After Pain Split, the health/stamina Gengar had lost from using Substitute was almost fully restored, while Gorebyss simultaneously lost a large amount of it.
Now that Gengar had cleared the effects of Supersonic on Sato, he was finally performing at his usual level. With the eerie unpredictability of Ghost-type moves, he quickly regained the upper hand.
"Gorebyss, Coil!"
"Too afraid to attack?" Sato knew very well, unless Wallace was certain Gorebyss could knock out Gengar in one blow, Pain Split would remain a major threat.
"But I'm not afraid…" Sato muttered, then shouted his command, "Gengar, Thunderbolt!"
"Gen!"
Gengar put its hands together, and when it opened them again, a golden electric orb flickered between its palms. In the next instant, a fierce Thunderbolt surged forth and shot toward Gorebyss.
The rain had stopped, but the air was still humid, and Aqua Ring continued to swirl around Gorebyss, helping it recover stamina.
So when Thunderbolt hit Gorebyss, it was like a cat catching the scent of fresh fish.
It struck precisely without hesitation!
The electric current was sharp and fast, disturbing hardly any airflow, which completely nullified Gorebyss's "elegant" evasion abilities. As a result… Thunderbolt landed.
"GOOOR!"
Gorebyss let out a painful screech. Even with Amnesia boosting its Special Defense, Thunderbolt still did considerable damage.
After all, Gorebyss didn't have much stamina left.
"Gorebyss, Supersonic!"
In a moment of crisis, Wallace issued a seemingly ambiguous command; it was neither defensive nor aggressive.
But Sato became even more cautious and quickly shouted, "Gengar!"
"Gar!"
Gengar immediately stopped the Thunderbolt, then floated cross-legged in midair, hands together and began… chanting?
"Gen~ Gengengen~ Gar~"
"Goor!"
"Gengengen~ Gen~ Gen"
"Goooor~"
"Gengen…"
"Go…"
A bizarre scene unfolded. Gengar's golden eyes began to blaze with yellow fire, rising and pulsing in sync with its ghostly "chanting."
On the other side, Gorebyss kept letting out its pained cries, but the more it continued, the more strained its face became… until it eventually fell silent altogether.
"GEN~GAR!"
Suddenly, Gengar let out a loud cry. Although it should've sounded like a spine-chilling ghost wail, it oddly felt warm and uplifting, like sunlight flooding the soul.
Opposite it, Gorebyss's body stiffened. Its eyes went dull, and the Aqua Ring around it quickly vanished.
Pop!
Gorebyss collapsed rigidly to the ground. Bathed in sunlight, it looked like a dried-out fish[1].
Fwoosh~
The referee raised his flag high and announced, "Gorebyss has lost the ability to battle! Gengar wins! Trainer Wallace, please send out your next Pokémon!"
A commotion erupted in the stands. No one could make sense of that final exchange… why had the two Pokémon suddenly stopped fighting and started arguing with each other?
And then somehow… Gorebyss fainted from anger?
Gengar won just like that!
"…Sato-kun, so you were holding back after all. That sound-based attack Gengar used must be something you developed to make up for the gap left by Zoroark's Illusion tactics, huh?
You're truly the rival I value most, Sato-kun~ You always manage to surprise me!"
"…"
Sato was actually speechless. Should he admit that he had no idea where Gengar got that ability from? That would be awkward.
'…Forget it. As long as Wallace was happy.'
---
Ecruteak City, Johto Region: Bell Tower.
The head Sage, sat cross-legged with the others. In front of them was a forty-inch color TV.
On the screen was the live broadcast of Gengar and Gorebyss "arguing," and when the Sage saw Gengar's eyes burst into golden flames, he leapt to his feet in excitement.
"The Ghost of the Sages has fully awakened and reached the realm of speaking the Sage truth aloud. It's time for us to act!"
"Ahhh~!"
All the sages bowed their heads and chanted the sacred name. The once-young little Sage now sat beside Guang at the head of the group, a trace of memory flashing in his eyes.
----
"Then, please enjoy my second darling sweetheart… shine with your most dazzling diamond brilliance~!"
"Staaaaar!"
A flash of red light, and a purple Starmie appeared on the battlefield. The ruby at its center gleamed enchantingly under the sunlight.
Another Pokémon with a striking appearance!
"Starmie, use Psychic~!" Wallace flicked his fingers and even twirled as he gave the command.
"Gengar, Dark Pulse."
Psychic and Dark Pulse clashed head-on. With the type advantage, Dark Pulse completely overpowered Psychic and swept it away.
Then, Starmie vanished!
"Gengar, go invisible."
Sato didn't have Gengar chase blindly. Instead, he had it turn invisible immediately.
The sky quickly gathered clouds again, and torrential rain poured down once more.
Clearly, the hidden Starmie had used Rain Dance!
"Gengar, Mean Look."
As rain fell heavily, the entire sky was momentarily covered in hundreds of golden eyes. Though it only lasted a second, it gave all the spectators goosebumps.
"…Nothing?"
Sato frowned. Even under Mean Look, there was still no sign of the hidden Starmie.
To hide from a Ghost-type like Gengar and still remain undetectable; this Starmie was undoubtedly exceptional.
"Starmie, whip up a beautiful Blizzard!" Wallace twirled once more and issued the command with dramatic flair.
The next moment, Blizzard erupted in the middle of the field. As the snow met raindrops, it instantly froze them into countless ice needles, which were then fired across the entire battlefield without restraint!
"Gengar, full-field Thunder!"
Area moves weren't exclusive to Starmie. In rain, Thunder was even more fitting than Blizzard!
Lightning flashed wildly across the stormy sky. Gengar stood firm, raised its chubby hand and countless bolts of lightning rained down like silver serpents, striking every inch of the field except where Gengar stood.
But at the same time, the blizzard of ice needles swept in, piercing through Gengar's body in a storm of pain that felt like his very soul was frozen solid.
Elsewhere, a bolt of lightning was "intercepted" midair. Looking closely, it struck a giant starfish that was slowly shifting from transparent to a bright golden hue!
"Camouflage!" Sato instantly realized, and upon seeing Starmie's shifting color, he finally understood why Mean Look hadn't revealed it earlier.
Camouflage: alters a Pokémon's type depending on the terrain.
With advanced training, it could do more than just change type. It could also shift color, scent… even form!
[1] Hahahah