Mega Sceptile shot forward like a green bolt of lightning, closing in on Ludicolo. Everyone watching felt their hearts tighten.
At that moment, Edgar's voice rang out once again. "Ludicolo, use Teeter Dance!"
Teeter Dance was a Normal-type status move. The user danced in an unsteady rhythm, causing every Pokémon nearby, even allies, to fall into confusion.
Ludicolo swayed its body, Normal-type energy bursting from it as it began a strange, wobbling dance. It was fully prepared to take a hit from Sceptile's Leaf Blade in order to force the move through.
Watching the scene unfold, Jacob's expression darkened.
Edgar was, without question, an extremely troublesome opponent. From the very start of the battle, one irritating move after another had come from his side. Whether it was Politoed's Feint earlier or Ludicolo's Teeter Dance now, both were the kind of moves that could easily throw an opponent into confusion.
Once a Pokémon was confused, the whole battle became a matter of chance, and that was the last thing Jacob wanted. It made him think, not for the first time, of how useful Noivern would have been here. A well-timed Taunt from Noivern would have shut down both Feint and Teeter Dance before either could be used.
Mega Sceptile stared down the dancing Ludicolo, its fighting spirit burning higher. Its twin wrists swung forward, and the blades of leaves growing from them glowed a brilliant green, lighting up the night like sharpened swords.
The Leaf Blades cut through the air and struck Ludicolo cleanly, scattering flecks of green light like a swarm of fluttering butterflies. In an instant, cuts appeared across Ludicolo's body, and it let out a pained cry, its face twisted in agony.
Even so, Ludicolo refused to stop moving. It endured the pain and kept dancing.
After that exchange, Teeter Dance finally took hold. Normal-type energy spread outward, washing over Mega Sceptile and pulling it into confusion.
Mega Sceptile's body swayed unsteadily, its head pounding as though it had been struck dizzy. It struggled to lift its head and look at the Ludicolo before it, but its vision blurred into three overlapping shapes, and it could no longer tell which one was real.
"Mega Sceptile is confused!"
"Will Jacob switch Pokémon, or will he push forward and keep fighting through the confusion?"
Jacob let out a slow breath. The situation had turned sharply against him. Even with Ludicolo badly wounded, taking it down with a confused Mega Sceptile would be no easy task.
"Sceptile, keep using Leaf Blade!" Jacob called out, his brow furrowed as he weighed his options. After a long moment of hesitation, he decided to take the gamble and keep Mega Sceptile in the fight.
Teeter Dance was simply too dangerous to ignore. Even if he switched Pokémon now, the incoming Pokémon would still be caught by the move's effects. Better, then, to let Mega Sceptile make one last desperate push and try to finish Ludicolo first.
"Ludicolo, Ice Beam!" Edgar called out again. The last Ice Beam had been dodged, but there would be no dodging this time, not with Mega Sceptile confused.
Ice-type energy gathered around Ludicolo, and within a single breath a brilliant blue beam had formed, cold energy pouring outward and spreading across the sky.
Then, without warning, something shifted on the field.
The energy swirling around Ludicolo surged out of control, and in an instant its aura flared violently, Water-type and Grass-type energy churning together.
"It's evolved in strength! Ludicolo has broken through to Heavenly King-Level!"
"This is bad. Ludicolo had to break through right at this moment."
"Jacob's Mega Sceptile just fell into confusion, and now Edgar still has a Heavenly King-Level Pokémon on the field. It looks like Jacob may lose this one."
"Don't be so sure. Jacob still has his ace, Dragapult."
"The undefeated Dragapult."
"Ice Beam!"
Now that it had broken through, Ludicolo's power had surged, and the Ice Beam it unleashed came faster and hit harder than before.
Still confused, Sceptile could not dodge. All it could do was curl its body and try to shield its most vital areas.
The Ice Beam struck home. Freezing air burst outward, and Mega Sceptile was instantly encased in ice, the cold spreading and thickening by the second. In the span of one breath, more than half of its body had frozen solid, its feet locked to the ground.
A single hit, and already Mega Sceptile had taken heavy damage. Still, given that it was quadruple weak to Ice-type moves, simply surviving that Ice Beam was no small feat.
The battle had taken a turn for the worse, and Jacob had never expected Ludicolo to break through to Heavenly King-Level at such a critical moment.
"Sceptile!" Jacob's eyes narrowed as he watched. There was only one option left: have Mega Sceptile unleash Leaf Storm.
Since confusion could throw off the accuracy of any move Mega Sceptile tried to use, Jacob decided there was no point holding back. Better to let it release everything at full power in one enormous Leaf Storm.
At Jacob's command, Grass-type energy surged through Mega Sceptile's entire body. The air filled with countless glowing green leaves, drifting and dancing like a green ocean stretching across the sky, stirring up a fierce wind that swept over the field and blurred everyone's vision.
Leaf Storm!
"Ludicolo, use Protect!" Edgar called out, his voice as calm as always.
Edgar was, without doubt, a remarkably composed Trainer. Faced with Mega Sceptile's full-power attack, he chose not to have Ludicolo meet it head-on. Instead, he called for Protect, letting Ludicolo conserve its strength and simply weather the storm.
A shimmering barrier sprang up around Ludicolo, holding firm and blocking the countless leaves raining down upon it.
"Edgar really is unshakeable. Even with a Heavenly King-Level Ludicolo, he chose to use Protect against Mega Sceptile just to save its stamina."
"That's the mark of most Water-type specialists, calm, patient, and never rattled."
"This puts Jacob at a real disadvantage."
The storm of leaves cleared, revealing Ludicolo still standing.
"Ludicolo, one more Ice Beam, finish this!"
Ice-type energy gathered around Ludicolo once more, and a beam of pale blue light shot forward like a cannon blast, streaking toward Mega Sceptile in the distance.
"Sceptile, Protect!"
There was no way Mega Sceptile could take another Ice Beam, so Jacob made the only sensible call, ordering Protect to buy himself a little more time.
"Jacob has Mega Sceptile use Protect to stall the clock. As long as Mega Sceptile can shake off its confusion in time, Jacob still has a chance to turn this battle around!"