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The move Giga Drain was a Grass-type attack with a power of 75 — the strongest of the Grass-type absorption moves. Against such a technique, which inflicted quadruple damage on it, even Swampert would never be foolish enough to take it head-on.
Under Sato's telepathic command, Swampert immediately used Dig to dodge, then began quietly carrying out the instructions Sato had given it.
In an instant, just as the emerald-green beam of Giga Drain streaked toward it, Swampert dove underground and disappeared into the muddy battlefield.
"Be careful, Ludicolo. Watch your surroundings closely," Tobias, growled when he saw Swampert vanish with Dig. His expression soured as Ludicolo warily scanned the field.
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Swampert surfaced not far behind Ludicolo. Ludicolo reacted quickly, spinning around and firing a Bullet Seed at the intruder.
But Swampert had no intention of attacking just yet. It slipped back underground again, easily avoiding the Grass-type assault.
Moments later, it popped up on Ludicolo's right side, its eyes glinting with mischief.
Being stared at by Swampert made Ludicolo feel like prey under the gaze of some prehistoric beast. The sense of danger made its skin crawl. Without hesitation, it unleashed another barrage of Bullet Seed at the spot where Swampert's head had poked out.
Once more, Swampert slipped away underground before the shots could land.
And so it continued. For several minutes, Swampert darted in and out of the soaked battlefield like a mischievous whack-a-mole, while Ludicolo flailed about like the frustrated player who kept swinging but never hitting its target.
"What's going on here? Kira's Swampert seems to be playing a game of whack-a-mole with Tobias' Ludicolo. But it looks like Ludicolo can't land a single hit!"
The commentator laughed into the mic, amused at the scene before him.
"Hahaha~~~"
The crowd roared with laughter at the vivid description.
"Ludicolo!!!"
Flushed with rage, Ludicolo shrieked and hollered for Swampert to come out and fight head-on. Enraged, it began blasting the ground around it with all sorts of powerful Grass-type attacks, trying to flush its foe out.
Being toyed with like this, Ludicolo's fear of Swampert was quickly replaced with fury. It wanted nothing more than to drag Swampert out of the ground and beat it to pieces.
"Calm down, Ludicolo! Don't lose your focus over such tricks!"
Tobias shouted in alarm, terrified Swampert would seize the chance to strike while Ludicolo lost its composure.
Hearing its trainer, Ludicolo forced itself to rein in its rage and halted its wild attacks, standing on guard again, eyes darting across the eerily still field.
Seeing his partner regain composure, Tobias exhaled in relief.
In his lineup for the finals, Ludicolo was his trump card against Swampert. He couldn't afford to let it be wasted. At the very least, it had to deal Swampert a grievous blow.
Tobias lifted his gaze to the sky, where the heavy rain summoned by the Shiny Pelipper's Drizzle had already been pouring for over ten minutes without weakening. He then looked down at the battlefield: the once-rocky arena was gradually transforming into a Water field.
The stone floor was covered with thick standing water, and with each passing second the rain swelled it higher.
Where Swampert had burrowed, streams of mud bubbled up, spilling into the water and rapidly polluting it.
Already, nearly a third of the arena was clouded with muddy water, and the corruption was still spreading.
Tobias had never attended a Pokémon academy. As a civilian trainer, he lacked systematic knowledge. But ever since joining that shadowy organization, he had collected scraps of rare, expensive, often incomplete research texts on Pokémon.
Now, staring at the battlefield, fragments of memory struck him.
"Not good… he's trying to turn this into the perfect field for Swampert!"
The articles he'd once read said that the Mudkip line were swamp-dwelling Pokémon, thriving in foul, muddy waters. In mud, they moved even faster than in clear water.
"Ludicolo, use Ice Beam! Freeze every hole that's spilling mud!"
His voice cracked with urgency. If Swampert succeeded in transforming the Rock field into a swamp, Ludicolo would be in dire straits.
Though confused, Ludicolo obeyed. Blue-white beams lanced from its mouth, freezing the burrows that spewed mud.
But there were too many. Swampert's tunnels riddled the field. Ludicolo couldn't keep up. Even when it froze one over, Swampert shattered the ice with a single punch.
"Don't you think it's a little too late to notice now?"
Sato smirked, realizing Tobias had finally caught on. Watching Ludicolo desperately plug holes, he let his eyes flash with psychic blue light, sending a new telepathic command to Swampert.
After all its tunneling, parts of the battlefield's subsoil were riddled with holes. With rain softening the surface, the ground had become dangerously unstable.
If Ludicolo wasn't careful, it could fall into a sinkhole at any moment. That was exactly what Sato ordered Swampert to make happen.
"Luuu!!!"
A moment later, Ludicolo — still spinning in its strange dance even while firing Ice Beam — suddenly felt the earth give way beneath its feet. With a yelp, it tumbled down as the weakened ground collapsed, plunging into a gaping pit.