The moment Lucian spoke, Aiden already understood his intention.
This was a multiple-choice question: either risk getting impaled by Sacred Sword or allow Bronzong to set up Trick Room.
Without a doubt, this was an overt strategy.
Because Aiden couldn't risk Slaking being one-shot, he wouldn't intercept a Trick Room that would only take effect in the future.
In other words...
Lucian was willing to sacrifice Gallade just to ensure Bronzong could set up Trick Room and seize the initiative.
There had to be something fishy going on.
But even knowing this, Aiden had no choice but to accept the exchange. He decisively commanded Slaking to use Shadow Claw on Gallade.
In the game, the essence of Pokémon battles was the strategic contest between two trainers. If it was a contest, there would naturally be trade-offs.
In previous battles, Aiden had been able to steamroll his opponents not only because his command skills were solid but also because his tactics hadn't been anticipated. That was a key factor in securing victory.
But this match was different. Slaking was too conspicuous, and Lucian had been wary of it from the start, constantly interfering with Aiden's tactical setup.
Even though he had successfully used Skill Swap, he still had to accept Lucian's "speed-for-life" gamble.
After recalling Medicham, which now had the Truant Ability, Aiden quickly sent out Alolan Raichu.
If the game had already introduced Mega Evolution mechanics, since Mega Evolution would revert Medicham's Ability back to Pure Power, Aiden wouldn't need to switch Pokémon.
Medicham could learn Trick Room and directly counter Bronzong's Trick Room, the only way to negate the move's effects.
Unfortunately, that wasn't possible now.
With its full power unleashed, Slaking swung its claw, unleashing Ghost-type energy that was super effective against Psychic-types. Gallade was instantly obliterated.
Slaking's base offensive capabilities weren't weak to begin with, and with the boost from Pure Power and type advantage...
The power of that single claw strike was absolutely terrifying. Gallade probably owed Slaking at least one life!
As the battle raged on, the slowest Pokémon, Bronzong, slowly gathered energy. Soon, countless strange Psychic-type energies expanded outward, forming a peculiar reversed space.
[Here it is—the space tactic that Elite Four member Lucian excels at!]
[It's said that Lucian managed to score two points against the newly crowned Champion Cynthia using the space system—more than all the previous Elite Four combined...]
[??? Damn, how terrifying must that cute Sinnoh Trainer who has a special relationship with Teacher Azure be?]
[You can tell from the Dragon Master Tournament championship—Champion Cynthia is really strong!]
[So is the strong one on top or bottom?]
[? Something's wrong with y'all—ban them!]
Under the influence of Trick Room, Alolan Raichu, theoretically the fastest Pokémon on the field, would now act last, followed by Slaking.
On the other hand, the sluggish Bronzong could now reliably go first.
Gallade, lying defeated, was quickly recalled by Lucian, and Medicham, the same as Aiden's backline, reappeared.
At the cost of sacrificing Gallade, Lucian finally secured the initiative.
Now, it was his turn to suppress.
"Medicham, use Fake Out on Slaking!"
"Bronzong, Body Press!"
Lucian made his commands first.
Although Bronzong's offensive capabilities were limited, Body Press dealt damage based on its Defense stat and was highly effective against Slaking. Even Slaking, with its massive HP bar, would suffer heavy damage from a hit.
Even if both attacks were blocked, they would successfully bait out Slaking's Protect, leaving it vulnerable to Medicham's full-powered High Jump Kick next turn.
A fake Pure Power couldn't compete with the real thing!
Seeing this, Aiden calmly spoke:
"Slaking, Protect!"
Although Trick Room's effect was powerful, it had no impact on priority moves.
Using Protect this round not only blocked significant damage but also ensured that Medicham's Fake Out couldn't affect Slaking.
As for Alolan Raichu...
Aiden glanced at the Pokémon currently on the field and suddenly came up with an idea.
"Raichu, use Skill Swap!"
The four Pokémon on the field began to act in sequence.
Thanks to Slaking's early Protect barrier, Medicham and Bronzong's attacks were successively blocked.
Raichu mimicked the opening move of Aiden's earlier Medicham, and soon a white glow appeared.
However, this time, its target wasn't its teammate Slaking but...
The opponent's Medicham!
The energy exchange was quickly completed, and Alolan Raichu's body rapidly grew muscular, becoming noticeably bulkier. Its every movement seemed to emit a faint yoga style.
[Damn, swapping for the Pure Power Ability—is Teacher Azure using this move to probe the opponent's Abilities?]
[Seems pointless. Although we don't know what Raichu's Ability is, Pure Power is definitely useless for it.]
[True, it's useless, but stealing the opponent's Ability is so dirty. Even using Thunder Wave would feel better than this!]
[What do you know? Thunder Wave's nastiness isn't enough for Teacher Azure anymore. Without Pure Power, Medicham's output will probably be pitifully low!]
Aiden couldn't help but smile faintly.
"You can ignore everything else, but this move is definitely messing with their mentality."
Though it didn't seem to have much impact on the situation, it was indeed interesting—he'd directly swapped Surge Surfer to Medicham.
Surge Surfer was Alolan Raichu's exclusive Ability, doubling its Speed when on Electric Terrain. Originally intended to pair with Slaking to make it faster than lightning and deal with high-speed lineups, it was no longer needed now.
Since it wouldn't be used, why not just give it to the opponent?
After all, without Electric Terrain, this Ability was completely useless and might even backfire under Trick Room.
What, you ask how Medicham, with its bulky body, could surf without sinking into the sea?
That's just how the code works! If it ain't broke, don't try to fix it.
On the other side of the screen, Lucian's lips twitched uncontrollably.
As expected of Teacher Azure—his tactical style remains as consistently...
refreshing and unconventional!
"How dirty! How could there be such a disgusting move as Skill Swap?"
"One must admit, it's true."
Flint and Aaron behind him voiced exactly what he was thinking.
Now things were a bit awkward for his side—
With Bronzong and Medicham's combat power, dealing with Slaking was still difficult.
Originally, Medicham could've finished off the opponent with a single High Jump Kick, but without Pure Power, its output was halved...
Even with Bronzong's Body Press, it was unclear whether they could one-shot Slaking.
But if he recalled Medicham to refresh its Ability, Bronzong and Sigilyph posed no threat to Slaking.
Difficult.
So he could only try again.
"Bronzong, Body Press!"
"Medicham, High Jump Kick!"
Lucian spoke again, but his voice lacked the confidence it had before.
Given Teacher Azure's steadiness, he felt his chances of winning were slim.
But he had no choice but to go for it!
Upon hearing Lucian's commands, Aiden smiled faintly and immediately directed:
"Slaking, Rest!"
"Raichu, Electric Terrain!"
Still under the influence of Trick Room, Lucian's two Pokémon acted first, attacking Slaking simultaneously.
Lucian was right.
Without Pure Power boosting it, Medicham's output wasn't fatal. Even combined with Bronzong's Body Press, they failed to deplete Slaking's HP bar in one go.
Since Slaking's offensive capabilities were already terrifying, surviving was the top priority, especially since it could swap back to Pure Power.
After enduring the dual attacks, Slaking immediately reverted to its lazy demeanor, flopping onto the ground and falling asleep.
Its HP was rapidly recovering to 100% thanks to Rest.
Though Rest restored HP, its downside was putting the Pokémon to sleep temporarily, unable to wake up.
However...
Slaking's good teammates had ways to wake it up.
Alolan Raichu, the fastest, acted last, quickly gathering a surge of electricity.
After channeling it through its tail into the ground, currents surged across the battlefield, crackling loudly.
Slaking, who had just fallen asleep, was instantly jolted awake, its drowsiness vanishing.
[??? Holy crap, Rest + Electric Terrain directly negates the downside—how's that even fair?]
[Slaking's HP bar is like a roller coaster—it's full again after being attacked; it's just ridiculous!]
[Is it because of Lucian's excellent Trick Room setup or Teacher Azure's outrageous creativity? Normally, this combo wouldn't be possible...]
Aiden's move surprised not only the chat but even Lucian.
His Trick Room had once again become a setup...
If it weren't for the reversed Speed, Aiden's side would've struggled to pull off this combo!
"This... Is there even a point in continuing?"
Flint looked at Aaron, instinctively asking the question.
"Fight my ass!"
Aaron shook his head helplessly.
"As long as we drag it out a bit longer, the duration of Trick Room will end, and there won't be a second chance to set it up."
"And this Electric Terrain is disgusting. I just checked—this Alolan Raichu's Ability is Surge Surfer, doubling its Speed on Electric Terrain, meaning..."
"Medicham's Speed can't keep up now!"
Upon hearing this, Lucian helplessly facepalmed.
He knew—he had lost.
After Skill Swap, his only reliable Pokémon, Medicham, not only lost its ability to handle Slaking but also became the slowest Pokémon on the field due to the combined effects of Electric Terrain and Trick Room.
Slaking's next move would surely one-shot it.
Even if it used Protect to block, dragging it out would cause Trick Room's effects to dissipate.
No matter what, he no longer had the means to focus fire on Slaking.
If this Pure Power Slaking was going to one-shot his Pokémon like children, he might as well surrender gracefully.
Thinking this, Lucian didn't hesitate, decisively clicking the forfeit button.
At the same time, he sighed deeply.
"How could there be such a disgusting move as Skill Swap?"
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