"Sending out Castform without sunlight active?"
Peter frowned slightly.
Castform—
Had perfectly balanced stats across the board.
Everything at 70.
And its weight?
Less than 1 kg.
Which meant—
Arboliva's Grass Knot would only have 20 base power.
Completely ineffective.
So—
There was only one viable move.
"Arboliva—use Toxic!"
"Castform—use Toxic!"
Both commands rang out simultaneously.
Purple poison clouds spread across the field—
And both Pokémon were badly poisoned.
Peter sighed inwardly.
Arboliva was now trapped on the field—
And Toxic wouldn't trigger its seed-dropping ability.
On top of that—
It had already taken a full-powered Eruption.
It was hanging by a thread.
All it could do now—
Was chip away slowly with Grass Knot.
Brent clearly saw through this.
"Castform—Sunny Day!"
Sunlight returned.
Castform transformed into its Fire-type form—
Gaining resistance to Grass.
Now—
Peter couldn't deal any real damage at all.
And Brent didn't stop there.
"Tailwind!"
Winds surged across the battlefield.
Castform began weaving around—
Avoiding direct confrontation entirely.
All it had to do—
Was wait.
Wait for Arboliva—
To succumb to poison.
And the most absurd part—
Just before Arboliva collapsed—
Brent calmly used:
"Castform—Rest!"
…
In an instant—
Castform returned to full health.
Rest: Fully restores HP and removes all status conditions.
"…."
Peter was speechless.
Turns out—
There was always someone dirtier.
The livestream erupted with laughter.
"LMAO this is the first time I've seen Professor Peter this helpless!"
"See?! Only magic can defeat magic! To beat him, you have to be dirtier than him!"
"Got it—no more showers from today! Give me three years, I'll become the filthiest Trainer alive!"
"…."
Peter recalled Arboliva.
His expression—
Returned to calm.
He still held the advantage.
No need to rush.
"Lopunny—back to battle!"
…
On the other side—
Brent also recalled Castform.
Keeping a sleeping support Pokémon on the field was pointless.
He threw out another Poké Ball.
"Go—my old partner!"
"ROOOOAR—!"
A fiery figure soared into the sky.
Massive wings.
A blazing tail.
A powerful, muscular frame.
It was—
Charizard.
Under the blazing sunlight—
Its already crimson body seemed to ignite.
The temperature soared instantly.
[Charizard Lv.55 (Gym-tier Mid)]
Peter narrowed his eyes.
"Solar Power… hidden ability. So it's a special attacker build."
Solar Power:
In sunlight, Special Attack ↑50%—but takes damage each turn.
Peter nodded slightly.
Now everything made sense.
Castform's role—
Was to eliminate Arboliva and set up Sunny Day + Tailwind.
Which meant—
Even Mega Lopunny, without Speed Boost—
Would be outsped.
Combine that with Flying-type advantage over Fighting—
Brent's strategy…
Was solid.
"Charizard—use Hurricane!"
Brent struck first.
Charizard rose higher—
And unleashed a storm of razor-sharp wind blades.
Every escape route—
Sealed.
Peter raised an eyebrow.
When the opponent chose full AOE coverage—
Lopunny's agility became meaningless.
And now—
With no room to maneuver—
It was like prey waiting to be slaughtered.
"…But so what?"
Peter and Lopunny's eyes lit up simultaneously.
…
In the next instant—
It charged forward at full speed.
"WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!"
Wind blades tore into its body.
Its black stockings shredded.
Flesh split open beneath—
Blood spraying into the air.
But—
Lopunny didn't slow down.
Another step.
A powerful leap.
It launched itself into the sky—
Straight toward Charizard.
"Thunder Wave!" Peter shouted.
Brent shook his head.
"Useless… keep up Hurricane pressure!"
Electric currents spread—
But were scattered by the storm.
The wind blades continued—
Closing in from all directions.
Up.
Down.
Left.
Right.
A perfect kill zone.
The entire audience held their breath.
It felt like—
Lopunny would be cut down any second.
"Mi… lo…"
At that moment—
Peter and Lopunny closed their eyes.
Memories flooded in.
Countless attempts to scale Mt. Coronet's peak.
The biting cold winds.
The slippery footholds.
Hadn't they overcome all of that before?
Then—
Why not this?
"SHING—!"
They opened their eyes.
Sharp.
Focused.
Unyielding.
Through their Mega connection—
Trainer and Pokémon became one.
"Lopunny—Circle Throw!!!"
It clenched its fist—
Shattering the right-side wind blade.
Blood exploded from its hand—
Using the force to change direction.
Its head tilted.
Body twisted.
Dodging the upper and lower blades.
Then—
A whip-like kick—
Shattered the left-side blade.
Blood scattered through the air—
And in that instant—
It became a streak of black lightning.
Fur whipping wildly—
It appeared right in front of Charizard.
"PAH—!"
A blood-stained hand slammed against Charizard's side.
Veins bulged across Lopunny's body.
"MI… LOOO—!!!"
Charizard—
Lost control.
It plummeted toward the ground.
Just as it tried to flap its wings—
Lopunny stepped on its head midair.
The two Pokémon crashed down—
In a violent explosion.
"BOOOOOOM—!"
Dust filled the battlefield.
When it cleared—
Charizard had already been recalled.
A Poké Ball at Brent's waist opened.
The sleeping Castform reappeared.
Circle Throw—forced switch.
"Ha… ha…"
Lopunny flipped backward—
Landing beside Peter.
Panting heavily.
Its right fist—
And left leg—
Were drenched in blood.
But it still stood.
Its fighting spirit—
Burned even brighter.
Brent opened his mouth—
But no words came out.
He couldn't understand.
The optimal move just now—
Was to Baton Pass out.
Staying in—
Meant near-certain defeat.
And yet—
Peter chose the most dangerous option.
Or rather—
He believed—
Lopunny could pull it off.
That—
Was terrifying.
…
The livestream exploded again.
"DAMN! Lopunny is SO COOL!"
"I've decided—my starter Pokémon is Buneary!"
"Professor Peter's gaze just now… terrifying—but so handsome! My heart can't take it!"
"Hey! Don't get ideas about OUR Professor Peter—I object!"
"…."
Ignoring Brent's shock—
Peter gave his next command.
"Lopunny—Thunder Wave!"
Electric currents struck the sleeping Castform.
Sparks crackled around it.
Paralysis.
Unlike in games—
In reality, status conditions could stack.
Rest could remove them—
But a sleeping Pokémon—
Had no resistance.
At that moment—
The sunlight returned once more.
And the battle—
Entered its next phase.
--------------
T/N:
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