Battle Against the Champion
Meteor-like fireballs streaked across the sky, scattering in all directions, but some of them surged toward Slowking under the fierce control of Garchomp.
After using Trick Room, Slowking felt its heavy body become as light as a sheet of paper.
Thick paper?
With a slight push off the ground, its speed reached its peak.
Darting back and forth within the distorted space, Slowking narrowly avoided the barrage of Draco Meteor attacks.
"Garchomp, Stone Edge—cut off its escape route!" Cynthia commanded swiftly.
Having encountered Trick Room before, she knew how to counter it.
Since Slowking's speed was now amplified, Garchomp stood its ground, ensuring its long-range attacks wouldn't miss.
Though Slowking moved swiftly within the Trick Room, it wasn't accustomed to battling at such high speeds, leaving it slightly disoriented.
While it dodged most of the meteors, Garchomp's Stone Edge completely sealed off Slowking's path.
"Slowking, endure it, then use Psychic!" Aoki shouted urgently.
With no way to evade, Slowking braced itself, relying on its defensive skills to block the attack.
Aoki realized Slowking's moveset was still limited when facing a naturally dominant Pokémon like Garchomp.
If Slowking had learned Ice Beam, Aoki believed it could have whittled Garchomp down from a distance. But as things stood, neither its Psychic-type moves nor its Water-type attacks held an advantage.
Given Garchomp's overwhelming physical endurance, a direct clash would only wear Slowking down.
"Garchomp, Earthquake!"
As Slowking finished bracing, Cynthia seized the moment, striking with Earthquake before it could retaliate.
Her tactical precision proved why she was a future Champion.
But Aoki's battlefield instincts were sharper.
"Slowking, Levitate—rush in and hit it with Ice Punch!"
This was the only Ice-type move Slowking had mastered after rigorous training. Though not as refined as Weavile's technique, Slowking executed it flawlessly.
The Earthquake missed its mark, but Slowking sacrificed its chance to use Psychic in exchange for closing the distance.
A smirk tugged at Cynthia's lips.
In close combat, Garchomp feared no opponent.
"Garchomp, Dragon Breath!"
A searing blue flame erupted from Garchomp's jaws, striking Slowking head-on.
Gritting its teeth, Slowking endured the pain—and retaliated.
Boom! Boom!
Not one, but two Ice Punches hammered into Garchomp.
Aoki had drilled this philosophy into his team: Every limb is a weapon. If you could strike with both fists, why hold back?
The dual Ice Punches landed cleanly.
Though Slowking wasn't an Ice-type, Garchomp's quadruple weakness to the element made the blows devastating.
Yet Garchomp tanked the hits, its monstrous endurance keeping it standing.
"Garchomp, Dragon Claw!"
"Slowking, Ice Punch!"
With Trick Room still active, Slowking's attacks outpaced Garchomp's. Each strike landed first, weakening Garchomp's counterattacks.
Simultaneously, Slowking's Psychic energy coiled around it, disrupting Garchomp's movements.
The battle devolved into a brutal exchange:
"Garchomp, Dragon Breath!"
"Slowking, Ice Punch!"
"Garchomp, Dragon Pulse!"
"Slowking, Ice Punch!"
"Garchomp, Dragon Rage!"
"Slowking, Ice Punch!"
...
At this point, Ice Punch was the only move that mattered.
The crowd roared, electrified by the slugfest.
Cynthia's eye twitched. Was this guy seriously spamming Ice Punch? Exploiting a 4x weakness was one thing, but this was excessive.
As the team's defensive anchor, Slowking had never brawled like this before.
Fist meets flesh—this was a true battle!
Only Garchomp's sheer durability kept it in the fight.
Trick Room tilted the speed in Slowking's favor, while its Psychic energy subtly hampered Garchomp's attacks.
Though it wasn't using direct Psychic-type moves, the energy bolstered Slowking's defenses and amplified its strikes.
But Cynthia had enough.
"Garchomp, Outrage!"
A dragon's ultimate move—unleashing uncontrollable fury at the cost of rationality. Most trainers avoided it due to the loss of control, but Cynthia saw no other option.
If Aoki wanted mindless aggression, she'd match it.
"Stop! I forfeit—return, Slowking!"
Before Outrage could activate, Aoki recalled Slowking, leaving Cynthia fuming.
Slowking, relieved, clapped its hands, dispelling Trick Room before Teleporting to Aoki's side.
Garchomp blinked at Cynthia, as if asking, "Do I still... use Outrage?"