Slowking's explosive attack seemed to be the clarion call for the assault. The Honchkrow that had been soaring into the sky was now cloaked in a light blue aura reminiscent of Brave Bird, descending vertically toward the ground with terrifying momentum.
Yang Dou stared blankly at his Houndoom, which lay sprawled on the ground, struggling to rise. Before he could react, Gengar materialized beside Houndoom through the shadows, its eerie grin widening as it prepared to strike.
While you're weakened…
It'll finish you off!
Only then did Yang Dou snap out of his daze, realizing he needed to intervene. He ordered his Koffing to rush to Houndoom's aid—if Houndoom fainted now, the battle would become exponentially harder. But Koffing wasn't a fast Pokémon, and its sluggish movement left it unable to reach Houndoom in time.
Gengar, however, was already in position.
With a sinister cackle, it conjured a massive Shadow Ball between its claws, the dark energy swirling violently within. The sheer density of the attack was overwhelming.
Meanwhile, Slowking didn't pause after its initial strike. Confident that Gengar would handle Houndoom, it turned its attention to the approaching Koffing, unleashing a devastating Psychic assault.
On the other flank, Yang Dou's Nidoqueen attempted to break away to assist, but Florges cut off her path with a flurry of Fairy Wind. Drapion, too, abandoned its skirmish with Nidoking to latch onto Nidoqueen, refusing to let her disengage. The message was clear—they would rather take heavy damage than allow reinforcements.
Yang Dou's Krookodile stood beside him, tense but unable to act. The Honchkrow's descent left him uncertain of its target.
Have you ever seen an attack that strikes from the heavens?
The sheer force behind a Brave Bird was terrifying, and the Honchkrow's dive carried that same devastating weight.
Simultaneously, the battle in the forest intensified.
Earlier, Weavile and Shiftry had been darting between the trees, exchanging probing strikes. But with the tide turning on the main battlefield, Shiftry—Yang Dou's fastest remaining Pokémon—tried to retreat and regroup.
Weavile, however, had no intention of letting it escape.
In terms of speed, Weavile had never met a rival under Aoki's command.
It intercepted Shiftry effortlessly, forcing it into close combat.
Fists met claws in a flurry of blows.
Weavile didn't rely on flashy techniques—just Ice Punch reinforced with freezing energy, occasionally lacing its strikes with Icy Wind to slow Shiftry's movements. The frigid gusts thickened, swirling into a miniature blizzard that coated the trees in frost.
Shiftry struggled under the assault.
It wanted to retreat, but Weavile's relentless pressure left no opening. If it tried to flee now, it would only be struck down before reaching Houndoom.
To further pin Shiftry in place, Weavile summoned a localized snowstorm, the Blizzard expanding until the entire grove was blanketed in ice.
Within seconds, the forest had transformed into a frozen wasteland.
Weavile's mastery over ice had reached perfection. Though it hadn't seen major battles recently, its training had never ceased.
The Honchkrow, too, had been holding back. The power behind its Brave Bird was no less devastating than Weavile's Blizzard.
All of this happened in mere moments.
By then, Gengar had fully charged its Shadow Ball.
The orb of darkness, larger than Gengar itself, loomed over Houndoom.
Houndoom, still reeling from Slowking's Psychic, barely registered the impending doom.
Its vision swam, the air thick with malevolent energy.
Though Ghost-type attacks were only half-effective against Dark-types, the sheer magnitude of this strike negated that resistance.
And Gengar, having passed its Sniper ability to Slowking, had reactivated its own Sniper trait.
Aoki's team knew their opponents' weaknesses intimately.
Despite Yang Dou's desperate commands, Gengar hurled the Shadow Ball downward.
BOOM!
CRACK—
The ground erupted.
A crater formed where Houndoom had lain.
Now, the Dark-type Pokémon was motionless in the pit, tongue lolling, eyes rolled back. It was unmistakably unconscious—if not worse.
That fully charged Shadow Ball had been catastrophic.
Houndoom was out of the fight.
Yang Dou couldn't believe it. His strongest Pokémon, the one he'd relied on to counter Slowking, had been the first to fall.
The sheer force behind Slowking's earlier Psychic should have been warning enough.
But to think a Trainer in the League possessed a full team of Elite-level Pokémon—including a Slowking that knew Miracle Eye—was staggering.
Before he could process the loss, Aoki's next moves were already in motion.
With Houndoom down, Gengar melted back into the shadows, flashing Yang Dou a taunting smirk before vanishing.
Slowking, meanwhile, locked onto Koffing.
Poison-types were even more vulnerable to Psychic attacks, especially when outmatched in strength.
How long could Koffing last under Slowking's onslaught?
At the same time, Honchkrow's descent didn't slow.
Following Aoki's orders, it didn't target Yang Dou directly.
But as long as Gengar remained hidden, Krookodile was paralyzed—unable to leave its Trainer's side.
Now, it was six against four.
And Aoki's team held the level advantage.
Yang Dou was no stranger to survival battles, but as a Pokémon hunter, he was accustomed to fighting wild Pokémon, not coordinated Trainer teams. Without a way to threaten Aoki directly, Krookodile was effectively neutralized.
Frustration gnawed at him.
He had the power but no way to use it.
The battle's momentum had shifted irreversibly.
Honchkrow's Brave Bird aura intensified as it veered toward Nidoking, still locked in a grapple with Drapion.
Nidoking's eyes widened.
Wasn't the Trainer the target?!
Why me?!
Drapion, sensing Honchkrow's trajectory, tightened its grip, preventing Nidoking from dodging.
Their struggle took on a bizarre dynamic—one desperate to escape, the other refusing to yield.
Nidoqueen, spotting the impending attack, abandoned her duel with Florges to rush back.
But overextending for rescues was a fatal mistake in team battles.
And Florges was not an opponent to be ignored.
When angered, she was merciless.