Two rounds of Play Rough struck Archaludon. The move didn't do much damage, but it left a few scratches on its metal body.
Nova hadn't used this move to deal heavy damage. He wanted to test whether Meowscarada's attacks could get past Archaludon's tough defense, even with a move that wasn't very effective against it.
Meowscarada's Attack stat was already among the best for its level, yet the damage on Archaludon was still small. Still, it proved something important: Archaludon's "Stalwart" ability wasn't impossible to break through.
As long as there was a way past its defense, Nova still had a chance to win.
There was one problem, though. Meowscarada's hidden ability, Protean, had changed its type to Fairy before the attack. That made it immune to Dragon-type moves, but weak to Steel-type moves, which deal double damage to Fairy-types.
Because of several ability effects, Archaludon's Defense and Special Defense were extremely high, but its Speed had dropped very low. Whether attacking or simply moving, Archaludon was painfully slow.
The Speed gap between the two Pokémon was huge. By the time Archaludon took a single step, Meowscarada had already finished preparing its second move.
The battlefield had limits, though. Every step Archaludon took shrank the space Meowscarada had left to move in.
This was Diane's favorite tactic: use a giant Pokémon to slowly corner the opponent. It suited her twisted personality perfectly.
But if Diane knew that Nova's Meowscarada had mastered Ally Switch, she might have thought twice about this plan.
Archaludon's hidden ability, Stalwart, meant its moves ignored Ally Switch and always tracked Meowscarada directly.
That didn't mean Archaludon itself was safe from Ally Switch, though. Even if Meowscarada's Psychic power wasn't strong enough to lift something this heavy, it could still swap places with a rock or a pile of sand behind Archaludon.
In short, Diane's plan to trap Meowscarada using Archaludon's size would never work.
Still, Nova didn't want to reveal Meowscarada's special field control just yet. It was a trump card. If he used it too soon, how would he properly embarrass Diane later?
Ever since this frighteningly strong Archaludon had appeared, Nova had stopped worrying about winning or losing. Win or lose, Diane was still going to be humbled today.
Nova glanced across the field at Diane.
After being beaten badly by Vibrava in the last round, Diane wasn't taking any more chances. Like Nova, she had sent out two Pokémon to guard her: an Altaria skilled with Cotton Guard, and a clever, aggressive Druddigon.
Getting past this defensive pair to humble Diane wouldn't be easy. Along with using Ally Switch carefully, it would take real teamwork between Nova and Meowscarada.
When it came to teamwork, Nova trusted his bond with Meowscarada completely.
Once its second move was ready, Meowscarada used it on Archaludon at once.
Low Sweep!
This Fighting-type move was super effective against Archaludon. It also changed Meowscarada's type to Fighting before the hit landed, so it avoided staying Fairy-type and taking double damage from Steel-type attacks.
Meowscarada kicked hard at Archaludon's thick, pillar-like legs. Low Sweep also lowered Speed further, dragging Archaludon's already low Speed down even more. Nova wanted Archaludon to fall so far behind Meowscarada's pace that it couldn't even turn fast enough when Meowscarada rushed toward Diane.
The kicks worked. Archaludon, tough as an iron tower, finally showed a flicker of pain.
Then Archaludon struck back.
Diane called out, "Big Darling, use Heavy Slam!"
A massive steel arm crashed down from above. It wasn't fast, but it was impossible to stop.
Under that huge shadow, Meowscarada felt as though there was nowhere left to run.
This Steel-type move's power depended on how much HP the target had left; the more HP remaining, the stronger the hit.
Since Meowscarada hadn't lost any HP yet, Heavy Slam would land with its full strength.
Worse, Archaludon's other ability also boosted crushing-type moves, making the attack nearly impossible to dodge.
Meowscarada tried to jump away, but some strange force seemed to hold it in place, and it couldn't move freely.
Nova called out, "Don't be scared, Meowscarada! Strike back!"
Meowscarada understood at once. Pushing down its fear of the giant machine, it used Sucker Punch!
Protean shifted its type to Dark. Because Sucker Punch has priority, Meowscarada's claws struck first even though it had moved second, slashing into Archaludon's stomach like a blade.
Then its ability triggered a bonus attack, landing a second Sucker Punch on Archaludon's other back leg.
At that same moment, Heavy Slam came crashing down onto Meowscarada's head!
Meowscarada was sent flying like a small green-and-black ball.
Since Archaludon was still at full HP, Heavy Slam struck with its greatest possible power, and Archaludon's abilities added extra Steel-type and size-based damage on top of that. The true strength behind the hit was enormous.
Beside a giant like Archaludon, Meowscarada looked like a small kitten that could be crushed at any moment.
The hit left Meowscarada dazed. It took a moment before it managed to stand back up near Nova.
The battle continued.
Archaludon took another step forward.
While Meowscarada caught its breath, Nova leaned in and spoke gently. "Meowscarada, I know how hard you're fighting for me. I know you feel like you can't lose to anyone."
"But it's alright, Meowscarada. We're partners, win or lose."
"I don't care about today's result, so don't fixate on beating that monster. Just follow the plan we made before the match."
"Remember, we have our own secret weapon too."
"Trust me, partner."