Brenner smiled with satisfaction when the troublesome Steelix was taken out. It had been preventing his Heracross from properly sowing chaos into the enemy's main formation.
As a result of his decision, the front line of his swarm collapsed as more than 10 Pokémon either fainted or died from the counterattack. It was a poor exchange of 10 to 1, but it freed up his Champion ranked Pokémon to cause havoc, which in turn would free his other Champions as well.
The initial clash of the defensive formations had been 50 vs 22, but now it was down to 40 vs 22. He could still afford a few more losses to complete his advantage.
"Target that Forretress next," he commanded.
Venomoth followed his order and sent out another cry that redirected the swarm's focus to the other side, where Forretress was teamed up with Zoroark and Frosmoth against Scizor. The swarm obeyed, ignoring the incoming attacks while bombarding Forretress with overwhelming special attacks. At the same time, Venomoth released another Psychic Noise, preventing it from healing, while Scizor used Feint to remove its Protect shield.
As expected, Forretress was drowned out by the assault, while Zoroark and Frosmoth were blown away by the residual energy.
The main matchup was now down to 30 versus 22 with 2 Champions free to wreak havoc. Brenner could afford to free up another Champion, but before he could give the order, a shadow intercepted his swarm from the flank and unleashed an array of attacks.
Alex may have been blown away from Steelix's back, but he was far from out of the fight. He rushed the sacrificial swarm, cloaked in Dark type energy, and opened fire on their flank once he was close enough.
A line of multicolored bullets exploded out from Stormline, devastating the distracted swarm. Their losses from focusing on Forretress were compounded further. By himself, Alex managed to take out another 10 before they turned their fire on him to reduce the weapon's impact.
"I want that gun!" Brenner demanded, having seen what Alex's weapon could do to a crowd of Pokémon. "Send Scizor after him. Get that gun for me!"
Venomoth released another cry, relaying Brenner's orders, but that was when the tide suddenly shifted. With the swarm distracted by both Forretress and Alex, Gardevoir, having seen the flow of the battle, took command and instructed the others to focus fire on the Champions instead.
In particular, Heracross and Scizor were closing in on the main group, relying on the swarm's distraction to get close. The bombardment split evenly between them, forcing both to evade. They were fast as Champion ranked Pokémon, but both were on the slower end, leaving them unable to dodge every attack.
Heracross evaded while being slowly chipped away, wasting time it could have been using to cause damage.
Scizor was left scrambling as well, unable to follow orders, which left Brenner enraged.
"Go do it yourself!" he snapped at Venomoth, who immediately obliged.
The swarm, now free to attack, targeted the main formation again, but they were outnumbered. Gardevoir commanded a unified Surf from the water team that staved them off temporarily while the rest focused fire on the Champions.
Meanwhile, Alex continued to bombard the distracted swarm, reducing their number by another 5. That was when he was suddenly attacked by Venomoth, who flew over to confront him. It used Bug Buzz, which would undoubtedly kill Alex in one hit, but before the attack could land, Frosmoth swooped in, tanked it with Protect, and then retaliated with Ice Beam.
This was not part of the plan, as both she and Zoroark were supposed to regroup and continue to harass the Champions. But she ignored orders out of rage and blindly charged at Venomoth, who had caused the death of Forretress, her mate.
The matchup was relatively even given Frosmoth's Ice typing and Venomoth's rank. She focused on using her advantage, bombarding Venomoth with Ice Beams and Blizzards, while Venomoth countered with Acrobatics to evade and deal damage.
Their fight freed up Alex to continue focusing on the swarm, who were on their last legs compared to when they started. He rushed back into the fray and opened fire while sweeping Stormline from side to side. Occasionally, he encountered fire from the gunmen or the swarm, but he kept light on his feet and never stayed in place long enough for them to hit him.
Brenner suddenly sensed the shift in the battle and didn't like where it was going. His Champions were distracted, their health dwindling. The swarm he had sacrificed suffered more than he expected. Even his protector Venomoth was struggling, despite its opponent only being Elite rank.
At this point, he could choose to regroup and continue the battle or retreat and call it a day. He thought about it and decided to stay. He had lost his swarm but still had his Champions. So long as they could take down a few more of their prey, the battle would swing in their favor. As for the weapon that caused this devastation, it didn't seem strong enough to take down an evading Champion, so it was fine to leave it for now.
He turned his focus on the battle that was the most likely to end early. It was the battle between Venomoth and Frosmoth given the straightforward nature of the fight. It was a 1v1 with an obvious rank difference and an enraged opponent as well. Easy pickings that would see the match end in no time.
Venomoth flew in circles around Frosmoth, taking advantage of its higher speed. It managed to maintain its dominance despite the type disadvantage. Acrobatics carried it in and out of range, letting it slip past the freezing rays hurled in desperation while landing quick, punishing strikes in return.
Frosmoth, meanwhile, didn't care as she tried her best to deal any sort of damage. She hated this Venomoth with a raging passion for causing the death of Forretress. In her rage, she ignored the severe injuries that were piling up and simply continued to attack. Hence, she hadn't noticed when Venomoth delivered the final hit that caused her to faint.
Venomoth swooped down, ready to deal the killing blow as it chased after Frosmoth's falling form. That was when she suddenly disappeared in a flash of red light. Venomoth followed the source of the interruption and noticed Alex storing a Poké Ball on his belt while coldly ignoring it.
It shrieked in rage at the insult and charged forward, ready to fulfill its trainer's orders, using Acrobatics to speed up its charge. Right as it was about to slam into him, a flash of silver light intercepted it, sending it flying to the side. A follow-up Shadow Ball was sent its way, but it managed to use Protect in time to regain its bearings.
Before it stood a Raticate radiating a suffocating, predatory aura, his intent filled with absolute rage. His eyes burned with a wild, unblinking glare, teeth bared and quivering as low growls rumbled from his throat, his posture coiled and ready to pounce at the first sign of weakness while the three ghostly Rattata hovered behind him, their vacant eyes boring into its soul.
"A Mega Raticate!" Brennar exclaimed. "Jackpot! Get him, Venomoth! I want that Raticate taken down!"
Brennar wasn't bothered by the fact that his Pokémon was up against a Mega Evolution. Raticate were incredibly weak, and a Mega Evolution wouldn't do much for it. More importantly, it was another 1v1 match between his Champion and a clearly enraged Elite.
Venomoth started out strong with Psychic, sending out a pink blast of energy that went straight for its opponent. It was expecting the enraged Raticate to simply tank the damage while attempting to get close.
Raticate, however, ran to the side, evading the attack while circling Venomoth. He was definitely enraged by this Pokémon for the deaths it had caused, but he wasn't stupid enough to play its game. He circled Venomoth, who continued to attack with Psychic blasts, until a sliver of an opening revealed itself. Venomoth was about to flap its wings to stabilize itself after using a move and wouldn't have enough time to dodge or counterattack.
At that moment, Raticate used Quick Attack to get in close and nick Venomoth precisely at the tip of its wing with its claws. Then, in a surprise move, Raticate held on and swung around to Venomoth's back while the latter tried and failed to fly with only one wing. This, along with Raticate's initial momentum from the Quick Attack, sent both of them spiraling to the ground.
Raticate didn't relent in his rage-filled attacks. He didn't care if they were falling or crashed on the ground. He continued his assault by wrapping his tail around Venomoth's neck, digging his claws deep into its flesh, biting at the base of its wings, and releasing Thunder Wave all at the same time.
Venomoth retaliated by releasing Psychic at point-blank range from its back. Unfortunately for it, Raticate took the attack while continuing to gnaw at its wing. He would have flown off if his tail hadn't been firmly wrapped around it.
Finally, Raticate succeeded when he used Crunch in tandem with a jerking motion to rip a wing off of Venomoth. Rather than a tactical retreat to avoid retaliation, Raticate continued his assault. He targeted the other wing aiming to completely ground Venomoth and leave it helpless.
"Use Stun Spore and Sleep Powder you idiot!" Brenner shouted from the back.
Venomoth followed his instructions and managed to paralyze Raticate as spores exploded from its form, finally slowing him down.
Still, Raticate didn't relent even when he occasionally twitched from the paralysis. He continued to tear at Venomoth with utmost brutality.
His overwhelming, cold rage wouldn't allow any outcome short of death for this Pokémon.
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