Travis ordered the sleeping Snorlax to use Sleep Talk.
Snorlax should randomly use one move from the moves it had already learned. "Generally" it would use the move it normally used most often, the one that left the "deepest" impression in its mind. During Sleep Talk it would unconsciously use it.
Snorlax suddenly curled into a large ball of fur. Its body seemed to be faintly shrouded with a layer of energy. This time when Icicle Spear hit Snorlax's body, it was actually bounced away.
Defense Curl!
Tetsuya recognized this move. It was also one of Snorlax's most basic moves, a move it knew from birth.
'No wonder Snorlax used it while in the Sleep Talk state.' Travis had not commanded Snorlax to use it earlier, probably because he had long forgotten these basic moves of Snorlax, only pursuing high power moves like Body Slam and the move Brick Break that had been learned through a TM disc.
Piloswine's attack did not stop because of this. If he did not inflict enough damage on Snorlax now, once it woke up he would become extremely passive.
Moreover, this was not a formal court/battlefield. Maintaining Hail weather for too long would inevitably attract complaints. The longer it dragged on, the more disadvantageous it would become for him.
Suddenly Snorlax moved!
…Or rather, the entire large ball of fur moved.
Snorlax began to… 'Roll?'
Tetsuya once again felt speechless. The previously used Body Slam and Brick Break had not been used at all. Snorlax's Sleep Talk had first used Defense Curl and then used Rollout.
Was this a coincidence? Or was his luck simply that bad.
Rollout was a move whose power increased the longer the continuous rolling lasted, growing stronger with the impact created by the rolling. Moreover, after using Defense Curl, its power would double!
However, the move Rollout had two weaknesses. During continuous rolling, dizziness and numb limbs would occur. Therefore most Pokémon could not maintain the rolling for very long.
Often before the power of Rollout could fully build up, they would already be unable to continue.
Furthermore, after using Rollout the eyes would also be hidden. The attack could only rely on hearing and touch. Without long-term training it was very difficult to hit the opponent.
But Snorlax…
A large ball of fur over two meters tall and weighing more than four hundred sixty kilograms using Rollout was simply a disaster to anyone it hit!
As Snorlax rolled, even the ground of the central plaza trembled. Piloswine also unconsciously showed hesitation. The scene was too terrifying!
"Piloswine, do not move."
Tetsuya quickly reminded it. Right now Snorlax did not know Piloswine's exact location and could only charge around blindly. Once Piloswine moved, Snorlax would sense it. If Snorlax locked onto Piloswine, the battle would become difficult.
Within the Hail, Piloswine's figure was already blurry. Travis wanted to give Snorlax directional commands but he could not clearly determine Snorlax's position either and could only become anxious.
Within the Hail the only thing Tetsuya could do was let Piloswine remain still. As long as Snorlax rolled itself dizzy, his opportunity would come. In such a state, with Piloswine's current attack capability it simply could not deal with Snorlax.
Only Piloswine's long howl could be heard as the Hail gradually weakened.
Sure enough, the "battlefield" was too small. Even by accident Snorlax could easily bump into Piloswine. At this moment Piloswine was already fleeing in panic, and Snorlax had already locked onto Piloswine.
Running could never be faster than rolling.
Now the power of Rollout had already reached its limit. With a fierce rolling impact it charged forward, and Piloswine was sent flying straight as if thrown to the edge of the sky, crashing onto the road outside the central park.
This blow was terrifying to the extreme!
Tetsuya immediately ran over and recalled Piloswine.
At this moment Travis also hurriedly recalled Snorlax and ran over, saying, "H-How is your Piloswine? I am really sorry. My Snorlax's Rollout is simply too powerful and very difficult to control, so I did not dare to let it use this move before…
I did not expect it to use it during Sleep Talk and injure your Piloswine so badly…
How about I take you to the Pokémon Center?"
"If my ability is inferior, there is nothing more to say."
After saying this, Tetsuya headed directly to the Pokémon Center. In his previous life, Travis and he had both been Gym Leaders. Yet now Travis already had such strength…
If Travis could properly utilize Snorlax's Rollout, Tetsuya would be no match at all!
It seemed his own efforts were still not enough…
Today he had originally planned to relax for a bit, yet he encountered such a crushing defeat. It seemed even Arceus was urging him not to relax even slightly!
Travis raising this Snorlax could be considered a relatively high starting point. However, the cost of nurturing Snorlax was truly enormous, which also limited the improvement of his overall strength.
Because relying on only one Snorlax made it easy to be targeted!
Once someone countered his Snorlax, Travis no longer had any Pokémon worth mentioning. That was why he had only climbed to the position of Gym Leader.
---◓---
Tetsuya sent Piloswine to the Pokémon Center. Nurse Joy's diagnosis was that it needed to rest at the Pokémon Center for one day before being discharged. Tetsuya was directly asked to pay one thousand Pokédollars as a hospitalization deposit and to come back tomorrow morning to retrieve Piloswine.
Walking out of the Pokémon Center, Tetsuya naturally felt somewhat dejected. He had come out together with Piloswine, yet unexpectedly he returned alone.
Returning to the training room of Battle Park, Tetsuya found it difficult to calm down. Losing one thousand Pokédollars was a small matter.
What was rare was encountering an opponent like Snorlax who was stronger than him by one level but not overwhelmingly so. It could be said to be the most challenging.
Moreover, the two TMs Rest and Sleep Talk were truly too rare. He still felt somewhat tempted.
Looking at Ditto handling the treadmill with ease…
Tetsuya nodded. It was indeed time for Ditto to appear. Recently Ditto had almost not participated in any battles, yet Ditto had always been the Pokémon staying by his side, silently contributing without the slightest complaint.
To be honest… with Ditto attached to his wrist, he actually felt a strange sense of security.
"Ditto."
Tetsuya called out, and Ditto immediately jumped down from the treadmill and looked at Tetsuya.
"Today I will take you to challenge a powerful opponent and see how the recent training results have been."
After Tetsuya finished speaking, Ditto showed unusual excitement. It seemed Ditto still longed for battle and hoped even more for an opportunity to prove itself.
Perhaps the only one who could now contend with Snorlax was Ditto.
This time Ditto directly stood on Tetsuya's shoulder as they once again came to the central plaza. At this moment there were far fewer people than before.
After Snorlax had displayed such powerful destructive force earlier, many people had already given up challenging it for the sake of their own Pokémon. Most of those present were simply members of the crowd watching.