"Metagross, Meteor Mash! Aggron, Heavy Slam! Skarmory, Steel Wing!"
Grant attacked first, sending all three Pokémon in at once.
Ryan immediately followed.
"Venusaur, Energy Ball! Vileplume, Razor Leaf! Exeggutor, Hypnosis!"
The matchup was far from ideal for him. Alolan Sandslash was Ice/Steel, which meant Grass-type attacks were resisted, while Poison-type attacks would be completely ineffective against its Steel typing. Most of Ryan's team was poorly suited to fighting it head-on.
For now, his best option was to support Grant and create an opening for the Steel-types to land a decisive blow.
Their attacks converged from several directions.
Sandslash moved.
Its blue body blurred across the snow so quickly that the first wave of attacks struck nothing but empty ground.
Meteor Mash missed.
Heavy Slam crashed into the snow.
Steel Wing cut through the space where Sandslash had been a fraction of a second earlier.
Energy Ball and Razor Leaf followed, but neither came close.
Ryan barely had time to track its movement before the Pokémon appeared beside Vileplume.
"Vileplume, move!"
Too late.
Silver light flashed across Sandslash's claws.
Metal Claw!
"VILE!"
The strike ripped across Vileplume's body and sent it crashing into the snow. Deep gashes marked the point of impact, and the Grass-type failed to rise again.
One attack.
A Gym-level Pokémon had gone down before Ryan could even respond.
His expression changed immediately.
Grant had been watching Sandslash's movement just as closely.
"That speed..."
He understood.
"Slush Rush."
Ryan looked toward him.
Grant kept his eyes on Sandslash.
"It has to be. Slush Rush doubles its Speed in snow. And with power like that, we're dealing with a Class Champion."
The realization settled heavily over both teams.
This was not merely a strong wild Pokémon.
It was a Class Champion-level Alolan Sandslash, fighting in exactly the environment where its Hidden Ability was most dangerous.
Grant immediately changed tactics.
"We slow it down first."
He pointed toward the battlefield.
"Aggron, Rock Tomb! Skarmory, you too!"
Then he turned toward Metagross.
"Wait for the opening. High-Speed Meteor Mash."
Metagross lowered its body.
The technique combined Agility with Meteor Mash, sacrificing none of the move's impact while dramatically increasing the speed of the charge.
Ryan understood the plan.
"Venusaur, restrain it with Vine Whip! Exeggutor, Confusion!"
He immediately redirected the rest of his team as well.
"Meganium, Vine Whip! Breloom, Force Palm! Keep it boxed in!"
Aggron and Skarmory attacked first.
Rock-type energy surged across the battlefield as chunks of stone tore free from the frozen ground and launched toward Sandslash from multiple angles.
The Alolan Pokémon accelerated.
It slipped between the first few rocks with ease, then shattered another with Metal Claw before twisting around the next.
Even with Slush Rush, however, there were too many attacks coming at once.
Vines burst through the snow.
Sandslash dodged the first.
A second wrapped around one ankle.
Then another caught the opposite leg.
"Slash!"
For the first time, its movement stopped.
The remaining rocks came crashing down.
BOOM!
Several struck Sandslash directly, forcing it lower into the snow.
That was the opening Grant had been waiting for.
"Now!"
Metagross vanished forward.
A faint glow surrounded its body as Agility drove its speed sharply upward. At the same time, silver Steel-type energy gathered around one massive forelimb.
The two techniques flowed together.
High-Speed Meteor Mash!
Metagross crossed the clearing in an instant.
Sandslash tore free of the vines just in time to see the silver fist coming.
It had no room left to dodge.
BOOM!
Meteor Mash struck cleanly.
The impact launched Sandslash backward, sending it hurtling across the snow before it crashed into the side of the frozen slope.
Snow and shattered ice exploded outward.
Ryan's expression immediately brightened.
"Got it!"
For the first time since the fight began, they had landed a solid hit.
Ryan clenched his fist.
"So it can be hurt."
His eyes shifted toward the place where Sandslash had disappeared beneath the snow and debris.
"Then we can bring it down."
The thought of the people it had killed was still fresh in his mind.
Grant was less willing to celebrate.
"Don't relax yet."
He kept Metagross ready.
"That hit was good, but we still don't know how much damage it actually did."
Ryan nodded, his excitement giving way to focus.
Grant watched the settling snow.
"One more coordinated attack. Don't give it a chance to use that speed again."
Around them, the remaining Pokémon repositioned themselves.
No one took their eyes off the impact site.
Because if Sandslash got back up, they already knew how quickly the battle could turn against them.