Due to the influence of Geeta, Glimmora's ability Toxic Debris and its usage with Toxic Spikes had become deeply ingrained in people's minds.
However, this Pokémon wasn't just about taking hits and spreading poison or acting as a simple shield.
Relying solely on this wouldn't allow Glimmora to firmly establish itself in the fiercely competitive Paldea pit, let alone flourish deep within the Abyss.
Its offensive capabilities were actually quite terrifying.
In Paldea's Pokédex, Glimmora' Special Attack stat was directly given a value of 130, equivalent to that of Gengar.
Thus, this unexpected Earth Power dealt more than half of Tentacruel's health in high damage.
After the rumbling from Earth Power subsided, Wallace couldn't help but furrow his brows at the other end of the screen.
"Did he guess my thoughts? What decisive commanding."
From the opponent switching despite having an advantageous matchup, he had already felt something was off.
Now it seemed that he had read his rotation.
Toxapex and Tentacruel didn't have an advantage over each other; five hundred rounds of mutual attrition could wear down even the largest paths.
So the opponent's strategy was clear:
Rather than preserving the spikes, it was better to switch out and deal with the only Pokémon on his side capable of clearing spikes—Tentacruel.
"Interesting."
Wallace's lips curved into a smile. Having such an opponent made the battle much more interesting!
"However, while Earth Power can indeed severely wound Tentacruel..."
"Glimmora is a Rock + Poison dual-type, which is very weak against Water-type moves."
"And under the rain, the move power is further boosted, so the chance of Tentacruel's Hydro Pump defeating the opponent is—"
"100%!"
With this thought, Wallace no longer hesitated and blurted out:
"Tentacruel, use Hydro Pump!"
Because Tentacruel was very fast, he was confident that his side would get the first strike, instantly KO'ing this troublesome Glimmora.
Of course, Wallace could tell that the opponent's lineup leaned towards defense, so maintaining the overall health of the team was essential for continued operation.
After breaking through one front, the pressure on the opponent's defensive lineup would only increase, making victory a piece of cake.
As for whether Hydro Pump might miss…
If he didn't have even this basic trust, Pokémon wouldn't respond to their trainer's expectations.
Even in games, it was the same!
As Wallace's command rang out, Tentacruel immediately condensed a violent sphere of Water-type energy.
This time, Wallace bet correctly.
The move went straight toward Glimmora without deviation.
"Glimmora, Earth Power!"
However, for this potentially fatal Hydro Pump, Aiden, who was usually steady, unexpectedly didn't show any intention of defending but decisively decided to counterattack.
[WTF tanking Hydro Pump and hitting back with Earth Power, is that worth?]
[In theory, Glimmora, being a Rock type, shouldn't be able to withstand this Hydro Pump, could it be that Azure brought a Focus Sash?]
[A Glimmora with Focus Sash is too abstract...]
While the chat was pondering Aiden's confidence, Tentacruel's Hydro Pump had already hit the nearby Glimmora.
Due to the type disadvantage, Glimmora' HP bar began to tremble violently, plummeting downward at an extremely rapid speed.
However, the change in HP abruptly stopped at around one-third.
At the same time, Glimmora' second Earth Power quickly followed, and the unleashed seismic force instantly triggered another earthquake, completely engulfing Tentacruel.
This time, Tentacruel directly ran out of stamina and lost its ability to battle.
Aiden slowly revealed a smile.
"If I dared to match Glimmora, I definitely had the confidence to take a Hydro Pump."
"Assault Vest, kid!"
Assault Vest, a commonly used battle item for tank Pokémon.
Pokémon carrying Assault Vests greatly enhance their defense against special attacks due to the vest's cushioning effect.
Under Rain, the output of Water-type Pokémon was indeed explosive, but Tentacruel still fell short. Even with a single Hydro Pump, it couldn't KO Glimmora equipped with an Assault Vest.
However, such a powerful item also had a side effect.
Pokémon wearing it became more aggressive and instinctively resisted using status moves.
This was the main reason why he continuously used Earth Power twice from earlier—
There were no other moves available!
Without limiting to four moves, using this item indeed required careful consideration.
But at least this time, he had guessed correctly!
After scoring the first point, while Wallace was contemplating whom to switch in, Aiden decisively recalled this meritorious Glimmora.
Both sides quickly threw out another Poké Ball each.
Clodsire versus Gyarados.
Facing Gyarados' Intimidate, the slow Clodsire belatedly got startled.
"Clodsire, Yawn!"
"Gyarados, Ice Fang!"
After previous probing, both sides now gave very conventional commands.
Wallace, wary of Clodsire's Water Absorb ability, did not choose to use the stronger Waterfall under the rain but instead attacked with Ice Fang to wear down.
Though not strong, it at least caused Clodsire to lose over one-third of its HP.
As for Aiden...
His purpose was simple: force the opponent to switch.
With Tentacruel already taken care of, Aiden was certain that there was no spike-clearing capability left in Wallace's team.
Therefore, what he planned to do next was crystal clear.
After Gyarados yawned, Wallace decisively switched again, recalling Gyarados and sending out Ludicolo.
Ludicolo appeared, and the rain left by Politoed showed no signs of ending.
Based on this, Aiden immediately deduced that Politoed carried a Damp Rock to extend the duration of the rain.
These small details might not be noticed by ordinary trainers.
But for someone who had played at least ten thousand ranked matches, it had almost become instinctual.
At this point, Wallace must have wished the opponent was Quagsire, a Water + Ground type doubly weak to Grass, rather than this more troublesome Clodsire...
Unfortunately, he couldn't switch.
"When Wallace's all-Water-type team encounters Water Absorb, I don't know how he's going to play!"
Aiden's smile widened slightly again, and he made another command:
"Clodsire, Toxic Spikes!"
After consecutively laying two layers of Toxic Spikes, facing Ludicolo's incoming Ice Beam, Clodsire didn't even bother dodging, directly taking the hit with its face.
Then, it spat out a Sitrus Berry, swallowed it, and quickly restored its health.
[So disgusting, I want to punch him through the screen...]
[Top tier ragebait ngl but aren't you afraid of IRL battles? Not the Pokemon kind LOL]
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