Chapter 677: I'll Swap, You'll Swap
In the end, Hatterene fell.
In that round, Gwyneth had found herself again—but in doing so, she had also brought out the best in Arthur. To wake an opponent up only to beat them down anyway was a testament to Arthur's overwhelming momentum.
With Greninja defeating Hatterene, Arthur had secured four points. Mathematically speaking, the Royal Rapidash Team was on the verge of total elimination. The window of opportunity for a comeback was narrowing to a sliver.
But Gwyneth had reached a state of clarity.
"Don't get overconfident," she cautioned Arthur before the next round, perhaps as a return for his earlier advice, or perhaps just as a courtesy between rivals. "From here on out, I'm putting everything on the line."
"I look forward to it," Arthur replied with a respectful smile.
The match continued. Arthur kept Greninja on the field, while Gwyneth sent back her Florges—the one who had been battered into the "red zone" by Aegislash earlier.
Both Pokémon were exhausted, their health bars nearly empty. However, through a display of sheer, "burst-mode" commanding and a do-or-die determination, Gwyneth managed to suppress Greninja. She forced Arthur to expend his second mid-game switch, bringing in Specter to finish the job.
But then, a tactical nightmare occurred. Because Specter was a Mega Gengar, his entrance gave Florges a brief window to utilize a held recovery item. Under Gwyneth's inspired direction, the nearly-defeated Florges managed to outplay a weakened Specter and knock him out!
Against all odds, the "red-zone" Florges had saved the match, clawing back a point by taking down two of Arthur's heavy hitters.
When Specter returned to his ball, he was fuming. He had essentially been used as a "health potion" for the opponent. To be the catalyst that allowed a dying enemy to stabilize and counter-sweep was a stain on his ghostly pride.
The shame! The dishonor!
Seeing his partner's visible frustration, Arthur offered some quiet comfort through their link. "Don't beat yourself up. You're the one who took down her Alakazam—the world's strongest. You've already done the heavy lifting for this series."
Securing the win against the "Mystic Enchantress" was indeed Specter's greatest contribution. With that context, a single lost round was a minor setback.
Gwyneth had narrowed the gap, but Arthur still held the lead and the initiative.
In the next round, it was Gwyneth's turn to lead the release. Her options were now incredibly limited. Aside from the Florges who was hanging on by a thread, she only had one fresh Pokémon left in her roster.
She stood at the edge of the pit and suddenly slapped her own cheeks with both hands. Smack!
The sharp sting cleared her mind, and her eyes turned as hard as flint. Arthur just told me to stop second-guessing myself. Why am I already overthinking this? Just trust your partners!
She threw her Poké Ball.
It was another old friend from her debut days: a Psychic-type Meowstic.
Specifically, a Male Meowstic. Unlike many species, Meowstic had extreme sexual dimorphism; the males were deep blue with white accents, while the females were the inverse. In the professional circuit, Meowstic-M was the preferred choice because of one specific tool: the Prankster ability.
(Outside the circuit, of course, the females were more popular as pets—after all, who doesn't love a soft, elegant cat-girl?)
Gwyneth's Meowstic was one of the few males on her team, and his Prankster ability made him a master of high-priority status moves. Arthur was intimately familiar with this ability—it was the hallmark of "annoyer" Pokémon who dealt little damage but made life a living hell with tactical debuffs.
To counter the trickster, Arthur released Mismagius.
Mismagius wasn't a powerhouse attacker, but she was a specialist in her own brand of spectral "shady" moves. More importantly, as a Ghost-type, she was immune to Fake Out, meaning Meowstic couldn't flinch her on the opening turn.
Gwyneth wasted no time. "Meow, use Thunder Wave!"
True to the Prankster style, she didn't lead with an attack. She went straight for the paralysis.
"Mismagius, use Attract!"
It was a lucky break—Gwyneth's Meowstic was male, and Arthur's Mismagius was female. Since there was still some distance between them, Meowstic had to close in to land the Thunder Wave. The Prankster speed boost didn't help if the move missed its range, and in that split second, Mismagius's charm hit home. Meowstic froze, infatuated and unable to move.
If Specter hadn't already been sent to the medical bay, he probably would have been spitting with jealousy at seeing Mismagius land a charm so easily. But for Arthur, this was all a setup for his true goal.
"Now! Use Skill Swap!"
He was going to steal the Prankster ability for himself!
The Kubfu Alliance fans in the stands stood up as one, cheering wildly. "He got it!"
As the psychic energy swapped between the two, Mismagius touched the ground while Meowstic began to float. Mismagius had gained Prankster, and Meowstic was stuck with Levitate.
The momentum was entirely in Arthur's hands.
"Mismagius, use Thunder Wave!"
Arthur threw the opponent's strategy right back at them. Because she now had Prankster, Mismagius's status move had top-tier priority. Before Meowstic could shake off the infatuation, the yellow sparks of paralysis rippled across his fur.
The match looked like a lock for Arthur. But then—
"Meow, Skill Swap back!" Gwyneth commanded.
Meowstic-M was a veteran of a thousand battles. Even when suddenly forced to float by a new ability, he didn't panic. He was leagues ahead of the rookies Arthur had faced in the earlier brackets.
And Gwyneth had a surprise of her own: her Meowstic knew Skill Swap too!
It was a coincidence of move-sets, but a brilliant one. Skill Swap was a Psychic move, after all, and in that department, Meowstic was the professional.
Arthur hadn't accounted for the "return to sender" play. Meowstic snatched his Prankster ability back, and Mismagius was once again relegated to the Levitate ability.
The "Levitate" ability sighed. Does nobody want me? Fine, I'll just go back to floating over here.
"Meow, Thunder Wave!" Gwyneth followed up instantly.
With Prankster back in his possession, Meowstic fired off the sparks. A moment later, Mismagius was also covered in yellow arcs of electricity.
Both Pokémon were now paralyzed. The playing field was level again.
The Kubfu Alliance fans, who had only been standing for a few seconds, awkwardly sat back down. Meanwhile, the Sinnoh fans jumped to their feet.
Though, who knew how long they would stay standing?
In the lounge, the professional players were grinning. "Now this... this is going to be an interesting round."
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