Chapter 464: She's Changed
In this round, Lina was truly stepping up for her companions. The moment she entered the field, Arthur informed her of the mission she had to carry out via their telepathic link.
"Your job is to wear down the opponent's Salamence as much as possible, and you need to tank the psychic attack hidden on the timeline."
Both trainers only had one mid-battle switch at the start of the match. Although Arthur's quick-draw recall had outplayed even the commentator, it had only dealt with one of the Future Sight attacks. He needed to preserve Specter's health as much as possible, as it was the only ace he had left in this match.
This meant that the second time-bending psychic attack had to be taken by someone. And so, the unfortunate task fell to Lina, whose durability was relatively higher.
Arthur was always honest with his Pokémon and never hid anything from them. He laid out the entire situation for Lina. If this had been the old Lina, she probably would have shot into the sky in a rage.
What? You're sending me out just to take hits and wear down the enemy? I don't get any chance to shine? Watch me breathe fire at you until you're toast!
The little spitfire had always had that explosive temper. And while she was still hot-headed now, she had developed a true sense of belonging to Arthur's team, to their big family.
Recalling the days they had spent living, joking, training, and roughhousing together, Lina rolled her eyes but didn't turn to blast Arthur with flames. She knew how much everyone wanted this victory. Even the normally lazy Doublade would happily waggle its tassels after a win, even if it never got a chance to battle, just from seeing its picture on Arthur's registration list.
The glory of victory belonged to everyone, and she didn't want her own willfulness to cost her companions the match.
After shooting Arthur a glare, Lina puffed her cheeks and gave no reply. But her fighting spirit was still blazing as she faced the powerful Salamence before her. Though she was angry and didn't want to talk to Arthur, her actions sent a clear message: Fine, let's do this. Bring on the storm!
The proud, rebellious girl was unwilling to admit she was following Arthur's plan. But for the sake of the team's victory, she reined in her temper.
Arthur smiled with relief and began to issue his commands. "Use Smokescreen, then approach with caution!"
Lina couldn't be as reckless against Salamence as Specter had been. This Salamence was far stronger than her, even stronger than the two former Charizard leaders from the valley. Adding the unknown timing of the Future Sight attack to the mix, Arthur's commands became very cautious.
Forrest, on the other hand, was now much bolder. "Charge into the smoke! Use Rock Slide the moment you spot the target!"
Salamence also knew the Rock-type move, which was doubly super-effective against Charizard. Dragon-type Pokémon often had incredibly diverse and colorful movepools. With Rock Slide in its arsenal, Salamence fought aggressively.
But hidden within the smoke, Lina launched a surprise attack of her own. "Lina, use Will-O-Wisp!"
In Pokémon battles, aside from type advantages, the most common way for the underdog to win is through status conditions. Even the strongest Pokémon would be troubled by a status effect on the professional stage, where recovery items are forbidden.
Using the smoke as cover, Lina successfully inflicted a burn on Salamence with Will-O-Wisp. The burn sapped its physical strength, making Salamence extremely agitated, and it roared in frustration.
"Salamence, turn and use Dragon Pulse!"
Forced to change tactics, Forrest switched to pure energy-based attacks. His Salamence didn't know Safeguard, and the only move it had to cure status conditions was Rest. Forrest didn't want to waste time on that right now, so he simply changed his method of attack.
Salamence opened its mouth and fired a blast of azure energy. Lina couldn't shake her opponent and was hit.
Arthur immediately commanded, "Lina, use Dragon Breath!"
Lina returned fire with a breath attack of her own. While Dragon Breath was significantly weaker than Dragon Pulse, Arthur was playing the odds—the move had a chance to paralyze the opponent. Lina's purpose on the field was to wear the enemy down. It was nearly impossible for her to win against a captain-level ace Salamence while also facing the threat of a Future Sight attack.
Lina knew this was a battle she was destined to lose, but she still listened intently to every command, diligently maneuvering and clashing with her opponent. The little spitfire had truly changed. She had become mature and reliable.
Two full minutes passed. Salamence chased and bit furiously, roaring as it unleashed wide blasts of energy, yet it still couldn't easily take Lina down. In the meantime, Salamence itself was hit by Lina's repeated Dragon Breaths and, eventually, succumbed to paralysis.
Afflicted with two status conditions at once, its movements became severely hindered. And still, Lina stubbornly refused to fall. Her Blaze ability had been active for a while now, but she remained standing. The experience she had gained from taking countless beatings in the valley had become a priceless asset.
You might win, but you won't win easily!
Time ticked by. Finally, what was bound to happen, happened. Another ripple in space appeared—the time-bending psychic attack had arrived!
And at that very moment, by sheer bad luck, Lina was in the middle of a move's cooldown. Even if Arthur had reacted in time, there was nothing he could do. This time, Absol's Super Luck ability had truly paid off.
Seizing the opportunity as the psychic blast slammed into Lina, leaving her disoriented, Forrest gave a decisive command. "Salamence, use Draco Meteor!"
The ultimate Dragon-type move: Draco Meteor! It summoned a shower of energy blasts from the sky to rain down on the enemy, dealing massive damage. However, its side effect was a temporary drain of the user's energy, lowering their special attack power.
Seeing that he couldn't finish Lina off, Forrest had finally decided to use his ultimate move. Hit by both Future Sight and Draco Meteor, Lina had no chance of survival. The moment the meteor shower began, Arthur conceded the round and recalled Lina to prevent her from taking unnecessary risks.
The little spitfire had already performed exceptionally well. If her willpower had been even slightly weaker, she wouldn't have been able to force Salamence to use a move with such a harsh drawback.
Forrest was exasperated. He definitely hadn't wanted to use that move. Its side effect essentially helped Lina accomplish her mission of weakening his Salamence. But he had no choice. Lina had held on for far too long—so long that his Salamence was paralyzed, and she still hadn't been defeated.
For holding out against an ace for so long, Lina was undoubtedly the MVP of this round. In the end, to ensure no more complications arose, Forrest had committed to using Draco Meteor. Lina's sacrifice was absolutely worth it.
The third round ended. Forrest had scored another point, but at the same time, his ace Salamence was now weaker than ever before.
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