Weavile rushed towards Goodra with immense speed. While running, two sharp rocks materialized in its hands, which it then hurled directly at Goodra. "Sticky Web!" Goodra, realized it had fallen into a trap but found itself momentarily unable to muster its strength. Just as it attempted to break free, Weavile's Ice Shard attack struck true, causing the power it had painstakingly gathered to dissipate instantly.
The combination of Ice Shard and throwing prowess was remarkably potent. The key was that as long as Weavile willed it, the icy projectiles could be condensed almost instantaneously, allowing for a nearly continuous barrage of attacks. After a relentless volley, Weavile successfully closed the distance and stood directly before Goodra.
In a flash, Weavile's white claws gleamed with a metallic sheen before becoming encased in a layer of frost. Metal Claw combined with Ice Punch.
BANG!!! BANG!!!
The dual fists struck Goodra's body with full force. "Sticky web!" Goodra cried out in pain as the icicles surrounding its form shattered from the impact. However, it was not entirely unprepared. As the icicles broke apart, Goodra used the momentum from Weavile's Ice Punch to rotate its body 180 degrees. Its tail began to glow with a steely glint.
Iron Tail!
BANG!!
Weavile was unable to evade and was sent flying by the powerful Iron Tail attack. It tumbled several times across the snowy ground before finally skidding to a halt. Goodra was also thrown back by the force of Weavile's Ice Punch, and having committed fully to its retaliatory Iron Tail, it was unprepared for the landing, sliding a significant distance across the terrain.
The Steel-type move Iron Tail was highly effective against the Ice-type Weavile, dealing substantial damage. Furthermore, Goodra's inherent power was immense, and an attack fueled by its anger was even more devastating. A single blow had inflicted massive damage upon Weavile.
"Weavile..." Weavile endured the searing pain, squinted one eye, and slowly pushed itself back up. A pseudo-legendary Pokemon was indeed terrifying! Another direct hit like that would make it nearly impossible to stand again, Weavile thought silently.
However, Goodra was not faring well either. It was suffering from the continuous damage of the hail, the speed reduction from Icy Wind, the impact of the Blizzard, the assaults from Ice Shard and Rock Throw, and a chain of various other Ice-type attacks. The agony a Dragon-type Pokemon experiences when facing an Ice-type opponent is indescribable.
After confirming that Weavile was still operational, Aoki commanded it to continue the battle. Remaining unscathed was impossible; the opponent was, after all, a Dragon-type pseudo-legendary. All Aoki could do was minimize the damage Weavile took and adapt its strategy and move usage according to the flow of battle to secure victory. This win was crucial for Weavile—it would prove that it was no weaker than a pseudo-legendary Pokemon.
By now, the entire forest clearing was blanketed in ice and snow. The hail falling from the sky persisted under Weavile's influence, though the Blizzard had gradually subsided. Weavile sprinted across the snow once more, hurling chunks of ice from its hands toward Goodra. What it lacked in raw power, it made up for with technique.
The greatest benefit of capturing the Vigoroth within the Ho-Oh's space was not the potential future Slaking that could unleash immense combat power at a moment's notice, but the significant improvement in combat skills demonstrated by all of Aoki's Pokemon. The one who had improved the most was not Blaziken, but Weavile! This was because Weavile's body shape and characteristics were most similar to those of Vigoroth.
Blaziken had purely imitated the Vigoroth's movements and power techniques, slowly adapting them for its own use. Weavile, however, required no such adaptation; its similar physique meant it could directly apply the learned skills, quickly discovering their effectiveness. The speed of its Ice Shard throws increased rapidly, and its pace across the snow grew faster and faster.
The moment Goodra struggled to its feet, it was assaulted by Weavile again. The frustration in its heart had no outlet. Sticky Web! ! !
An orange-yellow energy ball instantly formed within its mouth before being spat high into the air, vanishing into the dark clouds. Seeing this, Aoki's expression shifted. Draco Meteor!
Sure enough, within a second, massive fiery orbs materialized in the sky and began to bombard the area indiscriminately. Even the hail weather summoned by Weavile ended prematurely as the snow clouds were dispersed by the meteoric onslaught. Weavile also sensed a severe threat from above, yet its expression remained resolute, its gaze locked on Goodra as it abandoned its Rock Throw strategy.
Clasping its claws together, a lightning-like, blue-white beam shot toward Goodra. Ice Beam! Goodra, unable to dodge, took the hit directly on its foot, which was instantly frozen solid. This time, Weavile did not retreat. It charged straight toward Goodra, understanding that the only safe zone under the Draco Meteor assault was directly around Goodra itself. As a last resort, Weavile was forced into close-quarters combat once more.
Goodra saw through Weavile's intention but felt no apprehension. It had been waiting for this opportunity to engage Weavile directly at close range. It exhaled a Dragon Breath directly from its maw, but the attack was forcefully blocked by an ice-crystal shield Weavile formed instantaneously in front of itself.
Goodra hadn't expected this move to be effective; flames ignited around its fists as it prepared for close combat! As Weavile was about to reach Goodra, two chunks of ice materialized in its hands and were hurled at the dragon. Then, pushing off hard against the ground, Weavile launched itself forward.
Goodra ignored the icy projectiles flying toward it, its focus entirely on Weavile. When Weavile leaped, it was mid-air and seemingly without leverage! Goodra's two fiery fists aimed for different trajectories, blocking Weavile's potential avenues of evasion. Goodra felt a surge of confidence; a single solid hit would surely allow it to defeat Weavile under the continuing rain of meteors. That small body would instantly lose all ability to fight.
It threw both punches. But Weavile's next action defied all expectations. A slight smile touched Aoki's lips. Weavile had learned this technique from the Vigoroth. If the Vigoroth could use falling debris to maneuver in the air during Tyranitar's Stone Edge, why couldn't Weavile do the same?
Weavile's foot lightly tapped against one of the flying icy rocks—these projectiles hadn't been meant for attack. Using the rock for leverage, Weavile's body twisted and spun, evading the fiery fists. Then, with Ice Punch already charged on its own fists, it tapped against another rock to maintain balance. This was the pinnacle of what it had learned from the Vigoroth: extreme aerial agility.
The Ice Punch slipped through a gap in Goodra's defenses and struck it squarely across the face.
BANG!!!