"Snorlax, it's up to you!"
Facing Gabite who had already powered up with Dragon Dance, Barry carefully considered his remaining Pokémon. Determined, he sent out the bulkiest and most enduring member of his team.
"Snor~"
With a heavy thud, Snorlax landed on the battlefield, causing the ground to tremble beneath its immense weight.
"Snorlax, use Blizzard!"
Barry commanded without hesitation.
"Snor!"
Without moving an inch, Snorlax opened its massive mouth and unleashed a fierce Blizzard. The freezing storm spread out across the battlefield, leaving Gabite with no options for escape—except to burrow underground.
"Fire Blast!"
As an aggressive battler, Paul wasn't the one to retreat. Gabite roared and launched a blazing Fire Blast, its fiery symbol surging forward to meet the Blizzard head-on.
Flames clashed against ice, but Gabite didn't stop there. It charged forward, following behind the flames.
Under the intense heat of Fire Blast, Blizzard barely had time to take effect before it melted away completely.
"Snorlax, use Belly Drum!"
A sharp glint of unyielding determination flickered in Snorlax's barely open eyes. It began drumming on its own belly, sacrificing half of its stamina in exchange for maximizing its attack power.
Then, with an earth-shaking stomp, Snorlax rushed forward—charging straight toward the incoming Fire Blast and Gabite itself.
BOOM!
With a thunderous explosion, Snorlax swung a devastating Ice Punch, smashing through the remnants of Fire Blast and sending an icy shockwave toward Gabite.
This punch carried immense force, its chilling energy packed to the limit. If it landed, Gabite would be knocked out instantly.
However—
Despite being in the midst of Outrage, Gabite had not lost all the reason. The moment Fire Blast was shattered, its body twisted with incredible agility. Both of its claws gleamed with a white sheen as it simultaneously struck Snorlax's belly.
Brick Break!
Super effective!
"Snor!!"
The two consecutive Brick Breaks landed cleanly, dealing devastating damage to Snorlax who had already halved its own stamina with Belly Drum.
"Hammer Arm!"
Seeing that Gabite was about to follow up with another attack, Snorlax gritted its teeth and swung both of its thick arms down with all its might.
Gabite, unwilling to take the hit head-on, swiftly turned and dashed to the side evading Hammer Arm.
BOOM!
However, just as Gabite was retreating, an unexpected force erupted from the ground beneath it.
The sheer power of Snorlax's Belly Drum-boosted Hammer Arm had sent a shockwave through the earth, creating a secondary tremor akin to a miniature earthquake.
Gabite winced—the impact was painful.
"Stone Edge!"
Ignoring the pain, Gabite quickly retaliated, striking the ground with one of its claws. Immediately, jagged stone pillars erupted from the earth, hurtling toward Snorlax.
"Snorlax, prepare to use Rest!"
In response, Snorlax nonchalantly threw a punch forward, effortlessly shattering the stone pillars before tilting its head, closing its eyes, and collapsing onto the ground.
Its injuries and stamina depleted just moments ago, began rapidly regenerating at an astonishing rate.
Rest—completely restoring its health and healing all damage.
Seeing this, Paul didn't rush to attack. Instead…
"Dragon Dance!"
Gabite leapt onto one of the stone pillars, beginning to perform Dragon Dance—raising both its attack and speed while closing the distance between itself and Snorlax.
"Snorlax, use Sleep Talk!"
The moment Snorlax's health was fully restored, Barry wasted no time issuing his next command.
"Snor!"
Still lying on the ground, Snorlax's body emitted a sudden white glow. In its sleep, it stood up and charged directly toward Gabite. Faint metallic light shimmered across its body.
Heavy Slam!
Snorlax rampaged forward, smashing through the stone pillars one by one. In the blink of an eye, it closed the distance and leaped straight toward Gabite for a devastating collision.
"Dodge it!"
With a graceful leap, Gabite soared over Snorlax's head, effortlessly evading the attack.
The moment it landed, Gabite swiftly turned around, its claws glowing with a bright white light. Two consecutive Brick Breaks struck Snorlax's back, forcing it backward.
"Brick Break!"
The first hit landed cleanly, but Gabite showed no mercy. It lunged forward once more, preparing another Brick Break.
"Sleep Talk! Sleep Talk! Sleep Talk!"
With Snorlax still asleep, all Barry could do was call out his command.
However this time, Snorlax did something unusual. Instead of attacking, it suddenly stood up and stretched out its arms, as if welcoming Gabite's incoming Brick Break with open arms.
The moment Snorlax's move took effect, a faint red glow enveloped Gabite—but it did not cause any damage.
BANG!
Undaunted, Gabite's second Brick Break struck Snorlax once again, slamming it to the ground. Without hesitation, Gabite pinned Snorlax down and continued its relentless assault.
"Gaaaaa!"
Gabite finally stopped, panting heavily, and its eyes were still burning red. Meanwhile, Snorlax lay unconscious—and had completely lost his ability to fight.
"Snorlax is unable to battle! Gabite wins!"
As the referee announced the result, Paul took out a Poké Ball and activated its recall function, sending a red beam toward Gabite attempting to withdraw it.
However, the moment the beam touched Gabite, it was repelled by a mysterious force—Paul couldn't recall it.
It was clear now—one of the moves Snorlax had used through Sleep Talk was the rare move Block. Once Block is used on a target, that target becomes unable to flee or be withdrawn into a Poké Ball.
This meant that Gabite had no choice but to fight until the very end!
"Hold on until the last moment!" Paul said seriously.
"Gaaaa!"
Gabite lowered its head slightly and shook violently, struggling to suppress the chaotic influence of Outrage. Hearing Paul's words, its blood-red eyes locked onto its Trainer's, and after a moment of hesitation, it gave a solemn nod.
"Snorlax, return now. You did great." Barry said, recalling his fallen Snorlax.
Then, he tossed another Poké Ball into the field.
"Empoleon, you're up!"
"Empol!"
With a proud cry, Empoleon stepped forward, its chest puffed out as it took its position on the battlefield.
"Go! Dragon Rush!"
The moment Paul gave the command, Gabite—its instincts already pushed to the limit by its Dragon Dance boosts—erupted with a surge of draconic energy.
Its killing intent locked onto Empoleon as it transformed into a violent dragon-shaped blur, charging straight at its target!
"Blizzard!"
Seeing Gabite recklessly charge in, Empoleon wasted no time and opened its beak, unleashing a raging snowstorm.
Compared to the previous Blizzard used by Snorlax, this one was at least twice as powerful.
But Gabite was no longer the same as before. Having powered up with Dragon Dance twice, its Dragon Rush now enhanced further by the chaos of Outrage had reached a whole new level.
Charging headfirst through the storm, the dragon devoured the snow, roaring forward toward the crowned emperor penguin!
"Steel Wing!"
Despite being locked onto by Gabite's killing intent, Empoleon showed no signs of backing down. Instead, it met the challenge head-on, raising both its metallic wings and slashing toward the incoming dragon!
BOOM!
A deafening explosion rang out as Empoleon was struck and sent flying. Like a kite with a broken string, it tumbled through the air before crashing into the ground.
"Dragon Pulse!"
From within the dust cloud, a vibrant dragon-shaped wave of energy shot out, swallowing Empoleon whole!
At the same time, Gabite rushed toward the point where Empoleon was about to land, its claws gleaming with a brilliant white light.
The moment Empoleon's body came into range, Gabite leaped high into the air—both claws raised for one final decisive Brick Break aimed straight at Empoleon's stomach…
It was super effective!
Upon impact, Empoleon lay sprawled in the crater, and unable to move.
Seeing that its opponent had yet to fully lose the ability to battle, Gabite decisively used its own body weight as a weapon, plummeting down like a falling mountain—Body Slam—completely crushing Empoleon beneath it.
"Empoleon is unable to battle! Gabite wins!"
The referee declared the result.
(To be continued...)
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