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"Return, Rabsca!" Chandler commanded immediately after Revival Blessing was complete.
Rabsca had fulfilled its purpose and disappeared back into its Poké Ball in a flash of red light.
"Charizard, use Sunny Day!" Jacob ordered as his Fire-type emerged.
Jacob wanted to establish favorable weather conditions immediately, while Chandler switched back to his restored Garganacl.
Facing Garganacl again, Jacob felt extra cautious. A Gym Leader-level Garganacl using Rock-type moves would deal devastating damage to Charizard, who suffered a quadruple weakness to Rock-type attacks. A single well-placed Stone Edge could potentially knock Charizard out in one hit.
Although Charizard had access to the powerful Grass-type move Solar Beam to counter Garganacl, Jacob knew he had to be extremely careful with his positioning and timing.
However, Jacob was clearly overthinking the tactical complexities. Chandler's next command cut through all strategic considerations with brutal simplicity.
"Garganacl, use Explosion!" Chandler called out without hesitation.
Jacob's eyes widened in shock as the implications hit him. Combined with Rabsca's move pool, he suddenly understood Chandler's entire strategy!
"Charizard, fly high and dodge!" Jacob shouted urgently.
The battlefield erupted in blinding light and deafening sound as Garganacl detonated itself in a massive explosion. Even though Charizard had gained altitude quickly, the shockwave from the blast still reached the Fire-type, dealing significant damage and leaving it in critical condition.
From the commentary booth, both announcers struggled to understand what they had just witnessed.
"I'm completely baffled by Chandler's strategy!" Layne exclaimed. "He just had his newly revived Garganacl use Explosion immediately!"
"Honestly, I don't understand this approach either," Liliana added, clearly confused. "Garganacl is Chandler's core Pokémon – his primary offensive threat. Rabsca and Grimmsnarl are both support-oriented. After losing Garganacl permanently, how can Chandler possibly defeat Jacob?"
But their confusion was about to be cleared up in the most dramatic way possible.
"Go, Rabsca!" Chandler sent his Bug and Psychic-type back into battle.
"Charizard, use Blast Burn!" Jacob commanded desperately.
A trace of grim determination flashed in Jacob's eyes. He had to eliminate Rabsca immediately if he wanted any chance of victory.
Charizard roared as flames erupted skyward, instantly covering the entire battlefield and engulfing Rabsca in a torrent of fire. This should have been a guaranteed knockout – Charizard's same-type attack bonus combined with Sunny Day's boost, its Solar Power ability activation, and the double effectiveness against Bug-type Rabsca created overwhelming offensive power.
But this wasn't a video game with simple calculations. This was reality, where training and preparation mattered as much as type matchups.
When the flames cleared, Rabsca was still standing, though badly injured. Chandler had trained his Pokémon specifically for this moment.
Jacob's expression grew grim. He genuinely hadn't expected Rabsca to survive such a powerful attack.
In contrast to Jacob's shock, Chandler remained completely calm. Others only saw the impressive defensive feat, but they hadn't witnessed the countless hours of endurance training behind it. Day after day of physical conditioning and special defense exercises had forged Rabsca's incredible bulk.
"Rabsca, use Rest!" Chandler commanded.
The Bug and Psychic-type Pokémon immediately fell into a deep, healing sleep, completely restoring its health and curing all status conditions.
"Now, Sleep Talk!" Chandler continued.
Jacob watched in growing horror as he began to understand the full scope of Chandler's strategy.
Sleep Talk was a move that could only be used while sleeping, randomly selecting one of the user's known moves. In most cases, this randomness made Sleep Talk nearly useless – trying to get a specific move from dozens of options was essentially gambling.
But there was one crucial exception: when a Pokémon deliberately forgot unnecessary moves and retained only essential ones.
Chandler's Rabsca knew only three moves: Rest, Sleep Talk, and Revival Blessing. With such a limited move pool, excluding Sleep Talk itself, Rabsca had a fifty percent chance of using Revival Blessing when Sleep Talking.
But even that probability could be improved through intensive training, and Chandler had clearly done exactly that.
Normal-type energy surrounded the sleeping Rabsca as Sleep Talk activated. The move succeeded, and Revival Blessing triggered once again. Garganacl's Poké Ball glowed, and the Rock-type emerged restored to nearly full health.
Revival Blessing, which should have been usable only once per battle, had become infinitely repeatable through the Rest and Sleep Talk combination. Paired with Garganacl's Explosion attacks, this formed Chandler's devastating cycle strategy.
The realization hit the audience and commentators like a thunderbolt.
"Now I understand the strategy!" Layne exclaimed with genuine admiration.
"It's absolutely brilliant!" Liliana added enthusiastically. "Have Rabsca use Rest and Sleep Talk to continuously cast Revival Blessing, then have Garganacl repeatedly use Explosion for maximum damage! And Grimmsnarl's Prankster ability prevents opponents from using Taunt to shut down the strategy!"
"Chandler is truly a tactical genius!"
The crowd erupted in amazement. Regardless of the battle's outcome, Chandler had already made history with this innovative strategy combination.
"I must admit, the young trainers of this generation are incredibly creative," Layne reflected thoughtfully. "I remember when I was competing, battles were much simpler. Trainers just used whatever move had the highest base power. Both sides would enter and immediately start trading attacks until someone's team was defeated. Nothing like these elaborate strategies we see today."
"Times have definitely changed," Liliana replied with a smile. "The tactical depth has evolved tremendously."
"Return, Charizard! Go, Sceptile!" Jacob switched Pokémon immediately.
Chandler was obviously about to send Garganacl back in for another Explosion attack. Jacob had to respond tactically, bringing in Sceptile to absorb the blast.
Jacob's options were severely limited. The critically injured Charizard couldn't survive a second Explosion. If he sent in Noibat, Garganacl could use Recover to restore itself to full health, and with Noibat's status moves still sealed by the lingering effects of Taunt, the Sound Wave Pokémon couldn't threaten Garganacl.
Sceptile was his only viable choice.
The situation was becoming increasingly desperate for Jacob, but it wasn't entirely hopeless. Chandler's strategy depended on all three Pokémon working together seamlessly. If Jacob could break just one link in that chain, the entire strategy would collapse.
"Return, Rabsca! Go, Garganacl!" Chandler executed his rotation smoothly.
As soon as Garganacl materialized on the battlefield, it prepared to explode again.
"Sceptile, use Leaf Storm!" Jacob attempted to exploit the brief switching window, hoping to defeat Garganacl with a powerful special attack before it could detonate.
"Garganacl, Protect, then Explosion!" Chandler countered expertly.
A protective barrier appeared around Garganacl, completely blocking Sceptile's Leaf Storm. The moment the protection faded, Garganacl's body erupted with brilliant light as it prepared for another devastating self-destruction.
Jacob gritted his teeth. Chandler had thought of everything, covering even the smallest tactical openings. This battle was becoming the greatest challenge Jacob had ever faced.