Chapter 678: The Clock is Ticking
From the moment both sides began spamming Skill Swap, the trajectory of this round took a sharp turn into the bizarre.
The Prankster ability was being tossed back and forth between the two Pokémon like a hot potato. Meanwhile, the Levitate ability was clearly feeling neglected. Seriously? it seemed to pout. Can I get a little respect here?
"Mismagius, Aromatherapy!"
Arthur took the initiative to clear Mismagius's paralysis, but the moment the move started, Gwyneth seized the opening!
"Meow, Skill Swap!"
The blue cat snatched the priority ability back once again.
Arthur countered immediately. "Mismagius, use Taunt!"
A Pokémon with Prankster fears nothing more than being Taunted.
"Close your eyes! Pull back!" Gwyneth shouted.
Her reaction was lightning-fast. On a world-class stage like the Champions Cup, a move like Taunt didn't have the 100% success rate it had in amateur leagues. When top-tier trainers were this focused, their Pokémon could often avoid the psychological trigger by simply breaking eye contact or turning away.
But this time, Gwyneth's luck ran out. Her reflexes were there, but her fortune wasn't. Perhaps it was because she no longer had the Lucky Chant from her previous round to buffer the RNG.
As Meowstic retreated, a stray arc of yellow electricity suddenly rippled across his fur.
Full paralysis! He seized up mid-step, his body refusing to obey.
Mismagius was on him in an instant.
"Meow, use Safeguard!" Gwyneth called out, desperate to prevent further status hell. She was forced to burn a move just to stabilize the paralysis.
But this was the opening Arthur had been waiting for.
"Now, Mismagius! Skill Swap!"
The abilities flipped for the fourth—or was it the fifth?—time. The audience was practically howling with laughter.
"Good grief, they're back at it again! Is this a Pokémon battle or a game of musical chairs?"
"It's a comedy routine at this point! They're going to be swapping until the heat death of the universe!"
"I bet they'll still be at it when the stadium lights go out!"
Gwyneth was visibly frustrated. However, after Mismagius reclaimed Prankster this time, Arthur finally broke the cycle. A few seconds later, he added a definitive expiration date to this "Ability Merry-Go-Round."
"Mismagius, use Curse!"
Because of the priority boost from Prankster, the dark incantation was completed in the blink of an eye.
A spectral, illusory nail was driven straight into Mismagius's temple. At the cost of sacrificing half her own total vitality, she placed a horrific hex on Meowstic that would continuously drain his life force!
Based on Meowstic's remaining health, Arthur estimated he had maybe three to five minutes left, tops. In a head-to-head fight, Meowstic was already statistically inferior to Mismagius. If Arthur landed even a few more chips of damage, that timer would shrink even further.
The infinite loop was officially over. Curse had set a hard ceiling on the match. One way or another, a winner would be decided before that clock hit zero.
And the best part? A Ghost-type's Curse cannot be dispelled by normal means.
The pressure shifted entirely onto Gwyneth. Realizing she couldn't keep playing the swap game, she finally broke the comedy loop herself.
"Meow, use Role Play!"
Role Play: A Psychic move that allows the user to mimic the opponent's ability.
Since the back-and-forth Skill Swapping was leading nowhere, she took a different path. While Mismagius held the Prankster ability, Meowstic simply copied it.
Now, both Pokémon possessed Prankster. And for the time being, there wasn't a single Pokémon on the field that could float.
The Levitate ability sat in the corner of the void, feeling completely stood up. I thought what we had was special... fine, I'm out.
Gwyneth's reason for being so obsessed with getting Prankster (or its equivalent) back was simple:
"Meow, use Yawn!"
With the priority boost, the heavy-lidded Meowstic let out a massive, infectious yawn. A wave of overwhelming drowsiness washed over Mismagius.
Arthur didn't panic. To land that Yawn, Meowstic had to leave himself wide open.
"Pain Split!" Arthur commanded.
It was the classic "scumbag" combo: Curse followed by Pain Split. Mismagius had just maimed herself to set the hex; now, she reached out and forcibly averaged her health bar with Meowstic's. She healed her self-inflicted wounds by stealing his vitality.
Arthur was playing dirty, and he was doing it with a smile.
Meowstic managed to land his status move, successfully putting Mismagius into a deep sleep, but the cost was staggering.
"Meow, use Calm Mind! Hurry!"
While Mismagius was catching Z's, Gwyneth desperately tried to set up. This was her Meowstic's signature win-condition. Use Prankster to cripple the opponent with Thunder Wave, Yawn, or Fake Tears, then use the window of opportunity to stack stat buffs and bridge the gap in raw power.
One turn of Calm Mind... two turns...
Mismagius's eyes snapped open.
"Use Yawn again!" Gwyneth gambled, trying to chain-sleep her opponent.
But Arthur was ready. "Pivot! Get him!"
Mismagius spun her body, breaking eye contact so she didn't see the yawning animation. At the same time, her flowing, dress-like hem whipped out like a steel cable, slamming into Meowstic's face and sending the small cat tumbling backward.
Mismagius might look like a refined lady, but when she decided to throw hands—or hems—she didn't hold back.
As Meowstic scrambled to his feet, he suddenly coughed up a spray of blood. It wasn't because Mismagius's physical strike was particularly powerful; it was the Curse finally eating away at his internal organs.
The clock was running out for Gwyneth.
"Mismagius, Double Team!"
Arthur was no longer interested in a fair fight. He began layering evasive clones to stall for time. There was no reason to trade blows anymore. With the hex active, time was his most loyal ally.
And with the Prankster ability in her pocket, Mismagius was the ultimate "troll." If she didn't use this infamously annoying ability to ruin someone's day, she wouldn't be doing her Ghost-type heritage justice.
"Meow, Psyshock!" Gwyneth shouted, her voice tight with urgency.
The roles were now completely reversed. Mismagius, who held the type advantage, was playing a cowardly game of hide-and-seek with clones and substitutes. Meanwhile, Meowstic, the Psychic-type at a disadvantage, was attacking with a frenzied, desperate rage.
Both trainers had burned through most of their move-slots. The tactical maneuvering was over.
Now, it was just about the Time.
Could Meowstic, boosted by two stacks of Calm Mind, find the real Mismagius and score a knockout before his own body collapsed under the weight of the Curse?
The seconds ticked by, loud as thunder in the silent stadium.
The climax of this pivotal round was only moments away!
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