Weather-based moves didn't seem to function like simple stat buffs the way they did in the games. David made a mental note to research this phenomenon more thoroughly when he returned home. Whether or not he could utilize weather moves himself, he at least needed to understand them well enough to avoid being at a disadvantage when facing opponents who could. But right now, the most pressing matter was dealing with his current challenger.
"Zorua, use Agility, then Double Team!"
"Zorua~"
Confronted by the massive icicles plummeting from above, the small fox first employed Agility. Its already impressive speed, enhanced by the move's boost, created visible afterimages as it moved.
Weaving left and right with incredible agility, Zorua effortlessly avoided the threatening ice pillars. Each one crashed harmlessly into the ground where Zorua had been mere moments before. More than that, Sneasel suddenly found itself surrounded by Zorua's Double Team clones.
By combining Agility with Double Team, Zorua hadn't just countered the opponent's offensive—it had created nearly ten constantly shifting duplicates that completely encircled Sneasel from all angles.
"Shadow Sneak!"
Under the effects of Snowscape, Sneasel's Defense received a significant boost from the weather. However, this meant little to Zorua, who specialized in special attacks rather than physical ones.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
"Sneasel!"
A barrage of Shadow Sneak attacks launched simultaneously from multiple directions. Dark purple spheres of ghostly energy, impossible to track back to their sources, continuously pelted Sneasel from all sides. Already disoriented by the constantly circling Double Team clones, Sneasel cried out in pain as each attack connected.
It was fortunate that Shadow Sneak was a Ghost-type move, which only dealt half damage to Dark-type Pokémon like Sneasel. Otherwise, the consequences could have been far worse.
"No! What should I do?" Layla's confident demeanor wavered. "Wait—that's it! Sneasel, quickly, use Icy Wind! Spin in place while using it!"
Layla, who had started the match with such commanding presence, felt her composure slip after hearing her Pokémon's pained cries.
Watching her entire offensive strategy completely nullified by her opponent, and seeing Sneasel continuously bombarded by attacks, she became visibly flustered. Her earlier calm evaporated. Fortunately, she possessed considerable battle experience and managed to formulate a counterattack strategy even under pressure.
Sneasel, who had initially wanted to prove itself and avenge its trainer's grudge, hadn't expected to be completely overwhelmed by that irritating fox from the very start. Frustration and anger built up inside it. Upon hearing its trainer's command, it immediately launched its counteroffensive.
Sneasel forcibly halted its backward momentum, gritting its teeth and enduring the continued damage from Shadow Sneak. Opening its mouth wide, it exhaled a frigid gust forward. A bitter cold wind mixed with countless tiny ice crystals surged forth. Simultaneously, Sneasel's feet began moving, and it started spinning rapidly in place.
The cold wind, which had initially blown in only one direction, immediately spread outward in all directions due to Sneasel's rotation.
The howling wind formed an ever-expanding circular "wall" of Icy Wind with Sneasel at its center. Confronted by the expanding barrier, Zorua's Double Team clones were dispersed one after another until finally, its true body was revealed.
At this point, the battlefield—which had already begun accumulating a thin layer of snow under Snowscape's influence—was further affected by the powerful Icy Wind sweeping across it. The entire arena became extremely slippery, creating a significant disadvantage for Zorua, who had been easily outmaneuvering and overwhelming Sneasel with superior speed.
David's eyes brightened at the display, and he nodded to himself with satisfaction. Sneasel's spinning Icy Wind technique had been executed beautifully, bearing a striking resemblance to Ash's famous Counter Shield strategy from his Sinnoh journey. That had represented Ash at his tactical peak! His opponent clearly possessed genuine skill. Watching the impressive performance unfold, David felt his competitive spirit ignite.
Yes, this was exactly what he'd been hoping for. Ever since becoming a Trainer, aside from his battle against his older sister's Deino, nearly all his matches had been one-sided victories. This pattern had become even more pronounced after Zorua broke through to the Advanced level.
Dominant victories were satisfying, but constant overwhelming wins wouldn't help him or Zorua grow stronger. That's why he'd been letting Zorua battle independently in recent matches. Both he and his partner had been craving a worthy opponent they could battle seriously for quite some time.
However, something puzzled him. Although he'd been seeking challenging opponents, why did he keep encountering Dark-type Pokémon? First Deino, now Sneasel. As a result, Zorua's Psychic-type abilities—which were supposed to be its trump card—had become completely useless in every battle so far.
Moreover, as a Hisuian Zorua with Normal and Ghost-type attributes, his partner's only type weakness was Dark-type moves. It was only because Zorua remained in its disguised form that the opponent still assumed it was also a Dark-type Pokémon. If Layla knew Zorua's true typing, she would probably already be commanding Sneasel to use Dark-type attacks.
"Huff... huff..."
After using Icy Wind to eliminate all of Zorua's clones in one sweep, and having sustained considerable damage from the earlier Shadow Sneak barrage, Sneasel began panting heavily.
Layla had clearly noticed how the slippery field now restricted Zorua's movement and immediately commanded Sneasel to capitalize on this advantage.
"Excellent work, Sneasel! Use Quick Attack to close the distance, then follow up with Ice Punch!"
The earlier series of Shadow Sneak attacks had thoroughly demonstrated just how formidable Zorua's special attack power was. Layla no longer dared to exchange long-range attacks with such a dangerous opponent. Since she couldn't win at a distance, and Zorua's speed was now hampered by the terrain, this presented too perfect an opportunity to transition into close-quarters combat.
Sneasel activated Quick Attack and charged toward Zorua's position. Thanks to its natural advantage as an Ice-type Pokémon native to snowy mountain regions, Sneasel was thoroughly accustomed to slippery, snow-covered terrain. Its speed remained largely unaffected.
In an instant, Sneasel's figure—like a streak of pink lightning—rushed directly toward Zorua.
"Dig!"
Just before the pink blur could make contact, Zorua quickly dropped down and burrowed into the ground through the hole it had created, disappearing underground.
"Perfect opportunity! Use your momentum to increase Ice Punch's power and smash down with full force near that hole!"
Layla shouted from the sidelines, spotting what she thought was an opening.
Sneasel, riding the momentum from Quick Attack, concentrated freezing cold energy around its fist. It brought the charged Ice Punch down with tremendous force on the exact spot where Zorua had just disappeared underground.
"This is exactly what I've been waiting for!"
David saw that his opponent had taken the bait perfectly, and a slight smile curved at the corner of his mouth—a clear sign of his satisfaction.
"Zorua, use Will-O-Wisp!"