[How did Bellibolt fall asleep during the battle? HOW CAN SHE SLA-SLEEP?]
[Fake fan, her Bellibolt has a reason for sleeping!]
[Yo wait, didn't Bellibolt activate Electric Terrain? How can it fall asleep?]
Iono's move immediately sparked heated discussions in the chat.
As they said, besides boosting the power of Electric-type moves, Electric Terrain also instantly wakes up any Pokémon that falls asleep due to static electricity.
But…
After observing the field, Aiden quickly confirmed one thing—
His previous Dig seemed to be a double-edged sword.
While causing effective damage, it also destroyed the Electric Terrain that Bellibolt had laid down earlier.
That's why Iono dared to let Bellibolt use Rest!
Aiden couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
The move Rest, while putting the using Pokémon to sleep, also rapidly heals all its injuries.
It's a notorious move learned by many tank Pokémon.
Just lie on the ground, and all the opponent's previous sweat and effort go to waste.
Cough - Pointing fingers at a certain Snorlax!
Moreover, although it seems like the cost is becoming a sitting duck for who knows how long, in reality...
Most Pokémon that use Rest can also learn another complementary move.
Sleep Talk!
So even though Bellibolt was asleep, Aiden didn't rush to act.
"Riolu, Bulk Up!"
He chose the safe option of pulling back and strengthening himself on the spot.
And as expected, Bellibolt's next move didn't surprise him.
While sleeping, Bellibolt quickly stretched out its tiny hands to scratch itself, then casually picked up a handful of dirt and threw it behind.
When a Pokémon uses Sleep Talk while asleep, it randomly uses one of the moves it has learned.
Was that Mud-Slap?
Due to the great distance, the sleeping Bellibolt didn't have any accuracy, and Riolu easily dodged it.
As long as it kept its distance, it would be safe for now.
Since Aiden saw through Bellibolt's strategy, the pressure now shifted to Iono.
If it kept sleeping, after a few boosts, Riolu's attack might become something Bellibolt couldn't withstand...
But Iono didn't have any good solutions either. After using Rest, what Bellibolt would do next was no longer under her control; she could only leave it to fate.
However, this time, fate seemed to be on her side.
As Riolu boosted itself for the second time, Bellibolt moved again.
The accumulated electric energy from its breath was quickly released all at once, and the ground around it suddenly surged with electricity again.
With the reappearance of Electric Terrain, Bellibolt seemed startled by the generated static electricity and woke up abruptly.
[??? WTF did Bellibolt turn it on? Can it use Electric Terrain while sleeping?!]
[WTH is this rigamarole? Goofy ah is it still on if it wasn't turned off?]
Even Aiden couldn't help but twitch his lips.
Is this reasonable?
But...
Now waking up is too late!
"Riolu!"
The moment Aiden spoke, Riolu immediately understood its trainer's thoughts based on the situation on the field.
This step would be the decisive moment!
"Use Quick Attack to close in!"
Upon hearing Aiden's command, Iono instinctively furrowed her brows.
Using Quick Attack at this moment clearly aimed only to close the distance for the next attack.
Therefore, at this point, she couldn't take risks.
"Bellibolt, Reflect!"
As a Fighting-type Pokémon, although Aiden had previously commanded Riolu to use special moves like Vacuum Wave,
In this almost decisive moment, Iono boldly judged that Aiden would undoubtedly choose Riolu's more proficient close-range combat as the finishing move.
And if Protect was used at this moment, it might be neutralized by Riolu's feint.
Thus, the safest option was to use Reflect to dissipate most of its force.
An invisible barrier stood between Bellibolt and Riolu.
Meanwhile, Riolu swiftly closed in on the opponent with incredible speed.
"Ri!"
Facing the obstacle ahead, Riolu was fearless and threw a punch!
During the days of training at the Isle of Armor Dojo, the first lesson the two bear masters taught me was—
No matter how insurmountable the peak in front of you is, you must have the courage to climb it!
As long as you can throw the first punch, everything else can be left to the momentum honed until now.
This is the meaning of my training!
Boom—!
A punch infused with inch-strike technique unleashed a terrifying power, instantly piercing through the barrier deployed by Bellibolt, shattering it into countless fragments.
Seeing this, Iono instead sighed in relief.
Because her purpose of using Reflect was to obstruct Riolu's attack.
And now, that purpose had been achieved!
Just as she was about to give another command, Aiden preemptively opened his mouth again:
"Riolu, use Low Kick!"
After breaking through the barrier, Riolu's speed slightly stalled.
But the distance between it and Bellibolt had unknowingly become very close.
Riolu suddenly lowered its body and, in the instant it brushed past Bellibolt, supported its center of gravity with its hand.
A low sweeping kick targeted Bellibolt's lower body, and unable to dodge, it immediately lost balance and fell heavily forward onto the ground.
Low Kick, a technical move of the Fighting-type.
Its power is actually quite average, even negligible.
But when facing heavyweight opponents, this move's power becomes extremely terrifying!
Riolu had already used Bulk Up twice, so this kick not only carried great force but also caught the opponent off guard.
With one kick, Bellibolt lying face-down twitched twice and quickly stopped responding.
It seemed to have fallen back asleep.
"Eh?!!"
Iono's eyes widened instantly, and her spirit visibly drooped quite a bit.
[Likes to sleep, huh? Wake up and sleep again!]
[Ain't no way Bellibolt is sleep-maxing mid battle]
[Dayum that whole sequence seemed like it was direct by Michael Bay, but I still can't forget that Thousand Years of Pain by Riolu earlier, cheap shot]
[Called Sunlight Gym, but where exactly is the sunlight? It's actually dark af...]
"Ri..."
After using full-power moves consecutively, Riolu gasped for breath several times and looked at Aiden.
Mission accomplished!
Aiden gave a thumbs-up and smiled approvingly at Riolu.
"Phew—, luckily I'm one step ahead."
This is our hot-blooded, hand-to-hand combo!
"Gym Leader Iono's Bellibolt has lost its ability to fight, therefore, the winner of this gym challenge is—"
"Gym Leader Aiden!"
Nemona ran over excitedly and quickly confirmed the result.
Today's battle, Iono lost!
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