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The two tentacles glowing with a purple light were clearly attacking with a Poison-type move. As a result, for the Grass-type Breloom, the sudden lash from those tentacles inflicted tremendous damage.
The instant he was struck, Breloom let out a miserable scream before his entire body crashed heavily to the ground.
Even worse, a faint, sinister purple glow soon began to spread across his body—he had clearly been poisoned.
Yet, strangely enough, even though Breloom had been poisoned, he didn't seem to be suffering at all, as though the toxin had no effect on him. Upon closer observation, his injuries were actually healing rapidly.
"Who's there!?"
The fat man, furious that his Breloom had been targeted and seriously injured, immediately roared. But when he noticed the signs of poisoning, a glint of satisfaction flashed in his small, piggish eyes buried under folds of fat.
"Come out, Shiftry—use Hurricane on that patch of grass!"
Though he pretended to stay angry, he sent out his Level 49 Shiftry and ordered it to attack the spot where the tentacles had emerged.
He knew his Breloom's Ability very well—Poison Heal. When poisoned, it not only negated the harmful effects but even restored health instead.
With that Ability, as long as he could buy Breloom a little time, it would recover quickly and rejoin the battle.
However, before Shiftry could even launch its attack, five Icicle Spears suddenly shot out from another bush—once again aimed directly at the heavily injured Breloom.
"Damn it! Shiftry, protect Breloom! Use Leaf Blade!"
Seeing the enemy still targeting Breloom, the fat man's face turned pale as he quickly shouted an order.
Shiftry stopped mid-action, stomped the ground with its wooden clogs, and dashed in front of Breloom. The fan-like leaves on its hands glowed an intense green, transforming into twin emerald blades.
With blinding speed, Shiftry swung both blades, slicing every incoming Icicle Spear into fragments.
"Swalot! Use Sludge Bomb on that bush!"
On the other side, the bucktoothed man realized a powerful ally had come to Flannery's aid. Not daring to be careless, he immediately sent out a new Pokémon—a Level 50 Swalot—to continue the attack Shiftry had failed to finish.
This Swalot was enormous, at least one and a half times larger than an average one—clearly well-trained.
It took in a deep breath, its body swelling up before it unleashed a barrage of purple energy orbs from its mouth.
Each orb was infused with a potent Poison-type energy, exploding on impact and corroding everything nearby.
In an instant, the bush where the tentacles had appeared was blasted into ruins. A slightly injured Tentacruel emerged from the wreckage—but as a light-blue aura shimmered across its body, its wounds vanished completely.
Once it appeared, Tentacruel's four long tentacles lashed out at Swalot, each one striking with the move Slam.
However, despite Tentacruel's strength, Swalot's gelatinous body absorbed much of the impact, leaving only superficial damage.
"Hmph! So it's a Tentacruel. Go, Quagsire—use Dig!"
Seeing his opponent, the bucktoothed man sneered and ordered his Quagsire, who had been hiding underground, to strike from below.
In response, Quagsire burst up from beneath Tentacruel, sending it flying high into the air.
But perhaps his cleverness backfired—though Dig had dealt heavy damage, it failed to knock Tentacruel out immediately. In retaliation, its numerous tentacles whipped around Quagsire, wrapping it up tightly.
Even with its slick, slippery skin, Quagsire couldn't escape from so many suction-cupped limbs.
"Nice work! Use Giga Drain!"
As the voice rang out, the tentacles binding Quagsire began to glow bright green.
A moment later, Quagsire screamed in agony under the Grass-type attack—then abruptly went silent.
At the same time, Tentacruel's injuries healed rapidly under the emerald glow, while Quagsire—now fainted—was tossed aside.
"Damn it! That Tentacruel actually knows Giga Drain? I underestimated it!"
The bucktoothed man's expression darkened as he watched his Quagsire fall, but he didn't retreat. Instead, he glared coldly toward the mysterious figure who had just appeared beside Flannery.
Meanwhile, the fat man commanded his Shiftry to use Hurricane again, sweeping the area to flush out another hidden foe—revealing a Cloyster grinning wickedly from behind the mist.
Once he saw his opponent, the fat man immediately ordered Shiftry to close the distance and restrict Cloyster's range of attack.
To his surprise, however, this Cloyster was remarkably agile on land, propelling itself forward with powerful bursts of water from its head and tail. It maintained distance while countering Shiftry's attacks.
Even worse, Cloyster continued firing Icicle Spears toward the already injured Breloom, forcing the fat man to abandon the chase and defend instead.
At some point, Roxanne had returned to Flannery's side—and emerging from the nearby brush was Sato, clad in a raincoat, with Pikachu perched on his shoulder.
Yes, the ones who had come to Flannery's rescue were Roxanne and Sato. The two had run into each other while en route.
After learning from Sato what kind of man the blond stranger was, Roxanne decisively abandoned him and hurried with Sato to aid Flannery.
Fortunately, they arrived just in time—otherwise, Flannery and her Torkoal would've been in grave danger.
"Long time no see, Mr. Tyler. Thank you for the help! But why are you here?"
Recognizing Sato's silhouette, Flannery immediately realized he was the one who'd saved her earlier and called out with joy.
"Now's not the time to talk. I'll explain later."
"Roxanne, take Flannery and leave first. I'll handle things here."
After giving that brief reply, Sato turned his focus toward the two hostile Trainers—the bucktoothed man and the fat man—who were now glaring menacingly at him.
As soon as he spoke, Tentacruel leapt forward beside Cloyster, whose tail expelled a jet of water, both positioning themselves in front of Sato and shielding him completely.