"Fake Out!"
Already trailing by one Pokémon, Norman wasted no time launching his attack.
After the collision between both Pokémon's attacks moments ago, Skarmory now stood in the center of the battlefield. Vigoroth, who had just entered the field, wasn't far away.
Vigoroth lumbered forward, charging toward Skarmory with surprising speed for its size.
"Tackle!"
Steven's strategy was simple—keep using Tackle now that Skarmory's stats were boosted. After all those Iron Defense boosts, what else was there to wait for? It was time to press the offensive.
Skarmory surged toward Vigoroth, but despite its bulk, Vigorothwas faster. The Normal-type brought both palms down on Skarmory's head with a sharp clap. The flinching effect caused Skarmory's charge to stutter and stop completely.
"Body Slam!"
Norman immediately capitalized on the opening, ordering Vigoroth to continue its assault.
Vigoroth leaped with surprising force. Its massive 2.2-meter frame and 80-kilogram body came crashing down heavily on Skarmory.
Bang!
A thunderous impact echoed across the battlefield, and the sheer power kicked up a cloud of dust.
Fortunately, Skarmory resisted Normal-type moves by nature, and its Defense had been significantly enhanced by Iron Defense. The damage from Body Slam was manageable—Skarmory could take hits like this.
"Get up and use Drill Peck!" Steven decided against another Tackle. At this close range, Drill Peck would connect faster.
"Brick Break!"
Another Fighting-type move? Steven couldn't help but wonder—was this a Normal-type Gym or a Fighting-type Gym?
Skarmory struggled to stand, eyeing Vigoroth's raised hand. It began to rotate its body to execute Drill Peck.
But suddenly, its body trembled. Its movement stopped abruptly!
"Is my luck really this bad?" Steven sighed helplessly, rubbing his forehead at the sight.
Paralysis!
Body Slam could occasionally cause paralysis when the user's weight pressed down on the opponent. The sudden gravitational pressure likely created an effect similar to electric shock paralysis. Though Body Slam was a Normal-type move, the status effect it inflicted was identical to standard paralysis.
Vigoroth's hand chopped down hard on Skarmory's shoulder. The powerful blow, super effective against the Steel-type, knocked Skarmory straight to the ground!
"Mega Kick!"
Vigoroth raised its foot, preparing to stomp down on the fallen Skarmory.
"Roll away!"
Skarmory rolled backward several times across the ground, escaping from Vigoroth's attack range just in time.
Boom!
Vigoroth's heavy foot slammed into empty ground. Thankfully, the paralysis didn't trigger again this time.
"Take flight and use Rock Tomb!"
"Earthquake!"
Skarmory flapped its metallic wings and lifted into the air.
Vigoroth suddenly stomped its foot hard. The rocks that were beginning to rise around it instantly shattered into fragments!
It used Earthquake's raw power to nullify Rock Tomb before it could even form!
"Tackle!"
"Thunder Punch!"
Vigoroth's eyes tracked Skarmory as it dove rapidly downward. Crackling electricity surged around its clenched right fist!
Bang—
Skarmory and Vigoroth collided head-on. Skarmory endured the Thunder Punch and used its momentum to knock Vigoroth back several steps!
The two Pokémon separated, creating some distance between them.
The super effective Thunder Punch made Skarmory uncomfortable. Against a Vigoroth that knew Earthquake, Steven couldn't risk letting Skarmory use Roost to recover. The grounded status would leave it completely vulnerable.
This Vigoroth's strength was no joke—it was at least near-Elite level.
"Fire Punch!"
"Air Slash! Aim for its legs!"
Vigoroth swung its flaming fist and charged forward!
Skarmory ascended slightly and flapped its steel wings, sending several translucent air blades slicing toward Vigoroth's legs.
Bang bang bang—
One after another, the air blades struck Vigoroth's legs. The concentrated damage caused Vigoroth to lose its balance and pitch forward.
"Now! Tackle!"
Skarmory instantly tucked in its wings and dove toward the fallen Vigoroth!
"Get up and use Endure!"
Vigoroth pushed itself up, only halfway through rising when Skarmory's Tackle struck it head-on!
Bang!
Vigoroth was knocked to the ground again. But it had activated Endure—the move that guaranteed survival with at least 1 HP!
Vigoroth held on by a thread, refusing to faint despite the devastating Tackle!
Norman made his gamble, waving his hand decisively and shouting, "Rest!"
Vigoroth, lying on the ground, closed its eyes. Even though it could fall asleep instantly, there would be a brief moment before the sleep status fully took effect!
And once asleep, Vigoroth's stamina would recover dramatically! Combined with Sleep Talk, it might actually defeat Skarmory—or at least wear it down significantly.
What Norman was betting on... was the paralysis status Body Slam had inflicted earlier!
If Skarmory's movements were halted even once, Vigoroth could successfully enter its sleep state!
"Drill Peck!" Steven was gambling too—gambling that Skarmory wouldn't be paralyzed!
He'd already had bad luck once. It couldn't happen again, right?
"Yo!"
Skarmory shrieked loudly, spinning its body. Drill Peck connected successfully, striking Vigoroth just as it was about to fall asleep!
Bang!
Hit by Drill Peck, Vigoroth's limbs jerked upward, then fell heavily to the ground.
The battle was decided!
Skarmory landed, breathing heavily.
Its condition was roughly around half health. Norman's final Pokémon was definitely his ace Slaking!
Skarmory was still suffering from intermittent paralysis. Facing that Slaking would be extremely difficult.
The possibility of a clean sweep seemed very low now.
Strategies like switching out during an opponent's attack only worked against Pokémon whose strength hadn't fully matured. Inexperienced Pokémon had poor control over their power and slower move execution.
When high-level Pokémon battled each other, recalling a Pokémon at that precise moment was nearly impossible.
Many experienced Trainers could also predict switches and choose to set up stat boosts or establish field advantages.
If the team composition was exposed, they might even use moves that were super effective against the switched-in Pokémon.
"Only one Pokémon left. Show your full power and defeat it!" Norman grabbed the Poké Ball containing his last Pokémon from his waist.
He tossed it forward. The Poké Ball opened mid-air, and white light materialized on the field in an unusual horizontal position.
As the white light faded, a Pokémon resembling both a baboon and a gorilla lay sideways on the battlefield. It had a pink nose and beige skin, brown eye rings, two tufts of white fur on its head resembling buds, a ring of white fur around its neck, and brown fur covering all its limbs.
A Pokémon with immense power and incredible bulk! Slaking!
After appearing, Slaking slowly rose to its feet, standing nearly two meters tall when fully upright!
"Aww~" Slaking yawned lazily after standing.
Its Ability was Truant. After executing a powerful attack, it would become lethargic and need to rest for a turn.
Conversely, precisely because of this unique Ability, its raw power was absolutely tremendous!
Just from its aura alone, this Slaking's power seemed equal to—or even greater than—Skarmory's current level.
Norman's true ace Slaking was probably Elite Four-level strength!
Otherwise, there wouldn't be rumors that Norman had the qualifications to become an Elite Four member of the Hoenn Region.
"Use your mighty strength to claim victory!" Norman smiled confidently.
"Can a Trainer with only four badges really defeat this powerful Slaking?" Steven smiled helplessly.
It felt like the Petalburg Gym should require six badges before challengers could face this monster.
"However... Skarmory, use Roost!"
Surely Norman's Slaking didn't also know Earthquake, right?
"Earthquake!"
Damn it!
Skarmory folded its wings and began panting heavily. Its injuries started recovering at a visible rate!
Slaking slammed both arms directly onto the ground! The entire battle arena began to shake violently!
Enduring the seismic energy waves, Skarmory shrieked and was thrown backward!
Bang—
Skarmory crashed heavily to the ground. Thanks to the Iron Defense boosts and Earthquake lacking Same Type Attack Bonus, Skarmory hadn't fainted yet. But its condition was like a candle flickering in the wind.
You didn't expect that, did you? Skarmory also had fighting spirit!
"Skarmory, one final Tackle!" Steven said in a deep voice.
Skarmory held on by sheer willpower, charging toward Slaking!
Slaking completely ignored the charging Skarmory, choosing instead to lie down and rest.
Ah~ That last Earthquake really wore me out~
Even with Slaking's incredible bulk and Defense, it would still take considerable damage from Skarmory's final desperate Tackle.
But...
Skarmory's body trembled. It uncontrollably stumbled and fell to the ground.
Paralysis activated!
Steven's mouth twitched. "You weren't paralyzed earlier, but now you are?!"
Damn it!