In the Kalos region, Goodra is considered a pseudo-legendary Pokémon with considerable strengths of its own.
What Goodra excels at is not offense, but defense, primarily special defense.
As a pseudo-legendary Pokémon, it possesses a base stat total of 600 points, with its highest stat, Special Defense, accounting for 150 of those points.
If a Pokémon specializing in special attacks encounters a Goodra, the battle can become extremely difficult.
Moreover, as a pure Dragon-type Pokémon, Goodra's physical fortitude is considered outstanding even among other Dragon-type pseudo-legends.
Although this Pokémon appears soft and gelatinous, its physical stamina and resilience actually far exceed that of many other Pokémon.
The appearance of the Goodra made Aoki's Pokémon feel threatened, yet also eager and excited—especially Tyranitar and Blaziken, two particularly battle-hungry Pokémon.
But Aoki looked toward the Weavile standing beside him, which wore a proud expression.
When Aoki had first tamed Weavile, he had been drawn to its talent for Ice-type moves.
Come to think of it, it had originally been intended as a counter to Lance.
Somehow, over time, they had become genuine partners.
Also, because Aoki's position within the League had grown increasingly prominent, and Weavile represented his past affiliation with Team Rocket—a sensitive connection—it had been used in battle less and less frequently.
But this did not mean Aoki had no expectations for Weavile.
Currently, Weavile remained the strongest Ice-type Pokémon under Aoki's command.
Although Florges, who possessed the Fairy type, was more severely offensively effective against Dragon types, Florges excelled at special attacks. To deal with a Pokémon like Goodra, which possessed extremely high special defense, Weavile was better suited.
Pokémon: Weavile (Dark Cyan)
Gender: Male
Level: 66
Type: Dark / Ice
Ability: Pressure
Held Item: None
Egg Moves: Ice Punch, Icicle Crash
Basic Moves: Scratch, Leer, Taunt, Quick Attack, Feint Attack, Icy Wind, Fury Swipes, Agility, Metal Claw, Hone Claws, Embargo, Screech, Night Slash, Snatch, Punishment, Dark Pulse
Learnt Moves: Low Kick, Snatch, Throat Chop, Hone Claws, Iron Tail
TM Moves: Avalanche, Hidden Power (Flying), Low Sweep, Dark Pulse, Ice Beam, Shadow Ball, Blizzard, Hail, Brick Break, Rest
This was Weavile's current data. Within the Ho-Oh's space, its level had been raised to 66.
Among the Pokémon in Aoki's possession, this Weavile's potential might have been relatively weaker initially, but to any other Trainer, it would undoubtedly be an ace Pokémon.
Moreover, Aoki had never ceased training Weavile.
Weavile's mastery of Ice-type energy had never disappointed Aoki.
Facing the level 65 Goodra, there was still a chance of victory, primarily due to type advantages.
Noticing Aoki's gaze upon it, Weavile's expression remained unchanged, but its claws performed a deft maneuver, causing a small, intricate snowflake ice crystal to materialize in the air, suspended perfectly in its palm.
It stepped forward slowly.
Seeing Weavile move to the front to face the Goodra, the fighting spirit of Tyranitar and Blaziken gradually subsided.
Aoki had already decided on Goodra's opponent; they would have no chance this time.
As for whether Weavile would be defeated—in their eyes, the Pokémon chosen by Aoki had never failed.
"Weavile!" Weavile called out softly, its eyes suddenly sharpening as it stared intently at the Goodra opposite.
It took only a few seconds from Goodra emerging to Weavile stepping forward.
Upon seeing Weavile, Goodra understood it would have to defeat each of its opponent's Pokémon one by one to proceed.
"Goodra!!"
The fighting spirit within Goodra grew stronger.
"Weavile, Hone Claws," Aoki said calmly.
Hearing this, Weavile's white claws scraped together, producing a faint metallic grating sound.
Goodra showed no intention of holding back either.
It murmured something toward the sky.
Dark rain clouds began to gather overhead.
Rain Dance!
A light drizzle soon began to fall.
Goodra's Ability, Hydration, meant rainy weather was greatly beneficial to it, as the Ability clears status conditions under rain.
"The weather isn't ours to choose, Weavile. Hail!" Aoki commanded.
The move Hail was a technique Aoki had acquired for Weavile from Team Rocket before heading to the Three Isle Path.
After such a long period of training, Weavile had mastered it perfectly.
"Weavile!" Weavile did not concede at all, channeling its ice energy to the utmost.
The rain falling from the sky slowly transformed from water into ice.
Weavile was, after all, an Ice-type Pokémon, and Goodra was not a Water-type, so Weavile ultimately gained the upper hand in the weather battle.
The rain eventually turned into hail.
Goodra clearly hadn't expected that the rain clouds it summoned would end up benefiting its opponent.
Hail was its least favorite weather condition.
But there was no choice; the hail had already formed, and under Weavile's control, even if it tried to use Rain Dance again, it couldn't change the weather back.
"Weavile, Icy Wind," Aoki said.
Weavile brought its hands together in front of itself and exhaled a thin, frigid breeze laden with ice crystals from its mouth.
The hail caused temperatures to plummet, enhancing the effect of Icy Wind slightly.
As the cold wind struck Goodra, its body shivered involuntarily.
Tiny ice crystals began to form on its body, and its movement speed decreased slightly.
Weavile ran swiftly through the hail; speed was its greatest advantage.
Goodra stood its ground, staring intently at Weavile.
It now understood its opponent was proficient in the Ice type, which it disliked immensely.
The battle was becoming challenging.
"Blizzard!" Aoki commanded again.
Although Weavile was not specialized in special attacks, it didn't matter. This move wasn't primarily for dealing damage; even reducing the opponent's mobility and flexibility was valuable.
Under Aoki's commands, Weavile refused to let Goodra get close.
Feeling thoroughly frustrated, Goodra released a ball of faint purple dragon energy from its mouth—Dragon Pulse.
But Weavile nimbly dodged it.
The combined advantages of speed, hail, and blizzard gradually took effect; Goodra's mobility continued to decline.
"Almost there, Weavile. Icicle Crash!" Aoki ordered.
Seeing Goodra's mobility impaired, Weavile began its assault.
Five sharp icicles instantly formed above its head. The hail and blizzard had filled the surroundings with dense Ice-type energy, allowing ice-based moves to be executed with great speed.
The icicles, extremely sharp at their tips, shot directly toward Goodra.
A flash of anger appeared in Goodra's eyes.
This hit-and-run, kite-flying battle style made it intensely uncomfortable.
It clenched its fists, and two balls of flame ignited upon them—Fire Punch.
Bang! Bang!
Two of the icicles aimed at its body shattered instantly.
However, the other three struck the ground near its body.
Bang—bang—bang—
The three icicles seemed to form a kind of prison, severely restricting Goodra's ability to move.