Gardenia stared at Dolliv, which was still standing calmly on the field, and couldn't help feeling puzzled.
After such a high-intensity exchange, Dolliv showed no signs of exhaustion at all.
That made no sense.
Moves like Substitute and Protect were notorious stamina drains.
On top of that, Dolliv had hard-tanked a Petal Blizzard head-on.
Logically speaking, at Dolliv's level, it shouldn't possess such deep reserves of endurance.
Yet there it was—steady, composed, unshaken.
Peter merely smiled and said nothing.
Before the battle began, he had already switched Dolliv's held item to Leftovers.
Dolliv already had excellent overall bulk. Against a Grass-type opponent who struggled to break its defenses, Leftovers turned prolonged exchanges into a nightmare.
"Such ridiculous defensive endurance…"
Unable to reason it out, Gardenia dropped the thought and released her second Poké Ball.
"Alright then—this one's up next. Go, Jumpluff!"
Light faded, revealing a round, blue Pokémon floating gently in the air.
Cotton-like tufts crowned its head and hands, with red eyes and oval feet giving it a deceptively cute appearance.
[Jumpluff lv35 — Advanced]
Type: Grass / Flying
The moment Peter saw it, his brows knitted together.
He had planned for many things—but not a Flying-type.
Against Flying-type moves, Dolliv would struggle to hold its ground.
Yet switching out now would waste the four layers of buffs Dolliv had painstakingly stacked.
(Note: Switching Pokémon removes all stat boosts and debuffs, as well as effects like Confusion, Taunt, and Encore. Status conditions, however, remain.)
More importantly, Dolliv's full moveset had already been revealed.
Once Sunny Day ended, Weather Ball's power would plummet, and Dolliv would be reduced to a mere stall option.
Better to strike while the sun still shone.
Decision made, Peter issued his command.
"Take the initiative—Weather Ball!"
"Acrobatics!" Gardenia countered instantly.
Acrobatics — Flying-type physical move, base power 55.
When the user holds no item, its power doubles.
This was a notoriously difficult move to master, combining evasive movement and offense in one fluid action.
"Puff—!"
Jumpluff rode the wind, dodging the blazing fireball at blinding speed.
A swirling air current formed around its body as it sliced past Dolliv.
The hit landed cleanly.
Dolliv dropped to one knee—it was super effective!
"Jumpluff's Ability is Chlorophyll, you know," Gardenia said with a grin.
"In sunlight, that kind of attack simply won't hit~"
Chlorophyll: Doubles Speed under harsh sunlight.
Peter's expression darkened slightly.
Jumpluff's base Speed was already 110.
With Chlorophyll active, it was effectively untouchable.
At that speed, Dolliv's attacks landing would be pure luck.
Meanwhile, Jumpluff could harass freely.
"Still," Peter narrowed his eyes, "forcing out one move isn't bad."
He recalled Dolliv.
"Come back—next up, Lopunny!"
Lopunny landed gracefully on the field just as the blazing sunlight faded.
Sunny Day ended.
Gardenia nodded approvingly.
"A smart call. Then, Jumpluff—Tailwind!"
Tailwind: Flying-type field move. For four turns, the user's side has doubled Speed.
She intended to maintain absolute speed dominance.
Peter raised an eyebrow.
"Then try this—Encore!"
"Lopun~!"
Lopunny clapped rhythmically.
Encouraged by the rhythm, Jumpluff happily performed Tailwind again, drifting merrily through the air.
"…Hey! Stop that!" Gardenia blurted out, momentarily flustered.
Ignoring her reaction, Peter chose to strengthen instead.
"Bulk Up!"
"Again?" Gardenia clicked her tongue.
If Lopunny was allowed to fully buff, things would spiral out of control.
She made her decision immediately.
"Come back, Jumpluff!
Roserade—take the stage!"
"Rose—!"
Light dispersed, revealing a masked, cloak-like Pokémon, elegant and dangerous.
Blue and red roses bloomed in its hands, while a massive white rose crowned its head—like a dancer among thorns.
[Roserade lv40 — Elite]
Peter's mouth twitched.
"…You're really not holding back, are you?"
Gardenia laughed.
"If it were too easy, my Forest Badge wouldn't be worth much, would it?"
Peter nodded slowly.
"Fair enough. Lopunny—focus."
"Lopun!"
Trainer and Pokémon grew serious in perfect sync.
-----
Gardenia crossed her arms.
"Nice eyes. Roserade—Toxic Spikes!"
Toxic Spikes: Lays poisonous traps on the opponent's field. Pokémon switching in become poisoned.
Her goal was clear—restrict Peter's ability to switch.
Seeing Dolliv's absurd bulk, she opted to pressure him with status conditions instead.
After all, she was still a Grass-type specialist.
Roserade's Poison coverage helped, but her move slots were precious—and Peter's third Pokémon remained hidden.
If she could poison his entire team, her odds would skyrocket.
"Encore!" Peter ordered instantly.
Roserade scattered poison spikes again, locked into repetition.
Peter narrowed his eyes.
Using Toxic Spikes while knowing I have Encore?
Either she's reckless… or she has a backup plan.
Gardenia remained calm.
"Roserade—Toxic Spikes again."
Toxic Spikes could stack.
Two layers meant badly poisoned status—damage that escalated every turn.
Not a waste at all.
Peter watched Roserade closely.
No abnormalities.
Encore was working.
"Lopunny—Bulk Up, again!"
"Lopun!"
Light flared repeatedly around Lopunny.
Roserade laid the spikes once more.
Everything was unfolding exactly as planned.
Then—
On the third and final turn of Encore, Roserade suddenly flashed white.
Its eyes regained clarity.
Gardenia struck instantly.
"Now—Energy Ball!"
Peter's heart jumped.
"Lopunny—cancel Bulk Up, Bounce!"
Energy Ball: Grass-type special attack, power 90.
Bounce: Flying-type physical move. First turn leaps high; second turn crashes down, with a chance to paralyze.
"Too slow! With Tailwind, Roserade is much faster!" Gardenia declared confidently.
The emerald energy sphere shot forward, moments from impact—
"If this were an ordinary Lopunny… sure," Peter said calmly.
"But this one? It's mine."
Whoosh—
Lopunny vanished instantly.
Energy Ball missed completely.
"Roserade—above you!" Gardenia shouted.
"Too late," Peter smirked.
"Tailwind's over."
The next instant—
Lopunny descended like a meteor, wind screaming around its legs.
BOOM!
Dust exploded across the battlefield.
Roserade was smashed into the ground—super effective!
"Beautiful!" Peter pumped his fist.
Gardenia had applied immense pressure.
Landing a direct hit on Roserade was a huge turning point.
"…Strange," Gardenia frowned.
"You keep breaking expectations. Even though—"
"Even though Roserade used Natural Cure to clear Encore," Peter finished with a smile,
"and even had doubled Speed from Tailwind—yet it still failed?"
Natural Cure—Roserade's standard Ability.
In the real world, prolonged abnormal states could be self-cleansed over time, unlike the strict in-game mechanics.
"You figured that out too?" Gardenia looked genuinely surprised.
"It was obvious," Peter replied calmly.
"No experienced Gym Leader would risk using Toxic Spikes under Encore without a backup plan."
As for Speed—
With three Bulk Ups, Lopunny's Speed and power were already monstrous.
If even a 250% Speed boost couldn't secure initiative, he might as well turn Lopunny into spicy rabbit stew.
"…Impressive," Gardenia admitted softly.
"But the battle isn't over yet~"
She snapped her fingers.
A faint, unnatural purple hue crept across Lopunny's face—
Poison.
--------------
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