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"...I see, your Snorlax's Ability is Immunity? I made a mistake."
Erika was stunned for a moment by the sudden reversal of the battle situation, but she quickly recovered and figured out why Snorlax hadn't fallen into the Poisoned condition.
"As for the reason why Victreebel couldn't move, that was the paralysis side effect from Body Slam earlier. You're truly impressive to have calculated things to this extent."
Erika recalled Victreebel to its Poké Ball at this point, looking at Eddie with admiration in her eyes - though there was also something more intense burning there.
"I didn't actually calculate the paralysis from Body Slam. That was just a fortunate coincidence. But even if Victreebel hadn't been paralyzed, it still would have been hit. After all, both you and Victreebel thought that Snorlax would be slowed down by the Toxic condition. It wouldn't have been easy for you to avoid its sudden attack in that situation."
Eddie ignored Erika's intense gaze and explained what had happened in the previous battle.
Indeed, in that situation, Victreebel would definitely have been seriously injured even without the paralysis. Although it might not have been defeated as cleanly as it was, the outcome of the battle would have been virtually decided either way.
"I lost the first round. So for the second battle, I won't underestimate you again. Eddie, pay close attention."
"Come out! Vileplume!"
At this moment, Erika's fighting spirit as a Trainer was ignited by Eddie's performance. Even if it was just to impress Eddie, she had to demonstrate her true abilities now.
Name: Vileplume
Type: Grass/Poison
Level: Level 48 (Peak rank)
"The second one is a Level 48 Vileplume. It seems the next two battles won't be easy to handle."
Eddie's expression became more serious, but he didn't show any signs of backing down. Instead, he was filled with fighting spirit.
"Eddie, since Snorlax has the Immunity ability, let's try this technique first. Vileplume, use Gastro Acid!"
Erika showed a slightly devious smile and directly instructed Vileplume to use a move that made Eddie's expression change dramatically.
Gastro Acid was a move that would suppress the target's ability, making it completely ineffective for the duration of the battle.
"Oh no, you can use that move! Snorlax, use Protect!"
Although Eddie was surprised that Erika's Vileplume could even use such a technique, he reacted quickly to defend against it.
Vileplume spat out a ball of green gastric acid from the large flower on top of its head. This strange substance contained the power to suppress a Pokémon's natural abilities.
However, Eddie's Snorlax also understood that being hit by this attack would be problematic, so it quickly used Protect. A pale white protective barrier appeared and successfully blocked the ball of acid.
It wasn't that Eddie didn't want Snorlax to dodge the attack, but Snorlax's massive body and limited speed meant that it could only face opponents head-on. While dodging wasn't impossible, it would be extremely difficult.
So to be safe, Eddie chose to use Protect instead.
"Hehe, Eddie, you're usually so confident, but you finally showed some panic. It's quite interesting to see."
"Unfortunately, my Vileplume's attacks don't come in just one wave. And how many times can your Snorlax use Protect successfully?"
Erika saw Eddie's momentary panic and couldn't help but laugh. She had her own mischievous personality, though people who weren't familiar with her normally wouldn't know this side of her.
However, the battlefield situation was indeed as Erika described. Although the move Protect was powerful, it became increasingly likely to fail when used repeatedly in succession.
On the battlefield, Vileplume kept using Gastro Acid repeatedly, as if it wouldn't stop until it successfully hit Snorlax.
"Damn it, forget it then! Snorlax, use Fire Blast!"
Eddie naturally knew that he would be hit sooner or later if this continued. After thinking it over, he decided it would be better to take advantage of Vileplume's current offensive focus and deliver a powerful counterattack. Even if Snorlax got hit by the Gastro Acid, it was still at full health - losing just the ability effect wouldn't mean defeat!
Snorlax heard the command, dropped its Protect stance, and opened its mouth toward Vileplume. A massive burst of flame erupted from its mouth, attacking Vileplume while it was focused solely on its own assault.
"Although I thought I had overestimated your Pokémon's capabilities, Eddie, I really didn't expect that Snorlax could even use Fire Blast. Now I'm going to be in trouble."
Erika was slightly shocked, but she recovered her composure quickly. Although she said she was at a disadvantage, Eddie didn't see any real worry in her beautiful eyes.
Vileplume's Gastro Acid successfully hit Snorlax. Although Snorlax remained uninjured, its Immunity ability would no longer function for the rest of this battle.
Snorlax's Fire Blast attack also successfully connected with Vileplume, dealing significant damage to the Grass/Poison-type Pokémon.
Unfortunately, since Snorlax wasn't a Fire-type Pokémon, even though this move was powerful and super effective against Vileplume, it only managed to take away about half of Vileplume's remaining HP.
"Now it's my turn to attack. Vileplume, use Toxic and Sleep Powder!"
Erika didn't seem worried about Vileplume's condition at all, and directly had it use moves to inflict status conditions on Snorlax.
"Snorlax, defeat Vileplume before those attacks reach you! Use Fire Punch!"
Since there was no way to avoid the incoming attacks anyway, Eddie decided to keep fighting aggressively before the status effects could take hold!
However, when Snorlax attacked Vileplume with great momentum, its flaming fist passed directly through Vileplume's body.
"Oh no! That's a substitute - when did you use it?"
Eddie naturally didn't think that Snorlax's punch had actually pierced through Vileplume. He immediately realized it was just a decoy and understood that he'd been outmaneuvered.
"Right after Vileplume was hit by your Fire Blast, the flames blocked your line of sight. Although Vileplume was still hit by the attack, it also successfully moved out of your view during that moment."
Erika smiled and explained to Eddie in a friendly manner, but everyone could see the mischievous grin on her face.
At that moment, Vileplume appeared from behind Snorlax, and the effects of Toxic and Sleep Powder had already taken hold of the large Pokémon.
"Even though it was hit, Snorlax still has moves to get out of this situation. Snorlax, quickly do what you like doing most!"
Eddie knew that Snorlax was now trapped by both Toxic and Sleep status conditions, but as long as it used Rest, these status effects would be cured. The battle situation hadn't reached such a serious point yet.
However, at this moment, Eddie discovered something very wrong. Before he had even given the command, Snorlax had already fallen asleep!
But its face was turning purple, which was a clear sign of being affected by the Toxic condition.
In other words, Snorlax had fallen into a deep sleep at this time, but not because it had used Rest!
"Eddie, didn't you hear me commanding Vileplume to use Sleep Powder? Did you really think Vileplume was using Stun Spore?"
Erika smiled widely, and her every movement revealed her mischievous nature. Eddie even felt that Erika looked more like a cute little devil than anyone he'd met before.