Chapter 264: The Last Straw
Ivy was a decisive person!
Beneath her gentle and delicate exterior was an incredibly resolute woman!
Up to this point, Ninetales's move set had only included one offensive move, Dazzling Gleam. The rest were all support and defensive skills.
Mist, Aurora Veil, Disable, and Substitute.
None of these moves were designed to knock out an opponent.
If she gave her last move slot to Protect, even if she survived, Ninetales's offensive threat would be drastically reduced afterward.
It was better to risk it all!
Arthur's eyebrows raised slightly.
This time, it was his turn to be surprised.
On the professional stage, neither side was a fool. It couldn't always be him outsmarting others.
If it weren't for Arthur bursting onto the scene, Ivy and Bianca winning Best Rookie this year would have been a sure thing.
They had never relied on their looks alone!
Ninetales had never revealed this move, Freeze-Dry, before. It was clear her move pool was also exceptionally deep!
This was another relatively uncommon move, one that very few Pokémon could learn and was notoriously difficult to teach. (In the games, this move has no TM.)
Its effect was just as the name implied: first, it freezes the enemy, then it instantly dries them out, causing both freezing and dehydration damage.
Because of the instantaneous dehydration process, this move was exceptionally effective against Water-type Pokémon!
Though it was a standard move, when used against a Water-type, it could deal terrifying damage comparable to an ultimate move!
Lapras was also a Water-type, making this move a significant threat to her.
Normally, Lapras's Water/Ice dual-typing gave her a double resistance to Ice-type moves, maxing out her defenses and allowing her to stand tall in an avalanche.
But against Freeze-Dry, she effectively had no resistance at all.
The freezing energy exploded on her body, causing her to cry out in pain.
At the same time, Froslass continued to bully Weavile, who was still recovering from its earlier use of Agility.
The opponent's strategy was clear—
They were no longer trying to save Ninetales. It was an all-or-nothing gamble to trade damage!
On the one hand, you could say Arthur's plan had succeeded: the opponent had given up on protecting Ninetales, a decision born directly from the pressure Little Lapras had applied.
But on the other hand, it also proved the decisiveness of Ivy and Bianca!
They were not the type of hesitant, indecisive young women who would waver at a critical moment.
"Again! Freeze-Dry!" Ivy commanded once more.
Freeze-Dry was a standard move with a much faster cooldown than Lapras's Smart Strike. A few seconds later, Ninetales unleashed another blast of freezing air, once again making Little Lapras yelp in pain.
When Little Lapras's cooldown was almost over, Ninetales turned and ran, using Substitute again to stall for time.
Without Protect, she had no way to evade the guaranteed hit of Smart Strike.
But she could stall.
Meanwhile, to lock down Froslass's retreat, Weavile was forced to use Taunt again, and in return, it received another vicious beating—or rather, a vicious kissing.
By the time Little Lapras's horn broke through Aurora Veil for the third time and pierced Ninetales's body, the referee finally raised the flag.
"Ninetales is unable to battle!"
However, by this point, the condition of their own two Pokémon was abysmal.
Weavile's face was nearly swollen into a ball from Froslass's kisses.
Little Lapras, having taken two direct hits from Freeze-Dry, was also in bad shape.
In contrast, Froslass, rejuvenated by Draining Kiss, was now glowing with health. It looked more vibrant and full of life than ever, like a perfectly ripe peach.
The opponent's final, desperate gamble had been remarkably effective.
Arthur quickly composed himself and shot Asher a look.
No matter what, they had to stick to the plan!
"Little Lapras, go cover Weavile's retreat!"
"Weavile, fall back and use Sunny Day!"
Weavile also had only one move slot left. It had been saving it until now, just waiting for Ninetales to be taken out.
With Ninetales gone, they could finally start taking back control of the weather!
Although the opposing Froslass also knew Hail (as explained before, Hail creates snowfall), in a two-on-one situation, Froslass couldn't just keep using Hail to fight for the weather. That would make it a sitting duck for Lapras.
And indeed, Froslass had no intention of fighting Weavile for the weather.
It wanted Weavile's life!
"Use Flash!"
It first hit Little Lapras with a blinding flash.
Then, within the dissipating snow-mist, it moved swiftly, lunging straight for the nearby Weavile!
"Weavile, hang in there!"
At this point, all Asher could do was offer his Pokémon moral support.
Sunny Day had already been launched.
The light source rose into the sky and would slowly begin to melt the snow cloud.
After all, with Ninetales gone, the cloud had no energy source. Without a continuous supply of energy, it was bound to lose to the newly created sun.
Now, all Asher could do was pray that Weavile could hold on a little longer.
Even just long enough to use one more move!
Unfortunately, the opponent gave him no such chance. Even without any moves, Froslass's long, sleeve-like sashes were incredibly sharp when brandished.
Most critically, Froslass could now afford to attack without defending!
The healing from the continuous Draining Kisses had completely healed all the damage it had taken earlier. It was now in peak condition, fully confident it could ignore any of Weavile's counterattacks.
To make matters worse, Flash's cooldown was faster than Sunny Day's.
"One more Draining Kiss!"
Froslass's move came back online first. One final, fragrant kiss sent Weavile packing.
The referee raised his flag a second time—
"Weavile is unable to battle!"
But at the same time, Little Lapras finally broke free from the effects of Flash.
"Use Smart Strike!"
She lowered her head, and the silver connection line appeared once again.
The lingering blurred vision from Flash was now meaningless.
Because the sacred Khala will connect us!
Once the move was activated, Smart Strike required no visual targeting at close range. It was a guaranteed hit!
And so, both sides had traded one for one.
All that was left was a final showdown between Little Lapras and Froslass.
Bianca's advantage was that Froslass was now in better condition.
And Arthur's advantage was—the clouds had dispersed, and the snow had stopped!
This meant the opponent's ability and its Aurora Veil would both be useless!
Adding to that, Astonish was almost useless against Little Lapras. Arthur was now effectively ahead by one ability and two move slots.
The advantage is mine!
However, the opponent clearly sensed this as well.
"Froslass, use Hail!" Bianca commanded in a low voice.
With its last move slot, Froslass used Hail.
She had to get the weather back; otherwise, her abilities were useless.
However, this also gave Arthur the opportunity he was waiting for—
"Use Sing!"
In an instant, Bianca's expression froze.
Because—she had used up all her move slots…
Froslass no longer had a chance to use Safeguard or Sleep Talk.
Nor was it possible to use Taunt or Disable to interrupt Lapras's song.
This one, very basic move, Sing, had now become the last straw.
The effect of Sing, in short: a slow-acting hypnosis
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