"Gallade." (I want to watch this battle too.)
The Poké Ball hanging at Grey's waist shook a few times. His Gallade stood outside the battlefield, staring at Caitlin's Gallade.
To Grey's Gallade, Caitlin's Gallade was a bit weaker than itself, and that made it want to play "mentor," even from inside its Poké Ball.
"Gallade?"
Caitlin's Gallade tilted its head. It could sense that the same-species presence outside was stronger than it.
But…
It also felt like the other one was about half a year younger.
It was the weird embarrassment of being watched by a stronger "kid brother."
"Gallade." (Forget it. Focus on the fight.)
Gallade steadied its breathing and shifted its attention to Breloom.
That thing was strong—almost on par with its Trainer's Metagross.
This battle needed full concentration.
"Gallade, Psycho Cut!"
Caitlin opened by using her Psychic power to boost Gallade's combat strength, forcing it up to a level that could contend with an Elite Four–caliber Pokémon—at least for the duration of a single battle.
The window was short. She had to finish this before her Psychic boost ended.
"Gallade."
Gallade's elbow blade extended, pink-purple psychic power coating it. As it slashed, two crescent-shaped energy blades tore free!
Slash—slash!
Whether it was intentional or not, the two Psycho Cuts came in as a cross-shaped double chop. Everywhere they passed, the air distorted, and the space in front of Breloom warped violently.
"Breloom—use Feint to close the distance."
Grey threw a punch through the air—and Breloom vanished, appearing and disappearing like a ghost.
The Psycho Cuts missed. Caitlin immediately shut her eyes, searching for where Breloom had gone.
"Gallade—Breloom's to your left, at ten o'clock. Use Sacred Sword!"
Caitlin snapped her eyes open and gave the order with absolute certainty.
"Gallade."
Earth-brown light spread along Gallade's elbow, forming a perfectly controlled Sacred Sword—an energy blade nearly six meters long.
Under Caitlin's command, Gallade swept the Sacred Sword toward ten o'clock!
Whoosh!
Afterimages stacked in layers. With Sharpness boosting it, the Sacred Sword's power surged into something frightening.
It was still a bit weaker than Grey's Gallade would manage—but for Breloom, it wasn't something it could take head-on.
Right as the Sacred Sword arrived, Breloom's legs kicked off with explosive force.
Wrapped in white light, it sprang into the air—no footholds, nothing to brace against. For a moment, it was a living target.
But…
For Grey, that distance was already enough.
"Breloom—scatter the seeds!"
Grey's command left Caitlin completely lost.
She couldn't tell what he was planning.
But based on how Grey fought in the past, it was probably something nasty…
With that thought, Caitlin pushed her aura fully open. Gallade's presence climbed another level.
"Psycho Cut!"
Gallade's elbow blade shifted from earth-brown to pink-purple in an instant. Psychic power replaced its Fighting energy entirely. The length stayed the same, but its pressure rose higher and higher.
At that moment, Breloom's mushroom cap wriggled. Vivid green light spilled from beneath the brim.
Puff puff puff!
The brim flared wider, and one energy seed after another sprayed out like dumplings hitting boiling water, pouring into the air nonstop!
This time, Gallade didn't throw Psycho Cut as projectiles. Instead, it swung its Psycho Cut like a blade—just like it had with Sacred Sword—chopping at the incoming seeds!
Bang bang bang!
Seeds detonated one after another, green dust blooming wildly through the air.
Gallade's vision was blocked, but Caitlin had a built-in cheat—she was tracking Breloom's movements the whole time.
"More?"
Caitlin's brow lifted slightly. Seeing the black silhouette moving inside the dust, a bad feeling crawled up her spine.
"Breloom!"
Breloom burst through the smoke—and right behind it came a massive wave of energy seeds!
The seeds weren't all the same. If you counted carefully, they roughly fell into three types.
"Leech Seed, Worry Seed… and Seed Bomb?"
Caitlin had studied Grey's Breloom.
She knew its moves inside and out.
What Breloom was using right now had to be tied to those three.
In an instant, Caitlin made her decision. "Gallade—don't stop Psycho Cut."
"Gallade." (Got it.)
Gallade's elbow blade carved another crescent of cold light through the air!
Vivid psychic power ripped the atmosphere apart, sharp tearing sounds snapping again and again!
"Bullet Seed."
Grey's order was short and clean. He wasn't about to let the seeds Breloom had worked to release get shredded again—so he had it counter with Bullet Seed, a move that could be fired rapidly.
Breloom immediately tightened its jaw. Countless green energy seeds burst from its mouth, linking into a fast-spinning green curtain of fire.
Those Grass-type seeds crashed into Gallade's elbow blade, setting off a chain of crisp detonations!
That single exchange cut the power of Gallade's Psycho Cut dramatically.
Even so, while some seeds were knocked down, most of them still hit Gallade—or slammed into the ground around it.
Rumble!
The blast waves forced Gallade back several steps. It tried to retaliate, but its strength felt like it had been shaved down, unable to perform anywhere near its usual level.
Even its movements seemed slower.
[Ability: Sharpness → Insomnia]
Not only had its Ability been rewritten—its body was also crawling with vines.
Grass-type Leech Seed!
As long as it landed once and the strength gap wasn't enormous, it latched on like a nightmare.
No true binding effect—but it sure felt like being bound.
"So it still hit…"
Caitlin steadied her emotions.
Even with a quick response, Gallade had still been pushed into this deadlock.
Should she have used Teleport?
No—if she Teleported, Breloom could just redirect those seeds to where Gallade would appear next. That would be even worse.
Caitlin stared at Breloom as it dropped back to the ground, the corner of her mouth lifting slightly.
"Gallade—don't let it get away. Fire Punch!"
Boom!
Flames burst from Gallade's elbow blade, fire spiraling up its green arm. In an instant, it burned the vines restraining it into ash—then it charged toward Breloom!
With Sharpness already overwritten, Caitlin had one less thing to worry about.
//Check out my P@tre0n for 20 extra chapters on all my fanfics //[email protected]/Razeil0810.