"Gar!"
At the same moment, Gengar also spotted Starmie and immediately directed a Thunder attack toward the now-golden Starmie.
But Sato knew… Starmie, which had temporarily become an Electric-type by tanking a Thunder hit using Camouflage, no longer feared Electric-type moves.
"Gengar, Pain Split."
Sato's command came, and Gengar instantly stopped gathering lightning. Instead, it locked onto Starmie and used Pain Split, instantly restoring a large amount of health/stamina.
Wallace's eyebrow twitched imperceptibly. It had been the right choice for Starmie to use Camouflage to reduce Electric-type damage, but it had also exposed its location.
Once Gengar locked onto its target, it could unleash a continuous barrage of unpredictable Ghost-type moves.
"Gengar, Curse."
Wallace muttered 'figured as much' to himself. He knew he couldn't stall any longer and could only hope Starmie had finished setting up while it was still hidden.
"Starmie, use the most powerful Hydro Pump!"
"Staaaaar!"
Just as Curse activated, Gengar canceled Thunder, and in the sky, Starmie moved even faster than Gengar. While repositioning, it used the heavy rain to revert itself back to Water-type.
With STAB, the power of Hydro Pump became terrifying, and to ensure a perfect hit, Starmie -faster than Gengar- had already rushed up close.
Hydro Pump, point-blank!
"Gengar… Destiny Bond," Sato whispered, but Gengar clearly heard him.
For a Ghost-type Pokémon, taking down two enemies meant fulfilling its mission perfectly.
Whoosh~
Hydro Pump tore through Gengar's shadowy body, and the moment Gengar collapsed, its golden pupils suddenly released two golden rings, which shot directly into the ruby core of Starmie.
The next second, Starmie suddenly froze, and its central ruby began to flicker nonstop.
Crack!
Just like Gorebyss before it, Starmie collapsed stiffly to the ground, now nothing more than a dried-up starfish.
Fwoosh~
"Gengar and Starmie have both lost the ability to battle! Both Trainers, please send out your next Pokémon!"
A perfect two-for-one. Sato had taken down two of Wallace's Pokémon using just Gengar, seizing firm control of the match!
--
In the audience stands, Phoebe nodded with feigned composure. "Gengar performed quite well this round. No wonder it's my favorite Ghost-type Pokémon, it's just that powerful!"
Those golden eyes though… they still feel kinda unsettling.
--
On the battlefield, Wallace and Sato each recalled their fallen Gengar and Starmie, and both had new Poké Balls ready in hand.
"Sato-kun, now the real match begins. I'm going all out~"
"…"
"Both Trainers, send out your Pokémon!" the referee prompted.
"Vaporeon, take the stage!"
"Cacturne, prepare for battle."
The rain kept falling. The atmosphere was far from friendly. As soon as Cacturne and Vaporeon appeared, they locked eyes without blinking.
It wasn't a look of affection…
But one filled with fighting spirit!
The heavy rain… poured down again.
Then, both Cacturne and Vaporeon sprang into action!
Cacturne charged forward, and with a sweeping motion of its hand, it whipped up a fierce Sandstorm.
The Sandstorm surged skyward, like a massive hammer shattering the rainy weather into pieces.
Vaporeon also rushed forward, but after just a few steps, it completely vanished -just like Starmie- without a trace.
This time, it wasn't using Camouflage, but rather Vaporeon's exclusive trait:
Full-body Acid Armor!
As long as there was water, even a single small puddle would be enough for it to hide; impossible to fish out even with a net.
By now, the entire battlefield had been soaked by the earlier heavy rain, leaving countless puddles of various sizes on the ground.
Each of these puddles had become the perfect hiding place for Vaporeon!
Splashhhh~
The Sandstorm cleared away the overcast sky and began covering the entire field, officially replacing the weather condition.
Weather advantage now belonged to Cacturne…
Just then, an Aurora Beam suddenly shot out from a puddle near Cacturne and struck it at incredible speed, freezing half its body on the spot!
…But terrain advantage belonged to Vaporeon!
Even more impressive: Vaporeon didn't even need to reveal its body. It could launch attacks directly from within the puddles.
Cacturne quickly retreated, diving into the denser part of the Sandstorm. With its Sand Veil Ability, it soon vanished from sight.
But seeing all the puddles on the field, Sato had no idea where Vaporeon would strike next.
Cacturne was hiding in the Sandstorm, and Vaporeon was concealed in the puddles. Against a Vaporeon capable of full-body Acid Armor, Cacturne's close-combat style was rendered completely ineffective.
"Cacturne, scatter Leech Seed across the entire field."
Since they didn't know where it was, they would force it out. Sato shouted the command, but quietly kept Cacturne's Poké Ball ready in hand, just in case.
Whoosh~ Whoosh~ Whoosh...
The Sandstorm carried a barrage of Leech Seeds, which scattered wildly into the puddles across the field.
And then… still no reaction!
Fwoosh~
Another Ice Beam suddenly blasted out, once again striking Cacturne from behind at high speed, causing it to stagger. A large patch of ice formed across its back.
Sand Veil only raised Cacturne's evasion rate, but against such meticulously planned ambushes, it didn't help much.
"The water in the puddles isn't going down…" Sato muttered, his eyes filled with confusion.
The Sandstorm had been raging for some time now. Logically, the areas with the most sand should have dried up the puddles by now.
Yet the puddles on the field showed no sign of diminishing. In fact… it almost felt like some of them had grown larger!
"Cacturne, Brick Break the ground!"
"Cac!"
Cacturne flexed its left hand, which had just recovered from the freezing effect, and under the cover of the Sandstorm, began slamming it hard against the ground.
And with that strike, the nearby puddles suddenly started expanding; streams of water began gushing out wildly.
Splashhh!
Whoosh~
Suddenly, the "puddles" launched a chaotic barrage of Ice-type moves at Cacturne!
Icy Wind, Ice Beam, Aurora Beam...
Cacturne's Speed had already been reduced from earlier freezing hits, and these attacks came in at blinding speed… each one landed.
They inflicted massive damage on Cacturne!
As the storm of Ice-type moves gradually faded, the crowd could just barely make out, through the swirling Sandstorm, a fully frozen spiky ball.
At the last moment, Cacturne had instinctively used Spiky Shield, wrapping itself tightly for protection.
Crack, crack, crack...
The outer ice encasing the spiky ball began to fracture. But just as it did, another flurry of Ice-type attacks roared toward Cacturne!