"Mega Swampert is seriously injured, unconscious, and disqualified from battling!" the referee announced loudly. "Miss Bella, please choose your next Pokémon within one minute!"
"He won! That Barioth won! This kid is seriously powerful!"
"What an incredible Pokémon, to actually pull off a victory."
"The Battle Queen lost a round!"
"What a young man!"
The crowd stared at Zhangn and the victorious Barioth, their faces a mixture of shock and surprise. Bella was an Elite Four-level trainer. Most long-established quasi-Elite Four challengers would have been crushed by now. It was clear that Zhang was stronger than his peers.
"You have a great deal of experience, but I will not lose this battle," Bella declared, her eyes glowing pink with confidence.
"Go! Slowking!"
"Win this battle for me!"
Bella threw her Poké Ball. A red light flashed, and an imposing Slowking appeared on the field.
"Slowking?" Zhang's brow furrowed. He immediately issued a command. "Barioth, Ice Tornado! Cover the entire battlefield!"
Zhang was very familiar with Slowking from his experience with Trick Room teams, where it often served as the core. Its ability to use the move Trick Room—which reverses the turn order, making fast Pokémon slow and slow Pokémon fast—was legendary. Zhang knew without a doubt that Bella would open with it, so he abandoned any thought of using Dragon Dance and went on the offensive.
Slowking
Attributes: Water / PsychicLevel: 59 (Quasi-Elite Four)Ability: Oblivious (Prevents it from being infatuated or taunted.)Held Item: Focus Sash (Endures a one-hit KO with 1 HP if at full health.)
"Slowking! Trick Room!"
Just as Zhang predicted, Bella immediately ordered the move.
"Slooow," Slowking intoned, raising its hand. The space above the battlefield began to distort, and a strange, shimmering energy enveloped the arena. Trick Room was active.
RUMBLE!
At that moment, the frigid Ice Tornado slammed into Slowking, but the Pokémon remained standing, thanks to its Focus Sash. In this world, the item didn't just leave 1 HP, but completely nullified one attack that would have caused a knockout.
"A Focus Sash?" Zhang thought. "A worthy trade, sacrificing an item to guarantee Trick Room goes up."
The situation reminded Zhang of his former classmate, Hao Fei. Compared to Bella, Hao Fei was a complete amateur, with no battle strategy, mismatched items, and poorly raised Pokémon. But Hao Fei was the norm. Elite Four-level trainers like Bella were the rare exception.
"Now the tables have turned," Bella smiled, her eyes glowing pink. "Slowking, Yawn."
Feeling his body suddenly become sluggish, Barioth let out an uncomfortable growl. It knew Zhang couldn't help it in this situation, so it made its own decision. Its speed was now a liability. A melee attack would never connect. Its only option was a ranged attack.
"Ice Tornado!" Barioth attacked again, a massive vortex of ice sweeping across the field toward Slowking. In a small arena, a move of this scale was impossible to dodge. While the field's size had limited Barioth before, it was now limiting Slowking as well.
The King Pokémon made no attempt to move, simply opening its mouth and letting out a wide yawn.
RUMBLE!
The Ice Tornado engulfed Slowking. At the same instant, Barioth was afflicted with drowsiness from the Yawn. The ice attack dealt half damage to the Water-type Slowking, and coupled with its high defensive stats, it was able to withstand the blow. Still, it was left heavily injured, looking as though it could fall at any moment.
Zhang knew exactly what Bella was planning: to trade her Slowking to put one, two, or even three of his Pokémon to sleep.
"Not so fast," Zhang said, his eyes turning cold. "Barioth, Ice Tornado—Type II!"
"Roar!" Hearing the command, Barioth opened its mouth again.
"Protect!" Slowking raised its hands to block the incoming attack. But the attack wasn't aimed at it. It was aimed at the ground.
RUMBLE!
An ice whirlwind erupted from the ground, centered on Barioth, encasing it in a protective shell of frozen air. As the seconds ticked by, the drowsiness began to take hold.
Bella was surprised. "He saw through my tactic. A worthy opponent indeed. But it doesn't matter. I still have a Plan B. He has only one choice: sleep and gamble on luck with Snore or Sleep Talk."
"My odds are better," she smiled faintly, then sent a telepathic command. "Slowking, Heal Pulse."
"Barioth, Rest, then use Sleep Talk," Zhang said softly.
Just as Bella predicted, it was his only option.
"Roar!" Inside the icy vortex, Barioth closed its eyes and fell into a deep slumber. The move Restwould last for 20 seconds, fully healing all its injuries. Compared to the 10-to-60-second duration of Yawn's sleep, Zhang felt it was a worthwhile trade. A bit of bad luck, and his Pokémon could be asleep for a full minute. He wasn't willing to gamble.
"Slooow!" Slowking raised its hand, unleashing a wave of healing energy upon itself, instantly recovering most of its health. In the real world, unlike the games, a move that could heal an opponent could logically be used to heal oneself.
The full story so far is available on Patreon!: patreon.com/Zefyrus
(145 chapters available now!)