"I choose you, Persian!"
Daisuke shouted, sending out his second Pokémon.
"That Persian looks impressive!"
Denjiro could tell at a glance that Daisuke had raised it extremely well.
Its fur gleamed like silk, and its body was remarkably muscular.
Without question, it possessed Elite Four-level combat strength.
Seeing this, Denjiro became serious once again.
Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately threw himself back into the battle.
Spiritomb had previously used Dream Eater, restoring most of the health it had lost after being struck by Solar Beam.
Therefore, Denjiro immediately ordered it to attack.
"Hypnosis!"
"Persian! Power Gem!"
Persian gathered a sphere of radiant energy in front of its mouth and launched it forward.
Spiritomb's spectral body swiftly dodged the attack.
Just like before, its body stretched unnaturally like a shadow before rapidly closing the distance between itself and Persian.
It prepared to use Hypnosis once again.
However, its figure suddenly twisted.
Something appeared to have affected it, throwing the energy inside its body into disarray.
Hypnosis failed to activate.
That was hardly surprising.
After all, the move's accuracy was not particularly high to begin with.
"Now's our chance!"
Daisuke's eyes suddenly lit up.
Naturally, he would not allow such a perfect opportunity to slip away.
"Thunderbolt!"
He issued the command immediately.
"Psychic!"
Denjiro responded at once.
At such close range, there was no possibility of avoiding a Thunderbolt moving at that speed.
Faced with this situation, Denjiro could only choose to trade damage for damage.
According to his calculations, even if Thunderbolt struck, Spiritomb should still be able to unleash Psychic.
Sure enough, everything unfolded exactly as he had expected.
Thunderbolt struck Spiritomb at the same moment Psychic hit Persian.
However, the effects of the attacks were vastly different.
Spiritomb was blasted backward by the surging electricity.
Persian merely slid back a few steps before shaking its head.
"Surf!"
Daisuke naturally refused to let such an excellent opportunity pass and immediately pressed his advantage.
A massive wave abruptly surged upward and swept toward Spiritomb.
"Float into the air!"
"Use Shadow Ball!"
Denjiro calmly issued his commands.
"I knew you would do that!"
"Use Water Pulse!"
Water gathered beneath Persian's paws.
In the next instant, it rode atop the towering wave and charged toward Spiritomb.
Seeing this, Spiritomb immediately flew higher into the sky. It twisted around and launched a Shadow Ball at Persian.
Faced with the incoming Shadow Ball, Persian immediately manipulated the current beneath its feet.
It easily avoided the attack.
The Shadow Ball struck the wave below and exploded.
However, the explosion was not enough to stop Surf.
In the next instant, a blue sphere of energy formed inside Persian's mouth.
Water Pulse was ready to be unleashed.
Even more astonishingly, blue spheres also began appearing throughout the water beneath its feet.
That was truly extraordinary.
Persian was not even a Water-type Pokémon, yet it could unleash such a powerful Water-type move.
Denjiro's expression finally became somewhat grim.
Seven blue spheres suddenly shot out from the wave beneath Persian.
Every one of them flew toward Spiritomb in the sky.
Spiritomb reacted immediately.
Several Shadow Balls were launched in rapid succession with remarkable accuracy.
Four of the incoming Water Pulses were instantly neutralized.
Spiritomb then twisted its spectral body in strange directions, successfully avoiding the remaining attacks.
Seeing this, Denjiro released a long breath of relief.
However, Daisuke suddenly burst out laughing.
"The real show is only beginning!"
The Water Pulse that had remained inside Persian's mouth flew above Spiritomb's head.
It exploded with a loud bang.
A torrent of water crashed down onto Spiritomb, completely soaking its spectral body.
"Let's finish this battle! Thunder!"
Daisuke shouted, excitement flashing through his eyes.
Spiritomb's entire body was drenched.
At such close range, the attack would unquestionably hit.
A thundercloud appeared in the sky.
Immediately afterward, an enormous bolt of lightning descended and struck Spiritomb directly.
Blinding electricity surged across its body, forming rings of crackling electrical arcs.
A pained expression appeared on Spiritomb's face.
In the next instant, it slowly fell from the sky.
Its spectral body retreated into the Odd Keystone below.
"Great job!"
Seeing this, Daisuke excitedly thrust his arm into the air.
Excellent!
Persian had actually defeated Spiritomb without suffering any meaningful damage.
Everything had gone far more smoothly than expected.
That victory would more than compensate for the Pokémon he had lost earlier.
However, at that exact moment, Persian suddenly released a miserable cry.
Its four limbs began trembling uncontrollably.
Eventually, they could no longer support its body.
Persian collapsed onto the battlefield.
Seeing this, Daisuke felt his heart sink.
A single move immediately appeared in his mind.
Destiny Bond.
Damn it!
He had completely forgotten that Spiritomb could use that move!
With this, the situation had once again shifted entirely in his opponent's favor.
Two of Daisuke's Pokémon had already lost the ability to battle.
Meanwhile, Denjiro had only lost one.
The battle had now become four against five.
The advantage had fallen completely into Denjiro's hands.
(End of Chapter)
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