Lance's bewilderment was justified. The two Pokémon standing across from his majestic dragons were, frankly, absurd for high-level play.
An Ambipom and a Dedenne.
He couldn't help but feel a sense of irony. In the world of Battle Path, Ambipom was a mere Blue-tier unit, and Dedenne was bottom-of-the-barrel White-tier. In a game where stats and rarity usually dictated the winner, using these two in a ranked match seemed like a joke.
He really is just a lucky rookie, Lance thought.
Meanwhile, Cliff's livestream was a riot of laughter. "OMG, Ambipom I get, but Dedenne?!" "Is the streamer confused? Does he think this is the Baby Cup?" "Kid, go evolve that thing before you come back." "LMAO! Streamer, just forfeit now and save us the wait for the giveaway."
To the viewers, Dedenne was a mascot, a cute mouse people kept as pets. No Champion in history had ever trained one for serious combat. It was too weak, too timid, and had zero evolutionary potential. They never expected it to be a key player.
Cliff ignored the noise and issued his command: "Dedenne, Ambipom, Fling!"
On the other side, Lance gave his orders with a sigh. "Garchomp, use Earthquake! Kommo-o, jump and use Clanging Scales!"
It was a classic combo. Earthquake would devastate the field, while Kommo-o's jump would keep it safe from the friendly fire. Lance felt a pang of disappointment; defeating a newbie like this wasn't even fun. He just wanted to get to the Master Ball tier.
Then, the turn processed.
Before the dragons could move, two objects soared through the air and slammed into their heads with a sharp thwack. Their health bars ticked down by a tiny, almost insulting amount.
Lance squinted at the screen. One object looked like a tarnished gold crown; the other, a sharp, serrated tooth.
A King's Rock and a Razor Fang?
He realized those were the items the Pokémon had been holding. But as he looked up, his heart skipped a beat. Both Garchomp and Kommo-o were frozen in place.
Two prompts appeared: [Garchomp flinched!][Kommo-o flinched!]
What?!
Lance's mind raced. Fling allowed a Pokémon to throw its held item for an attack. Depending on the item, the effect changed. Throwing a King's Rock or a Razor Fang resulted in a 100% flinch rate, if it hit.
It was a clever trick, but no pro used it because it was a "one-and-done" move. Once you throw your item, it's gone. You can't exactly walk over and pick it up mid-battle while your opponent is trying to blast you. It wasted a precious item slot for a single turn of disruption.
Lance wasn't worried yet. It was a one-turn delay. He'd just use the same moves next turn.
But then, the items lying on the ground suddenly shimmered and flew back into the paws of the mouse and the monkey.
[Dedenne's Pickup activated!][Ambipom's Pickup activated!]
Lance: "???"
No... they actually picked them up?!
His expression shifted from confusion to dawning horror. Because Cliff's Pidgeot had set up Tailwind earlier, the mouse and monkey were faster.
Next turn: Fling. The crown hit Garchomp in the face. The tooth pierced Kommo-o's scales. [Flinch!]
The cycle repeated. Turn after turn, the legendary dragons stood there, paralyzed by a rain of "trash." They couldn't move. They couldn't roar. They could only stand there and take it while the poison from Cliff's Glimmora slowly ate away at their health.
By turn nine, the "World's Strongest Dragons" collapsed. They had been defeated by a mouse and a monkey throwing garbage at them.
Lance's Hydreigon and Goodra were sent out next, only to be met with the same relentless rain of items. Lance sat at his computer, his face twitching. He finally understood why his opponent chose that name.
Talented Individual?
"This guy has absolutely zero sportsmanship!" Lance hissed. "Can someone, anyone, please stop him?!"