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"Although Gabite is only a Ground and Dragon-type Pokemon, Morning Sun's Snorlax was able to use moves like Fire Blast. As a Dragon-type Pokemon, it should be even easier for Gabite to learn such techniques..."
Erika remembered that Snorlax had used several moves outside of its typical movepool earlier, and she immediately became more cautious about what Eddie's Gabite might be capable of.
"I can't give Morning Sun any openings! Vileplume, use Moonblast!" Erika didn't want to give Eddie any chance to set up, so she launched an immediate attack.
"Your Vileplume actually knows that move? Well, fortunately I was expecting something like this!" Eddie responded with confidence. "Gabite, use Dig!"
While it would be easy enough for Gabite to simply dodge the attack, blindly evading would only allow Erika to control the pace of the battle. Instead, Eddie had Gabite burrow underground, curious to see how Erika would handle this tactical shift.
"Roar!" Gabite could instinctively sense the threat that Fairy-type moves posed to its Dragon typing. After letting out a defiant roar, it immediately dove underground with remarkable speed.
The whole maneuver had the feeling of "Just wait for me—I'll be back to settle this!"
"Haha, the Pokemon from Sinnoh really are fascinating creatures," Erika observed with genuine amusement. "However, since Gabite isn't on the battlefield right now, I'll continue setting up my strategy."
Erika seemed to have no immediate way to deal with Gabite while it was underground, so she decided to continue building her advantage.
"Vileplume, use Grassy Terrain!" she commanded.
Vileplume let out an adorable cry before channeling its energy to completely transform the battlefield. With itself as the center, the arena became an ideal habitat for Grass-type Pokemon.
Grassy Terrain would cause all Pokemon standing on the ground to gradually recover HP each turn, while also boosting the power of Grass-type moves by fifty percent. However, there was an important limitation—this only applied to Pokemon actually on the ground's surface. Pokemon underground wouldn't benefit from the HP recovery effect.
This meant that if Gabite remained underground using Dig, it wouldn't be able to take advantage of the terrain's healing properties.
"So you're telling me that continuing to use Dig would be disadvantageous?" Eddie mused aloud. "Then I'll do exactly what you want me to do. Gabite, use Flamethrower!"
Eddie couldn't afford to wait any longer. His opponent was only building small advantages for now, but if Vileplume started using moves like Growth or Swords Dance later, it would become a serious problem. If Vileplume managed to stack multiple stat boosts, Gabite would be defeated the moment it surfaced.
"Roar!" Gabite suddenly burst from the ground directly beneath where Vileplume was standing. While Ground-type moves wouldn't deal significant damage to the Grass-type Pokemon, this surprise attack would definitely catch Vileplume off guard.
After colliding with Vileplume during its emergence, Gabite immediately prepared to unleash a Flamethrower at point-blank range.
However, Vileplume seemed to have anticipated this exact scenario. Although it took the initial impact, Vileplume had already prepared a Solar Beam in response, aiming directly at the spot where Gabite had emerged from the ground.
"Morning Sun really fell for it! This battle is over now!" Erika declared confidently. "Vileplume, Solar Beam!"
Thanks to the Sunny Day conditions still in effect, Vileplume could unleash Solar Beam immediately without needing to charge up first. Combined with the Grassy Terrain boost increasing Grass-type move power by fifty percent, this would be a devastating attack.
Gabite was a dual Dragon and Ground-type Pokemon. While Dragon-type resisted Grass-type moves, Ground-type was weak to them, causing the resistances to cancel each other out. This meant Gabite would take neutral damage from Grass-type attacks—no resistance, but no extra weakness either.
Even so, if the powered-up Solar Beam connected, it might not knock Gabite out in one hit, but it would definitely leave it severely injured. In that weakened state, how could it possibly stand up to Vileplume at full strength?
Erika smiled with what seemed like certain victory, already wondering what Eddie's third Pokemon would be and how she should handle it.
However...
"Erika, I also figured you'd predict my actions, so I prepared a backup plan based on that assumption," Eddie said with his own satisfied smile—the expression of someone whose strategy had worked perfectly.
Indeed, if Gabite had actually been hit by Vileplume's attack, it would have been defeated. But that was only if the attack actually connected with Gabite!
If Gabite were really using Flamethrower as commanded, it would have been sitting duck for Vileplume's counterattack.
But...
"Erika, you didn't really think that just because I called out 'Flamethrower' that Gabite was actually using Flamethrower, did you?"
History had a way of repeating itself. Erika had just used similar words to tease Eddie earlier, and now Eddie was saying almost the exact same thing back to her. It was clear that Eddie could be quite petty when it came to getting revenge.
At that moment, Vileplume's attack reached its target on the battlefield. The fierce beam struck Gabite directly... and then passed straight through its body without any effect.
Obviously, this had been a Double Team clone.
"Double Team... So Gabite used that move the instant it broke through the ground and made contact with Vileplume..." Erika realized what had happened. "Gabite only pretended to prepare Flamethrower to make me believe you had fallen into my trap, didn't it?"
Erika was genuinely impressed by Eddie's revenge tactic. She hadn't expected that just after teasing him, Eddie would turn around and use the exact same method against her.
She found herself somewhat amused by the discovery that Eddie had such a childish side to his personality. Rather than diminishing her opinion of him, though, she found his straightforward and genuine nature quite appealing.
"Well, this is my loss then. I wonder which Pokemon I should use next?" Erika was already considering her choice for her third Pokemon, having accepted that Vileplume was about to be defeated.
After all, Eddie wouldn't miss such a perfect opportunity to finish off an opponent who had just been outmaneuvered.
"Gabite, use Aerial Ace! Then follow up with Fire Blast!" Eddie commanded, confirming Erika's prediction that he wouldn't waste this chance.
While Vileplume was still recovering from its failed Solar Beam, Gabite used Aerial Ace to strike with both of its claws in a fierce attack. Flying-type moves dealt double damage to Grass-type Pokemon, making this particularly effective.
With a cry of pain, Vileplume was knocked into the air by Gabite's assault. The Grassy Terrain's healing effect only worked for Pokemon in contact with the ground, so Vileplume could no longer benefit from the HP recovery while airborne.
Facing the helpless Vileplume suspended in mid-air, Gabite opened its mouth and unleashed a powerful Fire Blast. The attack connected perfectly, sending Vileplume crashing to the ground where it lay unconscious, completely unable to continue battling.
The victor had been decided.