"Mega Swampert! Focus Punch into an Air Spiral!" Bella issued the command telepathically.
"Roar!" Mega Swampert raised its fist and punched towards Barioth.
Rumble!
The very air twisted as an invisible force began to rotate, coalescing out of thin air into a huge spiral, forming a massive tornado. This vortex enveloped nearly the entire battlefield, leaving Barioth no room to escape. It had to meet the attack head-on.
Mega Swampert's speed was incredibly slow, and with Barioth's Chilling Wind halving it further, Bella knew she had to force a direct confrontation. Otherwise, the faster Barioth would simply toy with her Pokémon. Fortunately, the competition rules limited flight altitude to 100 meters and confined the battle to the arena. Without these restrictions, Barioth could have easily dodged any attack.
"Isn't Focus Punch a melee skill?" Zhang frowned. "Twisting the force of the punch into a spiral to tear the air and form a tornado, turning it into a ranged attack... what a genius idea."
Watching the tornado, Zhang was reminded of Ash Ketchum, who was famous for developing ordinary moves into incredibly powerful and unconventional techniques.
I should try developing my skills like this in the future, Zhang thought. It could drastically increase my Pokémon's strength.
"Ice Tornado!"
"Roar!" Barioth opened its mouth and unleashed a massive whirlwind of ice—its signature Ice Tornado attack. The vortex was easily as large as Mega Swampert's, a clear sign that Barioth was using its full power.
RUMBLE!
The two tornadoes collided with an explosive blast of air before dissipating completely. Their power was evenly matched.
"Something's not right," Bella's eyes narrowed. She knew Focus Punch was a 150-base-power move, a true powerhouse. Her custom Air Spiral version was even stronger. By her estimation, Barioth's Ice Tornado should only have a base power around 80.
Even with the 50% Same-Type Attack Bonus (STAB) for being an Ice-type, it shouldn't have been able to match Mega Swampert's attack.
"The ability. That's the only answer," she deduced. "This Barioth must have an ability that boosts its Ice-type moves by another 50%. And its base Attack stat must be around 160. What a powerful Pokémon."
Her guess was correct. Barioth's unique ability did indeed grant it a second 50% power-up to its ice skills.
SWISH!
The moment the whirlwinds vanished, Barioth moved. It dove from the air towards Mega Swampert like a hunting tiger, its eyes cold, its movements swift with a wild, elegant beauty. It closed the distance with Pounce, its huge tiger-like claws extended to grab its opponent.
"Focus Punch!"
Mega Swampert threw a punch. The Air Spiral version was a ranged attack that required time to form and couldn't be used at close quarters.
BANG!
Claws met fist with a dull thud. Once again, their power was comparable. Barioth's Pounce was a Dragon-type move, so it didn't benefit from its ability's Ice-type boost. But Mega Swampert's standard Focus Punch was also weaker than the tornado version.
The ice under Mega Swampert's feet shattered, and the force of Barioth's strike drove its legs half a meter into the hard cement of the arena floor. At the same time, Mega Swampert's punch sent the multi-ton Barioth flying more than ten meters into the sky.
"Tail Sweep!" Barioth twisted in the air and lashed out with its massive tail.
"Protect!" Mega Swampert raised its arms, shielding itself from the blow.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The two titans clashed relentlessly. Barioth's claws and tail became a storm of attacks, each movement precise and efficient, a cold fighting machine of wild elegance. Mega Swampert used Protect and Focus Punch to weather the assault. The rhythm of the fight was so fast that even Bella, with her psychic link, dared not interfere. The Pokémon were now fighting on pure instinct.
"It's like watching two martial arts masters fight. It's exhilarating."
"Yes, a true visual feast."
"Wild and elegant!" many people thought, watching Barioth pivot and strike. Its movements were crisp, without a single wasted motion, possessing the powerful beauty of a choreographed action film.
"What amazing battle experience!" someone sighed, eyes shining.
"Mega Swampert is being suppressed. It's about to lose. That Barioth's combat experience is just too rich."
"The biggest issue is Mega Swampert's speed. It's forced into a passive role. If not for its defensive skill, it would have lost long ago."
"Even with the competition rules limiting its full potential, this Barioth is terrifying."
"What a powerful opponent," Bella thought, her gaze fixed on Zhang, her blood boiling with a warrior's fire. "Zhang, grow up quickly. I can't wait to have a real battle with you, with all my strength."
After more than ten seconds, Mega Swampert was a fraction of a second too slow to use Protect.
BOOM!
Barioth's massive tail slammed into Mega Swampert's head, knocking it to the ground.
"Ice Tornado!"
Barioth immediately followed up, unleashing a frigid vortex that engulfed the fallen Pokémon.
RUMBLE!
The whirlwind of ice raged. When it finally dissipated, Mega Swampert lay defeated, reverting to its normal Swampert form as it fainted.
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