Bang!!
Breloom crashed to the ground, its eyes spinning in dizzy circles. It twitched once, struggled weakly, but couldn't get back up.
"Breloom has lost the ability to battle! Rhyperior wins!" the referee announced.
"What an intense exchange! Contestant Maya ordered Sleep Powder even while Breloom was being struck! Although the Sleep Powder landed successfully, Breloom went down as well. I have to ask—was that sacrifice really worth it?" the host commented to the roaring crowd.
At that very moment, Rhyperior also swayed. The lingering green haze of Sleep Powder had done its work. Its heavy eyelids drooped, its breathing slowed, and the massive Pokémon sank into a deep sleep right there on the battlefield.
Gary could tell that Maya was giving the match everything she had. She had clearly known from the start that Breloom was no Rival to Rhyperior, so she'd made it fight to the very last breath just to land Sleep Powder, all to create an opening for the Pokémon coming next.
Although the idea wasn't bad in theory, this kind of tactic couldn't truly succeed here. This was a tournament battle, not a Gym match. Gary was allowed to switch Pokémon freely. The moment Maya sent out her next Pokémon, Gary could simply recall Rhyperior and bring in someone else entirely.
So forcing Breloom to throw its life away for Sleep Powder was ultimately meaningless. The only real effect it had was crushing the hopes of the gamblers in the audience who had bet on Gary sweeping all three of Maya's Pokémon with Rhyperior in the very first round.
"This Maya looks so sweet and innocent—why is her strategy so sneaky?"
"Even if you can't win, at least fight clean! What's with the suicide Sleep Powder gimmick?"
"This is so frustrating. If Gary switches Pokémon now, my bet is finished."
"Master Gary, please don't switch! Rhyperior's got thick skin and tough armor—it can survive a few hits while it sleeps!"
Some of the gamblers in the stands were already in a panic. Although they weren't professional Trainers, they had watched more than enough matches to grasp basic tactics. It was obvious to everyone that Maya was using Sleep Powder to pave the way for her next Pokémon—but Gary still held the power to switch out whenever he wished.
Just as the gamblers were sinking into despair, Maya sent out her second Pokémon.
"Gothitelle, get ready for battle!" Maya threw her Poké Ball.
Flash!
[Lv.50 Gothitelle / Elite-tier]
"Gothitelle!"
Gary's expression shifted the moment he saw Maya's second Pokémon. Without hesitation, he reached for Rhyperior's Poké Ball, intending to recall it.
The Poké Ball fired a red beam that struck Rhyperior, about to draw it back—but dark shadows suddenly stretched out from beneath Rhyperior and wrapped tightly around its feet, anchoring it to the field and breaking the recall entirely.
"Rhyperior cannot be recalled! Contestant Maya's Gothitelle has the Ability Shadow Tag!" the host exclaimed in excitement.
"Incredible! Maya actually pulled it off!"
"This little girl had a real plan all along!"
"No wonder she was so willing to throw away Breloom!"
"It's stable now! Our bets are safe!"
The gamblers who had been on the edge of despair only moments ago instantly burst back to life, cheering wildly.
Gary let out a quiet breath of resignation. He hadn't anticipated Shadow Tag. Since he could no longer switch, he had no choice but to keep fighting with a sleeping Rhyperior stuck on the field.
"Gothitelle, use Nasty Plot," Maya ordered. She didn't rush to attack. Instead, she chose to strengthen first while Rhyperior was still asleep and defenseless.
Gothitelle channeled dark energy to stimulate its mind, sharply raising its Special Attack.
Rhyperior lay sprawled across the field, still sleeping soundly, with no sign whatsoever of waking up.
"Rhyperior, if you don't wake up, you're going to lose," Gary said flatly.
Rhyperior: "Zzz..."
It was still fast asleep.
On the opposite side, Gothitelle calmly used Nasty Plot a second time, raising its Special Attack even higher.
"Rhyperior, Garchomp is about to surpass you. I'm going to focus on raising it from now on," Gary said, deliberately changing his tone.
"Zzz...!"
Rhyperior suddenly stirred. Its body twitched, and a low, irritated rumble vibrated through its chest, showing clear signs of waking—yet it still didn't fully open its eyes.
Maya's heart leapt into her throat. Terrified that Rhyperior was about to wake, she no longer dared to let Gothitelle keep stacking boosts. She immediately shifted to the offensive.
"Gothitelle, use Future Sight, then follow with Psychic!"
Gothitelle's eyes emitted a blue halo as it sent a wave of psychic energy into the future. Immediately afterward, a powerful surge of Psychic-type force spread across the arena. The rocks scattered around the field cracked and collapsed under the sheer pressure.
Bang!!
An invisible force slammed into Rhyperior. Its massive body was shoved backward several meters, gouging deep scratches into the ground beneath it.
"Rhy...!"
The pain finally jolted Rhyperior awake.
"Don't give it a chance to react—use Flatter!" Maya ordered without missing a beat.
"Gothi!"
Gothitelle instantly unleashed Flatter at Rhyperior. Before the groggy Pokémon could fully regain its senses, it was thrown straight into confusion.
Gary's brow twitched in irritation. He hadn't expected confusion to be waiting the very instant Rhyperior woke from sleep. Maya had layered her status conditions with frightening precision—she really had come prepared.
"Rhyperior, use Sandstorm!" Gary ordered.
"Roar!"
Rhyperior bellowed—but the confusion had already taken hold. Instead of summoning Sandstorm, it wildly slammed its fists into the ground, sending Earthquake tremors rippling across the entire field.
"Float!" Maya ordered hurriedly. She didn't dare let Gothitelle absorb a direct hit from Rhyperior. One solid blow would almost certainly finish it.
Gothitelle immediately floated up into the air, easily avoiding the Earthquake tremors below.
Bang!
At the same time, Gothitelle cut a wave of psychic energy down from above and struck Rhyperior.
"Rhy!"
The confused Rhyperior roared in pain and blindly retaliated, hurling Stone Edge upward toward Gothitelle.
"Psychic!" Maya pressed her assault relentlessly. At this point she was nearly speechless—Rhyperior was simply far too durable. Gothitelle had already boosted twice with Nasty Plot and landed three effective attacks, yet it still hadn't managed to cripple Rhyperior. Its bulk was absolutely absurd.
Gothitelle struck with Psychic once more. The wave smashed into Rhyperior's hard armor. Although it didn't look heavily wounded on the surface, Rhyperior's low Special Defense meant the damage was steadily accumulating.
"Are you still not awake?"
Gary stared at the confused Rhyperior, a headache forming. If the confusion didn't break soon, Rhyperior wouldn't be able to land a single accurate attack.
"Rhyperior, use Earthquake!" Gary could only keep issuing commands and hope the right move would slip through the confusion. If it did, he might just be able to catch Gothitelle.
"Roar!"
Rhyperior crashed down toward the ground and drilled straight underground.
"Good."
Gary was satisfied. Hidden underground, Rhyperior was out of Gothitelle's reach.
"Gothitelle, don't move. Use Future Sight," Maya ordered calmly. She understood the situation perfectly. A Pokémon underground relied on surface vibrations to track its target. As long as Gothitelle stayed perfectly still, Rhyperior wouldn't be able to pinpoint it—and if it was still confused, it might not even remember where Gothitelle had been standing before.
Gothitelle's eyes glowed blue once more, sending another Future Sight ahead into the near future.
Bang!
But at that exact moment, the ground shattered apart. Rhyperior burst out from underground—directly in front of Gothitelle, barely three meters away.
"Megahorn!" Gary gave the order instantly.
"Roar!"
Rhyperior's drill horn was coated in a layer of green Bug-type energy. The horn spun rapidly, suddenly expanded in size, and drove straight into Gothitelle.