The consequence of Taunt missing was that their offense was toyed with by the opponent's support.
In the end, Excadrill brutally rammed into Gardevoir and Rotom, sending them flying. The power of Rapid Spin was low, but the torque generated by its spinning tip was terrifying. Combined with Magnet Rise, which let it soar through the air without restraint, it was like a walking tornado.
It was a shame it was Rapid Spin and not Drill Run, or Rotom would have taken serious damage. But if it had used Drill Run, it would have sacrificed maneuverability, let alone the ability to hit two targets at once.
The distance between them widened again.
Rotom had been knocked back semi-voluntarily. It had been caught between Excadrill and Amoonguss, and Overheat had lowered its damage output.
Whether it could take out Amoonguss in one shot was uncertain, and it risked being focused down.
What it feared most wasn't the attacks themselves, but getting drained by a Growth-boosted Amoonguss using Giga Drain. That would be a disastrous trade-off.
To be fair, the opponents were playing it steady. Even when they had a chance to take out Rotom, they held back to preserve both of their Pokémon's combat effectiveness.
Having learned from their earlier mistakes, they were playing more cautiously now—a stark contrast to earlier, when they'd been willing to trade Whimsicott for Metagross.
However, Rotom hadn't been knocked back for nothing. As it flew backward, it left a little parting gift for Amoonguss, as planned. The gift was originally meant for Excadrill, but Amoonguss's Rage Powder lingered a bit too long. If it landed, all the better.
On the field, formless, ethereal flames burned silently as they approached, their trajectory slightly altered by the Rapid Spin's airflow.
"Back off!"
The female trainer shouted in panic.
At such close range, even a healthy Amoonguss would struggle to counter, let alone one at low health that had just used Rage Powder.
Still, Amoonguss acted before the command. Just as the ghostly blue fireballs were about to hit, it slammed its mushroom shields into the snow, kicking up a white curtain while leaning backward. Foul-smelling mucus gathered in its mouth, ready to spray—
No! Too late!
The Will-O-Wisp easily burned through the thin veil of snow, as if predicting Amoonguss's backward lean.
The fireball grazed it, only touching it slightly—but then it swelled.
Whoosh!
The blue flames grew rapidly, engulfing Amoonguss completely.
"Amoonguss!"
Amoonguss let out a painful howl. Its Sludge Bomb came out a moment too late, missing and splattering onto the snow, corroding a patch of white.
Burn status. Rotom's parting gift after being knocked away by Excadrill's Rapid Spin.
"Nice!"
Li Xiang couldn't help but snap his fingers. That Will-O-Wisp had been a gamble, and it actually landed. Rotom came through!
"Damn it!"
The male trainer was furious, but he didn't dare send Excadrill back. A physical attacker afflicted with burn was as good as useless. He wanted to help, but there was nothing he could do.
So, Amoonguss was doomed to take that Will-O-Wisp. There was no avoiding it.
No choice but to recall it for a Regenerator heal.
The female trainer quickly withdrew Amoonguss, triggering Regenerator and restoring a small amount of its health. After taking a shield-breaking Overheat and a Focus Blast, even with its bulk and thicker defenses, it was in a bad state. Retreating while it could still fight was the right call.
She sent Whimsicott out again, but for Li Xiang and Su Qian, this was a golden opportunity... Because Gardevoir had Excadrill locked down.
"Cover for Taunt!"
Li Xiang shouted. A dark glow appeared on Rotom.
Beside him, Su Qian commanded, "Psychic!"
Gardevoir's eyes glowed faintly. Invisible psychic energy tightened like a net around Excadrill.
A hard lockdown.
"High Horsepower!"
The male trainer roared, trying to break Excadrill free.
But the psychic grip was tighter than expected. Floating midair, Excadrill was completely immobilized, the blue energy like steel, locking its movements.
Su Qian frowned. Gardevoir had seemed to be on the defensive since it entered the field, but it had actually been trying to lock onto the opponent with its psychic waves. Its target was none other than Excadrill, the closest opponent and the one attacking it.
Locking on with psychic waves could be fast or slow, depending on the state of the user and the target's movements. After taking two hits from Excadrill, Gardevoir had finally succeeded.
It might only last a moment, but that was enough for Rotom's Taunt.
Whimsicott, upon landing, tried to use Prankster to speed up its own Taunt, racing against Rotom.
But it wasn't Corviknight—it couldn't land a Taunt faster than the opponent even when moving second. Even with Prankster, it was still just short.
The black-hearted cotton was now half-crippled.
Its Taunt was interrupted, and with its already low health, it grimaced in pain.
For a moment, it could barely move.
"Will-O-Wisp!"
Li Xiang pressed the advantage. Rotom's role in this battle wasn't to deal damage; it was to annoy the opponents to the very end.
A ghostly blue fireball shot toward Whimsicott. The move came out too fast for the opponent to switch.
But just as Taunt succeeded, Excadrill finally broke free.
"Rock Slide!"
It quickly formed a massive boulder and hurled it at Rotom.
Bang!
The boulder shattered midair into countless flying stones, intercepting the Will-O-Wisp aimed at Whimsicott, raining down.
Gardevoir stepped in front of Rotom, activating Protect to block the falling rocks.
Clatter, clatter, clatter.
The rubble struck the green shield but couldn't penetrate.
It couldn't handle Iron Head, but a Rock Slide's debris was manageable.
"Its reactions are still this fast," Li Xiang muttered, frowning.
Excadrill was tougher than he'd expected. After continuous high-intensity combat, not only was its stamina holding up, but its reactions hadn't dulled at all. That Rock Slide had been quick and precise—textbook timing.
How was its spirit still so sharp?
Still, the situation favored them. Next, they just needed to keep these two from switching out.
The opponents tried to switch again—
"Double Team!"
Rotom surged forward, instantly creating dozens of clones, blocking their move.
Two switch attempts, both interrupted, squandering valuable opportunities.
The female trainer's eyes turned red, but there was no helping it. The switch window existed only before the opponent's move landed. Rotom had clearly targeted Whimsicott both times.
If you can't seize the moment, no one can help you.
"Mean Look!"
Su Qian gave the order swiftly, temporarily abandoning the focus on Excadrill.
But just as Gardevoir was about to fire a beam of black light at Whimsicott, Excadrill deliberately moved in front of it.
"Rock Slide!"
"Excadrill!"
Excadrill roared, spamming Rock Slide from range, determined to protect Whimsicott even at the cost of itself. But that also meant it got hit by Mean Look and couldn't switch out.
Whether that was an advantage or disadvantage was anyone's guess.
Midair, countless stones rained down on the approaching Rotom, shattering many of its illusions. In an instant, dozens of copies were reduced to a few scattered ones.
But Rotom had used this chance to close in on Excadrill and Whimsicott, now standing just a short distance away.
The strange move left the two opponents baffled.
The female trainer, as the lead, was torn between switching out Whimsicott or trying to counterattack. Rotom was so close—it was a perfect opportunity to take it out with Giga Drain and High Horsepower.
But could there be a trick? Like Ally Switch, similar to the opening of the match.
As one of the few Taunt users on her team, Whimsicott had become crucial after choosing Amoonguss as her second. It would even affect her selection for the third.
The ever-changing situation, combined with the tenacious and calculating Li Xiang, made her hesitate further.
Without a trainer's command for too long, Whimsicott's weary body made its mind even slower.
But while the opponent hesitated, Rotom didn't stand idle.
It stared coldly at the two opponents and silently opened the valve on its chest.
The situation was critical.
Sweat beaded on the female trainer's forehead.
Suddenly—
"Iron Head!"
Her teammate's calm command cut through like lightning, giving her a spark of clarity.
That's right—why not each side gamble on one?
If the opponent used Ally Switch, Iron Head would hit Gardevoir. If not, what could Rotom, already weakened by Overheat, do?
Couldn't they take it down in a two-on-one?
"Giga Drain!"
She shouted.
Finally receiving a command, Whimsicott took a deep breath and drained Rotom!
From the diagonal front, Excadrill charged at Rotom, its head spike gleaming silver.
But among the three, the fastest wasn't Excadrill or Whimsicott—it was Rotom.
A torrent of water surged from its valve, roaring like a dragon as it blasted toward Excadrill.
Bang!
At such close range, the airborne Excadrill had no way to resist and was sent flying by the water cannon!
The power was terrifying.
Hadn't it already used Overheat?
The Heavenly Duo's two members wore expressions of disbelief.
Rotom's Hydro Pump far exceeded their expectations—at least fifty percent more powerful than they'd predicted.
But the change wasn't over.
As Excadrill was blasted away and Whimsicott drained Rotom, Gardevoir twisted its body and suddenly swapped places with Rotom.
Giga Drain landed on Gardevoir instead.
"Gardevoir!"
It grunted, then smiled smugly.
The timing was perfect. If it had been a moment earlier, Rotom wouldn't have been able to blast Excadrill away. A moment later, Rotom would have taken the Giga Drain.
But now, Giga Drain had hit Gardevoir, who had used Calm Mind, and barely did any damage.
And with Whimsicott, which couldn't use status moves, now standing within ten paces of Gardevoir...
Excadrill had been sent flying over ten meters away, too far to rescue in time.
An attacker facing a fragile support!
The female trainer's face visibly contorted in horror.
"Shadow Ball!"
Her voice cracked.
"Mystical Fire," Su Qian replied calmly.
The two Pokémon, face to face, unleashed their moves.
In an instant, a spiral of blazing flames swallowed the head-sized Shadow Ball and engulfed the tiny Whimsicott.
It was over.
Whimsicott wore a look of regret.
Boom!
Flames shot skyward!
Massive amounts of water vaporized, forming a towering mushroom cloud.