Adaptability: doubles the power of same-type moves.
Most Crawdaunt typically have the Abilities Hyper Cutter or Shell Armor.
The former prevents their Attack from being lowered, while the latter protects them from critical hits. But compared to the Ability Adaptability?
They're nothing!
Crawdaunt specializes in physical Attack, and Crabhammer is already a powerful move. Combined with the 100% power boost from Adaptability, it's a natural-born warrior.
No wonder even Wallace -who places so much emphasis on appearance- couldn't resist catching it and training it as an ace.
The heavy rain began to lighten, the dark clouds slowly dispersed, and sunlight once again shone down on the battlefield.
Crawdaunt stopped pounding the ground wildly, calmly waving its massive pincers without breaking a sweat. Even with its eyes still shut, it exuded an intimidating aura that made people hold their breath and stay silent.
The newly changed battlefield was once again devastated; only this time the small pits were replaced with large craters, and the water reserves weren't as deep as before.
Swish~
With Wallace and Crawdaunt both keeping their eyes closed, Zoroark stepped out of its Illusion silently, appearing right behind Crawdaunt.
A stir began in the audience, causing both Wallace and Crawdaunt to grow increasingly alert!
But still neither dared to open their eyes.
"Focus Blast."
The moment Sato gave the command, an orange Focus Blast instantly shot straight toward Crawdaunt's back!
"Craw Craw!"
To everyone's surprise, it seemed Crawdaunt hadn't really shut its awareness off. It might've even grown eyes on its back.
Just before the Focus Blast could connect, Crawdaunt spun around and accurately caught it between its claws and then crushed it.
Immediately after, Crawdaunt launched Swift straight toward the direction from which the Focus Blast had come!
Swift isn't very powerful, but it has homing properties; meaning it practically never misses.
Zoroark instinctively used Dark Pulse to counter the Swift move, but before the two moves had even fully collided, Crawdaunt charged forward right through the lingering energy!
'Tracking Zoroark's position using homing moves?'
Sato's heart tightened. This marked the third possible way someone had found to counter Zoroark's Illusion tactics during the tournament.
Supersonic, Thunder Wave… and now Swift?
Had they not participated in this tournament, Sato and Zoroark might have needed a long time to discover and fix these weaknesses.
But now, they had clear direction for future training.
And this… this was why so many Ace Trainers traveled far and wide to compete.
But even that… was not enough!
"Zoroark, close combat with Aerial Ace."
Until Illusion tactics matured, Zoroark's greatest strength remained in hand-to-hand combat!
Its agile body had long made Sato think Zoroark shouldn't just be a stealth specialist, even though its Special Attack was nothing to scoff at either.
Zoroark dashed across the shallow water, and in the blink of an eye, it was up close to Crawdaunt.
Crabhammer came crashing down!
But Zoroark dodged it smoothly. Its right claw, coated in white light, struck Crawdaunt square in the abdomen.
"CRAAAAW!"
Crawdaunt let out a painful cry, but its other massive claw was already swinging back toward Zoroark. If it landed, with Zoroark's average defense, it would likely be half-dead on the spot.
Unfortunately, there are no what-ifs!
Zoroark gave a light push with its legs and smoothly retreated backward, dodging the incoming Crabhammer with ease once again.
The next moment, Zoroark lunged forward. Its left hand grabbed one of Crawdaunt's massive pincers, using the momentum to swing itself behind the opponent.
Its right hand struck with Aerial Ace, hitting Crawdaunt's relatively vulnerable tail!
Crack!
The sound of armor shattering was loud and clear to both Sato and Wallace. Crawdaunt's tail had taken serious damage from Zoroark's blow.
Even a skilled fighter can't block attacks from every direction, especially when blind!
No matter how sharp its sensory abilities were, they could only help it fend off straightforward ranged attacks. And no matter how powerful its offense was, if it couldn't land a hit, it meant nothing.
Compared to Zoroark's fluid and agile movements, Crawdaunt was like a blind man wielding a massive hammer; its limited perception simply couldn't keep up with such fast-paced close-quarters combat.
"Zoroark, use Low Sweep."
"Crawdaunt, Aqua Jet!"
Wallace had also heard the sound of Crawdaunt's armor breaking, but with his eyes still closed, he couldn't offer it much help.
Recalling Crawdaunt was the only right move Wallace could make now.
Zoroark swiftly went in for the Low Sweep, but the water on the ground gave Crawdaunt the edge it needed to accelerate its Aqua Jet.
Though reluctant, Crawdaunt -connected to Wallace in perfect sync- knew it was time to leave the stage.
With his eyes still closed, Wallace raised his Poké Ball and launched a beam of red light, intercepting Crawdaunt mid-air just as it came flying back with Aqua Jet.
No words were needed. The bond between Trainer and Pokémon displayed a level of mutual understanding every Trainer dreamed of.
Even Sato didn't have time to call for a follow-up Pursuit from Zoroark.
Without delay, Wallace sent out his final Pokémon… his strongest ace.
Milotic!
Elegant and serene, Milotic entered the battlefield. Its gentle, non-hostile gaze seemed to ease the tense atmosphere around the entire arena.
But no one underestimated this beautiful, oneesan-like Pokémon. It had long proven itself with countless victories.
Milotic: beautiful and deadly.
The next moment, Wallace's calm voice rang out.
"Milotic, use Captivate."
"Zoroark, close your eyes!"
There was no doubt, Wallace's Milotic was the kind of sister you couldn't mess with. Zoroark, on the other hand, was a young and dashing male Pokémon in his prime…
From the data gathered previously, it was clear: once Milotic's Captivate landed, it didn't just drastically lower Special Attack as the Pokédex described.
This was it, the third confirmed method of breaking through Illusion tactics. But right now, only Wallace's Milotic could use it this way.
"Milotic, use Iron Tail, up close~"
With Milotic on the field, Wallace returned to his usual "refined" gentleman demeanor, even waving at the audience that was cheering for Milotic by name.
The reason? His confidence in Milotic.
"Zoroark, Night Daze."
Sato furrowed his brows. Wallace's intent in bringing Milotic close was obvious… so obvious it was basically a blatant trap.
Because Milotic's Ability was Cute Charm, with a chance to infatuate any opposing Pokémon of the opposite gender that made contact.
And for Wallace's Milotic… almost no male could resist.
.
.
150 PS - CH