his only real choice was to send Mega Sceptile into close combat and let Leaf Blade decide the fight.
Or he could use that one move — his secret weapon.
Jacob's eyes flickered with thought. He had planned to save that move for the upcoming Gym Leader League, but now it seemed he would have to use it early.
At Jacob's command, Sceptile's body flared with green light once more. Leaf Blades formed along its wrists, and with a burst of strength it shattered the ice clinging to its body before charging at Ludicolo.
Watching Mega Sceptile close in, Edgar stayed remarkably calm. "Ludicolo, Ice Beam!"
A pale blue beam of ice shot across the field, streaking straight toward Mega Sceptile.
"Now! Sceptile, Seed Bomb!"
At Jacob's shout, Mega Sceptile — still rushing toward Ludicolo — slowed for just a moment. Its spiked tail snapped off and shot through the air like a missile, flying straight at Ludicolo.
"What kind of Seed Bomb is that?"
"Shouldn't that be called a Seed Missile?"
"I've never seen a move used like that before."
. . . . . . . . .
It wasn't that the crowd had never seen Seed Bomb before — it was that none of them had ever seen it fired off like a missile.
This, it turned out, was an ability unique to Mega Sceptile. After Mega Evolving, Sceptile could tear off its own tail and hurl it at an opponent like a projectile. Better still, the tail would grow back again and again, for as long as the Mega Evolution's energy lasted.
No Pokémon besides Mega Sceptile could perform this kind of Seed Missile attack.
The flying Seed Missile met the Ice Beam head-on and exploded, and a burst of glowing green Grass-type energy pushed back against the ice, blocking it completely.
Mega Sceptile used the opening to close the distance and strike at Ludicolo.
Leaf Blade!
Glowing green blades slashed through the air again and again, cutting into Ludicolo.
With Swords Dance already boosting its attack, not even a Heavenly King-level Ludicolo could take hits like these without faltering.
Edgar's face went pale. The sudden Seed Missile had caught him completely off guard. He studied the battlefield carefully, then shouted, "Ludicolo, Blizzard!"
With Mega Sceptile bearing down on him in close combat, Edgar switched strategies at once, calling for the more powerful — if less reliable — move Blizzard instead.
Blizzard only has guaranteed accuracy in snowy weather. It hits hard under normal conditions but can miss its target. Still, at such close range, its accuracy would climb sharply regardless of the weather.
A bitter chill swept across the field. Beneath the night sky, the Blizzard rolled in like a wave of winter, bearing down on Mega Sceptile.
At such short range, there was no time to dodge.
"Sceptile, keep using Leaf Blade!" With no way to retreat, the best option left was to push forward and fight to the very end.
Through the driving snow, Sceptile kept swinging its Leaf Blade, striking again and again and leaving fresh wounds across Ludicolo's body.
But the storm only grew fiercer. Blizzard, one of the strongest Ice-type moves in existence, was every bit as fearsome as its reputation suggested.
Eventually the swirling snow swallowed Sceptile whole. Unable to endure the punishing cold any longer, it collapsed, its Mega Evolution fading as it lost the ability to battle.
"Sceptile is unable to battle! Ludicolo wins!"
"Come back, Sceptile." Jacob recalled his partner, then turned his eyes to Ludicolo.
Even though Ludicolo had won, it was running on fumes — one more good hit would finish it off.
Jacob considered his options. Mega Charizard Y? Volcarona? Dragapult?
After a moment's thought, he settled on Charizard.
"Go, Charizard!"
Crack!
A flash of red light, and Charizard appeared once again in the night sky.
"Charizard, Heat Wave!"
To be safe, Jacob called for the wide-reaching move Heat Wave, hoping to finish off what little stamina Ludicolo had left.
"Ludicolo — Rain Dance."
Rather than have Ludicolo try to withstand the attack, Edgar called for Rain Dance instead.
Water-type energy swirled around Ludicolo as its held item, Damp Rock, activated, intensifying the effect even further.
Damp Rock boosts the power of Rain Dance, giving an edge in any battle for control of the weather, and extending how long the rain will last.
Boom!
Flames rolled across the field in a scorching wave, washing over Ludicolo and draining away its last bit of strength.
But just before it fell, Ludicolo managed to finish casting Rain Dance, turning the weather to a heavy, pouring rain.
"Ludicolo is unable to battle! Charizard wins!"
. . . . . . . . .
"It looks like both sides have traded a win apiece in this opening round. Each trainer now has two Pokémon left, and we're right back to an even match."
"What started as a three-on-three battle has become a two-on-two, with Edgar holding the advantage thanks to the rain."
"This rainy weather could turn out to be the deciding factor in this match."
"Will Edgar send out Politoed next, or will he go straight to his ace?"
"As we all know, Edgar's ace Pokémon isn't quite like most rain-team aces. His ace is—"
Before the host, Julio, could finish his sentence, Edgar had already thrown a red and white Poké Ball onto the field.
"Go, Scizor."
"There it is! Edgar's ace Pokémon! This is the very Pokémon Edgar raised from scratch after becoming a Gym Leader, training it all the way up to face King-level trainers. It's currently his strongest Pokémon."
"As a Bug and Steel type, Scizor has exactly one weakness — a four-times weakness to Fire."
"But in the rain, Fire-type moves lose power, which works in Scizor's favor and lets it thrive as a physical attacker on a rain team."
Jacob's attention shifted to Scizor.
Its crimson metallic shell gleamed like armor plating, and its heavy, hammer-like pincers glinted coldly through the falling rain.
Scizor locked eyes with Mega Charizard Y, utterly unafraid.
Heavenly King-level strength. The Technician ability. A Life Orb held tight in its claws.
Edgar clearly had complete faith in his Scizor — otherwise, he never would have sent it out to face Mega Charizard Y.
"Charizard, Heat Wave!"
"Scizor, Swords Dance!"
. . . . . . . . .