"It finally worked!"
"Now it's time for the counterattack."
Seeing this, Harvey's face filled with joy.
During the previous battle, Dragalga had not released Poison-type moves to attack.
It had done so only to allow the poisonous gas to constantly accumulate in the air, increasing its concentration, and thus cause Slowking to fall into a poisoned state silently and imperceptibly.
Now, Slowking had been successfully poisoned, which meant his plan had worked perfectly.
"Dragalga, use Venoshock!"
Dragalga had been fighting the whole time feeling suppressed.
Seeing that its opponent was poisoned, it let out a sharp roar and spat out a violent burst of toxins.
Seeing this, Slowking endured the discomfort in its body and used the Psychic move again.
Originally, in its extreme Calm Mind state, Slowking's Psychic move had completely suppressed Dragalga's Poison-type moves.
But this time, under the effects of the poisoning, its power was clearly weakened. It failed to overpower the Venoshock move and only managed to tie.
And as time passed, it was clear that Slowking's condition would worsen more and more until the poison completely exhausted its endurance.
"The battle is over."
The spectators from the Federal League let out sighs of relief.
Although that Slowking had such abnormal mental power that it could continuously use the Teleport move and the Psychic move, its physical endurance could not withstand the erosion of the poison.
"Over...? Has it really ended?"
Ethan's gaze swept across the battlefield while a faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Slowking, use Water Pulse with all your strength!"
With Ethan's command, Slowking let out a low growl and released all of its psychic power.
Suddenly, watery ripples began spreading across the ground.
Under Slowking's feet, a whirlpool of water appeared and began expanding outward.
Wherever the current passed, the poisonous swamp was swept away, revealing the uneven terrain beneath.
"Is it going all out?"
"Dragalga, use Sludge Wave!"
Harvey's expression became serious. He knew that was Slowking's final counterattack.
If they managed to withstand that assault, victory would be decided.
Splash!
Water violently churned across the battlefield.
The Water Pulse move and the Sludge Wave move collided fiercely, like two tides crashing into each other, producing a deafening roar.
"It's holding on! If it endures, Slowking will be finished!"
The spectators tensed up; both Pokémon had clearly reached the decisive moment.
However, just when everyone thought Dragalga was about to win, Shellder opened its eyes, and the red gem on its shell shone with a blue light.
In the next instant, the water became even more turbulent. The waves rose several meters high, directly overpowering the Sludge Wave move.
Like a raging flood, the current swept away the poisonous swamp and transformed into a terrifying aquatic vortex that devoured everything, trapping Dragalga inside it.
Little by little, the energy of the Water Pulse move dissipated. The water receded, revealing Dragalga lying on the ground, completely unable to battle.
"Dragalga has been defeated!"
"It only needed to hold on a little longer to win!"
The spectators sighed in regret.
"It already did quite well. That Dragalga isn't one of Harvey's main six. It managed to trade with Slowking using poison; that's already acceptable."
Another spectator spoke while looking at Slowking.
At that moment, after using that terrifying Water Pulse attack, Slowking was so exhausted that it collapsed and sat down on the ground.
"What a pity... Slowking was so strong."
The spectators from the Daleron League shook their heads.
With the strength it had shown, it could have eliminated several more. But a one-for-two trade was acceptable. Now Ethan had the advantage.
"You're next, Garchomp!"
After recalling Dragalga, Harvey sent out his Garchomp.
Garchomp specialized in speed; evidently, Harvey planned to finish Slowking in an instant.
"Dual Chop!"
In barely a second, Garchomp moved.
As it ran, two blades of air appeared on its elbows, and its figure vanished in a flash.
Slash!
In the blink of an eye, Garchomp and Slowking crossed paths.
"It hit. The battle is over."
The spectators shook their heads.
But in the next instant, they were stunned: the figure that Garchomp had cut disappeared!
"Teleport again!"
"How can Slowking still use it?"
The spectators from the Federal League could not believe it. That Slowking kept defying their understanding.
"Look, it's over there!"
"But... why does it look so strange now?"
Suddenly, a spectator shouted in surprise.
Everyone followed his finger.
In the distance, Slowking stood silently.
Strangely, its eyes were closed and it appeared extraordinarily calm.
"Wait... have you noticed?"
"The poisoned state has disappeared!"
Another spectator exclaimed.
Everyone looked carefully and confirmed that, indeed, Slowking's poisoning had disappeared.
"How is that possible?!"
Even Harvey showed disbelief in his eyes.
"Could it be some kind of illusion?"
"Garchomp, continue! Use Slash!"
Hearing the command, Garchomp once again turned into a fast shadow.
"Slowking, use Teleport!"
Slowking's figure disappeared again.
In the next instant, it reappeared beside Garchomp and suddenly launched the Water Pulse move.
Slash!
Garchomp's reaction was just as fast: it slashed through the air from a distance and split the Water Pulse move in two.
After that, the two plunged into a fierce battle, which was practically a replica of the first fight against Dragonite.
"Hey... what the hell is this battle?"
A spectator was on the verge of despair.
Hadn't Slowking already fought against Dragonite and Dragalga?
And hadn't it been badly poisoned and on the verge of exhaustion?
Then why did it look as if this were the first battle?
Had it all been an illusion?
Confused, the spectator looked at the screen. When he saw that two of Harvey's Poké Balls were already dark — bearing the symbols of Dragonite and Dragalga — he was even more stunned.
The previous battles had really happened.
And yet, now it seemed as if everything had returned to the beginning. Slowking fought smoothly, showing not the slightest sign of fatigue.
(End of chapter)