Maiko's Torterra might have seemed unremarkable, but it was one of the cores of her entire team. Its outstanding defensive capability allowed it to endure a huge amount of damage.
Torterra took the lead in moving to the very front of the team and used a move Tetsuya had never seen before…
Torterra began the prelude to Rock Climb, using the energy within its body to control the earth. The ground immediately began to heave and undulate, and the Pokémon standing on it instantly felt dizzy.
Golurk and Ditto immediately took flight, hovering in midair as they watched the opposing side make its move. Drapion, Houndoom, and Miltank had no way to leave the ground and could only endure the damage.
In truth, Maiko's move was primarily aimed at the Trainer. Fortunately, Tetsuya is a psychic user, and had already lifted his body off the ground.
"Weezing, Gyro Ball, Sludge Bomb!" Tetsuya issued his command. The few Pokémon unaffected by the move had to break this deadlock as quickly as possible. If the shaking continued much longer, Houndoom, which already had a strong aversion to moves like this, would probably be incapacitated.
In just their first exchange, several of Tetsuya's Pokémon had already been forced onto the defensive…
Tetsuya needed the four-headed Weezing to turn the situation around. Weezing also clearly understood the weight of its responsibility and exerted all its might!
A metallic sheen flashed across Weezing's entire body as it hurled Sludge Bombs straight toward Torterra.
"Sceptile, Gloom." Maiko naturally would not simply allow the advantage she had established to slip away.
Sceptile's Leaf Blade extended, its green blade gleaming as it shot forward like a gale.
'So fast!'
"Golurk, intercept it!"
Tetsuya did not dare let his guard down in the slightest. Even though Maiko had already lost two of her main Pokémon, she still had the strength of an Elite Four. Even all four Team Rocket Admins working together had failed to apprehend her, which spoke volumes. Moreover, no matter how he looked at it, this Sceptile was the strongest among these Pokémon.
Golurk swung both fists.
Rocket propulsion, the added force of High Horsepower, and energy gathered during the charge into Focus Punch…
Tetsuya staked all of Golurk's power on this attack, and Golurk certainly did not disappoint him. Sceptile had only gained momentum from running, so naturally it could not compare to Golurk.
A single punch knocked Sceptile back, instantly destroying the Leaf Blade!
However, Sceptile's agility was truly astonishing…
Although it fell in an extremely unfavorable position, it immediately flipped itself over and assumed a battle stance.
Gloom was already on Torterra's back. Its main purpose was to guard against Poison-type Pokémon, as well as to coordinate with Torterra's attacks.
Gloom used Petal Dance, but the petals were all black. Ditto, which had Transformed into Golurk, naturally had to take this move to ensure that Weezing's attack could proceed smoothly. It raised both fists and swung them with Fire Punch, sending the petals falling to the ground one after another.
'…?' Tetsuya was still wondering why this Gloom was so weak that Ditto was having such an easy time fighting it.
Very quickly, Tetsuya realized something was wrong!
Ditto's expression looked exceptionally uncomfortable. It turned out that Gloom's Petal Dance contained a special stench that even Muk could not stomach, let alone Ditto…
But to buy time for Weezing, Ditto had to endure!
Finally, Weezing's moves struck Torterra one after another.
Sludge Bombs exploded across its body with a series of crackling sounds, yet Torterra remained perfectly composed, completely unmoved!
Only after dozens of Sludge Bombs exploded against Torterra and Weezing's Gyro Ball slammed into it was Torterra finally knocked back several meters. It even knocked Weezing away at the first opportunity.
Such defensive capability was truly terrifying!
Weezing was already panting heavily from exhaustion, while Torterra could still calmly observe the battlefield…-
"Torr…?" However, its move had already stopped. Suddenly, as if struck by lightning, Torterra's forelegs buckled, and it nearly collapsed.
Even Maiko found this difficult to believe. She had absolute confidence in Torterra's defense. Although Tetsuya's attacks were fierce, they were not powerful enough to make Torterra collapse so quickly.
It was poisoned!
With its powerful defensive capability, Weezing's attacks had indeed failed to cause Torterra any substantial damage, but the potency of its poison was also one of its defining traits.
As long as a Sludge Bomb opened even a tiny wound on Torterra's body and allowed the poison to seep inside, Torterra would inevitably be afflicted by Weezing's poison.
After Torterra was poisoned, Ditto also had no choice but to distance itself from Gloom. The stench was simply too difficult to stand…
After this round of exchanges, Tetsuya had gained a complete understanding of the capacity of Maiko's remaining Pokémon. Torterra's defense was exceptionally powerful. If he wanted to defeat it, he absolutely could not allow it to successfully cure its poison. Otherwise, it could wear his side down to death.
Sceptile specialized in offense and was extremely agile and versatile. Golurk also had difficulty displaying its normal strength in such a confined space.
Sceptile and Golurk had already exchanged attacks once, so there was no way Sceptile would clash head-on with Golurk again. This also put Golurk at a considerable disadvantage.
Gloom's strength was… average, but its unique "stench" was its defining trait. This was probably also the reason Maiko had never allowed it to evolve.
"Gloom!" Maiko called out, and Gloom immediately understood what it needed to do…
Cure Torterra's poison!
Under the current circumstances, Torterra's poisoned condition was the most lethal threat to Maiko, but she had an excellent remedy for it: Gloom's saliva.
Gloom moved toward Torterra's mouth, but at that moment, a thick stream of flames came straight at it. Drapion was also rapidly closing in, while Miltank waved its chubby hands, further boosting everyone's power.
The three Pokémon that had just been affected by Torterra had finally found an opportunity to get revenge. They rallied themselves and pressed forward.
Houndoom saw Gloom's movements and, without needing Tetsuya to say anything, unleashed Flamethrower!
With Miltank's help, its power was even greater. Gloom could only retreat, moving farther and farther away from Torterra.
Meanwhile, Torterra was poisoned, and its stamina was continuously draining away. At this point, Maiko could no longer remain calm.
Drapion was already closing in!
At that moment, Torterra let out a roar, and several green spikes of light shot toward Drapion with the power of Giga Drain.
Drapion's experience had also grown considerably through continuous battle. First, it sent out a Cross Poison, blocking the advance of Giga Drain's energy spikes. Then Drapion swung its pincers, becoming involve with Torterra's Giga Drain.
However, Torterra was already poisoned. As long as the poison was not cured, it would eventually collapse.
Houndoom also understood Gloom's unique "nature" now and only used Flamethrower from a distance to hinder its movements.
Gloom was caught in a dilemma. Retreating would take it farther and farther away from Torterra, while advancing and using a move to resist Flamethrower would cause its stench to affect the Pokémon on its own side.
Now Maiko was completely focused on the battle, making this the perfect opportunity for Tetsuya to make his move…